# General Questions vs. Cafe Society **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 6, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734 "2003-11-06T18:00:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/1 "2003-11-06T18:00:22Z")
I understand the benefit of having a Cafe Society forum. However, when I have a specific, factual question to ask about something that happens to be in the world of entertainment, it’s frustrating to put it into Cafe Society, because of all the ‘man, that book bit’ or ‘the movie was mega-awesome’ drivel that becomes allowable once it’s in that forum. It seems to me that having a clear, answerable question outweighs whether or not the OP has to do with the arts in any way. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/2 "2003-11-06T19:58:10Z")
I’d say that if you DO have a specific, factual question, go right ahead and post in in General Questions. I think the GQ mods are pretty tolerant folks, when it comes to specific, factual questions. – Uke, Cafe Society mod [sub]…_drivel_…?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/3 "2003-11-06T22:05:22Z")
Given the kinds of questions that we tend to get, the “classification” of a particular question isn’t always clear. And all the Moderators know that the categories have a fair amount of fuzziness around the edges. No big deal, usually. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/4 "2003-11-07T02:29:05Z")
I don’t know. In my experience, moderators will do just what the OP says, if it involves one of the four topic-based forums (Cafe Society, About This Message Board, Comments on Cecil’s Columns, and Comments on Staff Reports). If it’s appropriate to one of these four, it won’t stay in General Questions. Is it presumptuous of an OP to ask that a thread _not_ be moved to Cafe Society? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/5 "2003-11-08T01:24:47Z")
I mean drivel in a good way, of course. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/6 "2003-11-08T13:13:00Z")
**bup** , you make a good point. There is a fuzzy line between what belongs in a particular forum. We mostly deal with it on a case-by-case basis. When there is a specific question with a clear, factual answer, I prefer to leave it in GQ, unless it discusses how the movie or book dealt with the issue, in which case I prefer to move it to CS. Sometimes, I leave the question in GQ for a day and then move it to CS, in order that it receives the best responses. If answering the question requires someone to have seen or read the movie or book, it’s almost certain to be moved to CS. If the answer to the question bears no relevance to the movie or book, and is merely a statement of fact, the thread would usually stay in GQ. An OP may request that his/her thread not be moved to another forum, but whether or not it is moved depends more on the question than on the request. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/7 "2003-11-10T19:26:58Z")
[_Sigh_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=222319) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/8 "2003-11-22T15:27:23Z")
[_SIGH_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=224795) ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/9 "2003-11-22T17:59:23Z")
Was that one originally in **General Questions** , or what? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/10 "2003-11-22T20:46:04Z")
The logic is generally that a question that best relates to a different forum (for instance, a comment on Cecil’s column) will get more attention in that forum than it will in GQ. A question about the arts will get more attention in CS then it will in GQ, even if it’s a “factual answer” question. That is to say, a question about Kurt Corbain in CS will probably be more likely to be seen by Kurt Corbain experts/enthusiasts, and thus answered, than it would if it were in GQ. However, as noted, the logic is fuzzy around the edges. It’s usually no big deal if a mod decides a question is best put in a different forum, it’s not like you get demerits or anything for misplacement. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/11 "2003-11-23T06:04:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > The logic is generally that a question that best relates to a different forum (for instance, a comment on Cecil’s column) will get more attention in that forum than it will in GQ. A question about the arts will get more attention in CS then it will in GQ, even if it’s a “factual answer” question. That is to say, a question about Kurt Corbain in CS will probably be more likely to be seen by Kurt Corbain experts/enthusiasts, and thus answered, than it would if it were in GQ. I can see this, but I can also see the flip side. It’ll get more attention, but it may be the wrong kind of attention. To take this as an example, it’s appropriate in Cafe Society to talk at length about how you feel about Kurt Cobain, even if that’s not what the OP asked. Not so General Questions. (At least, that’s the impression that I get.) While GQ is not totally safe from such hijacks, it’s a bit more conducive to answering factual questions, no matter the subject, than CS. I can certainly understand how moving the thread might encourage them. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/12 "2003-11-24T08:13:05Z")
**General Questions vs. Cafe Society** I got $10 on Cafe Society… ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/13 "2003-11-24T13:04:17Z")
\<\< I can see this, but I can also see the flip side. \>\> ::: shrug ::: Sure, there’s several different ways to argue this. With the questions and topics we get, there’s no way to set up forums that would always be perfectly clear where everything belongs. We’ve adopted a given logic as a guideline, that helps us decide what to do with fuzzy situations, and that’s where we are. I mean, we could have forums based alphabetically on the third letter of the second word of the title of the post, and then it would all be clear. We’ve opted for forums that sometimes have overlap, so we’re stuck with some ambiguity. It’s not a big deal if someone posts in the wrong forum. Especially if it’s one of those dubious or border-line cases. We did have a situation with a member who continually posted in absolutely wrong forums (like witnessing in ATMB), after several warnings, but that’s a one-off case. It’s not like we score demerits against people who post in the wrong forum. And, of course, we prefer that you post any given question only in one forum. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/14 "2003-11-24T21:23:13Z")
😃 _Moderator’s Secret Notes: decrease **Achernar** and **bup** ’s CPU utilization 1%._ Shouldn’t this entire discussion be in IMHO since it is about people’s opinions? 🙂 Or maybe Great Debates !? … 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-vs-cafe-society/211734/15 "2003-11-24T23:31:40Z")
> [@](#): > > I got $10 on Cafe Society… Well, that depends… Is General Questions prepared?