I was wondering what the rules are on the SDMB regarding rare cross-posting from other boards.
I can only recall doing it twice in the past 10+ years. I’m serious. Sometimes a question just doesn’t do too well on the SDBM (or conversely, another board). So I try my luck elsewhere. I know SD has a strict anti-spam policy. But would that apply to what I just said?
:)
i think you’re not supposed to cross-post on the same board, that is, across forums; and you’re not supposed to import drama from another board (board wars). i don’t see why the SDMB would be interested in, or have any business to restrict, what you post on other boards. IANAM.
Crossposting on different forums is usually a symptom of a problem - not the actual problem itself. It may indicate a spammer or fart-and-dart evangelist type of poster - i.e. someone who isn’t going to engage in the discussion that ensues in the thread they started.
But if you’re just asking the same question in two places because you’re interested in the answers (and feel that there is some benefit from discussing with more than one set of people), I can’t imagine how that would be a problem.
I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking. If you’re saying that you’ve posted some question here, didn’t get adequate response, so want to also post it on another website (say, snopes?) We have no problem with that, the post is yours (in terms of owning copyright) and you can do with it what you want.
However, if you’re doing it in a way that might stir up board-wars, that’s a no-no. For example, if you post here about how (say) some race/ethnicity/religion is inferior, get raked over the coals for being a racist fool, and then go to a dedicated white supremacist website and whine, “I posted this on the Straight Dope and they shot me down.” …well, that would be inciting a bunch of unwanted posters to come here yelling and foaming at the mouth, causing a fuss. That’s board-wars, and we do NOT want such.
Clear on the diff?
Firnally, posting the same thing (or essentially so) on these boards in different forums:
Our forum definitions are sometimes a bit wobbly, so we may allow this IF REQUESTED IN ADVANCE. Email or PM a Moderator to ask permission. We sometimes allow this as simply a cross-reference: “There’s a thread in Blah-blah forum discussing this… please go there to comment.” And we sometimes allow two threads on the same topic in different forums. And we sometimes reject the request.
That cover the bases?
We don’t have a rule against asking the same question a different message board. There are rules against:
Posting basically the same topic in different forums on this board (with some exceptions); and
spamming or promoting an agenda, which involves posting essentially the same message on multiple message boards.
So if you want to try asking the same question on a different message board there shouldn’t be a problem with that.
I often feel kind of weird asking the same technical question here and other places. If I can wait a few days to see if it doesn’t get answered, great. But if I’m in a NAF kind of situation I’ll post pretty close together in a shotgun-like approach. Still feel wrong doing it.
I would opine and propose that the following should be acceptable:
Message board 1: [screed]
[Discuss and engage with posters].
Message board 2: I posted this on another message board and was curious to learn what you think. [screed, modified taking into account previous comments] Most of the commenters seemed to believe X. I say Y.
[Discuss and engage with posters]
Message board 3: etc, etc.
Doing all that without triggering a board war requires some thought. But so does effective communication. And if the question is answered, there’s no need to go to another board. I’ve posted the same topic (though not the identical message) at both here and at the Unaboard a couple of times.
I think it depends on the topic, Measure for Measure. “Promoting an agenda” does not simply mean asking the same question. If you’re posting to ask (say) boxers or briefs, and you do that serially (as per your example), that’s fine. If you’re posting (as per my example) to prove that some race/ethnicity is inferior, or that the US government was behind 9-11, etc. then you’re promoting an agenda rather than looking for factual information, and that’s what Colibri was talking about.
That’s not what usually happens. Those who want to “promote an agenda” usually either post the same screed on multiple boards and don’t engage (which is essentially spamming), or engage but discuss their ideas in an extremely snarky or obnoxious fashion. Rarely are they concerned with, or even capable of, effective communication.