Off-Topic Section = Good?

[Steve Freides]

Do you find having a dedicated off-topic section adds value to your forum? We've had requests for it and are considering it.

Our forum is free to all our users; we see it as a community builder. The question is whether adding an off-topic section enhances the building of our community.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and your experiences with this.

-S-

 

[StarArmy]

I've had a problem with activity in this section ever since people started using a Star Army Discord chat to discuss off-topic stuff. I guess the question is, is there enough activity to support it? If so, I think it's a good thing and one of the things that makes a site a community instead of a storefront or reference manual.

 

[JohnWD]

I’ve always had a General Discussion area of the website, these usually allow people to discuss off topic things and not be stuck only discussing topics the forums based around. The only issue I see to this is that more people use this area and it can become a dominating section. I feel with other services like Discord if you don’t have one people will just discuss off topic there.

 

[PatriotGB]

I think it definitely helps. Strictly limiting a forum to a specific topic can get stale. People get bored. Off-topic sections can keep them coming back.

 

[woody]

I have a ChitChat thread started in Sept 2006 with 8000 replies that still active today. Another started in 2009 with 27,000 replies. I cap threads at 80k replies. (yes, one "thread" is on it's 3rd rendition, so over 200k combined)

I hide my ChitChat section from guests and search engines.

Moderating can be a PITA, so decide early what is/is not allowed. (ie: no politics) And expect to ban people who violate.

 

[Steve Freides]

I have a ChitChat thread started in Sept 2006 with 8000 replies that still active today. Another started in 2009 with 27,000 replies. I cap threads at 80k replies. (yes, one "thread" is on it's 3rd rendition, so over 200k combined)

I hide my ChitChat section from guests and search engines.

We do something similar on our forum already - we are a strength-and-conditioning forum and we have two training log sections, one public and one private so that people who don't want to share what they're doing with guests and search engines don't have to worry about that.

I'd apply our same FAQ, which includes no ad hominem attacks, no politics, and similar kinds of things mentioned.

On our forum, I have an "in moderation" group that I places users in when they violate the rules, so all their posts show up in my approval queue. Some people get put into this group only briefly but others, after multiple violations, just end up staying there - seems to be working out well as a strategy for us. And then if they keep posting things I can't approve, we ban them. The "in moderation" group can post but cannot see any private forum content.

-S-

 

[PatriotGB]

We discuss EVERYTHING (off-topic) on my forum. Even politics and current events. Why? Because were not a bunch of oversensitive woke children. Similarly, I do not censor "blue" language. Because we're adults.

And without a doubt, the LACK of censorship is much appreciated by members who would rather not be treated like children.

In any case, restricting discussions to ONLY "on-topic" can get boring and repetitive. Off-topic discussions help foster a sense of community. Off-topic discussions create additional connections between people, rather than the singular hobby-related connection. More connections = more participation.

I do very very little moderation. If any, it's most likely reassigning a thread to the appropriate sub-forum.

 

[skotos]

Our gaming/media forum has a long running off-topic area. People often think it must be the hardest part of the site to moderate, but it's way less trouble than the on-topic areas.

 

[Suzanne O]

my whole site is general discussion with a sport section that has a twist to it.

It’s a good idea.

 

[Mr Lucky]

I think off topic sections can be really good for engagement, along with the stuff like photo contests, show us your cat, what are you listening to…

We have found it best to have definite rules like no politics, no religion. And obviously strong rules re: respecting others. Otherwise it can be a recipe for disaster in my experience.

 

[Suzanne O]

When it comes to rules I only have the one set but I do make some sticky threads saying what I want on there.
Warnings as well are in place.

 

[PatriotGB]

We have found it best to have definite rules like no politics, no religion. And obviously strong rules re: respecting others. Otherwise it can be a recipe for disaster in my experience.

No disasters on my forum. We discuss politics plenty. Because we're adults.

 

[Num7]

I believe it's a must-have. It's a great spot for your members to engage about their interests and things they love, outside your forum's scope.

 

[Mr Lucky]

We discuss politics plenty. Because we're adults.

So why the need for the childish snide attack?

 

[Mendalla]

Our nominal focus is religion/spirituality but there's plenty of leeway for other topics given that people's political and other opinions are often underpinned by their faith. So we use Categories to divide the forums into Spirituality & Religion, with forums on various topics directly relevant to the focus and The Broader World with forums for things like Politics, Pop Culture, Relationships, and so on. And there is a Social category for the chit-chat type of stuff, forum games. talking about our lives, etc.

We discuss politics plenty. Because we're adults.

I think a no politics rule has its place depending on the focus of the forum. I am on a fan site for a favourite singer with a no politics rule and in that context, it makes perfect sense. Battles over elections, parties, controversies would be a distraction. So having a no politics rule has nothing to do with "being adults" but is about the focus and tone of the forum. Sometimes, controversial flamewar-inducing subjects just don't fit.

 

[PatriotGB]

So why the need for the childish snide attack?

Attack? No. It's a commentary on how most forums treat adults like children... like censoring commonly used "blue" words. Or forbidding certain subjects. I recognize that my members are adults and treat them as such.

I think it's comical and sad that many forum owners and a few sensitive members think that readers' brains don't automatically fill in the ****ing letters. See what I did there? Who are we fooling with the censorship??

And while it's unlikely anyone will change someone else's mind with controversial or political off-topic posts... Are we really moving forward as a society if we DON'T talk about such things? Hmmmmmm....

Excepting personal attacks or threats, I do not see the need to censor words, posts, or forbid topics. Again... because we are adults. I have deemed my forum as "Rated R." So, no "x-rated" stuff. It's low-brow. I do draw a line there.

 

[Mendalla]

I think it's comical and sad that many forum owners and a few sensitive members think that readers' brains don't automatically fill in the ****ing letters. See what I did there? Who are we fooling with the censorship??

Nobody, really, but my site is community run and, theoretically, family-friendly so by and large, most of the community wanted the censor rules on. I probably wouldn't have them on a site I owned and would only moderate language if someone's profanity got excessive or they were using it in an insulting way. Slurs and hate speech would get people kicked so no point in censoring them.

And while it's unlikely anyone will change someone else's mind with controversial or political off-topic posts... Are we really moving forward as a society if we DON'T talk about such things?

There are thousands of places to have conversations about these topics nowadays so I see no issue with a site deciding it doesn't fit with their focus or theme.

 

[Wildcat Media]

We have found it best to have definite rules like no politics, no religion. And obviously strong rules re: respecting others. Otherwise it can be a recipe for disaster in my experience.

Same here--those rules were in place from day one on most forums I've ever run. Learned that the hard way decades ago. Our forums are not the place for these discussions--anyone wanting that kind of discussion can go elsewhere on the Internet.

As for an off-topic forum, no, I generally don't like them as that is still where many of the problems starts and the staff has a lot of moderation to handle, but on the other hand they keep off-topic nonsense out of the main discussion forum topics and in the well-behaved topics, they do provide some method of bonding between members, outside our main topics. So, it stays.

 

[Steve Freides]

The powers that be at our company have decided that our current approach, which is an Off-Topic prefix in our main discussion section, is sufficient for the time being.

I appreciate all the input - thanks, everyone.

-S-

 

[AjayJunkies]

Before you ask the question, you should ask how it aligns with your overall forum and community strategy.

• Is your forum strictly professional in nature and tone?
• Does your forum embrace a more casual kind of conversation?
• Or, does your forum embrace authenticity of each member

One of the insights that I've learned over the years is that offtopic conversations are one of the strongest emotional bonds that you can cultivate among members. People come for the content, but they stay for the community, and offtopic / social conversations are how members get to authentically learn about each other.

Offtopic conversations also encompass, well, everything. And that can be dangerous. It's one thing for people to share their life milestones (they just got engaged! they had a baby!), it's quite another to get dragged into a discussion about what they think about the upcoming election. You only want certain slices of offtopic conversation.