Remind me the harm again of having more than like 5 active threads? Obv 5 is tongue in cheek, but it seems like it, save game threads that invariably get closed ASAP
It's standard policy to not have redundant threads for obvious reasons. From the general HF site rules (emphasis added):
7) Forum Management: Threads and posts that are redundant, in the wrong forum, or deemed unnecessary per the assessment of moderators are subject to being merged, moved, edited, deleted or closed. Thread titles must be as specific and informative as possible (no clickbait) and first posts must provide relevant commentary (“discuss” is not enough, for example). One account is allowed per user and you are responsible for what’s posted from your account. Please check the sticky threads at the top of each forum for any forum specific rules. If a moderator gives you a specific instruction in a warning, and you blatantly disregard it, you are subject to an account review.
Every thread that isn't specific or strong enough in its premise turns into a general discussion and/or veers off topic. So we solved that problem long ago by tacitly accepting one main thread, though by nature we seem to have a few other satellite threads. We would love to have more quality threads but they have to be able to stand on their own.
From our local rules (emphasis added):
8) Starting Threads/Injury & Fantasy Questions/Etc. –
All users who aren't restricted in some way can start threads. We just ask that the topic be unique and/or newsworthy enough to warrant its own thread. Check the existing threads and use the search function to see if your topic fits somewhere already. We have several ongoing threads that are likely to cover most of the basics (roster, lines, contracts, league news, player discussions, injuries, fantasy, etc). Please post there if your topic or question fits those categories, as this keeps our discussions linear and helps prevent confusion and cross-posting. Visiting fans should limit questions about lines/fantasy/etc and should not start threads on the subject. Try sites like this first:
NHL Starting Goalies | Saturday, December 16, 2017 We typically start GDTs the morning of a game. Anyone can start one, and there is no set rule about how elaborate it can or can't be (within the rules), but "minimalism" has been an HFCaps tradition. Just include the teams, time, date and so forth in the title and keep it tasteful. Pregame talk on non-gamedays usually takes place in other threads.
It's not that we can't have a bunch of threads, it's that they rarely stay unique for long. And when you have several threads about the same thing people end up repeating themselves and getting confused about the topics and people they're talking to. They become frustrated and either disengage from the site or start attacking each other. Over the last few years we've tried to promote intelligent discussion among this tight, knowledgeable community. We want to allow more leeway for topics but we don't want to backslide into the aforementioned saturation situation, either.
In this case this thread was an admitted second attempt to create a sort of fan purity test and negativity dumping ground because you did not like what people were saying in other threads. Normally such a thread would be shut down right away, especially since it was in response to another thread being closed. But we gave it a chance. So...
What is your vision for this thread? Are you asking people to not express negative opinions in other threads, and instead post them here? Or are you looking for people to post their feelings in multiple threads, creating redundancy in both emoting and eventually discussions?
What is the case for keeping this thread unique and active? Convince me to keep it open.