A few changes to Topics

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A few changes to Topics

This topic has 28 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 1 November 2015 at 14:50 by Bazyle.

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31 October 2015 at 11:08 #210026
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
It's been starting to get a bit difficult to find your way around this forum, because many 'topics' have taken on a flavour that doesn't always fit their name very well.

As well as bikes, cars (and buses and lorries…) are an interest of many forum members and MEW readers! Rather than ending up with topics for each one, the new 'Bike Restoration' topic is now 'Vehicle Restoration'

'Astronomy' has become 'other hobbies' as there are many hobbies that aren't really engineering but tend to go along with it, but we can't create a topic for each of them.

I've also created 'scientific instruments', as although we get relatively little traffic on this topic it might create some and allows a legit place to discuss things like telescope mounts, microscopes etc.

'The Tea Room' will be a place for loosely engineering related chat. The popular 'what did you do today' thread will go here and is a guide to what sort of discussion is appropriate. The 'aircraft general discussion' thread will also go here.

I will stress that forum rules still apply to ALL topics and that threads should still have a relation to our common interest in engineering. For example 'Scrapheap Challenge' might be a subject for discussion in the tea room, but I doubt that 'X Factor' belongs there.

There will, NOT be a wholesale movement of various threads to get them better classified, but misplaced new threads will be moved.

Any proposals for new topics, merged topics or changed topic names can be made below.

Neil
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31 October 2015 at 11:08 #39708
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Trying to keep the number of topics under control.
31 October 2015 at 11:43 #210029
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Neil,

As per my recent post on another thread; I think a Health & Safety topic would be useful.

It would allow those who are 'not interested' to avoid 'wasting their time' reading about H&S and then whining or joking about the subject.

… It may then even start to become a useful point of reference.

MichaelG.
31 October 2015 at 13:57 #210043
Lambton
Participant
@lambton
Neil,

An excellent thing to do.

I also agree with Michael about a Health and Safety topic.
31 October 2015 at 14:40 #210048
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Seems reasonable, but I'll hold fire on further changes as more suggestions might refine that idea.

Neil
31 October 2015 at 16:19 #210058
Gas_mantle.
Participant
@gas_mantle
Neil,

Any chance of an 'off topic' forum for people to talk about other non engineering stuff, every other web chat site has an 'off topic' section as it keeps the main forum pages for on topic material.

It's good to know you are trying to reorganise things, to be honest I gave up posting as the forum seemed to lose its way and finding interesting engineering posts amongst all the other chat became a chore.

I got the impression no-one seemed interested in 'build threads' so I gave up on mine

Peter.
31 October 2015 at 16:46 #210060
Mark P.
Participant
@markp
Peter I found your build threads very interesting, did you get the “potty” mill engine finished?.
Mark P.
31 October 2015 at 17:09 #210067
Gas_mantle.
Participant
@gas_mantle
Thanks Mark,

I'm still on with the engine, I like to do a few projects at once so I'm also building a very small brass wobbler (nearly finished and runs well) and I'm well on the way with biggish double acting wobbler (24mm bore 27mm stroke) that I hope is going to make a lot of noise and mess when I run it

Peter.
31 October 2015 at 17:17 #210068
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Peter,

That's what the 'tea-room' is for, but while it should keep the main part of the forum concentrated on the hobby, I would hope to avoid completely irrelevant threads in there.

We have to see how it goes.

Neil
31 October 2015 at 17:48 #210069
Enough!
Participant
@enough
Posted by Michael Gilligan on 31/10/2015 11:43:51:

It would allow those who are 'not interested' to avoid 'wasting their time' reading about H&S and then whining or joking about the subject.

Seems like kind of a "You're either for us or agin us" viewpoint. There are those of us who are simply sick of the proselytism.

However, I do agree that having it's own topic might help …. if we can only keep it there.
31 October 2015 at 18:00 #210071
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Bandersnatch on 31/10/2015 17:48:10:

Seems like kind of a "You're either for us or agin us" viewpoint. There are those of us who are simply sick of the proselytism.

However, I do agree that having it's own topic might help …. if we can only keep it there.

.

Exactly my point.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 31/10/2015 18:02:25
31 October 2015 at 18:03 #210072
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Arghh! A I have caused acatapostrophe!

Neil
31 October 2015 at 19:06 #210076
martin perman 1
Participant
@martinperman1
I think an off topic would be a very good Idea, and breaking down the topics would be useful as there is some stuff I dont read but have to look through to pull out other idea's.

I must buy a Dictionary to find out what proslytism is as my grasp of the English language was never my strong point at school.

Martin P
31 October 2015 at 19:06 #210077
Swarf, Mostly!
Participant
@swarfmostly
I like the 'Tea Room' idea.

We could start a 'My armchair is better than your armchair' thread!

Seriously though, I've noticed that many threads are punctuated by posts complaining that the poster is having difficulties posting photos or linking to other sites etc. If I might be forgiven for mentioning another site, Mad Modders have a 'Gallery' department with advice about re-sizing and posting photos. So, a 'driving instructions' topic could save a lot of repetitious megabytes. It could also remind posters who quote other posts to click their right arrow before starting to type their contribution – that would avoid their whole post masquerading as a quote.

I suppose it's too much to ask for a reminder that the thing that rotates is an 'arbor' while an 'arbour' is a garden seat in an alcove of shrubbery?!?!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!
31 October 2015 at 20:04 #210084
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Neil Wyatt on 31/10/2015 18:03:26:

caused acatapostrophe!

It's its, isn't it
31 October 2015 at 20:08 #210085
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by Swarf, Mostly! on 31/10/2015 19:06:33:

So, a 'driving instructions' topic could save a lot of repetitious megabytes.

We already have a Website FAQs topic and 'posting images'; is a sticky thread at the top of the list.

As you have demonstrated, nobody seems to notice it…
31 October 2015 at 20:35 #210091
Swarf, Mostly!
Participant
@swarfmostly
Posted by Neil Wyatt on 31/10/2015 20:08:34:

Posted by Swarf, Mostly! on 31/10/2015 19:06:33:

So, a 'driving instructions' topic could save a lot of repetitious megabytes.

We already have a Website FAQs topic and 'posting images'; is a sticky thread at the top of the list.

As you have demonstrated, nobody seems to notice it…

Oops, my bad!!!

I guess that's because I always enter via 'Latest Forum Posts'.

I still think the 'Tea Room' is a good idea.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!
31 October 2015 at 21:16 #210096
Sam Stones
Participant
@samstones42903
Whoops! And I thought arbor was the American spelling of arbour.
1 November 2015 at 08:49 #210129
mick70
Participant
@mick70
how about a section or sub section for equipment making or re-furbs?

could put homemade tools in it as well.

couple of forums i am on have them and they get lots of posts.
1 November 2015 at 09:01 #210130
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
Posted by naughtyboy on 01/11/2015 08:49:44:

how about a section or sub section for equipment making or re-furbs?

could put homemade tools in it as well.

couple of forums i am on have them and they get lots of posts.

Should be adequately covered by "Tools & Tooling" or "Work in progress"

J
1 November 2015 at 09:02 #210131
Eric Cox
Participant
@ericcox50497
Why the need for topics. I can't do a search by Topic only I need a key word as well but I can search just by key word. Also, the latest forum postings are listed by description and not by topic.

What would be an improvement is if "posters" were more precise in their descriptions. For example, I can do a keyword search for "Northumbrian" but not see all the relevant postings because "Northumbrian" has not been used in the description.

Edited By Eric Cox on 01/11/2015 09:15:36
1 November 2015 at 09:11 #210132
Roger Woollett
Participant
@rogerwoollett53105
If you are going to create a new topic I suggest "Safety in the Workshop" or something like that. It might put off some of the elfandsafety brigade.
1 November 2015 at 09:12 #210133
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Eric Cox on 01/11/2015 09:02:14:

Why the need for topics. I can't do a search by Topic only I need a key word as well but I can search just by key word. Also, the latest forum postings are listed by description and not by topic.

.

Eric,

On this page every new post is shown with its Topic hyperlinked.

That should make it reasonably easy to "search" by a Topic that interests you.

MichaelG.

.

… or you could just browse the list

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 01/11/2015 09:19:31
1 November 2015 at 09:19 #210135
Eric Cox
Participant
@ericcox50497
I've never noticed the topic hyperlink before, I just see and use the prominent description.
1 November 2015 at 09:33 #210136
Gas_mantle.
Participant
@gas_mantle
I'm all for having an off topic 'Tea room' to try and keep the main forum area on topic but I do think if you create too many topic sections it starts getting a bit confusing and can be off putting.

Why close down a few of the topic sections that never get used in order to simply things a bit ?

Lets face it the 'Trams' section has had 1 thread in over 3 years, the 'Scale model railway wagons' has had 3 threads in the 2 years. It seems to me nobody reads them so why not just get rid and simply the whole thing ?

Peter.
Author

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