OT: So, what's with all the OT?

Hils · Post by **Hils** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 10:32 am

I like to think of this board as a family of whistle players. A lot of us have friends here and it is nice sometimes to bring in another topic the diversity makes us the individuals that we are, but we are held together by a common thread, whistles. Invariably the topic always gets back to them anyway.

CHIFF FIPPLE · Post by **CHIFF FIPPLE** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 10:42 am

Yes

an it an't broke so derner try fixin it

eskin · Post by **eskin** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 10:47 am

I agree, that this has become as much a social board as a whistle board, but perhaps, just perhaps, the talk of politics, baseball, and religion deserves a dedicated forum?

I often send students and people quite interested in getting more info on whistle music and technique to this site, they aren't looking to join a social group (at first), they want to know which whistle to buy, or hear some good tunes...

When someone pushes that "submit" button on an OT subject, what it tells me is that they have made the decision that their topic, whether it be the Cubs, or the governor recall, etc. is more important than whatever might be the spirit of the board. Is it whistles? Is it free-for-all? Anyone know anymore?

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 10:50 am

I think the issue is, what is this board?

If it's a place where only whistle related discussion is welcome, we'll have to change what we're doing.

On the other hand, if it's a community of people who share an interest in whistles, the OT topics are an important part of what's happening here.

It's impossible to have a community where everything happens in a way that irritates no one, and this would be true even if the discussion were strictly limited to whistles. I've seen people leave this board, never to return, over things said in an on topic, strictly whistle related thread.

One of the great things about music is, it's a universal language that draws diverse people together. However, trying to sever the musical connection from the rest of the personal interaction, in my opinion, is to sabotage one of the greatest goods music can accomplish, which is to dissolve the boundaries that separate and isolate people.

I would much rather live with the trivial annoyances associated with this open format than carry on a style of discussion that left the participants islolated from each other except for talk about whistling. Week's comments are particularly insightful, I think.

Best wishes,
Jerry

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:20 am

My, don't we put enough signposts to make sure people who don't like a thread can skip it?

OT, WTT... Even the latter was invented--by whom, Serpent?--since some would complain about others discussing whistles proper, instead of whistle music), etc.

Post a cop to restrict it strictly to music directly related to whistles, and someone will pop up claiming non ITM musics outta be banned.

Btw, when you meet friends, how do you call someone who just can't talk of anything else but his hobby (or job, or whatever one-track mind he got)? At best, a bore...

So I'll second Stacey here: "if it ain't broke, don't try and fix it".
Especially when, in this board's case, fixin' would take its sense of castration.

adamm · Post by **adamm** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:33 am

Wow - I can't see there's any issue here at all. This is a great board full of interesting people with a common interest in whistling. Maybe we need to relax a bit - this is a forum, not a business meeting. I agree that if you want to see more discussion on whistling, post an interesting comment or question or two on the subject. We're waiting

And I agree - no more Rules are necessary. Free speech may not always be fun, or pretty, but it's a great system, and invariably results in many creative and interesting ideas being born. - And I believe you NEED a little of the "OT fertilizer" for the great thoughts to germinate and grow out of the general noise. I've actually learned useful things about whistles by reading the OTs. Whistlers are whistlers, no matter what they seem to be talking about.

Adam

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:40 am

As someone who managed a "topical" discussion board for nearly seven years, I can tell you that restricting posts to "on topic" discussion is the fastest way to kill a site. In this world of fast-paced lifestyles and people living far from family and the friends with which they grew up, discussion forums provide community. We may be drawn to a particular forum because we have this or that interest, but we tend to stay around because we like talking with the other people there. It's a little like a pub...I may be drawn to a particular pub because the beer and the music is outstanding, and because I hope to get a chance to talk to people about the music (or the beer), but I doubt I'd hang around much if beer and music were the only topics allowed!

On the board I used to host, one poster in particular used to complain a lot about "thread drift" (i.e., a discussion would start on one topic and gradually drift to another). The concensus, however, was that "drift" is a part of normal conversation, and conversation fosters community. Just as any person who has no interest in an "OT" thread can simply avoid reading it, any person who finds a thread drifting away from the original topic can easily bring the topic back to the subject at hand (or decide that he or she has learned all that is necessary from that particular conversation and opt out).

"Old timers" do occasionally drift away from discussion boards...and just as often drift back in, unless they've been turned off by flame wars or negative attitudes. The world intrudes and, if nothing's going on that you're particularly interested in, you go away for a bit and pop back in later, when you have the time and the inclination. This would happen just as frequently even if we never discussed anything but whistles.

As far as "wasting bandwidth" goes, don't worry about it. Text uses very little bandwidth. In the old internet days of bulletin boards and newsgroups it was a different story, but nowadays, normal conversation, even extensive conversation, is not an issue. It is possible to flood a discussion board, but you really have to work at it, and it takes intent (in other words, spam). If we were actually even beginning to approach this forum's capacity, I'm sure Dale or Rich would say something, but generally it's just not a huge problem.

Redwolf

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:43 am

Yes, there's a definite abundance of OT material here lately. Most of the OT I can do without, but I let the Cubs fans have their moment. It'll pass. I haven't even read that thread, and am unlikely to unless it balloons inexplicably (indicating that something heated might be going on; that's my moth-to-the-flame syndrome

). To me, it's not unlike many other social gatherings: a lot of stuff unrelated specifically to the theme gets covered.

My preference for OT posts would be to have more musically related topics, but, to be honest, I come here just as much for the insight, discussion and hilarity as for on-topic issues. I know that I don't help the situation much as I love being a smartass and can't resist an opportunity to show it. But there's no "place" quite like this one. It's very human. That's the clincher for me.

antstastegood · Post by **antstastegood** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:56 am

eskin wrote:Perhaps its time for Dale to add a free-for-all board...

I agree. EVERY other message board I have seen has its topics, but it always has a General Discussion section.

I move that such a section be added to the chiffboard.

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 12:11 pm

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr, Mateys!!!!

TomB · Post by **TomB** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 1:38 pm

Nanohedron wrote:Yes, there's a definite abundance of OT material here lately. Most of the OT I can do without, but I let the Cubs fans have their moment. It'll pass. I haven't even read that thread, and am unlikely to unless it balloons inexplicably (indicating that something heated might be going on; that's my moth-to-the-flame syndrome ). To me, it's not unlike many other social gatherings: a lot of stuff unrelated specifically to the theme gets covered.

My preference for OT posts would be to have more musically related topics, but, to be honest, I come here just as much for the insight, discussion and hilarity as for on-topic issues. I know that I don't help the situation much as I love being a smartass and can't resist an opportunity to show it. But there's no "place" quite like this one. It's very human. That's the clincher for me.

What Nano said! Bravo!

All the Best, Tom

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 2:10 pm

I can't remember a single thread in four or more years here that anyone forced me to read against my will.

I realize it's a small sampling of our population (Jim Stone hasn't even checked in) but it looks to me like all but Eskin and AntsTasteGood are perfectly happy with things as they are. Which leads me to go back to what Alba (in one of her C&F incarnations, I forget which) said. It ain't broke, so don't try to fix it.

brownja · Post by **brownja** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 2:21 pm

Another board I belong to has a "watercooler" board for all the OT stuff. That keeps the real boards more or less on topic.

Rgards,
jb

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 2:28 pm

Nano said it good and has "the way" with words.

Michael Eskin's concern however has merit. He's one of the top whistlers on this board IMO, and if we all knew how to play the whistle (flute or UP) as good as he, we might all be in danger of losing interest in OT subject (so, whistle on "whistle whisperer" make that whenny pistle buck and sing).

Cees · Post by **Cees** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 4:30 pm

I like the board the way it is. If it was just about whistles, I'd have read it for a while and then gotten bored and moved on. What has kept me here for nearly two years now is the feeling that most of the people here are friends and I can come and listen or talk to them whenever I want. If they had just written about whistles, I wouldn't really "know" any of them and wouldn't feel the sense of belonging and friendship that I do.

I don't have any friends or acquaintances in my non-virtual life that only talk about one subject.

Chiff and Fipple Forums

OT: So, what's with all the OT?

Family