Stop merging posts it's ruining the website

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board' started by Biddy37, Aug 8, 2020.

  1. Redarmy87

    Redarmy87 Well-Known Member

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    No single thing really has 100% agreement. Whether that’s opinion of players, the board, politics being moved to a separate page, bans being given, reports being made, etc.

    I’m just giving a different view that most of the merged threads in the last three months won’t have been noticed, but they have made the board a more enjoyable experience because without it the different topics discussed won’t have happened.

    You can’t have one thread for Transfer Rumours though. It’s a subject with too many announcements and moving parts. But you can merge posts all within the same timeframe announcing the same rumour from the same post. Why wouldn’t you?[/QUOTE]
    I get what you're saying. I'm just pointing out most people realise threads are being merged and most are in disagreement about it. I like the numerous matchday threads and dont think they should be merged. Also transfer rumours, as you say. I'm not invested in it enough to argue either way though. I do think individual threads allow the personality of posters to come through. I don't tend to create threads myself so I'm coming from an objective angle.
     
  2. e-red

    e-red Well-Known Member

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    Tend to agree with this thread. We start off looking at potential transfers and going off about whether Brown is a winger, a wing back or a striker. If anybody knows owt why can’t they just put it on a header and we can all follow that thread. Scanning through 90 pages is hopeless.
     
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  3. Loko the Tyke

    Loko the Tyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    I get what you're saying. I'm just pointing out most people realise threads are being merged and most are in disagreement about it. I like the numerous matchday threads and dont think they should be merged. Also transfer rumours, as you say. I'm not invested in it enough to argue either way though. I do think individual threads allow the personality of posters to come through. I don't tend to create threads myself so I'm coming from an objective angle.[/QUOTE]

    Not sure why you’re quoted posts aren’t working? Are you editing what it populates?

    Not arguing. Just explaining. I would make a confident guess that the merging of four in every five threads doesn’t impact on anyone other than the original poster. It happens without people realising because you don’t merge anything where the conversation has already started, only those that are identical to other ones started in the same timeframe and that you’re merging quickly.

    I don’t tend to merge anything with ten replies or more. Ship has sailed by then.
     
  4. ark

    ark104 (v2) Well-Known Member

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    I can't believe this post has been on for almost 12 hours and no one has started a duplicate thread. What is happening to this place?
     
  5. Loko the Tyke

    Loko the Tyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    I haven’t been on here as much since the Wigan announcement so just catching up, but I don’t think this is an issue with merged threads as such, it’s a complaint about merging transfer rumours in to one thread.

    I agree on that. You can’t do it. Merged threads are good for duplicate posts, duplicate questions, non-football chats, and anything that feels like spam.

    For something Barnsley FC related like transfer rumours, with lots of new news, new links, etc. merging doesn’t work. Merging threads only adds to the experience though when done properly though, as I’ve already said, because it happens without you realising, cleaning up the board and making it much easier to navigate around the different topics this website is famous/popular for.

    There are still another 4/5 transfer threads on the main page. Doesn’t look like they’ve all been merged
     
  6. Redarmy87

    Redarmy87 Well-Known Member

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    Not sure why you’re quoted posts aren’t working? Are you editing what it populates?

    Not arguing. Just explaining. I would make a confident guess that the merging of four in every five threads doesn’t impact on anyone other than the original poster. It happens without people realising because you don’t merge anything where the conversation has already started, only those that are identical to other ones started in the same timeframe and that you’re merging quickly.

    I don’t tend to merge anything with ten replies or more. Ship has sailed by then.[/QUOTE]
    No not editing, I quoted a snippet in my first reply but obviously did something wrong! Fair enough, i dont envy you as an admin and appreciate the work you put in.
     
  7. shed131

    shed131 Well-Known Member

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    Got to agree... Stop merging.... Go back to Social distancing with all threads ...... These arranged marriages.... Don't work.... Individuality to express one's artistic flair is called for. ... Allow posters their own speakers corner..
    .Merging today... Maximum letter limits to follow.... Boo hiss.... ....
    Plus it takes the impact and fun out of nudges fishing trips... Lol
     
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  8. JamDrop

    JamDrop Well-Known Member

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    How do you know what I have or haven’t noticed?
     
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  9. Loko the Tyke

    Loko the Tyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Because before merging a thread you can see number of views? I usually go off that and the law of averages. I didn’t mention you specifically and I also said ‘most’. Harsh much?
     
  10. JamDrop

    JamDrop Well-Known Member

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    Asking a question isn’t harsh, certainly not that one anyway. I do have another question though, have you been asked to merge more or is it just simply because you like it that way and felt like doing it? It’s never been that way in years and years (decades even maybe, has it been that long?) and it seems a big change to just happen unannounced. I’m not sure if other admins are merging as much as you and just not talking about it but from the outside it seems to just be your project that you’ve decided to randomly take on.
     
  11. Loko the Tyke

    Loko the Tyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Your question felt a bit shouty and direct considering I was just being honest enough to try and explain something.

    I haven’t merged for days so it isn’t the one man project you’re claiming. We’re also talking about a handful of threads a week, if that, sometimes none in a week, when the BBS traffic is way up on where it’s been in recent times. It isn’t something that happens very often at all, but I think the transfer threads has kickstarted the thread causing the debate.

    There were some complaints months and months ago about duplicate threads, and it isn’t something that is new, but like everything those thoughts come and go in cycles. The Matchday merging has been talked about for years but nothing has been done about it either way.

    Best example would have been the Dominic Cummings episode. Over two days I merged over 25 threads that were one line flippant comments. If you think they would have been left as standalone posts then that’s just your opinion and as valid as mine that they’re better merged. Asking the time of the Wigan appeal announcement six times when the answer is already there, are they better left alone when that’s the whole context of the post?

    Someone has to be admin and make decisions. Otherwise there’s no point in having admin right? If what I’m doing is wrong and terrible, even though there’s no examples yet pinpointed at me, then I’ll likely use that right to be admin won’t I?

    Also feels like you’re ignoring twice where I’ve said merging certain threads doesn’t work.
     
  12. JamDrop

    JamDrop Well-Known Member

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    I’m asking questions to understand more, it’s what I do. If I don’t fully understand your reasoning then I’m just going to keep believing what I’m believing without any chance to change my mind. I know people can get entrenched, and I doubt I will change my mind on this, but I’d rather know all the details to fully form my opinion. I do accept that as admin it’s your decision, I just wondered if it was a discussed decision or something you decided alone. The only time I can see a value in merging a thread is if they are literally identical (e.g. someone posts a link to the same article with no opinion given on it). Posts tend to live or die by how many replies they get anyway so if no-one cares about it, it will just fall off the first page. Personally, I’d rather see 5 similar comments in one go by casting my eyes down the homepage rather than having to click and open a thread every time someone has commented, just to see it saying the same thing. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I mainly browse on my laptop and by hovering over the thread title, I can see the post inside pop up without clicking it, now I have to keep clicking and opening the same thread over and over again. It also is disheartening to see a thread with 12 pages that you have to wade through when you only have time for a quick scan.
     
  13. Loko the Tyke

    Loko the Tyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Which is the only time a thread is merged in terms of what I do. Repeating myself, but I think the attempt to merge in to one transfers thread has caused the complaints because most merged threads don’t impact on anyone and in the main, people have no idea it was merged in the first place. Which is why it’s never really come up before.

    Transfer Rumours is too broad a topic and has too many moving parts. Each rumour warrants its own thread - but then you’d merge any posts on the same rumour. That’s all that’s been happening and it isn’t as new as you suggest, it’s just been brought up properly for the first time in a while.
     
  14. JamDrop

    JamDrop Well-Known Member

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    I think you’re wrong with this. You’ve mentioned it twice and it seems to be something you genuinely believe but I don’t think the people who don’t want threads merged are solely talking about transfer threads, I think they don’t want any threads merged, or the middle ground people only want threads with literally no unique content to be merged (not ones discussing similar topics or with similar opinions but ones that are actually saying the exact same thing e.g. 1-0 etc.) I’m a purist and would keep all threads and left the wheat sort itself from the chaff whereas some people like threads being merged. There must be a compromise though that keeps most people happy, it just seems to have swung too far in the opposite direction of late.
     
  15. Mat

    Mateo Corbo Well-Known Member

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    To be honest I can't even see the issue with the transfer rumour thread. From what I can see there hasn't been a request that all rumours are merged has there? Instead one poster thought it might be good to have a thread for people to post transfer rumours on if they wish. Which is different to posts being automatically merged by admin and doesn't necessarily stop folk starting posts on transfers elsewhere.
     
  16. Loko the Tyke

    Loko the Tyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Maybe I am wrong, but it’s my opinion just like it’s yours.

    Nobody is giving examples though. Some of the monster threads we’ve got at the moment or have had recently aren’t due to merging all the time - they’ve just genuinely taken off because internet traffic everywhere has been up massively for obvious reasons. This board is busier than its been in years.

    People (some) are saying they don’t like merged threads, but they haven’t had any threads merged. And it’s very, very rarely discussed, so how do people know. That’s the point I’m trying to make.

    I keep repeating myself but the only threads that I have merged are the ones you’re mentioning - repeated content that aren’t unique.
     
  17. Loko the Tyke

    Loko the Tyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    True. Which is why you’ve got the McGeehan thread and two or three others about different players and rumours.

    I’m trying to say that there isn’t as much merging going on as this whole thread seems to be suggesting - as a percentage of posts it’s a tiny, tiny fraction so how is it ruining the website?
     
  18. JamDrop

    JamDrop Well-Known Member

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    It’s hard to remember to give an example after it has been merged though, I’ve had a thread I replied on merged but I can’t remember the title now. We’re not going to agree but thank you for taking the time to explain a bit more about why you do it, at least it takes the frustration away of not knowing, even if I still don’t agree with it.
     
  19. Mat

    Mateo Corbo Well-Known Member

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    I would agree and I don't think it is ruining the website personally. The only thread I've noticed which was merged was the Wigan thread and I think that was much needed and was very helpful to have all the info in one place.
     
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  20. Bid

    Biddy37 Well-Known Member

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    The Website has been going years and threads weren't merged then and it was great.. Why change it... I appreciate admin deleting offensive posts but other than that... Just let things be natural. Its obvious the majority agree with the replies... So my suggestion is do what the fans want
     
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