%of 'off topic' threads

Subject: %of 'off topic' threads
From: Pied Piper
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:14 PM

I've just done a count of the number of threads not related to folk and blues music in some way. 106 on topic 26 not (in my opinion). That's about 25%. This is higher than when I did the calculation last (about 6%), but nowhere near as much as some on the "Porn" thread seem to think. I haven't got time to total up the number of posts to each thread, but it clearly shows that 75% of the people that start threads are "on topic". All the best PP.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:18 PM

have you got nowt better to do? :-)

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:26 PM

Its irrelevant though, if you don't take the number of posts to the threads into account, because that is what gives you the true picture. Percentage of posts, not percentage of threads tells you where the most people are posting. Just a guess, but I think most music threads have far fewer contributors than the BS threads. But as I said, it is just a guess.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: Ebbie
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:29 PM

Ah, but Guest, in a music thread an answer is an answer- not too many variations. While the human condition is endlessly fascinating.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:31 PM

I agree Ebbie. But that still won't tell us where the majority of posting gets done at Mudcat, which is what Pied Piper is attempting to guess at.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST,SharonA, logged-out
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:39 PM

Ah, but let's not forget that people also open threads and read them without posting to them, so the "true picture" of the percentage of the time that the Mudcat Forum is used as a music resource cannot be accurately judged by looking at thread-posts alone.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:42 PM

I liken the "off topic" threads to the BS'ing, joke telling and general tomfoolery that occurs between songs at sessions. If sessions were nothing but music, music, music with no room for a little non-musical fun, I would probably stay home on Thursday nights. If the Mudcat was nothing but "on topic" musical threads, I would check in every now and then, but I certainly wouldn't spend hours here.

Off topic threads give us an opportunity to exercise our wit, which is something that musicians, singers and, particularly, songwriters need in abundance.

Bruce

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:58 PM

I just did a quick add up of music to BS posts totals, completely unscientifically. Several things though--each of us will categorize music vs BS a bit differently. For instance, on the music side, I included anything about Mudcat, it's members, their travels (there are quite a few of those threads during summer, of course, so they are seasonal). I didn't use the BS prefix to determine whether a thread had music content or not. There are always some people who put BS in front of threads which are actually about music, for instance these thread titles have the BS prefix, but I counted them as music threads:

www.trianam.com - Irish Folk Band

and this:

Dean guitars

Also, it should be remembered that a lot of the music threads about a specific song have been refreshed for further discussion, and can be quite large, often over 100 posts. For the most part, the majority of music related threads have under 10-20 posts per thread. The big blockbuster threads the most people are posting to are, without a doubt, the BS threads. Hands down.

So, drum roll please!

Music related posts: 1,725 BS related posts: 1,035

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: Blackcatter
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 12:59 PM

To me, what's important isn't the numbers of responses to the various threads but how quickly they die a natural death. The good thing about Mudcat is that every tread has a regular 24 hours to be responded to, so that BS threads are not hurting the on-topic threads.

One also has to consider that Mudcat goes through waves of "BS" There are times when the BS generators (we all know who they are) are very active and they sort of generate more BS traffic, because all the people who complain abut BS start their own anti-BS BS threads (ah, sweet irony, what would we do without you?).

The 6% suggested above could have simply been from one ofthe troughs of BS, where as right now we are probably in a crest. And of course, Pied Piper, you just added to the percentage (not that I'm complaining - the more BS that's around here the better - it keeps people coming back)

Like my dad always said: "Never complain about a man who only reads trash - he'll accidently pick up a real book one day."

pax yall

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 01:00 PM

Oh yeah, and I was going to mention too that the Lyric Request threads tend to only generate 10 or less posts. I don't know what # or % of the requests get answered, as I didn't go into any threads to count.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: Blackcatter
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 01:04 PM

Nearly all requests get answered from what I've seen. I like to check those regularly. Rarely have I been the one two do the major answer, but sometimes they spark a conversation that is a real gem.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 01:10 PM

I agree Blackcatter, they are the best threads to read here. Too bad there are so few that reach the point of some of the great song threads, and just die off when the lyrics are given. I like the discussions about the songs best.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 02:29 AM

The first ten posts 5 in each catagory-----

As of this moment 272 postings under B.S. topics

And a puny, miserable 100 postings germain to music.

Sincerely

Gargoyle

It has been worse - but seldom better this year.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 02:46 AM

In the distant past, threads lasted three days.

Because of "overload" Max switched to 24 hours.

Given the current lenght of the forum....it is perhaps time to switch to 12 hours before a thread is dropped from the immediate pop-up screen.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: GUEST,Gurney
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 07:20 AM

This is an off-topic thread, for a music site. I don't care, I read it anyway, as I suppose anyone would who thought it sounded interesting. A meeting of like minds needs a little relief anyway, and even when jamming, most people will say hello to a friend or order a drink. Gurney.

Subject: RE: %of 'off topic' threads
From: paddymac
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 07:56 AM

We've had many discussions of censorship here, and always, the best suggestion to those complaining about threads has been to just don't read them. The "Drumcree" threads were initially obnoxious to some, but look what brilliant collective efforts those became, with an abundance of parodies. The point is that threads routinely take on lives of their own and boldly go where the originator never imagined. That, after all, is the brilliance of free and open communication.