Thank you, Jeff

good idea

Thank you

'nuff said

Excellent Improvement

Much appreciated

Jack

Idk

When a topic has a couple hundred comments in a couple weeks then the subject line seems like it is irrelevant. Those who post these topics, or reply, understand and changing the Title may make little difference. 

There seem to be more topics and blogs on the modeler than the models lately. Not a bad thing as we are all interested in one another as is evident with Lionel Stang’s popular podcast. If anything, a reorganized formum with discussions grouped by subject may be easier to follow and search. Add a “Like” button as well since wading thru “atta-boy’s” to follow progress isn’t necessary. Now I like the kudo’s as much as anyone but haven’t felt the need to post lately only to document my progress at a snail’s pace. 

Are you traveling Jeff? That would be interesting as well!

Good work!

I think this is an excellent move Jeff.  There are some excellent threads behind what might be called “click bait” subjects, which may be causing some people to miss out on them.  Especially if you’re just skimming the forum every few days.

Yes

Good move Jeff.

I would further suggest adding a posting category called “Therapy and Psychoanalysis” so MRH readers can more easily identify such posts... and skip them, or read them, at the reader’s discretion.  

jeff

Thank you, Jeff, although it

Thank you, Jeff, although it shouldn't be necessary in the first place.

Mike

Thank you Jeff

I agree.  A lot of things shouldn't be necessary but are.  *sigh*

If I understand your first post Jeff, it is very very much appreciated!  

I was in the basement most mudding and sanding of the afternoon so was not able to respond in the topic I created about "bait" topic titles before it got locked..  I"m not surprised that some parties who created topics with these kind of titles were not pleased; but reading the responses, it seems others feel the same way as I do. 

So despite one or two thinking my topic was a waste of time, it really was not.  I already acknowledged human nature is not going to radically change, but at least if the admins here feel it is truly helpful to have descriptive titles for forum topics, then maybe we will see fewer of these ambiguous topics in the future, which is a good thing.

We, the forum readers appreciate it when other members are considerate, and post meaningful topic titles and not titles that are ambiguous, which appear to be created to coerce readers into coming in, when they may not be ultimately interested.  

Jeff and Joe, thanks for your support here in the forum.  Again, it is appreciated.

yes.

Please carry on. Subject lines & titles should be informative.

Go for it

Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Mike Lee

A contrary view

Hi all,

As for a MRH forum member needing specific help and not knowing how to ask for it that has resulted in a vague thread title, then that's a very valid reason for re-titling or adding extra text to a thread title to enable the targeted help requested to go to where it is needed. 

But as for other reasons for re-titling?

Now for a view from the other side of the coin..

Surely the aim of posting here is to get someone to read what you have posted (otherwise why type it up in the first place??). And MRH is, when all is boiled down, in the "on-line business" where "clicks count" (for trend checking and circulation verification by MRH staff, Google, other search engines (yes there are others out there apart from the "BIG G", etc). So, by being "somewhat inventive" in the title of your thread, you can encourage people (not even just MRH subscribers) to come have a look. Surely that is the aim of a thread title??  

If you think the thread title is irrelevant to you, then don't go there in the first place.Now, what those visitors who do go there find in the topic's first or even first 10 posts should give you, as the reader some inkling of whether you want to come back to either read or participate in the thread. If you don't like what you see, then click  the back arrow and all you've spent is a short amount of time and excited some electrons on your screen. 

If you don't like what you see, don't revisit that particular thread. No-one is forcing you to revisit the thread. It is YOUR own personal choice whether to visit the thread in the first place, but the responsibility is YOURS ALONE Should you choose to revisit a thread that you think has used what YOU personally perceive as "click-bait" as a title, then guess where the fault lies?? 

Don't whinge about a dodgy topic description. Take some responsibility for your viewing decisions.

Some of us here take some time and expend some thought on just how we can use the thread title as a distinctive "hook" that will lead others to our thread, or, so that we can easily spot our own topic in amongst the thousands of thread titles already up on here.

If you want a worked example - here's one of mine and the thinking process behind it. Read on if you are game, but I don't want to trigger another "Carly" incident. Those involved are already posting in this thread and know what I'm talking about.

Thread Title - " Corrimal Colliery and its Incline - a different slant on rails" (Don't go there unless you really want to) Let's bust this thread title up word by word and look at some possible reader responses (in italics):

• Corrimal - Where the blazes is Corrimal?? It's not in my part of the world. It can't have any relevance, so I'll ignore it 
• Colliery - What's a colliery?? Oh it's a coal mine. I'm not interested in anything coal mines, so I'll ignore it
• and - a small word that adds nothing so is ignored
• its - the colliery owned something - I'm not interested in anything coal mines or anything they owned or operated, so I'll ignore it
• incline - What's an incline? I'm not interested in anything about inclines, so I'll ignore it
• a - another small word that adds nothing so is ignored
• different - "odd or unusual" - this is the hook to get the "curious" to have a look.
• slant - another aspersion to the incline, implying that this railway is not a 'flat plains" railway. So maybe I'll attract some lookers who might be interested. Colloquially "a slant" is also an opinion, or viewing angle applied to something.  When added to the previous word "different", it is another hook - So this is a different type of incline done a different way - Maybe it's worth a look? 
• on - the implied words here are "moving stuff" on. But it's only a little word, so probably is ignored
• rails - Yes the colliery moved coal and other stuff on rails. I'm interested in stuff that runs "on rails", Maybe I'll go have a look?

To date, just over 30,000 views have been generated by that title with it's couple of embedded "hooks". It looks like some of the thought and care that went into word selection for the thread title may have paid off?  

Personally, I don't see what the fuss is about. Re-titling or adding extra text to a thread heading ought to be (and I'll bet it was up to now) a relatively rare occurrence. If someone is looking for a specific "something" , then the Google-powered MRH Search engine will find that "something", regardless of the thread title. 

Jeff, you did ask, but as I said above - a different view, from the other side of the coin.

Now where did I leave my Ned Kelly body armour???  

Thanks, John

Oztrainz  I happen to agree with you on this. I read MOST posts and can usually determine within a few sentences whether I want to read more or move on. I don't feel that is wasted time and if the subject doesn't match the comment, I can still decide to pursue or flee. I think there is an awful lot of over analyzing and nit picking going on.

I contend that it's

I contend that it's discourteous to waste others' time with vague topic descriptions, but courtesy, like sense, isn't all that common.

  I skipped most of your post, John Garaty. It looks like a complete waste of my time. I'm sure you approve of my taking responsibility for my reading actions. At least it gave you something to write about.

Not all agree. Ok

Reading the responses, it's clear that not all agree.  That's ok.  Not all things are important to all people.  But for those who it is, the courtesy is appreciated.  I can see that some do appreciate it, I know I do.

@Jim Six, I hope you know I have always admired and respected your work.  In my original post, you may have missed that I ended the post with "Giving the benefit of the doubt, what I call "bait" topic titles may not be out of malice..."  So I am cognizant that ambiguous titles, if that word is a bit nicer, aren't posted out of malice or with intent to waste forum members time, so you or others may not have been aware of the effect, but hopefully are now.

@Mike Horton.  Your response was hypocrisy since very likely most, if not all, people reading and responding to the forum sitting on their back sides?  But because you don't agree with what was posted, you resort to old fashion flaming.  

@MiceC in Qld.  Well said.

And 'nuff said by me on this.  I appreciate the admins actions to improve the forum reading experience by modifying topic titles that are vague.  It is much appreciated.   

/Thanks!

Corrimal vs how many

I can’t speak for others, but what I find a bit annoying about some thread titles is that I HAVE skipped looking at them at all because they sound interesting, especially when I’m catching up on the forum after having been off for a few days, and then I find out via mention else where that a thread with a meaningless title actually had something interesting I missed.

“Corrimal Colliery and it’s incline - a different slant on rails” actually conveys a lot right in the subject.  You know it’s got an incline, which tells you a lot about it right there (not many types of railroads have an incline).  The name “Corrimal” and the use of the word “Colliery” kind of tells you it’s not in the more “usual” places modelled.  And of course “Colliery” tells you it has to do with coal.

I appologize for picking on one of the examples previously mentioned, but just for comparison...

”How many times”, tells you nothing at all by the subject, expect that the poster is a bit miffed.  Turned out to have some interesting discussion, but you never would have guessed it from the subject.

I must admit....

I have been guilty of vague titles, but not to just to be "click-bait" but I try to be creative.  My thoughts are on conveying what I feel and am thinking, not how it plays on "GOOGLE".  If I have offended, I apologize.  I will try to be more forthcoming in the future. 

Peace, Bill

??

Don’t you read all the forum topics? When a new appears on the 1st page I read the initial page. What I don’t do is a deep dive into a non-favorite author. But I will read the initial offering. I understand why you want titles that are searchable but I have had little issue searching MRH using Google to find things I want. Yes, I am retired and usually spend the 1st hour of my waking looking at the forums. 

Tom

you could also fix the occasional spelling errors

I have no problem with thread

I have no problem with thread titles being clarified where necessary but I suspect the average poster gives little thought to whether his/her thread title is too vague. I shoot from the hip and when I have something to say I'm eager to say it. The words flow from my fingers as quickly as from my mouth and a thread title is just a quick detour on the way to the meat of this subject.

I find the suggestion that someone would deliberately make a vague thread title just to draw someone in preposterous. I like to give the benefit of a doubt and I don't think the average poster is quite that devious.

I'm not a mad thread-bomber