Candlepower Forums is a board specifically for the discussion of portable lighting, and especially flashlights. Because of development of friendships, and the wish to discuss matters with associates of the board, like most dedicated boards, we have an off-topic forum, the Cafe.
The objective of the Cafe is to provide a place of less restrictive topical content, permitting discussion of lighter and sometimes weightier matters, in a manner that permits a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere without concern for whether it fits within the definitive grouping of a particular forum. So, nearly any topic that fits within the family-friendly expectations and within the CPF rule structure, and does not result in the loss of that comfortable and relaxed atmosphere is permitted and encouraged.
Now, the question could be, what is the Cafe not? Well... the Cafe is not the definitive forum of CPF, nor is it expected that it would be the primary area of use for any member to participate nearly exclusively. In particular, the Cafe is not anyone's personal blog, nor should it be treated or considered so by any member. It should not be used in such a manner that generates a large number of threads in a short time duration simply keeping people aware of one's latest light thoughts, newly found links, games or what have you.
We have, for reasons of bandwidth conservation, discouraged the difficult-to-precisely-define "fluff" postings. These were usually postings that were made in order to increase one's post count. "Fluff" doesn't have to be made for just that. It can also be unrestrained postings of multiple new threads, particularly lacking the CPF dedicated topic of lights, in a manner that consumes bandwidth and screen real-estate in a manner that overwhelms the listings of other member's postings.
The reason this is being mentioned is that we presently do have some members, even entertaining and well respected ones, that have lately converted the Cafe into their personal blogs, posting several new thread topics at a time. Some are multiple threads dealing with their latest interest, jokes, links of interest, and at times multiple threads dealing with closely related topics that could be discussed in a single thread.
So, is there a new rule? Not presently. What it could mean is that you may have several of your threads collected together by our moderators, or you may receive a personal message suggesting a more controlled creation of new threads.
A suggestion....... Create A Blog. The vast number of blogs in existence is evidence of a common desire to document a progressive journal of one's interest and thoughts. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do so. But, please, Create A Blog! You can use your signature line to show a link to it, but using the Cafe as your journal is straining our resources. We are far beyond the point that we count success as a board by the number of new threads created.
This thread is created a sticky, but likely temporary. As mentioned, cases will be considered and handled as they appear, through both mechanical manipulation of the threads by moderators, and communication with the members of concern. Please don't click on the "report this post" icon, to tell us of a member you think posts too much. That is something we'll determine for ourselves.
The objective of the Cafe is to provide a place of less restrictive topical content, permitting discussion of lighter and sometimes weightier matters, in a manner that permits a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere without concern for whether it fits within the definitive grouping of a particular forum. So, nearly any topic that fits within the family-friendly expectations and within the CPF rule structure, and does not result in the loss of that comfortable and relaxed atmosphere is permitted and encouraged.
Now, the question could be, what is the Cafe not? Well... the Cafe is not the definitive forum of CPF, nor is it expected that it would be the primary area of use for any member to participate nearly exclusively. In particular, the Cafe is not anyone's personal blog, nor should it be treated or considered so by any member. It should not be used in such a manner that generates a large number of threads in a short time duration simply keeping people aware of one's latest light thoughts, newly found links, games or what have you.
We have, for reasons of bandwidth conservation, discouraged the difficult-to-precisely-define "fluff" postings. These were usually postings that were made in order to increase one's post count. "Fluff" doesn't have to be made for just that. It can also be unrestrained postings of multiple new threads, particularly lacking the CPF dedicated topic of lights, in a manner that consumes bandwidth and screen real-estate in a manner that overwhelms the listings of other member's postings.
The reason this is being mentioned is that we presently do have some members, even entertaining and well respected ones, that have lately converted the Cafe into their personal blogs, posting several new thread topics at a time. Some are multiple threads dealing with their latest interest, jokes, links of interest, and at times multiple threads dealing with closely related topics that could be discussed in a single thread.
So, is there a new rule? Not presently. What it could mean is that you may have several of your threads collected together by our moderators, or you may receive a personal message suggesting a more controlled creation of new threads.
A suggestion....... Create A Blog. The vast number of blogs in existence is evidence of a common desire to document a progressive journal of one's interest and thoughts. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do so. But, please, Create A Blog! You can use your signature line to show a link to it, but using the Cafe as your journal is straining our resources. We are far beyond the point that we count success as a board by the number of new threads created.
This thread is created a sticky, but likely temporary. As mentioned, cases will be considered and handled as they appear, through both mechanical manipulation of the threads by moderators, and communication with the members of concern. Please don't click on the "report this post" icon, to tell us of a member you think posts too much. That is something we'll determine for ourselves.
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