Why don’t we put up a sticky thread in ATMB for practice posts? It would reduce the cluttering of this forum with test threads. Fewer threads for the database to handle. Fewer threads for the mods to open.
I don’t know if having to load 25 posts on average to display your test post instead of what now-5,15?- would be a disadvantage compared to having them all in one place. Some test threads already do attract several people to just append their own practice posts, why not make it the rule? Let the ATMB forum description say “There’s also a thread for practice posts” instead of “This is also the place for practice posts”.
Every now and then when the thread gets uncomfortably long a mod would have to replace it with another one. Start it with “Read the FAQs, buy Cecil’s books, of course you’re still allowed to start a separate thread if you have a reason to, most coding tests could be done with previewing only, etc…” and maybe add a different latin quote each time.
I like this idea. One sticky thread with a title like Post all practice posts here!, with the entire thread deleted and replaced every time it gets unwieldy. Good suggestion!
But sometimes people want to start a thread to test something in the thread creation process. I think usually people are pretty good about finding a current test thread for their test posts.
That’s why you should write “of course you’re still allowed to…” in the first post of a new practice thread.
Of ~3200 threads in ATMB, 15% contain “test” in the subject line: 500 threads in this forum have been started for testing, around 300 or two thirds of these threads don’t contain more than 5 posts, but they total to 4400 practice posts. That’s 13% of all 32000 posts in ATMB. About 4 posts per day in the last months, it would mean you’d have to replace a 5 page thread every 2 months, or a one page thread every 12 days, depending on if you want to keep it short or simple. And no, I won’t calculate your tax return.
It only doesn’t look that much because all these little threads drop like a stone instead of getting bumped like a question or discussion or the one lucky test thread. But they’re still a load on the database and clutter the forum list and the search results. “This is also the place for practice posts” is too encouraging. I think going first through a place explaining the preview thing could cut the number of practice posts in half.
You have stated your view of the situation and my statistics pretty much disproved it. Now it’s your turn again to add to the discussion. Granted, it isn’t one of the really big problems, but it has a small and simple solution. There’s no reason for it to exist in the first place. Make up a reason, or just say no, but say something.
I guess what Arnold is saying is “Your suggestion, while creative, does not really fit in with what we think ATMB is for. But thanks for being a good sport and trying to help!”.
Perhaps the fact that test threads are their own threads is not as a significant load on the server as you’d think. Perhaps asking people to post tests to a single thread would be about as effective as asking them to utilize succinct sentences.
Well, 4 posts a day is a pretty minor thing to worry about in the first place. I’d rather let the mods do other things than worry about managing a sticky thread for test posts. Anyway, a fair number of the test threads turn into kinda cute “welcome to the boards” jobbers.
I say, it’s a small load on the hamsters, and just flat out simpler to leave things the way they are.
Blackeyes, cross-references back and forth between related threads would be a good thing - if adding a link to a thread wouldn’t bump it back to the top of the forum list. It doesn’t add new information which people would be interested to read at the moment, so they agree it’s better to link only to, not from threads. Though I don’t mind if one of my threads gets mentioned, bumped, or linked to.
(You don’t have to count posts if you use the direct linking method from the FAQ.)
But thanks for adding another point to my argument. Even if a “test” thread contains a discussion, it would be difficult to continue it. With so many threads with similar names I didn’t even notice that that thread was active again.
