People just need to specify what region they are referring to when making commentary. That would help.
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Site News Discussion Thread
- Thread starter SD
- Start date
Seriously. Its not hard to add a simple qualifier. Statements like "its colder" are just generally not useful in any case. To write "it's colder for some" or "it's colder for W NC" isn't hard and would make more sense even on a NC specific board.
I voted for one thread and would prefer it, but would be okay with separate threads. I might even post more if there were separate threads, because I wouldn't see the information I was looking for and would go get it myself.
weather bubba
Member
There have been some interesting thoughts and ideas presented in this thread. I'm one of the numerous posters according to the location map that has just been added to this site from the KRDU area and if I post observations or current conditions I try to remember to specify that they are for my general location. I think the current format works well if posters remember to let the readers know that what they writing in their posts refer to their general location in specific storm related threads. Dividing up posts into geographical areas during storm threads would direct readers and posters more quickly to information that is more pertinent to them but inevitably someone will post something that should go into another thread and our moderators will have more on their hands trying to determine what goes where and trying to redirect traffic.
Okay, hear me out AL, MS, LA.. What do you think of giving a Midsouth type section a go? The GA/NC/SC crowd is really drowing out your side and it may be a good idea... since your area's weather is going to be way different not just with this storm, but severe etc. So instead of state threads, maybe regional areas?
Drizzle Snizzle
Member
I mean Georgia's weather is more similar to Alabama than it is the Carolina's, so I think Georgia and Alabama should be in the same section. Georgia has a lot of severe weather especially the western half of the state.
EastNcHeel
Member
AL, MS, LA take GA and NC, SC takes VA. Coin flip for TN.
Drizzle Snizzle
Member
Good idea
What about the vote results? Discount them?
EastNcHeel
Member
Probably skewed by folks worried that they won't be able to get an answer to their "whats that mean for my area" or "can you post the sounding for my town" requests from a poster in the other region's thread.
Or maybe I'm just salty from the possibility of the current storm falling apart, lol.
I hear ya, but I thought the mods did a good job of carving those requests out to its own separate thread. Having said that, I don’t know if anyone is actually hanging out in those threads and answering those requests.
But here’s the thing, one of my rules in life is that nice gestures should never be expected and always appreciated. If a poster in here is willing to take the time to help someone out with a question or a request for model output, then great on that person. But in no way should any poster be expected to track down all kinds of model information for others. At some point, you’ve got to take it upon yourself to learn and go find the data yourself if you want it bad enough. People can’t expect to be spoon fed
This may be what you already meant, but what if the regional threads were only created on a storm by storm basis (as needed) for storms like this one that do span from LA/MS all the way to NC/VA, but we keep the pattern discussion and other threads together as they are now? I've only really ever felt like the discussion was starting to drown some lately in this particular storm thread, just because we have a growing number of people from all over the south.
Nah, just throwing another idea than separating each state.
True. We probably need to also sure up the way our threads are made as a whole per event etc. Something we are going to have to think about moving forward.
EastNcHeel
Member
No argument on any of your points. And I went with low hanging fruit type of posts. In reality, I was looking at the region based option as something to cut out some of the region specific posts that bog down the storm threads. Even within a region there will be some of the "what's good for one place is the exact opposite of what's good for another place". But breaking it into region's would really cut down on some of that. Plus, most of the more knowledgeable posters are already posting about the storm as a whole and not region specific, so that would continue. But if a knowledgeable poster posts that analysis in the NC, SC region storm thread, it can still be viewed by folks from the other region and could be easily quoted in the other region's thread for consumption.
Side note: I'm assuming this would be done for storm specific threads, not the monthly overview threads.
We might have to flip a coin on who gets GA
If we have to do this. I’d say Ga goes with Alabama more than NC…. more often than not.
Though one has to wonder if it should be just GA/AL. And MS/LA (and TX?) its own. And judging by what happens up NC way it sounds like that should be west of apps (w/TN) and east of apps.
Still… not a huge fan of the idea. But regions better than by states. It can’t hurt to try it.
Wish there was some way to do “smart threads”. I have little to ZERO knowledge of web development (other than I want nothing to do with it). So I know know nothing about the open source stuff forums are built on. Is there something?
Thought that would likely entail some sort of tagging. That people would have to do. Ain’t no way any AI could figure out what to do with all these animals up in here.
Splitting the Storm model/discussion threads by states or regions would do nothing but water down the engagement on threads and split up the expertise on the board between multiple threads on the same topic. If you just did a better job of labeling the thread titles to cut out the banter on the model threads it would eliminate 90% of the problem.
I can't imagine that the moderators want to double or triple the number of threads they have to nursemaid along during busy events.
That's just going to significantly reduce the signal to noise ratio from quality posts.
More isn't better.
I can't imagine that the moderators want to double or triple the number of threads they have to nursemaid along during busy events.
That's just going to significantly reduce the signal to noise ratio from quality posts.
More isn't better.
Sadly this software we use is proprietary and closed source for the most part. They offer a dev kit but eh.
That coupled with a hard policy of 1 warning. Then out. And/or earned expert (not met a met) badge? Something in that direction seems the better option to me.
Two threads. Named the same storm dates. One expert thread. One general/everyone discussion. Same rules for general discussion for staying on topic during high traffic.
But it’s still messy. And one has to wonder if some “experts” will bother chiming in for questions on the non-expert thread.
EastNcHeel
Member
I think watering down the engagement is part of the reason for splitting storm threads between regions. Oftentimes in the storm threads, you're correct, more(engagement) isn't better. Expertise would not be split up. Experts can still post, view, have their post viewed or quoted on the board.
With regard to thread title labeling being a majority of the problem, that's a poster problem, not admin problem. They could literally create a thread labeled 'Absolutely No Banter' and five of the first ten posts would be banter.
I 100% disagree.
You could create a discussion thread: 'Current Discussion - Cold Weather Complaining'
vs. the current thread: 'Cold Weather Complaining'
What if I'm not complaining? Do I post in the complaining thread? Can't you see why people are confused?
You could create a 'Model Outputs Thread: 1/9-12 Winter Potential Great Dane or Yorkie'
You could create a "Observation Thread: 1/9-12 Winter Storm'
If you make it clear the discussion is in the discussion thread it eliminates the noise.
It's being underestimated the amount of posters that will literally preface banter, in writing with: "i know this is banter, move if need be" and post something completely stupid AF right in the storm thread.
Thank you for your service!
ETA: I am being serious. Thank you for what the moderators do to clean things up for the site.
I used to have a way higher reaction score but then the political thread was deleted and I lost half of my reactions. Makes me look bad 
I think ultimate success for this site would be to have enough activity so that we could go with a structure like this
General Monthly Pattern Discussion Thread - All Months and Regions
5-10 Day Period of Interest Thread - Winter Months All Regions OR Large Regions (ex Southeast, Mid Atlantic, Arklatex, Ohio Valley, Midwest) this gives us the ability to expand footprint without upsetting the overall applecart of the site flow
Inside of 5 Day Storm/Time Period Interest Threads - Winter Months Sub Divide by State Grouping
I think ultimately this gives us the ability to spread good information to all regions until we get inside of the 5 day time period when folks are going to focus more on their backyard not the larger set up. Right now I fear if we tried this we would see a hyper active set and a not so active set. If anyone has friends in Tn/Al/Ms/La/Tx/Ar they want to invite it would be appreciated
General Monthly Pattern Discussion Thread - All Months and Regions
5-10 Day Period of Interest Thread - Winter Months All Regions OR Large Regions (ex Southeast, Mid Atlantic, Arklatex, Ohio Valley, Midwest) this gives us the ability to expand footprint without upsetting the overall applecart of the site flow
Inside of 5 Day Storm/Time Period Interest Threads - Winter Months Sub Divide by State Grouping
I think ultimately this gives us the ability to spread good information to all regions until we get inside of the 5 day time period when folks are going to focus more on their backyard not the larger set up. Right now I fear if we tried this we would see a hyper active set and a not so active set. If anyone has friends in Tn/Al/Ms/La/Tx/Ar they want to invite it would be appreciated
Snowflowxxl
Member
Just don’t make it anything like American. There is a reason why we are here
What is the issue and we wont do it
The problem I see is most of the meteorologists and "experts" are NC/SC based, leaving the rest of us guessing. I'm not smart enough to interpret pages of models.