Thread moving policy.

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There is currently somebody named diggleblop, who seems to be in the process of getting himself banned. However, one of his complaints reminds me of something I’ve wanted to bring up from time to time. It may very well have been discussed before. If so, I would like to bring it up again.

We all know that the forum categories are fuzzy - there are border line cases where it is hard to tell which forum is appropriate for a given posting. I would like to suggest a policy that mods only move threads in cases where the posting is clearly in the wrong forum. If it’s fuzzy, leave it where the OP put it. This would include very narrowly constructed factual questions about artistic works being posted to GQ (like “What’s the title of a book with this plot synopsis?”). It would also then be fair game for the mod to slap somebody for critical discussions of the work, or moving it to Cafe Society AFTER the factual question has been answered, and the thread has evolved into a critical discussion.

Often, for fuzzy GQ things, the mods seem to think they are helping by moving the thread to someplace where it will be more readily noticed by somebody capable of answering it. This is a two-edged sword - the OP, or people mildly curious about the question being asked, might not read, or wish to read, the other forum. Manhattan once did this to something of mine, moving it to IMHO. In email, he admitted that it was a borderline case as to where it belonged, but he was moving it because he thought it would be better answered in IMHO. I don’t normally look at IMHO, and had to start doing so until the damned post ran its course. If it’s just something I’m reading, rather than something I posted to or started, I can’t even pick it up by searching for threads I’ve been participating in.

I appreciate that you are trying to offload GQ, but would prefer that if it started there, it stays there as long as it does basically fit the “factual question” criteria. Some of us don’t follow the other forums.

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I think, in general, if there is a post in the “fuzzy” area, we leave it where it is. The exception would be if we truly think there is better chance of being seen or responded to elsewhere.

The problem mostly (I think) tends to be with Cafe Society. The other forums are pretty much based on the type of question rather than the subject matter: debate? factual answer? simply sharing information? etc. We set up Cafe Society on a different basis, originally because the other forums (and often GQ) were getting swamped with threads about TV shows, movies, opera, etc[sup]1[/sup] So, the “fuzzy” is often a factual question about a TV show, where does it go.

The general feeling among the mods is that, even though it’s a “factual” question, it will be seen by more people who might know the answer if it’s Cafe Society. Hence, movement from GQ to Cafe Society is not uncommon.

Movement from Cafe Society to GQ is rare[sup]2[/sup].

And, it should be noted, unless someone is deliberately trying to be a trouble-maker/jerk, there’s nothing at all “negative” about having your post moved. We don’t track which posts we move, we don’t view it as a demerit, nothing of the sort. Usually it’s accidental, sometimes it’s a difference of opinion, but it’s just one of those things. There’s nothing embarrassing or criminal in having your post moved.

[sup]1[/sup]Well, actually, we didn’t get many threads on opera, but you get my point.
[sup]2[/sup]Unless, of course, it’s something like a factual question about enzymology, say, posted in the wrong forum.

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The good news is, you seem to have a good understanding of how to construct a GQ thread, and what the rules are. I bet you have started over 80% of your threads in GQ, and I dare say you have had less than 2% of them moved.

The bad news is that many Guests and, unfortunately, many dense members seem to not understand how to do this. I don’t mean this to apply to people who do this on a rare occasion. I mean this to apply to people who do it repeatedly, even after having their threads moved multiple times.

I try to let GQ’s stay there unless they blatantly call for opinions. These threads bother me the most. You can be asking for factual information in a thread that truly belongs in IMHO.

Moving threads to Cafe Society that are looking for factual answers about the Arts… :shrug:

I do it, only because that’s what the policy has become since we opened Cafe Society.

samclem GQ moderator

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A thread that has a clear factual question usually stays in GQ, unless it is a better fit for Cafe Society.

Your example of “What’s the title of a book with this plot synopsis?” would require someone to have read the book in order to answer correctly. It is more likely that someone browsing CS would have read this book, than someone browsing GQ. It does not mean that people browsing GQ do not read books, it’s just that people browsing CS are more likely to have read the book and be interested in answering the OP.

To slap somebody for offering critical discussion of the work in question would not be beneficial to the community. I would rather move the thread to CS where the factual part of the question can be answered, and where people can freely discuss the merits/demerits of the work itself. Therefore there is greater value (for the OP, and the community) in the thread being moved to CS.

Questions that can be answered factually remain in GQ, but questions that require opinions/anecdotes/advice/debate/etc. in order for the OP to be fully addressed are usually moved to the appropriate forum. This serves two purposes: It makes it easier to moderate forums, since we can be consistent with the implementation of forum rules, and it allows for the discussion necessary for the OP to be fully addressed. For example, a question that requires debate cannot be fully addressed within GQ and therefore would do better in GD.

Sometimes I allow a thread to remain in GQ until the factual part is satisfactorily answered, and then move it to GD or IMHO for further discussion.

Remember that one of the reasons we move threads is to allow us to more easily moderate responses in that thread. For example, let’s say that we have a GQ thread with a factual question as well as a component that requires an opinion. Someone answers with an opinion that addresses that component. As per the rules of GQ, opinions are not usually permitted. However, it would be unfair to call the poster for this, since s/he made a good faith effor to answer the component in the OP that required opinion. More posters chime in with opinions, some of them entirely not based in fact. Now, such an opinion would usually be called in GQ, but since I previously permitted an opinion to be expressed in the same thread, it makes it difficult to fairly moderate the thread at this stage.

Moving threads is a rather subjective decision, and opinions will differ. But mods have been doing it long enough to be able to keep their decisions consistent.