On Crossposting / Twin Threads

[Cherno]

I have noticed an increase in the habit of creating new threads in two different subforums at once, and I typically report every one of these threads to the administration.

When I visit this forum, I click the "show new posts since last visit" link and browse from there, and it irks me seeing a thread appearing in two seperate places. It clutters up the forum and divides the info that is provided by the posts in these threads, meaning someone who finds one of these threads via search later will potentially miss out on a lot of info regarding the topic.

I am sure it makes sense for the people creating these threads, as they wish to reach as many users as possible, and if you don't use the "show new threads" function and instead click only through the subforums you are interested in, you might miss out on a thread.

Either way, this forum isn't democratic in the end and it's up to the administration to say the last word on this matter, but I hope we can discuss this issue, so far as it is one, and see if there's a preference on that matter. I, for one, would certainly like for all double threads to go away completely, or at least link to the twin thread as a compromise.

Cheers

Robert

[Prof.Witchheimer]

We have rules for crossposting:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=16293.0

"Cross-Posting" refers to the practice of opening multiple discussion threads on a single topic, usually in various boards. Usually, people do this because they wish to reach more viewers, for example for figure searches.

On the LAF, however, this causes problems - the various threads are separate, and the cross-posted threads do not link back to a single thread (as "ghost threads", for example on TMP, do). The larger number of threads clutters up the boards, annoys other forum users, and "fractures" the information you gain, causing people to post information which, unaware to them, was already posted on another of the threads.

Therefore, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OPEN MULTIPLE THREADS ON A SINGLE TOPIC. If you want to open a thread, select ONE single board on which you think the topic will fit best. If you require more input than just the "board specialist" variety, please make this clear in your thread title (for example, "Looking for WW1 Civilians (possibly VSF, or Interwar figures, too)", which you then post on the WW1 board.

If you open multiple threads, the moderation team will delete ALL threads without further notice, except one "remaining core thread" on the board we consider most appropriate (for example, a thread on WW1 Naval Gaming, with "crossposts" on Interwar and WW2, and possibly VSF, will ONLY remain on the WW1 board).

Unfortunately SMF software still isn’t able to handle it TMP-way. In certain important cases we make exceptions and allow cross-posting, sometimes we are just missing it but usually it isn’t allowed on LAF. So keep up reporting.

And now please don’t get me wrong, but it’s nothing to discuss here and I would like to avoid another flame discussion about a clear situation.

How you said, “this forum isn't democratic” so the topic is locked.