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 anf 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
!
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 anf 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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