# Is there any etiquette about how often we can start threads? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 10, 2010, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799 "2010-08-10T05:59:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/1 "2010-08-10T05:59:16Z")
Just started one in IMHO, and I’d like to start another, unrelated one in CS. But would it be out of line to start two different threads within minutes of each other? (I suppose depending on how long it takes to get a reply, it could become a moot point.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/2 "2010-08-10T06:36:42Z")
Two new threads in two different forums isn’t going to raise any eyebrows. If you’ve got three or four threads currently running on the front page of a single forum, and you’re thinking of starting another one, that’s probably a good sign that you need to turn off the computer and go outside. Other than that, don’t worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/3 "2010-08-10T07:22:08Z")
Okay; thanks! ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/4 "2010-08-10T15:32:58Z")
Dude, there are some folks here who start a new thread every five minutes. You’re good. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/5 "2010-08-10T21:25:50Z")
There’s a problem with starting new threads? I can see if you’re starting “pimp my site” or trolling threads or any other rules violations, but just asking a series of questions or starting several topics/debates that interest you? Where’s the harm? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/6 "2010-08-10T22:28:06Z")
I got slapped once for starting three threads in an hour. I’unno: maybe there’d been an influx of trolls recently and the mods were jittery. ---
**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:** [August 11, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/7 "2010-08-11T02:48:53Z")
Should I be the smart-aleck who points out that you also just started one in ATMB? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/8 "2010-08-11T10:45:29Z")
Well, you were about twenty hours late saying that… ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/9 "2010-08-11T14:26:57Z")
Maybe if you started 3 Pit threads in an hour, someone would suggest you take a breather for your own good. Otherwise, I’m having a hard time seeing why you were flagged. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/10 "2010-08-11T16:05:30Z")
As **Miller** says, unless you’re hogging front-page space in a single forum, it shouldn’t be a problem. Since I don’t know who “slapped” you (made a comment? issued a warning?) for starting three threads in an hour (all in one forum? in different forums?), I can’t speculate on why that would have provoked a response from a mod. As it is, three threads in an hour, esp. in three separate forums, doesn’t seem problematical to me. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/11 "2010-08-11T18:11:49Z")
Okay then. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/12 "2010-08-11T19:02:13Z")
I still don’t see how “hogging front-space” is a problem. I mean, if the three threads are interesting an on topic for the forum, then why is is suddenly a problem that they were _started_ by the same person? So what? They’re still interesting, on target, and the only way they stay on the front page is if other people are responding, right? Why would anyone get in trouble for using the board too much? Sure, spam posting or dropping 27 threads in a row with stupid inane questions that don’t really have answers or other rude behaviors that are rude **in themselves** , yeah, but just using the forums as intended and having more than one thread topic to start when you are actually available to follow them? That makes no sense at all. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/13 "2010-08-11T20:24:28Z")
I didn’t say that it would evoke a mod comment, just that it might. And it might if the person were hogging space by starting lots of threads, probably more than three at a time, over the course of several days or weeks. This has been known to happen with overeager new members, where someone will have 15 or 20 or more threads started in a single forum – esp. when that person doesn’t seem to be participating in the threads after starting them. (“Front page space” is, of course, a reference back to when form displays only showed the 50 most recent threads – that setting was changed a couple of years ago, so the concept is vestigal at this point anyway.) This is all completely hypothetical, of course. The question was, is starting three threads within an hour going to get someone in trouble, and the answer was “no.” ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/14 "2010-08-12T15:32:12Z")
> [@](#): > > This has been known to happen with overeager new members, where someone will have 15 or 20 or more threads started in a single forum – esp. when that person doesn’t seem to be participating in the threads after starting them. Okay, that registers under the jerk meter. Starting dozens of threads and then not participating in them, that is worthy of a comment, even if the threads are spread out across a year rather than a day or week. It may be less noticed if spread over a year, but it is still a bad behavior. ## I understand what “front space” is, but to me the only infraction for “hogging front space” is other jerkish behavior, like starting dozens of threads just to see how many the poster can get in a row, or something. But merely posting meaningful threads? So what if every topic on the front page of GD is started by **El Lame Flamboro** \*, if the topics are interesting and being debated, then why does it matter who started them? \*I made it up. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/15 "2010-08-12T15:34:11Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > ## So what if every topic on the front page of GD is started by **El Lame Flamboro** \*, if the topics are interesting and being debated, then why does it matter who started them? > > \*I made it up. It doesn’t, which is why we keep saying it’s not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/16 "2010-08-12T18:29:37Z")
We had a case a few months ago where a relatively new poster was starting a lot of threads in GQ, and at one point had about 10 on the front page. We got complaints, and there was even a Pit thread about it. However, the threads were generally rather interesting questions, so I saw no reason to do anything about it. If they had been a lot of inane questions, I might have, but that would be because of the nature of the threads, not their number. I will note that the registration agreement has this to say: > [@](#): > > Do not post the same or similar messages or threads to multiple forums; multiple threads on the same topic; or an excessive number of threads on any topic within a limited period of time. So three threads all on pretty much the same topic in a short period of time might be too much. If they were on different topics, they wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/17 "2010-08-14T00:34:10Z")
Why would participation matter? I leave threads for a few days if my question hasn’t been answered yet, or if I’m trying to stimulate discussion about a particular topic and the discussion is going along fine without me. I would only participate if a) thanking whoever for answering my question (thus signaling the thread is not useful anymore), b) I had new information to add or c) the discussion has gone off topic and needs to re-focus. Imho, it’s kind of sad when the discussion is so dead that the only person left posting is the OP, and they put up the last 10 posts in a row. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/18 "2010-08-14T05:29:00Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Why would participation matter? Depends in part on the kind of thread, and in which forum. However, I have the distinct impression that some posters post threads and then never come back to even read them, much less participate (e.g. certain GQ threads where subsequent posters ask the OP to clarify something about their question, and they never reply). ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/19 "2010-08-14T16:09:08Z")
I’ve had troubles with individuals on various boards who would post half a dozen (or more) times in an hour. The posts were all nearly content-less paste jobs about items current in the news. The OPs would generally consist of a headline, a paragraph or so of copy/pasted material, a link, and something along the lines of “This is great!” (or "This sucks!) followed by a “What do you think?” Luckily, our Straight Dope culture limits this sort of thing. Here, the thread starter is likely to be hammered–and rightly so–with demands that the OP be fleshed out before any serious discussion begins. ETA: Forgot to add that as long as the OP does the fleshing out from the beginning–puts a little work into it–then I don’t see a problem with starting multiple threads in a short time. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-etiquette-about-how-often-we-can-start-threads/549799/20 "2010-08-14T16:15:59Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@Superhal](#): > > > > Why would participation matter? > > Depends in part on the kind of thread, and in which forum. However, I have the distinct impression that some posters post threads and then never come back to even read them, much less participate (e.g. certain GQ threads where subsequent posters ask the OP to clarify something about their question, and they never reply). Just as an aside, I wonder if the poster sometimes simply forgets about their thread. For absentee OPs who are fairly new to the board, perhaps someone could drop them a PM about Thread Subscriptions so that they would know how to keep up with their threads? They may not know.