New members' Tanks Forum question

[ReefLady]

There are two ways we can set the forum up... since this forum was suggested by the members, we thought we'd seek your opinion on something.

There are two ways to set up the forum- so only the originator of the thread can post to his/her thread, or so that any member can reply(as usual).

There are benefits and drawbacks to both sides.

If only you can reply to your thread, it can creat a logical, streamlined flow of information and pics about your tank without the conversation getting derailed, so it remains focused on your tank. And it remains "your showcase."

On the other hand, if other members can reply, they can give kudos, ask questions about how you did something, etc... and we can all learn from the successes we see before our eyes.

Since there are good and bad sides of both, we thought we'd leave it up to you guys, so cast your vote and discuss here.

Please, please, please(!) keep this positive and on-topic. The more the membership can handle decisions in a healthy, objective and positive way, the more opportunities you'll have to make decisions like this one- if a fight breaks out every time, we'll have no choice but to guess at what the membership would like, it's simply more important to keep it friendly around here.

Travis

 

[mkpaulson]

I would be in favor of other people replying to a thread!

 

[cheeks69]

Originally posted by mkpaulson
I would be in favor of other people replying to a thread!

what he said

 

[Cougra]

I like the idea of only the thread starter being able to post replies. If someone has questions they can PM you or ask in the general forum.

 

[cheeks69]

Originally posted by Cougra
I like the idea of only the thread starter being able to post replies. If someone has questions they can PM you or ask in the general forum.

Wouldn't it be easier and more informative to others to just reply to the thread ?

Just wondering

 

[Maxx]

I like the thread starter being the only one able to post in the thread. Kinda like RC's Tank of the Month. It keeps things more consistent and more fluid for the reader. I think it would be nice to have linked in a persons signature, and if someone had a question, it could be asked via pm or in a different thread later, like Michelle said. This way if I wanted to learn more about Cheeks' set up, I wouldnt have to wade through alot of other questions or potentially distracting questions from others.
Nick

 

[RanRoc]

What if it were made for only the thread originator? And any questions from readers can be made into more general about a type of set-up seen which would be started in a new thread. For example, if I posted a pic of my tank which has a sweeping poerhead in the center and someone has a question about it, they can start a new thread entitled "Sweeping Powerhead Question" and post:
I've seen RanRoc's beautiful tank thread. It looks really good. I noticed that he has a sweeping powerhead and am wondering how many others have one. What are the pros and cons to having one?
Since I have one I would most likely notice the thread title and post a reply to it. This way my original thread doesn't get too cluttered and it may spur some great on-topic discussions.
Just a thought.
-RY

 

[jimeluiz]

First - I love broccoli

More to the point - I like the idea of dialog. Nothing better than getting encouragement from others about your tank setup and success - or frustrations.

I can still set up a member photo gallery to track my progress, right?

I'm gunna guess that there are more folks who would enjoy feedback than would thrive on a focused and uninterrupted "my tank" thread.

JMHO - thanks for asking.

 

[Willmsbrg]

haha.. I had the only broccoli answer...

Honestly, I don't mind others replying to started threads in that forum....

actually I like broccoli.....

 

[ScottT1980]

Ok, I realize that this will probably be pretty difficult to do but is there a way to put a box that you can check or uncheck that asks the very poster this question. Just looking at the poll results, it looks like we have a pretty split crowd so I was just trying to think of a compromise.

 

[mps9506]

Personally, I like the idea of being able to reply in someone's thread.
The vote right now seems kind of close. I don't think it is a bad thing if we can't reply in the thread though, there is no problem in PM'ing or emailing someone with questions, or even bring up the question in the general discussion forum.
But I personally would like to be able to reply in the person's thread so I can compliment thier tanks in front of everyone else

Would there be any bandwith issues caused by this however?

Just a thought.
Mike

 

[fidojoe]

Well crap, I evened that one up

I like the idea of anyone being able to post, but Scott has a great idea, being able to check or uncheck a box if we do/don't want anyone to reply.

 

[ReefLady]

It's a great idea, Scott, unfortunately the software isn't built that way. I wish we could... that would be perfect.

Travis

 

[semigodd154]

I personally like the idea of being able to reply to someone elses post or having someone else reply to my post just seems the simplest way to do things.

 

[Gina]

I personally wouldn't mind if people replied to my thread. I can see the benefits and disadvantages of both.

 

[Brucey]

OK, I voted, only I can post to the thread.
I'd like to be able to give a clear and concise history of my tank. Say a picture taken every 3 months so that people can see the evolution of the tank. If everyone is posting replies, a newcomer to the page will quickly become bored forwarding through x number of pages to get an update on the tank.
Anyway, just my thoughts
Brucey

 

[wooddood]

i voted let everyone reply to my thread. i want to hear what people think good or bad and get suggestions on how i can improve it and vise versa.

 

[reefrunner]

It's awful close for either...maybe two forums, members tanks and members tanks discussion.

 

[nivek]

I voted anybody can reply since I'm a beginner and would like to hear any mistake which I may have committed.

 

[BigReepher]

I think I would like to be the only one who could post to my tank thread, if I were to have one. I envision the thread being used as a reef diary or history of sorts. Also I wouldn't want to feel alienated by the lack of post or interest in my tank thread. On the other end of the spectrum I wouldn't want to scroll through countless pages to get to the facts and details of ones tank. Question could be PM'd and the Q/A could be made public by the poster if they wished. Just my 2 cents.