Rick, Mary,

Your site is #1. It's awesome, no complaints from me.

Another site I frequent, is all about my Truck. It's an independent site, kinda like this one.

Ever since I have been posting there, over 8 years, they have a section of it's own, titled 'Off Topic', on the truck webstie.

Just like the F18, or F20, etc., with it's own thread topics.

I'd like to propose an 'Off Topic' section of Catsailor.
Then we could discuss homebrewing beer, or Bar-B-Q pits, or the latest and greatest Off road bike., Or politics. YOu get the picture. Then, we wouldn't have to highjack a thread on the General Discussion board, which really should still be about sailing.

Rick, you have been a great host of a great website, Thanks
Todd Bouton

Todd,

I recommended this a while ago, and for some reason people have an issue with it.

Its makes trying to search for something buried in the forum impossible the way it is. O/T needs to be moved into its own little playpen so we can have dedicated catamaran talk and be able to search through it efficiently.

just my $.02

I probably wouldn't use an "Off Topic" section much, but some might find it regularly useful. Maybe someone could volunteer to set up and maintain a site that is remote from this database. Rick could install an icon button that would take folks there. That would solve the burden on Rick, Mary, and the searchable database. (But in a sense, that site would be competing with this one, especially if people start talking sailing at the remote site.) --Maybe it is better to let sleeping dogs lie.

http://www.catsailor.net/cgi-bin/fo...ber=11&DaysPrune=1000&LastLogin=


http://www.catsailor.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=12


they already exist on the other catsailor sites.

my favorite forum for AU broadband has the "pool room"

cant help but agree there should be a neutral forum for talking about whats on your mind.

I think, there is more need for a dedicated A-cat section ...

I looked, and Hard to believe, there is no A-Cat section.

They even have a Delray Beach section.

NO one would talk about sailing issues on the 'Off Topic' section, that's what all the other sections are for.

the catsailor.org board, uh, looks REAL busy.

I'd like a section on this site to toggle back and forth from time to time.

Great threads like 'What have you regretted?' (it was something like that), etc.

How about it? ;-)

Sorry about any terminlogy confusion,

I guess I'm asking about an

Off Topic Forum, on this site, that would be great. Those that don't care would never go there, and it would keep the Gen. Diss. forum sailing related a bit more.

And as I said earlier, this is a GREAT site overall!

The idea has been proposed and more or less voted on and no one wants a Forum for Other than Sailing. And after all, at this point there is only one thread preently active of NonSailing in the Open and you don't have to read it, if you don't want to.

As for the A-Cat, I would be glad to set up a forum for them.., easy enough to do. It is just that no one has ever asked for it.

Almost anyone that requested a particular type of forum has gotten it from me.
So, A-Cats!!!! You want a Forum? Just ask and after it is up, get your buddies conversing.
Rick

I'd love an A-cat forum.Please set one up.

I also think the Off topic/political forum is a great idea.
Maybe I'm weak but the political topics always make me look (like a car wreck) and afterwards I always wished I hadn't(like a car wreck) and feel even worse if I reply. They (Off topic posts) do waste alot of space on the main page.Some are worth reading, hence, not just banning O/T posts.
Todd

Todd

Hey Rick,

Speaking of improvements, can you ask the admin to set up the system such that if you're reading threads while not logged in, and want to reply, you don't get sent all the way back to the forum table of contents after logging in?

I've seen other forums that allow you to read while not logged in, click reply, log in, and return to the thread you're actually trying to reply to. Saves a lot of time and grief.

Mike

Not sure if the program will, but probably will.

I just set mine to automatically log in.., no worries.
Rick

I don't know why anybody would not be automatically logged in every time you visit. When you first log in, you just check the box that says "remember me on each visit."

There is no reason I can think of to "log off" when you close it. If you have checked the "remember me" box, you can come and go as you please and don't have to do anything at all.

Off Topic Forum - Bah Humbug... THis forum is perfect the way it is

Mary and Rick, As this Q pops up about 2x per year, maybe the "Open / Discussions" forum needs a name change to indicate OT posting is allowed?
Like "Apres-Sail", "Sailors Louge", "Fever Cabin" or something?

Why change what is working? Again... if you don't want to read off topic posts... then dont

Keep the GD forum and create a sailing only forum.

I was for keeping the 'Open Forum/Discussion' area as a forum, and making a new 'Off Topic' forum.

The Open forum is and should be an open forum about sailing.

That was my point in starting this thread.

The problem is that there are good sailing related topics posted in this open forum. For me, I like to get the forum posts sent to me in an email. When I travel I can digest them at the end of the day, makes it easy. I subscribe to general discussion/open forum (as well as others) because the content does cover a lot of valuable sailing related topics. Typically, there are over 100 catsailor emails/day in my inbox. A high percentage of the GD/OF emails in my inbox is not sailing related. So the proposal for on off topic forum would make sense to me. I could then chose to subscribe or not subscribe to the off topic forum, and effectively clean up the high volume of emails coming into the inbox.

Let's please give this proposal further consideration.

Todd, you'll get no argument from me on that, but the battle for an OT forum has been lost. The OT posters don't want to move out of the GD forum and I'm more than willing to move to a sailing only forum.

Great solution and for all the reasons mentioned, call it the "sailing only forum"