BS: Killing the thread

Subject: Killing the thread
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 04:46 PM

So you cleverly (you think) worded your finest thoughts on the subject of the thread and after a final glance, you pushed the "Submit" button. And then you watch to see if your addition to the discussion promotes further comments. And you watch. And you watch. And the thread meanders ever closer to the bottom of the forum page. Then it sinks into oblivion.

Was it something you did? Was it something about the way you worded your last posting? What happened?

...Does this scene seem familiar to anyone else?

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: MMario
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 04:46 PM

happens to me all the time

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 04:50 PM

Yep. But then again I'm not noted for any profound or engaging posts. But sometimes it's fun to have the last word. Juts because it fell off into oblivion doesn't necessarily mean no one is reading it.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: sophocleese
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 04:52 PM

Oh good I'm not the only one who occasionally feels black-balled. Yes Allan C. it happens to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:00 PM

I think its pretty common......Every once in awhile, somebody mentions it and I guess it must be pretty universal Allan......Wonder who will be the "killer" on this thread.

Actually, what bothers me more is when some nasty, descension creating, thread has been floating around and when things are about to calm down and head back for whatever passes for normal, somebody brings it back to the top for some comment or another. I know this is always with the best intentions by most of us (as opposed to flamers), but when the sucker is about to die, it'd be nice to let it go.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Susan from California
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:01 PM

Me also--I have joked to my sweetie that I am a champion thread killer, I guess I'm not the only one who feels that way. Glad to know that I have company!

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: annamill
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:04 PM

yeah! it's happened.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Midchuck
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:07 PM

I would hate to be the one to suggest that if you say something nasty, the thread goes on and on, but if you try to be nice, it dies, but sometimes I think so...

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:10 PM

The thing is, as Mbo said, it's fun sometimes to have the last word. But it's no fun having the last word when everyone else has left the room...

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: dwditty
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:19 PM

Hmmmmmmmm. Yep, me, too. But what if we always posted to threads so that we wouldn't be letting our friends down by letting their thoughts just kind of dwindle away. Would we soon be overrun with NETs (Never Ending Threads)? I do know the feeling, though. Just when you feel you've said something really profound, you turn around and no one's there. It's even worse when you refresh to try to stimulate some interest and the damn thing goes flaccid again. Is this thread creep? Am I mixing metaphors? Neil...Oh NEIL...
dw

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: dwditty
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:24 PM

Here's another thing that happens to me. It's not worthy of it's own thread, though. Sometimes I start reading a really cool thread, and just when I'm ready to post, I see that I already have. Makes me feel kind of stupid. Especially when I'm ready to post the exact opposite of what I already posted. Kinda of makes me wonder sometimes....
dw

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:36 PM

Yeah, it is really nice to feel that you said something so well; that you covered the ground so succinctly but with startling clarity that there really isn't any more to be said.

But in my particular reality, that would be a rare event, indeed. And, once again, how does one know if it was ever even noticed if the thread dies? Maybe, just maybe I bored everyone to death.

But it is (alas!) true that a thread must finally end at some point. We can't all continue to validate each other forever.

It is reassuring to know that there are others who have felt similar pangs.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:40 PM

That's happened to me a number of times, especially at night. I've found that the message usually went in alright, but the thread doesn't go to the top on my browser. I've found that if I click on the Reload button on my browser, the list is then reloaded in correct chronological order.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Terry K
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:42 PM

Seems the only surefire way to get a thread to last a long time is to say something about Ireland. Doesn't seem to matter what.

Cheers, Terry

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Morticia
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:44 PM

deedub.....I'm glad it's not just me.....failing memory is a sod, isn't it?

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Morticia
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:45 PM

gee, deedub......that never happens to me !!*BG*

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:51 PM

Of course I've done such intelligent things as clicking on the 'Clear Entries' button rather than the 'Submit Message' button, too. (Would that I had on other occassions)

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 05:53 PM

I love doing that, Bruce O., especially just after you have posted an entire song with all the appropriate line breaks and all.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: The Shambles
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 06:50 PM

The longer The Mudcat forum runs, it will be obvious that threads do not die. It will not be possible to start many truly NEW thread subjects. They will be just variations on the existing themes.

I quite like the idea of linking threads with similar subjects, started at different times, with different contributors, together. It adds to our collective knowledge.

Sometimes it probably makes more sense to look for and refresh an older thread and add to it, than starting a new one.

When the 'navel gazing' season is upon us, it is the lesser of a number of evils to refresh one of these current threads, containing some good comments, before it drops off the bottom. For if it does drop off the bottom, you can bet your life that fresh ones will be created. It is probably better in my opinion to have one long-running thread than many such threads. It makes it easier to ignore, at least.

We can knock these threads but they are the only ones that everyone feels qualified and entitled to contribute to. For they are about The Mudcat forum and everyone here cares about that..

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Sorcha
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 07:16 PM

I love it!! I love it!! "Navel Gazing Season" yes, yes, yes!! And I am glad the 'Cat is back, even if it wasn't the very next day.............OK, I gotta say something about Ireland here, so the thread doesn't die........uh, let's see.........Do you think Cletus and the Boys could sort out the Ireland Troubles?

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 07:17 PM

Shambles makes what I think is a good point (thinking to myself that I am about to cause a bit of thread drift). There are lots of us who really don't know a whole lot about certain aspects of folk music or instrumentation, etc.. We just know what we enjoy hearing. I love that there are threads which deal largely with thoughts about how we feel about certain situations or ideas or whatever. Many of these discuss matters which are quite close to our hearts and are therefore very interesting to a lot of us. These are threads to which we could all contribute.

Many leap to mind but I will only give one example: There was a thread which resulted in a discussion regarding special seating for the disabled and how performers felt about it and how venue managers might handle things better. Ethical Question I am glad to have threads like that.

Allan

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 07:38 PM

that trick of refreshing old threads is a bit scary sometimes...I see this interesting topic and wonder HOW it got 89 posts and I never saw it!..sometimes I read for several minutes before I look at the dates...This might be especially confusing for newcomers who haven't synched into the system yet

Bill D...who has killed more threads than he wants to admit to

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Gary T
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 09:53 PM

Well, it's happened to me, but I always thought it was my breath......

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 10:22 PM

When a thread or posting of mine dies, I usually feel that I have said something wrong. But then again if I really said something wrong I am quite sure someone else would be quick to let me know.
Maybe if you said something very profound others who it has an impact on are quietly absorbing what you have said.
Shambles, is it okay if I 'off season' navel gaze upon this thread?

Bonnie

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 10:30 PM

I'm sitting here laughing. I once said to a fellow mudcatter that most of the time when I've posted something it's so ponderous that the thread is never heard from again; it just kind of goes THUDDDDD... I had no idea anyone else felt the same way! Thanks for sharing. *BHG*

Elva

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: JedMarum
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 10:33 PM

I see a few experiences expressed here, similar to what I have experienced; especially in the last few weeks. A few perfectly interesting music (only) threads have come and gone with little attention while much wailing and gnashing of teeth goes on over social issues. BUT I recognize that those good threads that passed without a ripple this time, are threads with merit and would have been well received at other times ... so I suspect we've suffered a bit from summer doldrums, and a few 'hot topics' have snuffed the life out of those otherwise worthy threads. I suspect the situation will change as time passes.

Now I'm off to see what threads Allan C. has started recently and figure out how I could have missed them!

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: GUEST,Lyle
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 10:42 PM

Allan C., MMario, Mbo, sophocleese,catspaw49, Susan from California, annap, Midchuck, McGrath of Harlow, dwditty, Allan C., GUEST,Bruce O., Terry K, Morticia, The Shambles, Sorcha, Bill D, Gary T, Banjo Bonnie, Ebbie, Jed Marum, You are all so insightful and have offered so very much to this thread. Now you don't have to feel ignored and you can certainly find your names before they fall off the page!!!

Lyle

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: JedMarum
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 11:25 PM

remember the Monty Python skit wher Eric Idle was telling the talk show host that he (Eric) was invisible ... Eric droned on and on boring everyone with his unimaginitive conversation and before you know it - everyone was ignoring him ... Eric truly did become invisible!

Are we invisible?

;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 04:12 AM

Allan, YES! Just how I've felt sometimes! Glad I'm not the only one. BTW Just because we're paranoid doesn't meant they're not out to get us!
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: zonahobo
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 04:47 AM

I felt I had this "thread killing" down to an art. Post very late on very long threads. Realizing, ofcourse, that late is very relative in this worldwide forum.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: The Shambles
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 02:26 AM

Click here for an example Distortion of history in folksong.

This will probably kill this thread stone dead……. or not?

One of the things that 'kills' a thread for me is when someone (and this usually and mainly Catspaw), sets the questionable example of taking the trouble to post to it and makes NO other contribution to the thread. Other than to say " that was an excellent post _________", or "well done _______". Or some other private joke and this whether the thread is BS or not.

If it is ever really necessary to publicly praise someone, without totally patronising them (given that there are better ways like personal messages to do it). It would be nice to see some positive contribution made to the subject being discussed as well, otherwise such post's motives may be thought of as, best unhelpful at worst, 'brown-nosing'.

It surely shows not a little conceit, to think that a post containing ONLY your approval will be of any interest to anyone else, when a post showing ONLY one's disapproval, would generally be accepted as having little value?

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Ebbie
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 02:50 AM

Well put, Shambles! :~)

Ebbie

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: The Shambles
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 02:59 AM

*Smiles*

This is just so you wouldn't be the one to kill the thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Patrish(inactive)
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 05:24 AM

No, leave that one to me. I have noticed that quite a few of the old refreshed threads show the last poster as me......
Ah well, I'll get me coat
Patrish

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Gervase
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 06:13 AM

Hey, I'm the one with the Schmidas touch around here, so let me be the one to kill this one off!
On the other hand, the little clicky "add thread to tracer" is a boon. There are times when I can't pop into the 'cat for whatever reason, and a couple of days is sometimes long enough for threads to wax and wane and fall off the list, but by tracing them you can always go back and catch up.
Trouble is, then you've got horrible proof that you really were the last person to post to the thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 04:14 PM

I've found there's two ways you kill a thread. One is where you write some would-be clever stuff that you sort of feel is the last word. And it is. But you've no way of knowing whether it really was the last word, and the others are saying "can't top that one" - or whether they have just pissed off down the pub, so to speak, leaving you talking to yourself in an empty room. Sad.

And the other way is where a thread seems to be vanishing away, and you refersh it to keep it in circulation, and nobody picks it up, and you realise you were trying to revive a corpse anyway. Sad also.

Someone's going to kill this thread. Have I just done it now?

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 06:31 PM

Probably.

I always find that threads die just as I have posted a blazing and witty bit of repartee. There are several around that I did that to.

Where do characters go when you delete them?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: The Shambles
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 02:55 PM

The same place as expletives?

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Branwen23
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 04:44 PM

I can completely relate... happened to me today, as a matter of fact... I posted to the "Memorising songs and performance quality" thread... longest post I've ever done, and it's yet to be looked at... kind of a blow to the ego, isn't it?

-Branwen-

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: The Shambles
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 05:55 PM

I rest my case

Click for yet another example of a thread that WAS mercifully and refreshingly free of BS.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Gary T
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 08:39 PM

Branwen, it only comes to the top when someone adds a post to it. There's no way of knowing how many or how few have read it.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Morticia
Date: 22 Jul 00 - 12:24 PM

This is beginning to sound like an Agatha Christie....."Who is the Mystery Thread Killer?". Seems to me that each thread has just so much life in it, just so many things that can be said even with an infinite number of people reading it.I will sometimes skip a thread that has gotten a bit lengthy due to lack of time or because I don't feel there is much else to be said and I guess maybe others do to, which is why it goes to thread heaven ( or the other place).

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Amergin
Date: 22 Jul 00 - 12:40 PM

I admit it, I killed the thread...but it deserved it!!

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: SDShad
Date: 22 Jul 00 - 03:58 PM

Yes, Amergin, but who will be the killer who kills the "Killing the Thread" thread?

Right now, I'm in the lead....

Shad

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: The Shambles
Date: 23 Jul 00 - 03:43 AM

I think I will take the 'yellow jesey'.

For it was me........But I did it in self-defence, honest.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Gervase
Date: 23 Jul 00 - 04:54 AM

It was a kindness, really. Anyway, the thread has now gone to a better place.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Ebbie
Date: 23 Jul 00 - 11:16 AM

Allow me...

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: GUEST,The Butler
Date: 23 Jul 00 - 12:32 PM

Well I didn't do it. That's for sure.

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: Amergin
Date: 23 Jul 00 - 12:34 PM

This thread will never die, so long as folks are competing with each other to be the killer....

Subject: RE: BS: Killing the thread
From: GUEST,The Butler
Date: 23 Jul 00 - 01:17 PM

Told you I was innocent.