Off topic forum posts - does it really matter?

[Old Grumpy]

Following on from a minor disturbance in The Choir forum[#19], I am prompted to pose the question in the thread title. Personally, I usually find the meanderings of off topic posts both interesting and amusing. What do other forumistas think?

OG

[Nick Armstrong]

Following on from a minor disturbance in the Choir Forum[#19], I am prompted to pose the question in the thread title. Personally, I usually find the meanderings of off topic posts both interesting and amusing. What do other forumistas think?

OG

I think you’re on pretty safe ground seeing as 3 hosts (inc. the hostest with the mostest) participated in what was hardly a disturbance, more some slightly irreverent side chat (pretty mild compared with most choir stalls, I imagine... judging by the choral singers I know!)

I think asides like that are fine within reason. Where it’s different is when on a thread about (say) Howells, lots of people start talking interestingly about (say) Palestrina, which would be better on a thread about Palestrina (and more easily found 3 years later if someone wanted to refer back).

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Rainy and very windy all day here in this bit of the Pennines - a remarkable contrast with yesterday's sunshine.

[Serial_Apologist]

Rainy and very windy all day here in this bit of the Pennines - a remarkable contrast with yesterday's sunshine.

Off topic - hosts!!!

[Richard Barrett]

Rainy and very windy all day here in this bit of the Pennines - a remarkable contrast with yesterday's sunshine.

I don't see what that has to do with Brexit.

[Beef Oven!]

Can't make up mind which Rossini overture is the best.

[LMcD]

Can somebody PLEASE invent a device which automatically deletes all news about 'Strictly' from BBC (and other) news bulletins?

[Richard Tarleton]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]I think you’re on pretty safe ground seeing as 3 hosts (inc. the hostest with the mostest) participated in what was hardly a disturbance, more some slightly irreverent side chat (pretty mild compared with most choir stalls, I imagine... judging by the choral singers I know!)

I go straight to "What's New" and often don't notice which actual board a discussion is on, bad I know. Like LMcD and possibly others I hadn't noticed I was straying into the Choir forum, and am surprised that anyone is discussing any aspect of this event with a straight face. (Thinking about it, I only know one choral singer, a stalwart of St David's Cathedral.....)

Excellent discussion on re-wilding on "Today" just now.

[Old Grumpy]

Excellent: interesting and amusing! Q.E.D. - I think.

OG

[Old Grumpy]

I go straight to "What's New" and often don't notice which actual board a discussion is on, bad I know. Like LMcD and possibly others I hadn't noticed I was straying into The Choir forum

Me too.

OG

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Me too.
OG

And me.

But to address the Thread title seriously - Cali has summed up my own attitude, too: the Forum is an informal place for conversation and chat between people with similar(ish - most of the time) interests. As in real conversation, people stray from a topic, and (when necessary) return to it - and sometimes the Off Topic messages are at least as interesting as the Thread "theme". When someone wants to return to the main topic, they post a "reminder", as Roger did yesterday.

[Pabmusic]

And me.

But to address the Thread title seriously - Cali has summed up my own attitude, too: the Forum is an informal place for conversation and chat between people with similar(ish - most of the time) interests. As in real conversation, people stray from a topic, and (when necessary) return to it - and sometimes the Off Topic messages are at least as interesting as the Thread "theme". When someone wants to return to the main topic, they post a "reminder", as Roger did yesterday.

Thank you, Ferney.

So what type of sausage do you enjoy?

[Nick Armstrong]

I go straight to "What's New" and often don't notice which actual board a discussion is on, bad I know. Like LMcD and possibly others I hadn't noticed I was straying into the Choir forum

Same here.

[oddoneout]

And me.

But to address the Thread title seriously - Cali has summed up my own attitude, too: the Forum is an informal place for conversation and chat between people with similar(ish - most of the time) interests. As in real conversation, people stray from a topic, and (when necessary) return to it - and sometimes the Off Topic messages are at least as interesting as the Thread "theme". When someone wants to return to the main topic, they post a "reminder", as Roger did yesterday.

Agreed. Some of the diversions are very inventive, as in the recent foray into eggstra time, but as the wanderings generally seem to get themselves back on track without too much trouble I don't see it as a problem.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Er... what was the topic?