Mods - Request to Dial Back the “Merges”

[TrinidadDolfan]

Mods,

Hey. We have a long season ahead with many threads and opinions to post.

I’m requesting that we slow down the “merging” of threads. The posts this season will likely be on the main core issues: Tua, Tankathon, Draft Haul etc.

To please stop merging similar topics into 1 thread. If a poster has an update on a known topic and has created a thread, leave it be. Otherwise we will have months of 3-4 threads that have 5,000 posts. It’s just too hard to navigate.

It happened this morning. Poster posts a thread about Rich Eisen reporting on Fins coveting Tua as far back as 2018. A few seconds later the thread is buried into another thread.

Yes, there will be threads on similar topics. But we have limited things to talk about this season. So leave them be, please. Respect the time and effort taken by the OP to update us on a recent article or development. And yeah, same goes for moving threads to the Draft Forum

 

[DisturbedShifty]

We will take it under advisement but if people posted in the proper threads to begin with then we wouldn't have to move or merge threads.

 

[Daytona Fin]

Thanks for your input. Moderation doesn't change because of the Dolphins record. Feel free to visit the draft forum for future draft conversation.

 

[TrinidadDolfan]

And yeah, there is a reason why NFL reporters write new articles on similar topics.... rather than just go online and “update” their old ones.

We want the news, and not “buried” under 700 old posts

 

[TrinidadDolfan]

Thanks for your input. Moderation doesn't change because of the Dolphins record. Feel free to visit the draft forum for future draft conversation.

Thank Daytona.

Let’s forget the Draft Forum for now.
The main issue here is the over-merging. I almost get the feeling that if Tua blows out his ACL that that thread could be buried under hundreds of posts in the Tua thread.

Ease the reins

 

[The Beatles]

Mods,

Hey. We have a long season ahead with many threads and opinions to post.

I’m requesting that we slow down the “merging” of threads. The posts this season will likely be on the main core issues: Tua, Tankathon, Draft Haul etc.

To please stop merging similar topics into 1 thread. If a poster has an update on a known topic and has created a thread, leave it be. Otherwise we will have months of 3-4 threads that have 5,000 posts. It’s just too hard to navigate.

It happened this morning. Poster posts a thread about Rich Eisen reporting on Fins coveting Tua as far back as 2018. A few seconds later the thread is buried into another thread.

Yes, there will be threads on similar topics. But we have limited things to talk about this season. So leave them be, please. Respect the time and effort taken by the OP to update us on a recent article or development. And yeah, same goes for moving threads to the Draft Forum

This is a common mistake that many forums make.

They think merging every common thread together cleans up the forum, but it does the opposite.

Nearly a decade ago, I was an Administrator for one of the largest message boards in the United States.

Back then, message boards were extremely popular (before reddit and twitter and facebook took over), and we went to message board conferences and listened to advice, etc.

And one of the biggest mistakes forums make is to merge all common threads,

But it's very common.

And it's part of the reason why message board's have been slowly dying.

Facebook doesn't merge common threads. Reddit doesn't merge common threads. Twitter doesn't merge common threads.

It's stupid for message boards to do it, but mods/admins have been doing it for so long that they just keep status quo without giving it any rational thought.

 

[The Fin Reaper]

I agree with the OP. I understand merging a thread that is just somebody else's opinion on the same subject but when it's a new article or breaking news it should be kept seperate. I'm one of the many people that come here because it's the best place to find all the latest articles breaking news and updates but now when I click on one of these threads I have to go through 200 pages to get there because it's been buried in another thread. I end up leaving this site to go find it somewhere else.

 

[Daytona Fin]

This is a common mistake that many forums make.

They think merging every common thread together cleans up the forum, but it does the opposite.

Nearly a decade ago, I was an Administrator for one of the largest message boards in the United States.

Back then, message boards were extremely popular (before reddit and twitter and facebook took over), and we went to message board conferences and listened to advice, etc.

And one of the biggest mistakes forums make is to merge all common threads,

But it's very common.

And it's part of the reason why message board's have been slowly dying.

Facebook doesn't merge common threads. Reddit doesn't merge common threads. Twitter doesn't merge common threads.

It's stupid for message boards to do it, but mods/admins have been doing it for so long that they just keep status quo without giving it any rational thought.

It would be absolutely silly to not merge threads that have the same content, e.g., Dolphins sign/trade player X, Dolphins fire coach X or the same article posted numerous times. Those types are the majority of our merges. Why should we leave a mess like that for members to sift through? We are a little more lax in the offseason with merges but in season we do our best to keep it clean for a better experience here.

 

[TrinidadDolfan]

It would be absolutely silly to not merge threads that have the same content, e.g., Dolphins sign/trade player X, Dolphins fire coach X or the same article posted numerous times. Those types are the majority of our merges. Why should we leave a mess like that for members to sift through? We are a little more lax in the offseason with merges but in season we do our best to keep it clean for a better experience here.

Many attempts to “keep it clean” are resulting in a dead message board.

Merging is fine when done properly, but recently it has been too much.

Today’s example was the OP post on Grier report that the Fins management fell in love with Tua back in 2018. I want to see that article, many other posters do as well.

I want to see new reports and articles, developments etc. And I don’t want to dig through 700 posts to know what’s happening.

Ease back please. The Forum looks stale. I look for new threads and I see it all lumped together.

If an OP takes the time to create a thread, respect the time it took them to do so. Think twice before merging everything under a “Tua” old thread.

Please

 

[The Beatles]

It would be absolutely silly to not merge threads that have the same content, e.g., Dolphins sign/trade player X, Dolphins fire coach X or the same article posted numerous times. Those types are the majority of our merges. Why should we leave a mess like that for members to sift through? We are a little more lax in the offseason with merges but in season we do our best to keep it clean for a better experience here.

Absolutely - you're right. When the same exact topic is posted several times, merging is the right thing to do.

But I think what OP is talking about is different ... Not every thread about Josh Rosen has to be in a Josh Rosen thread.

For example, "Josh Rosen hints at trade" should not be in the same mega thread as "Josh Rosen signs autographs at local hospital".

Those should be different threads and not in the same mega-JoshRosen-thread.

When a forum does that, in the interest of making a "cleaner" experience, it does the opposite and makes a far more frustrating and annoying experience for the end user.

It's how message boards die.

 

[DisturbedShifty]

We appreciate your feedback and we do understand your points, however you all agreed to the terms of service and it clearly states that posts can be moved, merged or deleted without consulting the member. As I said earlier it helps to make sure you're posting in the correct thread or forum to begin with. I understand the want and need to be the first to post some breaking news or your personal opinion on a matter but if there is already an exact or similar thread started about it they are most likely going to be moved or merged. This has always been the case and it will not be changing any time soon.

As for the comparison to Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. Facebook and Twitter are social media that give you your own personal space to post whatever you want. They also use hashtags to lump all the same subject together. Reddit uses flair to keep subjects lumped together and/or deletes threads altogether if it the moderators don't care for it. Matter of fact there are a ton of subreddits who are very strict about posting duplicate or similar subjects or not using the proper flair. So FinHeaven isn't that much different than any other platform in which you can post your personal opinions. They all just have their own methods of controlling it.

 

[CoryMatthews]

We appreciate your feedback and we do understand your points, however you all agreed to the terms of service and it clearly states that posts can be moved, merged or deleted without consulting the member. As I said earlier it helps to make sure you're posting in the correct thread or forum to begin with. I understand the want and need to be the first to post some breaking news or your personal opinion on a matter but if there is already an exact or similar thread started about it they are most likely going to be moved or merged. This has always been the case and it will not be changing any time soon.

As for the comparison to Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. Facebook and Twitter are social media that give you your own personal space to post whatever you want. They also use hashtags to lump all the same subject together. Reddit uses flair to keep subjects lumped together and/or deletes threads altogether if it the moderators don't care for it. Matter of fact there are a ton of subreddits who are very strict about posting duplicate or similar subjects or not using the proper flair. So FinHeaven isn't that much different than any other platform in which you can post your personal opinions. They all just have their own methods of controlling it.

It isn’t “cleaner” when you merge threads. And saying that you agree that threads can be moved when you agree to the TOS is missing the point. If I see a thread that has been merged a lot, I stay out of it. I know it will be hard to read with points all over the place. Less clicks is not what you are looking for is it? If you want a really “clean” forum why not just make a season long dolphins thread? 1 post in each forum since it is all technically related.

 

[TrinidadDolfan]

We appreciate your feedback and we do understand your points, however you all agreed to the terms of service and it clearly states that posts can be moved, merged or deleted without consulting the member. As I said earlier it helps to make sure you're posting in the correct thread or forum to begin with. I understand the want and need to be the first to post some breaking news or your personal opinion on a matter but if there is already an exact or similar thread started about it they are most likely going to be moved or merged. This has always been the case and it will not be changing any time soon.

As for the comparison to Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. Facebook and Twitter are social media that give you your own personal space to post whatever you want. They also use hashtags to lump all the same subject together. Reddit uses flair to keep subjects lumped together and/or deletes threads altogether if it the moderators don't care for it. Matter of fact there are a ton of subreddits who are very strict about posting duplicate or similar subjects or not using the proper flair. So FinHeaven isn't that much different than any other platform in which you can post your personal opinions. They all just have their own methods of controlling it.

shifty, I respect your opinions but I’m this case I believe you to be wrong.

Leaning back on the “you agreed to the terms and conditions” as part of your defense... wow, that speaks volumes.

How about “hey we hear you, we will try to do a better job to make the Forum an exciting place to be”?

All we are hearing is resistance resistance resistance. Lord, it’s not that hard to encourage getting better is it?

I will believe in the Mod’s ability to be open to getting better when I see one Mod jump in here and say: “Hey, thanks! You may be right. We should work on that.”

 

[uk_dolfan]

Thank Daytona.

Let’s forget the Draft Forum for now.
The main issue here is the over-merging. I almost get the feeling that if Tua blows out his ACL that that thread could be buried under hundreds of posts in the Tua thread.

Ease the reins

The tanking for TUA thread is a light hearted look at our season as a whole and the possibility of having hope for the future.

If you want to have proper discussions about Tua as a draft prospect, the OP makes clear that you should go to the draft forum. So if you wanted clear and reliable medical information regarding Tua as a draft candidate? The draft forum would be the place to look

When the happy day finally arrives and Tua is announced as a Miami Dolphin? I have no doubt that you will find dozens of relevant Tua threads

 

[The Beatles]

We appreciate your feedback and we do understand your points, however you all agreed to the terms of service and it clearly states that posts can be moved, merged or deleted without consulting the member. As I said earlier it helps to make sure you're posting in the correct thread or forum to begin with. I understand the want and need to be the first to post some breaking news or your personal opinion on a matter but if there is already an exact or similar thread started about it they are most likely going to be moved or merged. This has always been the case and it will not be changing any time soon.

As for the comparison to Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. Facebook and Twitter are social media that give you your own personal space to post whatever you want. They also use hashtags to lump all the same subject together. Reddit uses flair to keep subjects lumped together and/or deletes threads altogether if it the moderators don't care for it. Matter of fact there are a ton of subreddits who are very strict about posting duplicate or similar subjects or not using the proper flair. So FinHeaven isn't that much different than any other platform in which you can post your personal opinions. They all just have their own methods of controlling it.

With all due respect, this is the worst type of reply.

You essentially just said "Its my forum. I do what I want. Go elsewhere if you don't like it".

Which is fine, but we are just trying to help you.

This forum will eventually die, just like millions of others have, if you don't adapt.

Best of luck.