30 days only - new trial topic alert!

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello, hello

Following on from this thread, we've been having a think about a new, more-serious-than-Chat topic in which threads would automatically go pffft after 30 days.

The simplest thing we feel would be a new topic called '30 days only' with with a note at the top explaining that it's (broadly speaking) a more serious option than chat for any threads which you'd rather didn't stick around for too long.

As you know, we don't really see ourselves as topic monitors, as going off-topic isn't against our Talk Guidelines. So it isn't our plan to 'police' threads in this area to ensure that they're sufficiently serious and/or on-topic, it's more of a "nudge" and no one will get into trouble for posting in the wrong place unless of course it's a deliberate attempt to derail (see my post here by way of further explanation.

We'll give this a go and see how we get on with it. As ever we are open to further thoughts/ refinements/ general tinkering about.

Many thanks.

[SatinSandals]

Sounds a good idea to me. You probably won't know about 'refinements' until you start.

[LadyBeagleEyes]

Brilliant idea, it'll keep all the Pos in one place and the rest of us can get on with inane chatter.

[Tee2072]

Dissenting vote: Too many topics already. Let's get rid of some of the dead weight instead and encourage people to post in the right topic!!

[PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline]

What Tee said I'm afraid.

On the other thread a poster suggested having a topic of the week (I think) to encourage us to use the not so well known ones.

Is that something you would consider? You could link it with other features on the site.

[MrsLettuce]

yy, we need a topic cull for sure. Have been advocating one for years.

Am behind this new topic though - 90 days is a fuck of a long time for the 'posting in _chat so it disappears' type threads.

[Rooners]

That's great Justine.

Tee, sorry to disagree with you but it's ONLY that I like things to disappear after a bit and atm the only place for that is chat.

I do agree about too many topics though. I think that a lot of them could be amalgamated. Maybe that could run alongside this.

[Sparklingbrook]

I think trial it and see.

[TEErickOrTEEreat]

I think it's also supporting the POs and the 'everything is upsetting' brigade rather than the more MN tradition of 'pull up your big girl pants'.

But I might be living in 2005.

[Rooners]

Oh I don't know. I've been accused (wrongly I think) of being PO, and I genuinely do not care what people post in chat or any other topic...it doesn't bother me where things are put. I can't understand that.

The only thing I like about it is that the stuff you put there will disappear quickly. Having been outed at least twice IRL I think I would use the new topic constantly.

[TEErickOrTEEreat]

Then it sounds like you won't be using it 'properly' Rooners, if you use it for everything.

Which circles back to the 'too many topics' argument and nulls the point of the topic to begin with.

[Rooners]

Oh really? What would be proper use then, because I'm missing the point obviously.

[Rooners]

Not being snarky.

[TEErickOrTEEreat]

To quote the OP: " more-serious-than-Chat topic".

So not a hold all just because you want it gone in 30 days. A specific type of thread. Although they won't police it, just as they don't police any part of the site, but do respond to requests for topic moves.

[meditrina]

Topic of the week might be fun.

As might moving threads into the relevant board. MNHQ is a bit inconsistent with this - eg does it assiduously for Christmas, said it would for Royal Baby then didn't.

Some themes fit more than one topic (say coil problems could be family planning or health) but moving a useful coil discussion into say family planning means it might be found by others wanting info (after a week, it'll never been seen again - bit like the recent perimenopause thread lost in AIBU).

[Rooners]

Sorry but I still don't get why my posting stuff that's more serious than idle chatter would be misusing the new topic.

Someone needs to explain it to me in detail before I get villified.

[Rooners]

I mean which specific type of thread do you mean?

Can you give an example?

[SatinSandals]

I think that you should have to go into conversations through a topic.

I have been asked why I am on a certain topic, and although I pointed out that I am entitled to an opinion on anything, I go in through 'last 15 mins'or 'unanswered questions' and don't even look at the topic.

I was the first person to reply on here-not because I was looking for 'site stuff', which would never have crossed my mind, but because I went on unanswered questions.

If I had to search for topics I would be far more selective.

[PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline]

Why don't we just use Off The Beaten Track as Serious Chat and add the 30 or 90 day deletion?

[Pagwatch]

I think it's worth a trial

(can we subtitle it Snores and Bores?)

[SoupDragon]

Let's get rid of some of the dead weight instead and encourage people to post in the right topic!!

Except that won't provide a time limited topic that is not chat, will it? Which is the point - somewhere for people to post where the thread will disappear quickly.

[SoupDragon]

Why don't we just use Off The Beaten Track as Serious Chat and add the 30 or 90 day deletion?

Because no one will find your question unless you start a thread pointing them to it!

[DameDeepRedBetty]

Squeee! This was my idea!

[TEErickOrTEEreat]

OTBT already deletes after 30 days.

If the original argument, which I think it was (correct me if I'm wrong Dame) was to create this topic for 'serious subjects' and to be a quick delete, inspired after all the bullying threads were 'derailed' by 'banter', then it shouldn't be used by people who just want threads to go away.

But, who decides the definition of 'serious'?

[Rooners]

I'm trying really hard Tee but still don't get what you mean.

As far as I can see, we have OTBT for super serious heavy duty private stuff. That already deletes after 30.

then we have chat for chat, basically, and silly threads and so on.

This one would be for all the normal stuff that people just didn't want hanging about too long.

I personally don't get why people mind that being in chat anyway - it's not like space is limited is it?

But still. I don't want to be posting and thinking 'Oh, dear, is this in the wrong place' every time I use the new one.

It would be stuff like relationship issues, school issues that might identify, that sort of thing. Anything I didn't care about people seeing indefinitely I'd try to put in the correct topic as usual.