Recommendation about Subject line (in new topics) [mystery meat subjects]

[ST]

To the Moderators,

I'd like to suggest that we put something like this in the forum rules or FAQs or a sticky post.

When creating a new topic, PLEASE use the Subject  line to describe the content of your post in a meaningful way
   

     A Subject line:  "Urgent! Help needed!" or "Newbie questions"
        as not as likely to get answered as
     "Differences between 03 and 09".

     A specific, detailed Subject lines is far more likely to get a response than one that says nothing about the content of your post.

Thank you.

In one forum I frequent, the moderators edit Subject lines that have little or no meaning.  (The forum version of Mystery Meat Navigation)

For example - If a post has a Subject line "I'm new here" and the content is a question about tonewoods the moderators would change the Subject line to: "Mahogany or Rosewood, what's the difference"

They add a line at the end of any post that is edited like this:

edit Subject: previously "I'm new here"

That way a reader can see the difference between the current Subject line and the original.

No one has ever complained but over time the number of low-meaning Subject titles has gone WAY down.

Another approach is to ask people who make these mystery-meat Subject lines to edit their posts. That can work but it can also really clutter up a thread.




Just a personal comment about Subjects lines. Teaser subjects may be the worst; for example:
"What do you say when..."
"Something funny happened on the way to the forum"


What do you think?

[tuffythepug]

ST, as always you have good suggestions to enhance the forum.  Thanks


( I guess I won't change your subject line to "ST has an idea")   

[Danny]

   Good suggestion ST. May I also suggest you not use blue for a lot of text. Some will not be able to see it very well.

To the Moderators,

I'd like to suggest that we put something like this in the forum rules or FAQs or a sticky post.

When creating a new topic, PLEASE use the Subject  line to describe the content of your post in a meaningful way
   

      A Subject line:  "Urgent! Help needed!" or "Newbie questions"
         as not as likely to get answered as
      "Differences between 03 and 09".

      A specific, detailed Subject lines is far more likely to get a response than one that says nothing about the content of your post.

Thank you.



In one forum I frequent, the moderators edit Subject lines that have little or no meaning.  (The forum version of Mystery Meat Navigation)

For example - If a post has a Subject line "I'm new here" and the content is a question about tonewoods the moderators would change the Subject line to: "Mahogany or Rosewood, what's the difference"

They add a line at the end of any post that is edited like this:

edit Subject: previously "I'm new here"

That way a reader can see the difference between the current Subject line and the original.

No one has ever complained but over time the number of low-meaning Subject titles has gone WAY down.

Another approach is to ask people who make these mystery-meat Subject lines to edit their posts. That can work but it can also really clutter up a thread.




Just a personal comment about Subjects lines. Teaser subjects may be the worst; for example:
"What do you say when..."
"Something funny happened on the way to the forum"


What do you think?

By inserting it into the white background it will show up now for everyone. (I believe all themes can see it now)

[L07 Shooting Star]

Good suggestion ST.

[flatlander]

Let'm be unless inappropriate.
I don't like them either and I usually just skip them but poster can figure out why he/she gets no replies. I don't think it's moderators job to decide what subject line is. Putting in a reply in said post saying "please use relitive subject line so we know what the heck we're gonna be looking at" would probably work better.  And unless a rule is really needed, better not to have it. One person's idea of an ok subject line might not be the same as anothers. Posts aren't always going to be to ones particular taste in content or subject line.

[L07 Shooting Star]

I'm not suggesting a rule or a moderator intervention, that's for sure.

I'm only agreeing that a blurb in the wording of the rules and/or faq's to encourage posters to make their subject lines more meaningful is a good suggestion by ST.

We certainly don't need monitors spending time looking at every topic title to see if it is relevant and arbitrarily deciding what a poster really meant in the subject line.
NO NO NO.

[ST]

If we had a sticky post or a FAQ that suggests how to use the Subject line, then we could refer people to it.

That sticky or FAQ could include instructions on how to edit a Subject line too.

I'm not suggesting that it should be anyone's job to scour  the forum looking for dysfunctional Subject lines. There really aren't very many, but I am suggesting that we help people to create posts that get answers.

[Queequeg]

ST, while I agree that many subjects are vague, or inarticulate or deliberately designed to bait the reader, I respect the OP's right to determine her own headline, for better or worse.
The Internet can no longer be considered a brave new world where folks don't know how it works.
As flatlander has said, if the thread doesn't elicit any responses, or insufficient responses, the OP will figure it out.
A recent thread even incorrectly lists the guitar model in the subject line. I can point that out the the OP but I think it ill-considered for me to take it upon myself to change it for him.
It is not my goal as a moderator on this forum to make more perfect each thread herein. Mistakes are sometimes a valuable learning tool.
Your suggestion that we reference this in the forum rules or FAQs is a good one, ST, and I have locked it into the FAQ board, accordingly.
Thanks.

[ST]

Hi Danny,

   Good suggestion ST. May I also suggest you not use blue for a lot of text. Some will not be able to see it very well.  By inserting it into the white background it will show up now for everyone. (I believe all themes can see it now)

Please look at my original post. Does it look better now?

[ST]

Hi Queequeg,

ST, while I agree that many subjects are vague, or inarticulate or deliberately designed to bait the reader, I respect the OP's right to determine her own headline, for better or worse.
The Internet can no longer be considered a brave new world where folks don't know how it works.

True enough, but if everyone understood how to get the most out of a forum, we wouldn't need moderators: and we do need moderators.

As flatlander has said, if the thread doesn't elicit any responses, or insufficient responses, the OP will figure it out.

I agree that this should be the case, but our overwhelming desire to help new folks means that most of these posts still get responses, and this supports the behaviour.

A recent thread even incorrectly lists the guitar model in the subject line. I can point that out the the OP but I think it ill-considered for me to take it upon myself to change it for him.
It is not my goal as a moderator on this forum to make more perfect each thread herein. Mistakes are sometimes a valuable learning tool.

I'm not suggesting that the moderators change the posts here.  I only mentioned that as a illustration of how important that issue is in another forum.

Your suggestion that we reference this in the forum rules or FAQs is a good one, ST, and I have locked it into the FAQ board, accordingly.
Thanks.

For anyone reading - here is a link to the FAQ post about subject lines

Here are a couple of notes I created that you could add to the FAQ post. I hope that these are helpful.


Subject line tutorial

Modify your Subject line

[unclrob]

ST you know for being crazy and all you come up with some good stuff.Are you off your meds again.







Just in case some one thinks I'm at serious.Good idea,nice teaching skills.Thanks.

[Danny]

ST you know for being crazy and all you come up with some good stuff.Are you off your meds again.

Rob yer gettin old and it's showing. You got me and ST mixed up here.

Hi Danny,

Please look at my original post. Does it look better now?

Yup, that works well.

[Mr_LV19E]

ST's thread titled "please ignore this thread" has had more views than the tutorials.