In order to put self-moderation in the hands of the membership, the creators of threads are empowered to select what type of discussion they wish to have. Many of our members have become accustomed to threads developing into natural, social conversations, while others prefer to have their discussions stay more serious and on-topic. This system has been developed to respect both of these attitudes. It is an expectation that members are pro-active in respecting the wishes of their peers.

Open threads are created with the intention of a conversation on a particular topic, but members are welcome to discuss natural tangents and to generally have a more ‘social’ atmosphere than other threads would take on. As the member starting the thread has consented to these tangents through the creation of an open thread, moderators are not going to be providing intervention when tangents take the conversation in a new direction.

Focus threads are created when a member wishes to ensure that the conversation stays on-topic and does not deviate unreasonably from the original post’s subject matter. Members are expected to respect the wishes of the original poster, and to ensure that their posts do not divert or distract the topic at-hand. Please note that we expect maturity and self-moderation in this respect, but that moderators may post reminders to stay on-topic as the case may require.

To create an Open or Focus thread,
  1. Click the New Thread button;
  2. Under Prefix, select either Open or Focus;
  3. Continue the posting process as you would normally.


The following fora are subject to the Open and Focus thread system:

Any fora not listed above are not included in this system.

Thanks,

Chris (Paradox, Administration)