Not wanting to add to the clutter on any other post I just felt I had something to say. I am retired (not my fault), potentially have plenty of time, also have my share of demons that i need to deal with. For me, BLF is many things, initially the gateway drug to flashaholic status but also a place that grew to be a “familiar place, recognized the names, enjoyed the global nature of the participants, and grew to appreciate the amazing things going on here. Like many others, I got pulled into the Q8 quest right from the beginning, i have read all the posts and up until recently have enjoyed the reading. It now seems that the potential for great harm is present. One of the very things appealing to many members is the fact that ALL are welcome here, novice flashlight users to advanced designers and engineers. every day i eagerly log on, usually twice a day and scan all new and updated threads. like most i am really ready for this light, my srk is one of my favorite lights and I am eaagerly looking forward to the incredible Q8 to replace it on the pedestal. like many others that have not spoken up, after all who am i? what gives me the right to ask folks to stay a little on topic so that those of us who really have other things to do, read, see can have that opputunity. To say that perhaps I should just read the first post to get the material updates is not only condescending but plain off point! I really enjoy reading the ideas and innovations that folks far more knowledgeable than i post even though it may be too late to actually implement them. many of the features of the light now close to production came about as a result of these conjectures and ruminations. and so i plod thru the many off topic posts and see the growing alienation of some readers. in another life, i was the admin of a site, not flaashlight, with rules and understandings similar to BLF. One of those understandings was that off topic posts were considered rude to the original poster and also to the readers of the thread. this was not an ironclad rule enforced with banning but it was noted and gentle suggestions were made as necessary.
I am not suggesting that NO off topic postings be allowed but perhaps a middle ground could be found where it does not become an issue. i enjoy reading different humerous posts and also enjoy gaining a little insight into the individuals who post here. But… when it becomes an issue I am puzzled why plain good manners and mutual respect for other members would not be reason enough to reign it in.
Indeed at this stage off topic is not bad in the Q8 topic but even I got a few moments of “WTF, what is wrong” when seeing how many new posts there were, only to find out it was about peppers, trains, 26650 chargers, and what not
I really like a little chatter but will oint to this topic if it goes on a completely different theme from now on
Sounds like this thread might end up becoming an alternative to the free form, free-thought anarchy born every time somebody tries to delete a thread they started.
I agree that the Q8 thread has been a bit crazy recently but that is only because there is no actual progress to talk about and nothing official to be said. So just like real life people tend to make random conversation instead of just sitting their waiting dumbly.
Once something starts happening again the Q8 thread will get back on track and the off-topic should drop back down to what it has been for the last 18 months.
For those not interested in the OT talk, the best idea is to simply ignore the thread until you see a title change, then skip ahead to whatever post is linked in the OP to see the updates from there on out.
I might be a little guilty participating in some of it, but I refrain from continuing it. Others are definitely posting as a direct response to a post asking to stop it - I find this practice discouraging, but I think it's all done playfully. I've been following the thread carefully for the most part to help answer Q's, so yes - makes it more time consuming, and it's gotta be rougher for The Miller, specially if he's stuck with using his phone.
I definitely would not even think of asking it to be stopped, because pages upon pages would follow.
We almost need a second thread to index the main thread - you can only do so much in the OP.
I really should have started secondary threads on the some of the stuff. At least I got a NarsilM thread goin now, but should have done separate ones for each prototype.
It’s been my impression that it’s common curtesy to stay on topic for the most part until such time as the topic has come to some resolution. However, one of the quaint and endearing qualities of BLF is there are no rules to hem or curb off topic posts or any of a number of other actions(such as chain quoting or dredging up old posts) frowned upon by other forums. Also, you’ll rarely if ever see anyone write “Use the search function, idiot” instead, there will be any number of links or other helpful info. Threads like the Q8 are rare and I think should be considered a special circumstance. If anyone has a “right” to complain it would be the miller who of necessity needs to check every post for new requests and respond to each as well as fielding every question. Off topic posts in threads like that are simply a way to vent some of the pressure that builds waiting for updates.
I have not read the whole thread but I think I was the one (if not the first) who suggested and encouraged the “off-topic” idea while we are all waiting for the final day of reckoning…and I can’t even find that particular post of mine in that huge thread.
Just like buying an LP vinyl or CD, we tend to skip songs that we don’t particularly like, yet all songs even from the same artist.
I was thinking about ordering a few to use as hosts but the amount of new posts every time I log in has put me off… 347 this time… Thanks, but no thanks. Better to just not have an interest at all instead of going through 347 posts in case something interesting was posted.
A true flashaholic would not be able to resist plowing through hundreds at a time in hopes of a morsel. Some might say that one isn’t truly hooked if that many posts go by without checking but one does have to pee once in awhile. :person_facepalming:
Different people, different ways of thinking.
I unsubscribed from receiving updates on the theme of Q8 because of many off-topic.
And I read there from time to time now.
Well. I tend to miss a request if the poster is also writing a lot, is already on the list and then adds a “oh BTW add one more please” somewhere in a long post.
Keep it short and I should not miss it
It is a hoot reading back though no problems here but seeing topics being started instead of keeping it in the Q8 topic is nice as well
I am sure that all revert back to n topic when real things come up.
We’re a sick and disturbed(disturbing?) crowd. :confounded: If the thread contained nothing other than thousands of versions of “I’d like one please” and “I’ll add you to the list” scattered in with updates months apart it would still be a slog to read through and I certainly wouldn’t subscribe to it. When I do sit down for a slog session the off topic banter comes as a welcome relief. In fact, that chance to interact with many long time respected acquaintances who I look upon as friends is a big reason I’m a member. One might even go so far as to suggest that with updates few and far between it’s the banter I glean from the chaff of requests and responses. It wouldn’t be difficult for SB to firmly suggest restraint from off topic chatter but it would extinguish much of the life and color of the place. Some threads and topics do indeed carry that sort of inhibition and its accepted that one doesn’t go there to party. If the miller wants to exclude OTC from the thread then a simple request is all it would take, then some other thread would play host to the dialog.
I am normally die hard if any thread in a forum goes a bit off topic. I just never have the time I wish I had to read all of it.
I will admit though, when I have a bit of extra time and can read through a very long thread I end up enjoying a good deal of it. The posts I have read in this thread all have valid points that even had me thinking... It's not really all that bad, I usually get a good laugh, no life or death posts hidden that I have heard of.
Mostly, anytime I do ready through an entire thread (more than a couple of pages) I almost always learn something.
I guess after years of forums and always a hard a** about such things, I've found I can handle it either way.
I do try to be polite though and not stray far on another members thread.
Sigh… I guess that i can say I have been around for a while and although I have seen posts that go on forever I do not recall this level of indifference and sometimes outright rudeness to other forum members… I guess for me, OT is fine but when it gets out of hand to the point that members are getting upset about it, i would just expect a bit more sensitivity. Clearly this is not the case and i find it disappointing, particularly in THIS forum, a place where i thought we all were above this type of posting behavior. Just saying…
I’ve been pretty bad about the chatter. I really do hope I’m not bothering people though. I enjoy the conversation and try to make the wait more entertaining. If things look like they’re getting heated, sometimes I try to change the topic before it gets out of hand, or otherwise de-escalate it somehow. But there’s a lot of guesswork involved and sometimes I’m not sure if I’m helping or making things worse.
For the few chatty people I consistently don’t enjoy, I use a local CSS overlay to de-emphasize their posts. Or an overlay to make my favorite people stand out more. Would be nice if BLF had a similar feature built in.
Ken, I can’t speak much for others but what I can say from my own perspective is that, like you, I am here for a family sense as much as any other reason and I am here a LOT, probably more hours than any other (sane) individual. (see what I did there? gave myself a bit of sanity! ha!) As such, when someone new comes in and starts bossing around all the old members well it just doesn’t sit right. Not so much that I mean to be rude, but that I see this noob telling us to chill for their own benefit is being rude to us, the people that got this forum going so strong in the first place. And so, yes, I do continue posting off topic on purpose. I can be obstinate, and I can take it a whole lot further, but I have been trying to curb that response as my pain and meds talking.
Anyone else here have close to 15,000 posts? Yeah, so I’m probably more guilty than anyone for going off topic once in a while. Thing is, I’ve been doing it since before I was 2 years old. So as long as sb56637 lets me stay I guess y’all are stuck with me.
Dale, I appreciate what you say but the noob was not the only one asking folks to cool the OT a little. Although I do not post much I am no noob and I chimed in trying to restore a little perspective. As the rules allow you or anyone else can go ballistic with the OT just to be obstinate or prove a point. As you say, I too am around a lot and have grown to enjoy the comraderie and fellowship here, just hoping for it to continue and be inclusive. Not telling anyone what to do, I actually am enjoying the thread these days for the most part.
