Badly needed of an Off-topic forum!!!

[patchy]

don't get me wrong
seems to me trainz community is a defacto off topic thread
you can post just about anything you want on here withen reason
don't know what off topic is
but i'll start with the chillen volcano causing air travell choas from australia to new zealand,digital tv signal drops out in heavey weather,why isn't my football team winning, etc,etc.
so if you really think of it tihs is the off topic thread,because it's the trainz community

cheers,
patchy

 

[Vern]

Slightly off at a tangent, but I note there are at least three threads recently opened in "Community" which are actually referring to technical or other aspects of the game. Why have these not been moved by the mods to a more suitable area of the forum? Not just semantics, but the person with a problem is more likely to get an answer if their question is where the right users might see it...

 

[backyard]

Opposed...keep it buisness-like

No religion or politics?

What else is there?

 

[mattm]

No religion or politics?

What else is there?

Railworks? N3V's 'failure' to provide a free of charge, billion megabite per second download server with unlimited download queues?

And don't forget that age-old favorite Railworks!

Matt.

 

[Deano5]

Interesting thread with some very witty lines. :hehe:
Although the vast majority of us would like and use such a section of the forum, there will, unfortunately, always be the "one" that must spoil it for the rest of us.

 

[amigacooke]

I can't really see any business advantage to N3V in having an unrelated off-topic forum. To be blunt, it's not much use to N3V having more people hanging around here talking about nothing in particular when they should be making content or beta testing.

I suspect an off-topic forum is more likely to lead to 'freedom of speech' arguments and bad feeling against the moderators. As previously, I'd tend to avoid OT like the plague.

Did enjoy the many unsucessful attempts to 'ignore this thread' though.

 

[ish6]

.... unfortunately, always be the "one" that must spoil it for the rest of us.

And that's the real problem, in my opinion, not the "off-topic forum" ...

Ish

 

[SuperFudd]

No religion or politics?
What else is there?

Hmmm... How about sex and HAM radio?

 

[GeorgeCW]

Saw it at Train-sim, only thing missing was the live ammo and AK47's. I think you would have to hire a moderator full time

 

[sniper297]

"The Yard", yep, great place until all the political hotheads just couldn't stop bloviating at each other. :hehe:

Primary purpose for something like that, when you get together with a bunch of other trainsimmers for years, sometimes you just want to "visit" with your friends, and straying too far off topic in the actual train forums makes it difficult for newbies to search for answers to questions. Personally I don't see what's wrong with using Trainz Community for that, someone looking for answers to technical questions or a KUID hunt is unlikely to search in this forum anyway. Altho as has already been noted they sometimes post questions here that belong elsewhere simply because they don't stop to think about which forum would be most appropriate.

 

[wholbr]

Hi Everybody

I think many of us will remember the pfx “beer is brain food” thread as being possibly the funniest and best off-topic thread on the forum in recent years.

Yes, Trains where mentioned at times in terms of the copious use of the Buffet car by us regular HST travelers as nothing beats standing up at 120 miles an hour having a pleasant discussion with fellow travelers with a pint of your favourite brew in your hand. The thread also discussed how a few glasses of wine can greatly help your route creation abilities on an evening which looks perfect until you view it next morning.

As an avid lifelong football fan and supporter of the world's greatest club “Manchester United” I regularly contribute to a football forum and therefore may have some suggestions as to control of abuse etc which that forum uses.

All members on joining the forum have to agree that there postings can be edited or removed by the moderators. In the foregoing where a poster may make a valid point with regard to a match decision or result etc, but then goes on to abuse other members of the forum the moderators will allow the valid point but then take out the abuse which is also then labelled as removed. Alternatively the whole posting can be removed from the thread.

I have been a member of that forum for over five years and everyone accepts the above and therefore some very good discussions do take place in the controlled environment.

Yes I would very much like to see an off-topic section in the forum but without doubt it would need to be controlled in the above manner.

Bill

 

[sniper297]

Already have that for the regular forums - most forums including this one are private "clubs", members are guests of the club owner, therefore have to abide by the owner's rules to avoid getting kicked out the door. Most websites have a code of conduct or set of rules posted somewhere, Nels Anderson made the first statement in red at trainsim.com - "First things first, freedom of speech does NOT apply here, this is a private club".

In this forum's code of conduct;

N3V staff and N3V appointed forum moderators are the sole arbiters as to what constitutes a violation of the Code of Conduct.

Regardless of whether a poster thinks his point was valid, any moderator can delete it on a whim without having to explain why. No idea how it works here, but over at trainsim.com the only appeal to a moderator's judgment call is an email directly to the website owner - and since he selects the people he wants to moderate, most times he agrees with the moderator's decision. Occasionally we get reversed on appeal, but it doesn't happen often.

Main problem is lawsuits, the "co-defendant" is often the owner of the website where the libel was posted, so if you allow members to sling accusations and insults freely you could be legally liable for damages. That particular problem (too many unemployed lawyers) is why many websites have shut down off-topic meeting places, it's just considered more trouble than it's worth.

 

[PerRock]

No idea how it works here, but over at trainsim.com the only appeal to a moderator's judgment call is an email directly to the website owner - and since he selects the people he wants to moderate, most times he agrees with the moderator's decision. Occasionally we get reversed on appeal, but it doesn't happen often.

per the code of conduct here:

19. Interfering with, criticising and / or publicly commenting about moderation decisions. Messages commenting on or criticizing forum administrative actions will be removed without warning. Any complaints or disagreements regarding forum or chat room moderation should be made by contacting Helpdesk.

peter

 

[wholbr]

Hi Everyone.
Everyone seems to talk these days about the possibility of lawsuits centered around Internet forums.

As someone whose occupation at times brings me into contact with the law courts here in Britain through the industrial tribunal courts, I find first of all that many people threaten to take legal action and may even go as far as forwarding the initial paperwork but over 90% withdrawal before even the initial hearings take place.

As for taking action across international borders over something somebody may have said on the forum my thoughts would be that is very unlikely to happen. Unless you are someone with the resources of Apple, Google or Microsoft I would believe it is not even worth contemplating.

Going back to my original posting with regard to the football (soccer) forum that I am a member of, I cannot think of any greater subject than football in Britain to get the millions of that sports supporters wound up and arguing.

However, as stated the forum I frequent does have some strong and often good-humored debate but personal abuse and bad language is not tolerated, over 95% is removed before the posting is placed on the forum and and any that does make it quickly removed. It makes for a great place to be especially on a Saturday or Sunday night in season when all the clubs have played their weekend fixtures. (Great)

Bill

 

[Beattie]

Hey thats why we have social places ex facebook myspace so you can say anything that doesn't hurt someone. Personally I think there is enough people on these forms that cause trouble and random off topic things. So what your saying is its ok to bring all that railworks crap in here? I don't think so its like going there and talking on the forms about trainz.
Remember there is a time and place for topics.

 

[ish6]

"The Yard", yep, great place until all the political hotheads just couldn't stop bloviating at each other. :hehe:

Primary purpose for something like that, when you get together with a bunch of other trainsimmers for years, sometimes you just want to "visit" with your friends, and straying too far off topic in the actual train forums makes it difficult for newbies to search for answers to questions. Personally I don't see what's wrong with using Trainz Community for that, someone looking for answers to technical questions or a KUID hunt is unlikely to search in this forum anyway. Altho as has already been noted they sometimes post questions here that belong elsewhere simply because they don't stop to think about which forum would be most appropriate.

Hi Sir,

Great point in your statement, there!

I think the TC forum does borderlineS into an Off-topic forum, somewhat; For example, diabetes have been talked in depth here, and I have, as well as others given folks good advice on how to manipulate one's sugar! Auran, a very smart move on there part, did allowed such topics to be discussed!

That's just one example!:wave:

Ish