The "Which forum does this go in?" thread
#1
(This post was last modified: 07-15-2024, 11:43 AM by Kyng.)
On The Coffee House, we have forums about a wide range of subjects, from science and technology to sports and gaming. However, you might have an idea for a thread that could logically go into multiple different forums! So, what to do in those cases?

One thing I've often said in the past is "If in doubt, post it in General Chat". And this is a good rule of thumb for threads that have no clear place in any of the forums - but, there are cases where that doesn't seem satisfactory (for example, a thread which is on the borderline between science and politics, or between sport and gaming). So, here's a series of three questions to consider, to help you decide those cases:

1. What is the topic's reason for being?

For example: if it's a news article, why is the subject matter newsworthy? Perhaps it's a new space probe - which is a piece of technology which uses computers. However, the newsworthy aspect is not the technology or the computers in and of themselves, but the scientific discoveries that they will make possible. Therefore, this thread would go in Science and Nature (specifically, in the 'Astronomy and Space Life' sub-forum).

2. Who would be most interested in this thread?

For example: consider a thread about trebuchets. Are these 'technology'? By a loose definition, yes - but they're so primitive and obsolete that they'd be of no interest to the typical tech enthusiast (unless they in some way incorporated modern technology to make them more effective). But they'd be of much more interest to the typical history enthusiast - and therefore, a topic about trebuchets (particularly historical ones) would go in History and Civilizations.

Alternatively, consider a topic which concerns policymaking about science. This would be of some interest to politics fans - but of most interest to scientists and science enthusiasts (as they would be most affected by this legislation). Therefore, this thread would be most at home in the Science part of the board.

3. What is the discussion likely to be about?

Consider a thread about a hurricane, which has killed (or is threatening to kill) hundreds of people. Hurricanes are a force of nature - but almost none of the discussion would be about the science/nature aspects. Instead, almost all of the discussion would be on the human cost and the political response (indeed, storms out at sea that have no human cost typically don't get topics at all, because there's just nothing to discuss). Therefore, threads about natural disasters like this would be more at home in Current Events and Politics.



One final note: try not to stress too much about putting threads in the right forum. We understand it's not always easy, so we won't take any action (beyond moving the thread) if it was placed in good faith. It's only a punishable offence if the thread is clearly and obviously in the wrong forum (for example: a "Favourite kind of bird?" thread going into Gaming, instead of Biology and Wildlife).

Anyway, I hope considering these three questions will help you to decide the appropriate place for your threads. But if you have a thread idea for which these questions don't give clear answers - or two or more questions give conflicting answers - go ahead and ask here :) !
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  • Ddmkm122
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#2
I just put my "Scale of the Universe" topic in the Intellectual Curiosity Chamber; however, the astronomical-sounding name of the thing would suggest Earth and Space. 

While there is indeed plenty of astronomy in that thing, it also covers a variety of other fields (such as geography, biology, and particle physics), so I decided it was better off in the Intellectual Curiosity Chamber, with all of the other "general science" stuff.
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Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights. :hehe:

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[-] The following 1 user Likes Kyng's post:
  • Ddmkm122
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#3
Was thinking about asking the questions "Have you ever owned a forum". Would that go in General Chat or Personal Stuff?
*many thanks to Oscar for the red panda avatar*

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#4
Honestly, "The Internet" would probably be the best place :P .
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Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights. :hehe:

(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Megan for the sig!)
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  • Pyrite
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#5
(This post was last modified: 08-05-2018, 11:41 AM by Naiwen.)
I had put my musical showcasing in the general forums rather than the sub-forum, because they belong to neither sub ones.
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#6
Yes, I think that's correct :) .
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Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights. :hehe:

(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Megan for the sig!)
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#7
Okay, to start off one topic I want to start with is talking about my Animal Crossing New Leaf town, I was thinking about starting it in the writing section of the forum cause I've been playing this game since it came out & wanted to cover a lot of what my thoughts are on the game, what I've been up to & why I'm still playing when everyone's moved on to the horrible mobile cash in Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. But.. I want to talk about it to, my likes, & my dislikes. So maybe a general topic in the story section called, "My Animal Crossing Stories" instead of it being in the Nintendo section? Idk, it why I'm asking.
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#8
Personally, I think the Nintendo section would be the best place for it. Any discussions it sparks will be about the games, as opposed to your personal life or writing skills.

(That's quite a useful test for resolving these. If a topic appears to fit into multiple forums, I'll think to myself, "What will the replies be about?")
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Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights. :hehe:

(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Megan for the sig!)
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#9
I have two new thread ideas I'd like to make here but before I do, I just want to make sure what's the more appropriate place for them each. First up is about IKEA products and second, the works of "Phoenix Games" in where each of their "games" are poor copies of classic children's favourites (one top example is "Snow White and the Seven Clever Boys") but what's really more notable about them are their mini movies featured in them, by German animation company Dingo Pictures. One of them is where that particular meme came from, that never gets old.

Help me out plz.
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#10
The Phoenix stuff I think fits as General Gaming since they're PS2 games in Europe. Granted, they're just terrible mini-games to accompany a poorly animated and voice acted cartoon short but still technically a game.

(Wow Peter! You really exist! Yee!)
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