# On helpful/vague subject heds and mod interaction thereto **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 15, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381 "2015-09-15T17:57:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/21 "2015-09-16T22:15:03Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > To read that paragraph (or “graf,” in the argot of special people) as ironic or humorous/self-aware ironic suggests that you, or others (as has been noted) can’t find a discrete question in first three paragraphs, or claim that the subject title is misleading or irrelevant or misleading; if so I can only suggest you re-read it (See the note below about blinking text.) > > And about self referential, if you think it is humorous that this OP, about SD titles, OP content, and opinions on moderating which anticipates–correctly–that \*the very fact \* that “backstory” _is_ appropriate at times, I can’t help you. I also anticipatedthat this thread would be taken as a personal question about me, which it is not intended to be. > > I think it is a distraction to respond citing _my_ posting history or analysis of how this very OP is written. If you find that particularly relevant, then you can’t claim that a paragraph on where I’m coming from is ironic. I am proud of my posting here, OPs and otherwise, and think I have made things interesting for many people, aside, of course, from the interesting posts/replies given directly to one my posts or any of the lovely thread drifts. > > If someone asks “a physics question,” and his backstory – where he is coming from – helps with understanding what he (the poster) knows about the question already, or how far he is prepared to explore it, it is a net gain. _And_,in my opinion, writing what is eminently acceptable in subsequent posts (after the “thread must have discrete answer first before the fun begins”) can sometimes be part of the OP itself, I think. It can’t be that I am the only one who likes it. > > I don’t run SD. The mods do. Posts and replies in SD GQ have never been a FAQ or a catechism. I know and like, in a virtual kind of way, many posters, each wiith the occasional flash of writing or observations that don’t belong. I have posted many many OPs, with happy thread results, where the title/General Question was clear and succinct enough that “see subject” sufficed. I have posted OPs–as have thousands of others in GQ–of the “what’ sip with x” category–with exactly that kind of subject headline–and at other times I have re-stated a particular question set-off with paragraphs, numbers, everything but blinking text. > > It’s said that a good preacher, in a sermon, “tells you what he’s gonna tell you, tells you what he wants to tell you, and then tells you what he told you.” I happen to agree with that handy formulation, but it is not a rule. And of course it is not a rule for non-preaching situations, even in MPSIMS. The mods know this. > > If I have not, and the reader doesn’t like what he sees, and thinks he deserves that every post be in some sort of pristine 1-2-3 style (ie FAQ/catechism) he can close it; or, as we know, a mod can do something. But some people use “what’s your point” in used to say something more personal, along the road to a thread shit. I’m not talking about my OP threads in particular. I’m interested in SD. > > If **Colibri** can forbear from another more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger note directed at me here I would appreciate it. Not that I think he picks on me at all; I don’t think he or any mod picks on anyone. Well, that’s a hilariously long-winded way to say “it’s unintentional,” so I guess the question remains unanswered. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/22 "2015-09-16T23:13:49Z")
This shouldn’t be a hard concept to explain. If a title had one like “I was just wondering…” or “Guess who died?” and that’s it, chances are it’s going to be edited to be more clear so that people don’t have to click on the topic just to get the info. True, there is a topic preview feature, but that only shows a certain amount of lines. It’s just best and much easier to have a clear title in the first place. So speaking as a mod, if I ever see something like “I have a question about this”, “Need advice on something”, or “What is this thing?”…or even ones that have specific subjects but still vague titles, like “Dogs”, “Does your cat do this?” or “Do you like these kinds of songs?”, I’m probably going to change it to be a bit more straight-forward. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/23 "2015-09-18T20:57:34Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Headline. Like “lede” and “graf,” it’s industry jargon used by those of us in “the biz” of professional message board posting. Wow, leaving out the a in head must save you guys all sorts of time. Sure makes it look like a 14 year old’s texting though. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/24 "2015-09-19T13:01:42Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Wow, leaving out the a in head must save you guys all sorts of time. Sure makes it look like a 14 year old’s texting though. They’re industry standard terms and spellings from the news and/or typesetting industry. Which IIRC is/was Leo’s career area. We’re all a bit guilty of using our work jargon outside of the in-group where it belongs. Leo’s especially good at it. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/25 "2015-09-19T18:59:38Z")
[QUOTE=] LSLGuy;18699031]… We’re all a bit guilty of using our work jargon outside of the in-group where it belongs. Leo’s especially good at it. [/QUOTE] Yes, and **LSLGuy** knows whereof he speaks. This is the way he sounded when he first started posting:[https://youtu.be/5rKYL0tW-Ek](https://youtu.be/5rKYL0tW-Ek) ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/26 "2015-09-19T20:23:02Z")
I’m deeply disappointed that Leo didn’t title this thread: **"I have a question about stuff."** ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/27 "2015-09-19T20:31:48Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I’m deeply disappointed that Leo didn’t title this thread: **“I have a question about stuff.”** I think you meant “ **In re: stuff** ” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/28 "2015-09-19T22:47:38Z")
Better: **Stuff?** ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/29 "2015-09-20T00:23:43Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Better: > **Stuff?** Us amateur hed writers don’t stand a chance when a pro steps up to the plate. Or the linotype. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/30 "2015-09-20T06:48:44Z")
Thanks. I started setting hand type, in a three-man Linotype shop, with the same stick technology as Gutenberg. (Wanna know why they call, eg, “E” "upper case?) Those slide-rule reminiscencers got nothing on me. Also, as a writer in extreme SD hed competitions, “ **Stuff** ” works and picks up a character. Since we’re on it, and to explain the argot, the spelling “hed” is not to save a letter. In editing, written language is our communication medium about stuff and is, unsurprisingly, the stuff we communicate about. A page proof with an editor’s scrawl “head needs work” might transit (:)) the art department, where the art guy would start messing around with the photo of someone on the page. It’s the same in many professions. In fact, I happen to know that for that very reason after **LSLGuy** left the RAF and started flying civil heavy metal, he _still_ had that problem: [What's our vector, Victor? - YouTube](https://youtu.be/fVq4_HhBK8Y) ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/31 "2015-09-20T11:46:24Z")
‘Hed’, in place of ‘head’ (which people might actually understand), requires an addition letter which Linotype pros have no time for people! Much better to overtly declare your insider chops. How will anyone know exactly how cool I am, if I don’t point it out? Posturing trumps clarity, yet again. Whenever I see persistent use of trade jargon, over actual clarity, I always reflect on just how insecure is this person? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/32 "2015-09-20T22:29:36Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > A > The original hed …the hed, a…the hed–…hed’s … heds … You keep using that word. But it’s not one. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/33 "2015-09-20T23:29:46Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You keep using that word. But it’s not one. [Oh but it is.](http://www.spd.org/student-outreach/2010/09/vocab-lesson-15-hed-and-dek.php) [Really.](http://writersweekly.com/this-weeks-article/what-the-heck-is-a-heddek-learning-the-lingo-in-periodical-publishing-by-janene-mascarella) [Honest.](http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004380.html) Not that I’m defending the practice of using professional lingo in an unprofessional setting; I’m not. But is “hed” a word? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/34 "2015-09-21T12:08:10Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > [Oh but it is.](http://www.spd.org/student-outreach/2010/09/vocab-lesson-15-hed-and-dek.php) > > [Really.](http://writersweekly.com/this-weeks-article/what-the-heck-is-a-heddek-learning-the-lingo-in-periodical-publishing-by-janene-mascarella) > > [Honest.](http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004380.html) > > Not that I’m defending the practice of using professional lingo in an unprofessional setting; I’m not. But is “hed” a word? Yes. I was going to go there, but – miracle of miracles for my fans and detractors – I gave it a rest. And for **DrDeth** , I’m sorry this bugs you so much. In such cases I aim for something which in dialectical behavior therapy is called radical acceptance. I certainly have called upon it on seeing the posting quirks of others here… Regards, Leo ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/35 "2015-09-21T20:22:17Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > [Oh but it is.](http://www.spd.org/student-outreach/2010/09/vocab-lesson-15-hed-and-dek.php) > > [Really.](http://writersweekly.com/this-weeks-article/what-the-heck-is-a-heddek-learning-the-lingo-in-periodical-publishing-by-janene-mascarella) > > [Honest.](http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004380.html) > > Not that I’m defending the practice of using professional lingo in an unprofessional setting; I’m not. But is “hed” a word? Yes. Nope, it’s a abbreviation for a word. OED doesnt list it, nor does any dictionary I know of. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381/36 "2015-09-21T21:44:54Z")
OED isn’t a word either. If we’re going to force people to stop using abbreviations, slang, etc. and force people to only use words that are in the OED, a lot of folks are going to be in big trouble. Anyway, I don’t see where any of this has to do with the SDMB. Is there any board related issue here to discuss? It seems like the OP’s issue of when to report thread titles has been pretty well resolved. I’m not seeing anything here except for silly bickering over the usage of publishing industry slang, and I don’t see how that is a board issue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-helpful-vague-subject-heds-and-mod-interaction-thereto/731381.md?page=1)