Just a suggestion, and I half expect people to dogpile on me for being nitpicky, but when posting new threads, could people maybe be a bit more descriptive? Eg, I see all too often, a subject line like
Thorfire C8
Uhh, yeah, aaaaaaaand?
Is it a WTB/WTS/WTT thread?
Is it a review?
Is it a question about reliability or specifications?
Is it about a recent experience you had with it?
Is it about a flash-sale you’ve seen or discount coupon you want to share?
Is it about where to buy one?
etc. It’s a mystery until you actually click into the thread to see what it’s really about.
Same thing with threads titled
Vapcell 21700 cell
new XHP50 4000K
and so on.
Like, yeah, okay, it’s a thread about the cell or LED, but what about it?
After a while it almost feels like clickbait. Click on the thread, maybe it’s got info about it, or it’s a request for help, but it’s actually a WTS thread. One little word added to the subject can make all the difference. And you don’t get people “burned out” from practically being rickrolled to threads they have no interest in, maybe to the point where they don’t take the [click]bait anymore. So by being more specific, it helps both the reader and you to get interested people clicking through. No?
At least those háve a subject, although mentioning the kind of action intended would indeed be nice. Worse are thread titles like “help wanted”. But scanning through the first 6 pages of recent post almost all the titles are very adequate, the situation is not really bad atm.
You should maybe change the title of this thread to “In this thread I explain how users of this here website should always be sure to fully explain the purpose of their threads within the provided subject line as that is the original purpose the subject line was provided for and it makes clear to the users of this here website just exactly what each thread is about without the users of this here website having to click and read the entire thread and so on because that takes up a lot of time and the users of this here website do not always have all that much time for reading entire threads so it helps us all a whole bunch when you use very descriptive titles on this here website” so people understand what it’s about without having to click on it.
These are descriptions by people who know very well what they want to say, but just “forget” that others may not be on the same wavelength. They tend to focus on a detail that matters to them, omitting the big picture that would provide the rest of us with some insight in what it’s all about.
My wife is a star in that kind of (non)info. Beware if you rely on her viewpoint if you want to go somewhere. And the funny thing is: in hindsight the feels that she was right all along. Like: I told you it was nearby a house with a red roof. Duh, jah, I must have passed a hundred thousand of those roofs on the way. Not everybody is capable of providing you with info that has everything you need to know, and nothing more
When I first started reading here a long time ago I would only read by categories for the most part because I had zero interest in aa and aaa and chargers and the list goes on. And it seemed like half of the posts were about aa stuff or the smallest aaa light and modifying HID spotlights. So I’m sure that some people figure if it’s in the ‘want to sell’ category then it should be plainly obvious that it’s for sale without me pointing it out. When you scan all new posts you have no clue what category things are in. When I come across somebody who has an interest in flashlights and I tell them to check out budget light forum I always cringe a little after and wonder how frustrated they’ll get trying to navigate through all the chatter. And try to figure out why is that guy from The Breakfast Club on here? And what kind of crazy code is he using and what does it have to do with flashlights? Don’t answer. Let them figure it out. Hint, it has nothing to do with the aa category. I already looked.
I agree with Lightbringer. Although it’s not going to stop, being a LITTLE more specific (not to the point of this tongue in cheek attempt) would help.
Also, by this point in time, there are a lot of threads already existing that can be used for related questions. Not everything needs a brand new thread to say “I found this online”.
What I would love is if LB trolled his own thread.
I’m personally torn on the topic. I prefer them short as possible with at least a hint of context. Sometimes click bait is acceptable if it’s fun or informative.
Mandatory inclusions would be WTS/B with region included.
Exactly. “Thorfire C8” isn’t enough. Just 1-3 extra words like “WTS” or “flickering problem” or “flash deal” or whatnot eliminates probably 80% or more of rickrolling to an uninteresting thread.
If I’m not looking to buy one, a WTS thread is useless to me, and would only annoy me if I’d click through, go “ugh”, then click back.
And after enough of that, you simply stop taking the bait, even if you can be of help, whether buying the guy’s light, telling him to jiggle the retaining rings to fix the flicker, etc.
Even a necro-thread can be helpful just because of information that doesn’t necessarily go stale, but then again there are people who’d bitch about that with “Duuuh, that thread’s from like 2yrs ago!”.
Uhhh, yeah, so? Is it better to create a whole new thread that’s almost a copy of that one?
Back at work, one of the sales wanks posted a companywide email with the subject “free candy”. Seriously!
I forgot what the “candy” part was, if anything, just that it was one of the sales newsletters that most of us pretty much delete unread, like who cares, right?
But all of us in the group were collectively rolling our eyes and felt like going to his office to demand candy.
Man, i was hoping for a listing of decent subject line mysteries as the subject line implied, how disappointing. As you were asking for feedback on them you could, at least, have included a question mark in the subject line
(I’ve just realised that using a ‘tongue-out’ emoji to indicate ‘tongue-in-cheek’ is quite odd as they’re quite different things… )
While that was tongue in cheek, and while i would like some subject lines to be more descriptive, your subject line nicely demonstrates that they are very open to interpretation despite the writer believing the context is obvious.
I also agree with the idea that posting in a relevant sub-forum, like ‘For Sale’, is already indicitive of context and it can be argued that it’s down to the reader to take this into account, but some subject lines are just obviously lacking.
Somtimes a mystery line will engage me through curiosity though, and other times i will skip it as i don’t have the will to play guessing games, so they’re not all bad. It’s the no-effort one-liners such as ‘Recommend me a thrower’ that i would like to see changed.
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