The Lemon Fool

Could I make a suggestion,- that board rules are amended, to require topics to be given a title that clearly indicates what they are about, - as opposed to some obscure, mysterious question, rather like "clickbait", which all too often occurs.

I cannot make a decision as to whether I want to read a thread when the title is presented as a riddle or obscure question, thus I waste time viewing threads in which I have no interest.

Recent examples of titles where the subject is not clear include:

"It just won't go away, will it?"

"Cancelled"

richfool wrote:Could I make a suggestion,- that board rules are amended, to require topics to be given a title that clearly indicates what they are about, - as opposed to some obscure, mysterious question, rather like "clickbait", which all too often occurs.

I cannot make a decision as to whether I want to read a thread when the title is presented as a riddle or obscure question, thus I waste time viewing threads in which I have no interest.

Recent examples of titles where the subject is not clear include:

"It just won't go away, will it?"

"Cancelled"

Come, come. Surely if you are retired your time is not that important. In fact I find that I waste too much time here as I do on many other things but so what? My time is my own. Mind you, I now have no wife but I do have a biggish garden which needs attention!

Dod

Time is always important

richfool wrote:Recent examples of titles where the subject is not clear include:

"It just won't go away, will it?"

"Cancelled"

Is that all you're listing? CA&N is replete with such titles!

Dod101 wrote:

richfool wrote:Could I make a suggestion,- that board rules are amended, to require topics to be given a title that clearly indicates what they are about, - as opposed to some obscure, mysterious question, rather like "clickbait", which all too often occurs.

I cannot make a decision as to whether I want to read a thread when the title is presented as a riddle or obscure question, thus I waste time viewing threads in which I have no interest.

Recent examples of titles where the subject is not clear include:

"It just won't go away, will it?"

"Cancelled"

Come, come. Surely if you are retired your time is not that important. In fact I find that I waste too much time here as I do on many other things but so what? My time is my own. Mind you, I now have no wife but I do have a biggish garden which needs attention!

Dod

Well get on and attend to it and don't waste more time, your's and others, posting for the sake of it.

mc2fool wrote:

richfool wrote:Recent examples of titles where the subject is not clear include:

"It just won't go away, will it?"

"Cancelled"

Is that all you're listing? CA&N is replete with such titles!

I regularly see obscure meaningless topic titles, but wasn't going to spend half the night trawling through the boards looking for them. It was a rule that members and moderators of another forum I participated on strongly enforced. It avoided people moaning about frequently having to look at posts that turned out to be irrelevant to them.

richfool wrote:

mc2fool wrote:Is that all you're listing? CA&N is replete with such titles!

I regularly see obscure meaningless topic titles, but wasn't going to spend half the night trawling through the boards looking for them. It was a rule that members and moderators of another forum I participated on strongly enforced. It avoided people moaning about frequently having to look at posts that turned out to be irrelevant to them.

No trawling needed, richfool! Not half the night, not even half an hour ... half a minute shows the extent of the problem you identify!

Not only are there posts with cryptic topic titles, there are some posts where you still don't know what it's about unless you follow the link contained therein!

(Or at least hover over it to get the URL in full to get a clue ... and from a moderator too ... tsk, tsk!)

richfool wrote:Could I make a suggestion,- that board rules are amended, to require topics to be given a title that clearly indicates what they are about, - as opposed to some obscure, mysterious question, rather like "clickbait", which all too often occurs.

You could, and have done. Personally I hope we don't curtail a user's creativity in this way. Choosing a witty subject line can often be part of the fun of posting.

I think that we only have one forum where the subject line is constrained, Company Share news (LSE Main Market), and that is because the forum has an index.

Can you imagine the grief the moderation team would have to endure if they start sanctioning posters because they didn't feel the subject line was a clear enough precis of the post's content?

Chris

richfool wrote:
I cannot make a decision as to whether I want to read a thread when the title is presented as a riddle or obscure question, thus I waste time viewing threads in which I have no interest.

Other information is usually available that quickly acts, for me at least, as a very suitable filter....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

csearle wrote:

richfool wrote:Could I make a suggestion,- that board rules are amended, to require topics to be given a title that clearly indicates what they are about, - as opposed to some obscure, mysterious question, rather like "clickbait", which all too often occurs.

You could, and have done. Personally I hope we don't curtail a user's creativity in this way. Choosing a witty subject line can often be part of the fun of posting.

I think that we only have one forum where the subject line is constrained, Company Share news (LSE Main Market) , and that is because the forum has an index.

Can you imagine the grief the moderation team would have to endure if they start sanctioning posters because they didn't feel the subject line was a clear enough precis of the post's content?

Chris

No moderation would be necessary, just a guideline and a little common sense. And it's certainly not a case of curtailing creativity.

I've noted posters criticising obscure newspaper headlines for similarly being "clickbait" and deliberately drawing readers in with misleading titles. This is similar.

When you go to a library, don't you look at the title of the books (as well as go to the appropriate section) before opening the book and reading them? One doesn't have the time to open every book, to ascertain what it's about.

Itsallaguess wrote:Other information is usually available that quickly acts, for me at least, as a very suitable filter....

Cheers,
Itsallaguess

Yes, other information like a few definitive words in the title! That is my point. Surely, it's common sense. Otherwise the reader is left to open every post to ascertain what it is about. Do posters really do that? I don't think so. They would use the information in the title and perhaps also the board it is on (if the bother to look) to form a judgment/make a decision.

It's the type of titles like: "Help", "What do you think of this". "What - again", "It won't go away, will it?"

A little definition would make it clear what the topic was about and enable posters to decide whether it was what they want to read.

For example..."Help, - plumbing advice needed", I know not to read, because I know nothing about plumbing. "Help" on it's own tells the reader nothing.

I can't believe that posters open every post when they know what the title is about, but if the title isn't clear that is what they would need to do..

mc2fool wrote:No trawling needed, richfool! Not half the night, not even half an hour ... half a minute shows the extent of the problem you identify!

Yes, half a minute per post. Time IS valuable.

Maybe some posters sit at their computers all day long and read every post just in case it may be relevant to them, (and perhaps some even post on a thread where they have no relevant knowledge because they have been lured in).

richfool wrote:

Dod101 wrote:

richfool wrote:Could I make a suggestion,- that board rules are amended, to require topics to be given a title that clearly indicates what they are about, - as opposed to some obscure, mysterious question, rather like "clickbait", which all too often occurs.

I cannot make a decision as to whether I want to read a thread when the title is presented as a riddle or obscure question, thus I waste time viewing threads in which I have no interest.

Recent examples of titles where the subject is not clear include:

"It just won't go away, will it?"

"Cancelled"

Come, come. Surely if you are retired your time is not that important. In fact I find that I waste too much time here as I do on many other things but so what? My time is my own. Mind you, I now have no wife but I do have a biggish garden which needs attention!

Dod

Well get on and attend to it and don't waste more time, your's and others, posting for the sake of it.

That was meant to be a light hearted comment. Why are some so b****y tetchy? Good luck to you.

Dod

richfool wrote:

mc2fool wrote:No trawling needed, richfool! Not half the night, not even half an hour ... half a minute shows the extent of the problem you identify!

Yes, half a minute per post. Time IS valuable.

Maybe some posters sit at their computers all day long and read every post just in case it may be relevant to them, (and perhaps some even post on a thread where they have no relevant knowledge because they have been lured in).

What I've been trying to point out is that it's obvious that there are lots of cases where, as you say, "the subject is not clear" just from a glance at the topic listings, of which the ones you noted in your OP are just two examples of many ... jeez, you do make it hard for people to agree with you ...

I fine them annoying, but seem to be a sucker quite often, by reading them

Depending upon how much time I have, I may not read such posts. I may look at the thread at a later date and see that I could have contributed. If a poster wants advice, it is in that poster's best interest to write a meaningful title. I believe that it is merely a matter of education.

I find that most posters on TLF (when seeking advice) are pretty good at providing sufficient information for the rest of us to work on without having to be asked, although this is another potential issue.


Julian F. G. W.

I found this title particularly useful. I didn't read the post:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=30756


Julian F. G. W.

Agreed re the title
but I do read AiY posts
he (IMHO) is one of the better wordsmiths here

richfool wrote:Could I make a suggestion,- that board rules are amended, to require topics to be given a title that clearly indicates what they are about, - as opposed to some obscure, mysterious question, rather like "clickbait", which all too often occurs.

I cannot make a decision as to whether I want to read a thread when the title is presented as a riddle or obscure question, thus I waste time viewing threads in which I have no interest.

Recent examples of titles where the subject is not clear include:

"It just won't go away, will it?"

"Cancelled"

In reverse order:

A. Cancelled!

I include the full original post here - I do not consider it "Off Topic" as I believe it necessary here, to make the point I am making:

viewtopic.php?p=438846#p438846

#438846 Postby XFool » September 1st, 2021, 11:03 am

The New Puritans

The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/10/new-puritans-mob-justice-canceled/619818/

A growing illiberalism, fueled by social media, is trampling democratic discourse. The result is a chilling atmosphere in which mob justice has replaced due process and forgiveness is impossible.

You will note that:

1. The word "canceled" appears in the html link "new-puritans-mob-justice-canceled'

2. The title of the article itself is 'The New Puritans'

Perhaps I should have used the article title as the thread heading? Perhaps that would have been less "obscure"? Of course, I could have added, or used, the full article subheading*: "Social codes are changing, in many ways for the better. But for those whose behavior doesn’t adapt fast enough to the new norms, judgment can be swift—and merciless." But then, exactly how long are TLF thread headings allowed to be?

* There are two "subheadings" - 1. From the original main page 2. On the article itself

Some might think the general subject of a post entitled 'Cancelled!', posted in Current Affairs & News, obvious enough to anyone with the slightest acquaintance with current social mores (I do). Of course, the exact context and meaning can only be gleaned by reading the post - and indeed the referred to article. That's life.


B. It just won't go away, will it?

viewtopic.php?p=434591#p434591

#434591 Postby XFool » August 13th, 2021, 3:59 pm

Now this IS more "obscure"! Again it is posted in Current Affairs & News (surprise!) and originated from the way that Trump, and Trumpism in the USA and in relation to The Republican Party, has not "gone away" and, in one way or another, shows little sign of going away. That is, after Trump, things in the USA (wrt the GOP) have not returned to normal, as many were expecting and hoping. Either this is of interest to you or it is not. But surely, one way or another, it is going to affect us and the world? This is a pretty general topic - possibly it could be titled "US Politics"?

I have a suggestion to make - If it is too demanding for many TLF members to cope with anything that is not a straightforward and simple Q&A on practical matters then either:

1. TLF cease all boards that are not simply Q&A or practical.

2. The TLF members concerned stick to reading only boards that clearly interest them, or leave and find a site more suited to their interests and needs.

I feel that covers the options.

Of likely relevance: viewtopic.php?p=414925#p414925

XFool wrote:You will note that:

1. The word "canceled" appears in the html link "new-puritans-mob-justice-canceled' ...

The link, at least for me, just says "The Atlantic", which along with the thread title says nothing to me, or suggests I should click on it.

dealtn wrote:

XFool wrote:You will note that:

1. The word "canceled" appears in the html link "new-puritans-mob-justice-canceled' ...

The link, at least for me, just says "The Atlantic", which along with the thread title says nothing to me, or suggests I should click on it.

Then don't...