Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Why is there a baking topic?

114 replies

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 10/05/2012 16:12

I thought there was a move to rationalise the number of topics on MN.

It was bad enough having Recipes and Food. Now it's Recipes and Food and Baking (oh and Weaning I think). Wouldn't one "Feed The World" topic be preferable?

Sorry if this has been covered already.

OP posts:
TheSkiingGardener · 15/05/2012 20:21

Can I be on the committee too! I am very opinionated but don't mind if I'm over-ruled.

For example, under "feed the world" it should be Food, Drink, Feeding babies and weaning. 4 topics. I think you need to take a common/obvious question for a section, and if it's difficult to tell where it goes then you have too many topics.

MardyBra · 15/05/2012 19:57

Can I join the topics subcommittee too?

thisisyesterday · 15/05/2012 18:37

so MN how about you just ask me, GOML and Jenai to sort out all the topics?
it'll be great. you don't even have to pay us much

thisisyesterday · 15/05/2012 18:36

the thing is, why can't you ask for weaning recipes under the recipes topic?

i still feel it's more of a "parenting" thing than a "food" thing though... but if you specifically were looking for a foody answer then you'd just post in food wouldn't you?

MNHQ
HelenMumsnet · 15/05/2012 17:50

@motherinferior

I think we should have a Crisps topic. Or possibly an overarching Savoury Snacks one, within which we could have Crisps, Bombay Mix, Peanuts and so on.

And Quavers. And those 'orrible Cheesie Puffs things that stain your fingers.

God, I SO have the munchies now...

MNHQ
HelenMumsnet · 15/05/2012 17:48

@wem

If you're really going to do away with our shiny new baking topic (Sad) then how about three topics: cooking, eating, drinking?

Haven't said that, wem. We're asking for ideas and suggestions, is all.

Sirzy · 15/05/2012 17:15

Why not just have "food and drink" and "weaning"? Food and drink covers pretty much everything else anyway!

wem · 15/05/2012 17:08

If you're really going to do away with our shiny new baking topic (Sad) then how about three topics: cooking, eating, drinking?

motherinferior · 15/05/2012 17:08

Also Tortilla CHips, obviously.

motherinferior · 15/05/2012 17:06

I think we should have a Crisps topic. Or possibly an overarching Savoury Snacks one, within which we could have Crisps, Bombay Mix, Peanuts and so on.

Original poster
JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 15/05/2012 17:02

Oh God that's just reminded me of when I was pregnant with ds and how I just knew I'd breastfeed because I equated formula with packet soups or Complan, neither of which, as a food snob, I'd choose to eat. What an utter wanker I'd have been on MN back then Blush

Thankfully years of parenting have given me a little more perspective Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 15/05/2012 16:52

I'd have thought that weaning and breast/bottle feeding could be combined, but as I rarely read threads on either and am long past that point, it's none of my business. I rather like that they come under Feed the World though.

If I could really have my way, I'd go with GOML, but keep the baby feeding thing apart because I clearly don't want to read about cracked nipples alongside the slow cooker recipes and the Chenin Blanc suggestions.

OP posts:
ThisWeekonFancyPuffin · 15/05/2012 16:15

I think we should have more topics.

Style and beauty for example, we could have;

S and B: Stuff only thin people can wear
S and B: Over priced tat
S and B: Sad fat clothes for me

MardyBra · 15/05/2012 16:11

Food and recipes are the same thing IMO. Baking is a it superfluous. Wine could come under "food and drink". I like having weaning separate because it is not of interest to anyone not weaning, but massively interesting to those who are.

Why not simplify to: Food and recipes, Wine Cellar, Weaning?

Get0rfMoiLand · 15/05/2012 16:10

I would impose a Soviet era lack of choice when it came to topics (I have rambled on about this subject on many threads).

It doesn't seem intuitive to have so many threads - baking, food, recipes are all much of a muchness. They all talk about food. Essentially if you title a thread 'Let's talk about recipes for cheesecake' that creates its own topic anyway, you are unlikely to have people to come on that thread and opine about chicken tikka masala.

I would just have one topic 'Food and Drink' and everything can come under that banner.

I think also that people request topics for negative reasonsas well as positive - yes people like a quiche with like minded others, but people also like to have everything in a topic so they can hide it.

thisisyesterday · 15/05/2012 16:04

why do we need wine? and baking?

food and drink, recipes, weaning. that seems more than enough to me

in fact, weaning could belong in some kind of parenting topic? or behavioiur/development if you're posting about struggling to wean?

MNHQ
HelenMumsnet · 15/05/2012 14:23

Hello.

We're actually in the process of looking at how we could streamline Talk topics and make everything a bit more logical/easier to find.

So, do please post here with what topics you'd like in the Food category. With the emphasis on fewer topics - that lots of people will want to post in - rather than on lots more topics, if possible, please.

If we disregard Breast and bottle feeding just for the moment (that one's not going anyway, although it may 'live' in another category after the sort out), we currently have....

Baking, Food, Recipes, Weaning, Wine

Dya reckon Food and Recipes are basically the same thing? Any other observations/suggestions?

TheSkiingGardener · 15/05/2012 12:52

Oh crickey. Months ago I suggested merging the recipes and food topics and got lots of agreement. Now we have another topic!

The amount of topics make MN annoying to use. Active conversations moves quickly, and then everything else gets lost in very specific topics. I'm not going to check 15 topics every time I come on to see if there is an interesting thread about.

Original poster
JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 10/05/2012 17:21

Right, well Food and Recipes needs merging, as do ALL the travel topics. I never really bother looking at those because they're so fragmented, which means they're quite quiet.

I might go and post on Baking asking for refrigerator cake ideas though Grin

OP posts:
wem · 10/05/2012 17:13

Yep. Sort it out or I'll be after you, wielding a piping bag and frothing at the mouth.

Trills · 10/05/2012 17:12

Because people asked for one.

Even though there are too many topics already.

Sigh.

Original poster
JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 10/05/2012 17:12

I'm MNing wrong, aren't I :(

OP posts:
wem · 10/05/2012 17:09

I guess I don't see it as a problem as I only really use active conversations. And whereas previously a thread about cake might have dropped off the bottom and I wouldn't have gone searching through 'food' for cake threads so I wouldn't have seen it, now I check baking and see all the lovely cake threads.

Original poster
JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 10/05/2012 17:05

Ah but wem, it could go in food or recipes or baking is the problem. If there was just the one (or at a push two) Food topic the thread would have a wider audience.

I feel better knowing that those with meat pie crises are not going to be chased off of Baking by rabid piping bag-wielding cake bakers Grin

I do think (and I know this has been done before) that less is more when it comes to volume of topics. Travel is a case in point.

OP posts:
wem · 10/05/2012 16:59

Grin flamegrilled pie, yum.

Swipe left for the next trending thread