Very long topics...

[twobrewers]

Maybe I am the only one - but I feel as though some topics need to run their course, and let a new thread open up.

It is completely impractical to read the entire "Macha" thread as it is 731 replies. I think a new development deserves it's own post. (As opposed to "reply 667ish")

I realize no way is ideal - but I can't even look at the major league page anymore because all of the topics are sooo long that I feel as though I cannot participate in the conversation without reading the entire post.

Anyways - just my two cents.

[DougJones43]

For what it's worth, I agree. The tipping point for me was seeing that discussion about Mike Cameron's role for the 2009 season was added onto the thread from when he was signed nearly a year ago. That's pretty crazy. What to do with Cam for 2009 should probably be allowed to have a new thread. The other one is over 20 pages. Like twobrewers, I rarely even bother looking in those threads because it's just too much. You'd have to read too much back-logged info to actually join the discussion, and trying to find starting and stopping points within the thread is bothersome.

[TheCrew07]

Isn't that what clicking the baseballs is all about?

[PeaveyFury]

I think that the Macha thread was probably an error on our part, as we probably should have closed the rumors/discussion thread off once the official announcement was made. This was an unusual case because normally with player rumors, you have a separate thread in the Rumors forum that would have been closed until the announcement was official. But with it being the manager, this was a different circumstance. Most of the staff would probably agree, though, that we should have gone with a new thread if we had gotten there sooner. We'll probably do it differently when Jack Z's replacement is named for the ensuing discussion as well.

 

And the Cameron thread is a valid point as well, but I believe the existing thread was bumped/added on to by a non-staff poster, and the discussion just kind of continued from there. A separate thread about the merits of his 08 performance and whether to pick up the option was probably warranted there as well.

[1992casey]

What usually happens in cases like this is that after a new development, the first mod to visit the forum makes a judgment call on whether to go with a new thread or stick with the old one. Sometimes, the decision is clear. Other times, a decision could fall either way.

 

The mod making the decision on a new thread vs. an old one tends to look at how helpful previous messages in a thread might be as background information. For instance, when we find out where Nelson Cruz is playing next year, chances are that it'll make sense to continue discussion in the existing Cruz thread. Unlike players like Sheets and Sabathia, this could be a case where visitors might not necessarily be aware of what transpired previously and may find it handy to read about it.

 

As twobrewers alluded to, when we've gone with the choice of the longer thread, mods have been trying to include relevant reply numbers in the title. Unfortunately, for the past few weeks, if there are hidden posts in a thread, mods and members will see different reply numbers. That's the reason for the "ish." I hope Yuku fixes this issue sooner than later.

 

About an hour ago, I split the Cameron thread, cross-linked the two newly created threads, and locked the older signing thread. I don't fault the member who bumped the thread; again, that decision wasn't cut and dried. With 124 new posts, the split makes sense.

 

A word about splits.... One reason members don't see a lot of these is that only a couple of mods are comfortable using the feature. It isn't the most straightforward toy in the world to learn to use, and if it becomes necessary to "repair" a mistake, the process can become a bit time-consuming.

 

The other issue involving splits is when a complex split is in order. There are times when messages on two or more topics are intertwined with each other. These splits involve rereading each and every message to decide where it belongs. To save the mod's sanity, threads will likely be hidden while a complex split is being done. In the case of the Cameron split, it was very straightforward, and it didn't need to be hidden.

 

TheCrew07, thanks for the reminder that clicking the baseball next to a thread title will take readers to the first unread message in that discussion. Because that feature has only been around for a few weeks, some members may still be unaware that it exists.