Merges, Merges, Merges

Annihilator · Star Player Joined: 02 Jul 2001 Posts: 4035

Looking at the Lakers forum after game 1, there were many many threads that were all merged into the game thread. While all of these threads were about the game, there are some aspects of the game that need to be talked about individually. Having to sort through 90 pages of the large game thread to find the few comments about a particular set of plays is not a lot of fun.
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Wags_16 · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:41 pm Post subject: Too many merges

I see the purpose of merging but sometimes you need to let a few of the seperate threads go especially with all of the board traffic and if there's just people that want to talk about a certain asspect of today's playoff game. There's people that want to talk about just Gasol, just the DUI chants or Kobe's lackluster performance instead trying to get through an 100 plus page thread with all of these things in it. Trust me as a an editor, this is a good thing.

DaMuleRules · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject:

No effin doubt. I am all for keeping the board tidy. But when there more locked threads that were merged on the first page than open ones, someone is clearly out control.

The only thing worse than duplicate threads is a convoluted one where there are too many things being discussed and there is no cohesiveness or clarity

I mean seriously, in any game there are several facets/ The notion that everything that happens in a game should be discussed in one place is nuts.
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Wags_16 · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:31 pm Post subject:

Exactly especially in there are so many subtopics here. I don't think these mods have a media background. I work for a fairly decent sized newspaper and when our teams are in the playoffs we don't put everything in one story. We have columns, and sidebars on the different stories to come out of the game. That's what you'll see in the Times and Register tomorrow. You'll have the game story, two columns, probably a sidebar on Gasol, a sidebar on the Denver angle and a notebook being led probably with the DUI chants or Iverson's ejection or maybe Kobe's slow start. They won't cram it all in one story. Mods take it from an editor you'd be doing your posters a service by not merging the subtopics of playoff games into the game thread with the amount of traffic going in those. If people are starting redunent threads merge those together into a Gasol thread or threads about the flow of the game, merge those into the gamer.

Wags_16 · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:33 pm Post subject:

kaoss128 · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:58 pm Post subject:

It wouldn't be so bad if the link to the thread the topic was merged to actually took you to the post about the topic. Is there anyway that it can be fixed to where that will happen?

LarryCoon · Site Staff Joined: 11 Aug 2002 Posts: 11266

I merged the two merge threads just for the irony.

Annihilator · Star Player Joined: 02 Jul 2001 Posts: 4035

Wags_16 · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:57 pm Post subject:

I have no problem with your post getting the title since you beat me to the punch..But seriously I think the Mods shouldn't be so quick to merge subtopics into the game thread so quickly. I can see them merging all the Gasol threads into maybe one thread. But who wants to muddle through a 100-plus page thread to talk about the subtopic of a game with som many storylines.

DancingBarry · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:49 pm Post subject:

We've been getting a lot of complaints on the opposite end, as well, with people saying not enough threads are being merged.

The goal is and should be to have a variety of topics.

I don't know what all was in the threads that were merged...but judging by a lot of those titles, many really didn't need their own thread, for sure. Some might have been fine on their own, but I can't tell now.

But I still think our mods have been doing a pretty good job lately.

(Oh, and, yes, I do have a media background.

)

LarryCoon · Site Staff Joined: 11 Aug 2002 Posts: 11266

Just to lay down the marker for this point, one of the factors in wanting to consolidate threads is that it keeps more of them on the first page. Readership drops way off starting on page 2.

Wags_16 · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:40 pm Post subject:

Well coming from the media business, I would say no you guys didn't do a good job especially since it was a playoff game. The Gasol threads didn't need to be merged into the game thread and it would have been good to keep the DUI chant threads out of the gamer as well. Look at any local newspaper and you'll see that there were several different stories from the game rather than everything being crammed in there.

DancingBarry · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:24 pm Post subject:

Like I said, some threads might have been fine left alone. I don't know. I can only see titles at this point. Some definitely looked merge-worthy judging by the titles.

As I mentioned our mods were responding to feedback that not enough threads were being merged. I'm sure they will also consider your comments. It's a thankless job, so I give them my thanks for all their hard work.

I still think we have the best post-game coverage you'll find anywhere. And we're always working to improve it.

Wags_16 · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:07 pm Post subject:

Is there a way to create seperate subjects within a thread?

Annihilator · Star Player Joined: 02 Jul 2001 Posts: 4035

Alpha · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:16 pm Post subject:

Hey... to those (non-mods) throwing out their ideas here... thanks (seriously), I appreciate your input and perspective.

I am not certain, but I'd probably put money down that it was me who merged the threads. Did I make a mistake? Could I have made wiser decisions? Probably. To that I offer my apology.

Like DB and Larry stated above, there are normally "good intentions" surrounding these decisions... but I do know for a fact that sometimes they end up screwed up.

The beauty of a community like this IS our diversity/backgrounds. Your input can only improve this place. My background is not in media but have worked in writing contract modifications for the government in the realm of engineering and construction management/admistration for the last 20 years. Do I claim to be an expert in organizing topics/thoughts/threads? No, but the contract specialists and attorneys do nitpick my masterpieces on a regular basis so I not a novice at writing either.

Feel free to PM me at anytime as well with suggestions as others do on a regular basis. If I do edit or lock a thread, I'll normally let it be known I was the culprit so people can track down the action to myself. With merges it's different but if I'm online at the time... PM me and I'll let you know the reason (if I was the one to do the merge).

Regardless, again, the aim is to declutter the board and to allow the LG majority a welcoming environment. Lines do have to be drawn at times and as decision making is purely subjective... your imput as LG members are extremely valued.

peace,

alph