Newbs Look Here First!

[Waterkeeper]

being an online forum user since 1992, i laughed for an hour at this video.. thought it might be "stickyworthy"

"Before You Post"

[repman01]

that is very true lol

[beckdg]

somebody say stickie???

[froggsong]

LMAO... Sticky indeed! Consider it stuck.

[Nicte1983]

Always better to add to an existing thread? Only if you are 100% on topic. Hi-jacked threads or threads that go way off topic are my biggest forum pet peeve. It means the topic swells to (often) a dozen or more pages rendering the search tool next to useless. And I have been many cases where original discussion question gets forgotten and maybe its just me, but I feel weird trying to continue a discussion or question when there have been a dozen off topic comments but also feel bad starting a new thread.

[froggsong]

I totally understand what you mean.

In a case where the thread has gone completely off topic, there is no reason why you can't just start a new thread. We don't really have any posting rules currently, there are just some things that are a bit frowned upon.

Our community is growing here, but we are still fairly small. Posts do tend to go at least a little off topic, but we aren't extremely strict about it. It may become more of an issue once the community has grown.

If you are in an active thread and you see it has gone off topic enough that the original subject has been completely lost, please feel free to say something. The posts will either be moved or the thread will get back on topic.

This is a sticky because it makes some valid points in an amusing manner, not because it accurately defines the rules on this site.

[Waterkeeper]

let me start off by saying I agree.. I just found that vid funny!

Hi-jacked threads or threads that go way off topic are my biggest forum pet peeve.

it is only natural that a discussion titled "raising humidity in my terrarium" will lead to discussions about water features, temperature, and the equipment that they involve.. it only becomes a pet-peeve for me when the thread becomes 46 pages long.

It means the topic swells to (often) a dozen or more pages rendering the search tool next to useless.

once this forum triples in traffic (and it will) watch how useless that search button really becomes, the site starts shutting down everytime someone tries to "search" and the server has to sift through thousands of threads.. the mods will have to disable search all together to keep the forum running.

I've been a member at ReefCentral since 2003. back then the search was always open, there where 8 mods site-wide, traffic was manageable.
there are currently 1795 members and 691 guests on the boards.
about 260 members with birthdays today.
Threads= 946,247. Posts= 14,432,258.
I haven't been able to search that forum in a year.

here on our fav little forum
Currently Active Users: 20 (12 members and 22 guests)
Most users ever online was 74
Threads: 2,984, Posts: 21,771, Members: 3,425, Active Members: 365

LOL... hope that wasn't too far OFF TOPIC

[Chu'Wuti]

Nah, it's OK. The video was great, BTW--I really had to restrain myself from LOL because my DH is asleep in the next room!

MY pet peeve is newbies coming on, not doing ANY searches, because their problem is unique, of course, right? and asking the same question that we've answered 50 or more times . I'm on another forum where that happens a LOT. So I really appreciated the hint about the "hidden" search button!

Wish all the newbies really WOULD read this! But it appears to be only us senior folks . . . oh, wait--there's Nicte1983! Hooray! Not a complete newbie, but maybe as close as we're going to get . . .

[huskafan]

wow I had no idea thewre was a search option for a specific thread. I actualy learned from this video. Well, here's to a more productive time on this site!

[br7ian]

ha ha ha... that was effin hilarious!!!