What is allowed in general chat?

How come the golf thread got closed for being not "Pentax or photography related", but the Pointless Thread runs and runs?

General chat is "An area for open chat".

If there's a general chat area, why should anyone care what's talked about, providing it doesn't break any rules?

I really don't understand the moderation rules around here. There seems to be no consistency at all.

The Pointless Thread is the one exception where non photography related chat is allowed (plus the joke thread too now I think about it). These threads are permitted at the mods' discretion, as the exceptions that prove the rule. I guess the thinking is to limit the number of off topic threads while allowing some leeway.

I think forum rule 2 covers it Chris.

and

Peter has answered the question for you, but please remember we don't discuss moderation in the forum. Please send any query by PM where we will be happy to discuss it.

I too am confused. I was under the impression that "General Chat" was for... well general chat! I thought it was the only area of the forum where posts didn't necessarily need to be about photography. Are we, as photographers no longer able to talk about other areas of our lives that we would like to share with other members? Or are we just meant to eat/sleep/breathe photography (sorry, I mean Pentax)?

I have not visited nor posted on this forum for some time due to the unevenness of the moderating, and in some cases, what seemed to be personal actions, leading to deletion of posts/threads and the banning of certain members.

What world is it that we live in when people are not able to discuss their new-found interest in golf with fellow Pentax users?! I know that this forum in no-way promotes freedom of speech, and this is evident in the forum's T&Cs (which we all read when we signed up, right?) but what harm is talking about golf causing?

Might I suggest this area of the forum be renamed "General Photography Chat, Only Pentax, No Golf" and that the Pointless Thread get deleted? After all, there shouldn't be one rule for one, and a different rule for another right?

Expect my PM forthwith John

Fiona (extremely disappointed)

...and this thread is going to be deleted in 3...2...1.... LOL

On other forums I belong to general chat is general chat not connected directly with the forum main business.

Very funny Opethian...no, this thread isn't going to be deleted.

The reasoning is very simple, and has been discussed at length. We decided to keep things as they always were and no go "Off Topic" at this time. It's always under review though.

The essense is the purpose of the site and the General Chat section was intended for non-specific photo chat that didn't relate directly to any section, but was still of interest to Pentax Users.

So, for example, perhaps chat about composition, a particular exhibition, lots of things. Which you can clearly see from the content of the section.

An exception is made for the Pointless Thread, in which we gossip, chat nonsense or whatever. That's the place for announcing a new love of golf. We want people arriving to get more benefit to using their Pentax cameras to not have to wade through too much off topic stuff. The principle is there and a reasonable amount of leeway given.

Think of this as well - if someone posts their love of Manchester United, how many threads do we get about all the other clubs? If I tell you all about my book collecting does someone with their new K-r really care? If I show you some macro images of my books then I can still sort of tell you in the Your Photos section if I want to. How about some golfing pictures?

As for the idea of personal reasons for moderation, there's no such agenda, full stop. Everybody gets treated the same and any perception of favour anyone has is no doubt because they don't know all the facts in any particular case.

Hope that clarifies!

And there was me, thinking perhaps I'd made JR a bit grumpy with talk of a non-PU Pentax forum, just before the Golf thread got closed.

Ah, if only you could see how cheerful I am as I reply to your missives Chris.

Now there's a thought - a webcam for the forum so we could all look at each other.

Hmm...

Note to self... more effort required...

Does it matter how many posts there are? It will be a bit clearer than trawling through over 600 pages of pointless thread surely? And as for the new K-r user who doesn't want to know about your book collection... guess what? They won't click on your post to read it!! Simple!

Sorry John, but open chat (as it says in the description of this section) should be exactly that. Otherwise, why does it exist when there are plenty of other sections (i.e. the photos section, which you suggested).

A funny thought occurs to me...

We can have a thread about a Golf thread... but not a Golf thread.

Well it made me laugh, anyway.

me too! Don't think I'm getting anywhere with this though

Just goes to show, yet again, how inconsistent the moderation is, the golf thread was closed as not Pentax or photography related, yet others over the last couple of weeks still remain with out issue, not only that but with the moderators being involved as well.

Going back to the original question the answer seems to be 'depends on Johns mood'.