"tagging along"

dtaranath · 04/29/2006, 04:24 AM

this may sound like a stupid question, but why do people post "tagging along" on threads? It doesn't appear they're trying to bump the threads. I'm sure many people like to follow several threads where they haven't posted, but some are obliged to post "tagging along." why?

reefnetworth · 04/29/2006, 04:36 AM

to see specific outcome of thread generally the same question they were going to ask, but someone has posted first.

MiddletonMark · 04/29/2006, 04:59 AM

Good question.

It is done by folks who don't see the link below the `quick reply box' in this page for `subscribe to thread'. [which does the exact same thing, just without telling everyone about it]

`Tagging Along' is just a way to add yourself to a thread, so that when folks reply you'll get the notification [depending how your profile is set up here].

Posting a question/discussion to a thread - that works to subscribe as well, of course.

Thing is, `subscribe to thread' button at the bottom doesn't bring everyone already subscribed before you back to see what was posted ... to find that you didn't post any content, and were just reading along.

Not the end of the world to tag, but after a few years ... let's just say it gets old. Photo threads just have folks complimenting instead of subscribing mostly ... but on `content threads' sometimes it's nice to not interrupt things, call attention to the fact you're interested but have little to offer.

I'd just get in the habit of using the subscribe button - it's much more polite for everyone else who is already subscribed, IMO

Ereefic · 04/29/2006, 05:42 AM

Tagging Along

I'd like to learn more about this.

DgenR8 · 04/29/2006, 06:46 AM

Actually, "Tagging Along" gets to be quite bothersome for those already subscribed to a given thread. So much so, that we have created a canned response to use when we see "Tagging Along" posts:

In our ongoing effort to continually improve Reef Central, the RC Staff would like to encourage everyone not to reply to threads with Ã¢â‚¬Å“Just Tagging AlongÃ¢â‚¬Â or other noncontributory comments. These kinds of replies are discourteous to the others who are subscribed to that thread as this causes them to reopen threads that have no useful additional information. It also makes it difficult for the moderators and Team RC members to find threads with no replies thus not serving the thread originator. If you want to follow a thread of interest, please use the Ã¢â‚¬Å“subscribe to this threadÃ¢â‚¬Â link below the quick reply box. The effect will be the same. You can easily track the thread of interest in the subscribed threads section of your Ã¢â‚¬Å“My RCÃ¢â‚¬Â page.

We would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

Regards,

The RC Staff

Dollarbill · 04/29/2006, 07:22 AM

That is good to know. Ill have to try that. Ive never noticed the subscribe link. Then again im not real computer friendly. db

DgenR8 · 04/29/2006, 07:25 AM

You're not alone, Bill. Many people here are new to the Internet.

dtaranath · 04/29/2006, 07:32 AM

thanks for all the responses. I can sleep better at night now.

crumbletop · 04/29/2006, 07:33 AM

I disagree that it is annoying. I have always thought that it has the same useful effect as a "bump" that pushes a thread back to the first page so others can see it and post a reply. Saying "tagging along" doesn't take much space up and it's easy to scroll through. I find obnoxious avatars to be far more annoying (like a pic of a guy picking his nose, etc.).

Jack

DgenR8 · 04/29/2006, 08:23 AM

You do realize that you can turn off avatars, right? You can also report avatars that you find inappropriate. I can't promise you that the Staff here will agree with you, but I can promise you it will be looked into.
IMO, a bump is not a useful tool, it's as much an annoyance as the "Tagging Along" post, and I discourage people from bumping old threads for no purpose other than to bump an old thread. I figure that 99% of the time, a thread dies because it was old and tired.

crumbletop · 04/29/2006, 08:41 AM

Yes, but that turns off all avatars. Hmmm. Did't know I could report an avatar. Thanks for the heads up...

Jack

DgenR8 · 04/29/2006, 08:50 AM

Absolutely! We pride ourselves on the fact that this board is kept family friendly, and there is no discussion of religion and politics here. Avatars are just as important as words in a post. Every post has a "Report this post to a Moderator" link at the bottom. If you see a post and notice that the avatar attached is not family friendly report the post, and fill out the complaint form.
Again, I can't promise that we will agree, but we certainly will investigate.

dtaranath · 04/29/2006, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DgenR8
You do realize that you can turn off avatars, right? You can also report avatars that you find inappropriate. I can't promise you that the Staff here will agree with you, but I can promise you it will be looked into.
IMO, a bump is not a useful tool, it's as much an annoyance as the "Tagging Along" post, and I discourage people from bumping old threads for no purpose other than to bump an old thread. I figure that 99% of the time, a thread dies because it was old and tired.

i actually appreciate bumps of old threads. They may be "old and tired" to those who have already seen it, and have been around this hobby for a while, but to those of us who are rather new to reefkeeping, they usually contain good information. It's one of the reasons RC is as great as it is. Not just the new info, but the old info as well.

Avast Marine · 04/29/2006, 05:14 PM

I'll chime in on this. I have a tank thread and with the effort I put into it documenting so that others can learn and enjoy the process I like "Tagging" post because I know that people are interested in the discussion. I really don't care if it sends an annoyng e-mail to a ton of people, if it's that annoying than theres a way to turn that off too.
Heres another scenerio. In your user control panel there is an option to delete all subscribed threads. I search out good threads and subscribe to them and when I want to look back at some thread that I havn't looked at for awhile or that are years old. Well one day I hit the dreaded delete button and all those searches and research were no longer at my fingertips, but guess what if I had "Tagged" them I could have done a search for every thread I had posted in and easily resubscribed. I learned my lesson. I'm a "Tagger". If I feel I have some useful information to add to the discussion I will post a reply, if not I just "Tag". Maybe in the future I will change my meaningless post to "Dandy was here".

You've been Tagged!
(and subscribed to)
(and bumped)
(and archived)

Later

MiddletonMark · 05/01/2006, 04:59 AM

If you want to know if people are reading a thread - the best way is to find it on the forum - see how many times it's been viewed.

Discounting all your visits to a thread - IME for every `tagging' there may be 50 people who don't ... IMO the statistic is a much better method of judging.

Like with this thread ... might only be a few of us on here - but 138 views since Friday

crumbletop · 05/01/2006, 08:04 AM

I don't think the view count really equates to interest. It can easily reflect interest in the subject line, while the post inside isn't that interesting. Conversely, I have ventured into threads that had subject lines that were not that interesting to me simply because the post (not viewed) count was going up -- and have found those threads to be interesting. I haven't been keeping count, but several times those threads have had a "bump" or a "tagging along" post in them. I'm not saying the viewed count and post count isn't useful (it is) -- I think its usefulness is different...

Jack

meco65 · 05/01/2006, 08:24 AM

one good thing with bumps and tags is it gives you a way to find the post later as the search never works for me.

Randall_James · 05/01/2006, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by meco65
one good thing with bumps and tags is it gives you a way to find the post later as the search never works for me.

Every web browser has a "Favorites" and you can "ADD" any URL you think you may want to find some day.

"Tagging" is annoying but so are the "Full tank inventory lists" in signatures

zoltetov · 05/01/2006, 08:48 AM

wait...so everytime someone "tags along", that canned response is posted as well? If that's the case, the "tagging along" is annoying, but the canned response...isn't? Maybe I'm missing something...

Randall_James · 05/01/2006, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by zoltetov
wait...so everytime someone "tags along", that canned response is posted as well? If that's the case, the "tagging along" is annoying, but the canned response...isn't? Maybe I'm missing something...

The canned response is from a forum moderator and maybe could be considered a bit of sage advice and hopefully discourage the next guy from doing the same thing?

Ereefic · 05/01/2006, 09:32 AM

If someone bumps a thread, they are looking for more input on the subject. Instead of starting a new thread, a bump can accomplish the same thing. Maybe that thread is 2 years old, but there are new people on the board with new thoughts and ideas that may not know that thread was there.

It really boils down to if you (the person complaining about the bumps) are no longer interested in that thread, unsubscribe from it and you won't get an email. If your just to lazy to unsubscribe from a thread, then you deserve the email notification to a 'bump' response. But don't **** and moan about it.

Is that 2 seconds to get to a thread and realize it was bumped really a problem?

andycook · 05/01/2006, 10:57 AM

Bumping and tagging increase post count. There would be less of each if those didn't contribute to post counts.

andycook · 05/01/2006, 10:58 AM

Shouldn't this be in the Feedback and Questions forum?

Avast Marine · 05/01/2006, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by andycook
Shouldn't this be in the Feedback and Questions forum?

I can't imagine a more appropriate place than "New to the hobby" and thus new to RC.

Freed · 05/01/2006, 08:58 PM

HHHMMMM. Very interesting. Tagging along.

04/29/2006, 04:24 AM	#1
dtaranath Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Reading, PA Posts: 542	"tagging along" this may sound like a stupid question, but why do people post "tagging along" on threads? It doesn't appear they're trying to bump the threads. I'm sure many people like to follow several threads where they haven't posted, but some are obliged to post "tagging along." why?

04/29/2006, 04:36 AM	#2
reefnetworth Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 3,810	to see specific outcome of thread generally the same question they were going to ask, but someone has posted first. __________________ GIVE A MAN A FISH, YOU FEED HIM FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN TO FISH, HE FEEDS HIMSELF FOR LIFE. (NEVER, underestimate another man's greed) Current Tank Info: SPS dominated barebottom display with BB sump since 2005, most consistant parameters in 19+ years of reefkeeping.

04/29/2006, 04:59 AM	#3
MiddletonMark Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 14,441	Good question. It is done by folks who don't see the link below the `quick reply box' in this page for `subscribe to thread'. [which does the exact same thing, just without telling everyone about it] `Tagging Along' is just a way to add yourself to a thread, so that when folks reply you'll get the notification [depending how your profile is set up here]. Posting a question/discussion to a thread - that works to subscribe as well, of course. Thing is, `subscribe to thread' button at the bottom doesn't bring everyone already subscribed before you back to see what was posted ... to find that you didn't post any content, and were just reading along. Not the end of the world to tag, but after a few years ... let's just say it gets old. Photo threads just have folks complimenting instead of subscribing mostly ... but on `content threads' sometimes it's nice to not interrupt things, call attention to the fact you're interested but have little to offer. I'd just get in the habit of using the subscribe button - it's much more polite for everyone else who is already subscribed, IMO __________________ read a lot, think for yourself Current Tank Info: 58g stony reef [250w10k, 250w 20k MH, 2x vho act, Octopus150, 6060 + 6000] ; 60g mixed tub

04/29/2006, 06:46 AM	#5
DgenR8 I'm an American and I remember Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 43,992	Actually, "Tagging Along" gets to be quite bothersome for those already subscribed to a given thread. So much so, that we have created a canned response to use when we see "Tagging Along" posts: In our ongoing effort to continually improve Reef Central, the RC Staff would like to encourage everyone not to reply to threads with Ã¢â‚¬Å“Just Tagging AlongÃ¢â‚¬Â or other noncontributory comments. These kinds of replies are discourteous to the others who are subscribed to that thread as this causes them to reopen threads that have no useful additional information. It also makes it difficult for the moderators and Team RC members to find threads with no replies thus not serving the thread originator. If you want to follow a thread of interest, please use the Ã¢â‚¬Å“subscribe to this threadÃ¢â‚¬Â link below the quick reply box. The effect will be the same. You can easily track the thread of interest in the subscribed threads section of your Ã¢â‚¬Å“My RCÃ¢â‚¬Â page. We would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter. Regards, The RC Staff __________________ “I wish there was a way to know that you were IN the good old days, before leaving them.” ~Andy Bernard Regional Manager, Scranton branch Dunder Mifflin Current Tank Info: Unknown slow drip, over 20 years damaged my house and heating system. No more tank.

04/29/2006, 07:22 AM	#6
Dollarbill Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Beautiful Colorado Posts: 250	That is good to know. Ill have to try that. Ive never noticed the subscribe link. Then again im not real computer friendly. db __________________ "Her eyeballs will fall out of her head"....Doc Eason Current Tank Info: Custom acrylic 180 bow front

04/29/2006, 05:42 AM	#4
Ereefic Moved On Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 5,821	Tagging Along I'd like to learn more about this.

04/29/2006, 07:25 AM	#7
DgenR8 I'm an American and I remember Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 43,992	You're not alone, Bill. Many people here are new to the Internet. __________________ “I wish there was a way to know that you were IN the good old days, before leaving them.” ~Andy Bernard Regional Manager, Scranton branch Dunder Mifflin Current Tank Info: Unknown slow drip, over 20 years damaged my house and heating system. No more tank.

04/29/2006, 07:32 AM	#8
dtaranath Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Reading, PA Posts: 542	thanks for all the responses. I can sleep better at night now. __________________ ______________________ 220g mixed reef

04/29/2006, 07:33 AM	#9
crumbletop Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 4,718	I disagree that it is annoying. I have always thought that it has the same useful effect as a "bump" that pushes a thread back to the first page so others can see it and post a reply. Saying "tagging along" doesn't take much space up and it's easy to scroll through. I find obnoxious avatars to be far more annoying (like a pic of a guy picking his nose, etc.). Jack __________________ "Misers get up early in the morning; and burglars, I am informed, get up the night before." - GK Chesterton Current Tank Info: 90 gallon AGA RR. 20 gal sump. 6x54W T5. AquaController Jr.

04/29/2006, 08:23 AM	#10
DgenR8 I'm an American and I remember Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 43,992	You do realize that you can turn off avatars, right? You can also report avatars that you find inappropriate. I can't promise you that the Staff here will agree with you, but I can promise you it will be looked into. IMO, a bump is not a useful tool, it's as much an annoyance as the "Tagging Along" post, and I discourage people from bumping old threads for no purpose other than to bump an old thread. I figure that 99% of the time, a thread dies because it was old and tired. __________________ “I wish there was a way to know that you were IN the good old days, before leaving them.” ~Andy Bernard Regional Manager, Scranton branch Dunder Mifflin Current Tank Info: Unknown slow drip, over 20 years damaged my house and heating system. No more tank.

04/29/2006, 08:41 AM	#11
crumbletop Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 4,718	Yes, but that turns off all avatars. Hmmm. Did't know I could report an avatar. Thanks for the heads up... Jack __________________ "Misers get up early in the morning; and burglars, I am informed, get up the night before." - GK Chesterton Current Tank Info: 90 gallon AGA RR. 20 gal sump. 6x54W T5. AquaController Jr.

04/29/2006, 08:50 AM	#12
DgenR8 I'm an American and I remember Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 43,992	Absolutely! We pride ourselves on the fact that this board is kept family friendly, and there is no discussion of religion and politics here. Avatars are just as important as words in a post. Every post has a "Report this post to a Moderator" link at the bottom. If you see a post and notice that the avatar attached is not family friendly report the post, and fill out the complaint form. Again, I can't promise that we will agree, but we certainly will investigate. __________________ “I wish there was a way to know that you were IN the good old days, before leaving them.” ~Andy Bernard Regional Manager, Scranton branch Dunder Mifflin Current Tank Info: Unknown slow drip, over 20 years damaged my house and heating system. No more tank.

04/29/2006, 05:14 PM	#14
Avast Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 2,446	I'll chime in on this. I have a tank thread and with the effort I put into it documenting so that others can learn and enjoy the process I like "Tagging" post because I know that people are interested in the discussion. I really don't care if it sends an annoyng e-mail to a ton of people, if it's that annoying than theres a way to turn that off too. Heres another scenerio. In your user control panel there is an option to delete all subscribed threads. I search out good threads and subscribe to them and when I want to look back at some thread that I havn't looked at for awhile or that are years old. Well one day I hit the dreaded delete button and all those searches and research were no longer at my fingertips, but guess what if I had "Tagged" them I could have done a search for every thread I had posted in and easily resubscribed. I learned my lesson. I'm a "Tagger". If I feel I have some useful information to add to the discussion I will post a reply, if not I just "Tag". Maybe in the future I will change my meaningless post to "Dandy was here". You've been Tagged! (and subscribed to) (and bumped) (and archived) Later __________________ Dan Don't rush art, you get bad art.

05/01/2006, 04:59 AM	#15
MiddletonMark Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 14,441	If you want to know if people are reading a thread - the best way is to find it on the forum - see how many times it's been viewed. Discounting all your visits to a thread - IME for every `tagging' there may be 50 people who don't ... IMO the statistic is a much better method of judging. Like with this thread ... might only be a few of us on here - but 138 views since Friday __________________ read a lot, think for yourself Current Tank Info: 58g stony reef [250w10k, 250w 20k MH, 2x vho act, Octopus150, 6060 + 6000] ; 60g mixed tub

05/01/2006, 08:04 AM	#16
crumbletop Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 4,718	I don't think the view count really equates to interest. It can easily reflect interest in the subject line, while the post inside isn't that interesting. Conversely, I have ventured into threads that had subject lines that were not that interesting to me simply because the post (not viewed) count was going up -- and have found those threads to be interesting. I haven't been keeping count, but several times those threads have had a "bump" or a "tagging along" post in them. I'm not saying the viewed count and post count isn't useful (it is) -- I think its usefulness is different... Jack __________________ "Misers get up early in the morning; and burglars, I am informed, get up the night before." - GK Chesterton Current Tank Info: 90 gallon AGA RR. 20 gal sump. 6x54W T5. AquaController Jr.

05/01/2006, 08:24 AM	#17
meco65 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Arkansas Posts: 1,603	one good thing with bumps and tags is it gives you a way to find the post later as the search never works for me.

05/01/2006, 08:48 AM	#19
zoltetov Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Miramar, Florida (miami-ish) Posts: 920	wait...so everytime someone "tags along", that canned response is posted as well? If that's the case, the "tagging along" is annoying, but the canned response...isn't? Maybe I'm missing something... __________________ It's not THAT the wind is blowing... It's WHAT the wind is blowing... - Ron White Current Tank Info: 46g bow-front, 2x250w MH w/ 250w XM 15Ks, AquaC Remora skimmer, mag-5 return, 2 x Seio 820s, 100+lbs of live rock, 5-6" DSB, Baby-girl my GSM, Sigmund the Fairy Wrasse, and a softie collection.

05/01/2006, 09:32 AM	#21
Ereefic Moved On Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 5,821	If someone bumps a thread, they are looking for more input on the subject. Instead of starting a new thread, a bump can accomplish the same thing. Maybe that thread is 2 years old, but there are new people on the board with new thoughts and ideas that may not know that thread was there. It really boils down to if you (the person complaining about the bumps) are no longer interested in that thread, unsubscribe from it and you won't get an email. If your just to lazy to unsubscribe from a thread, then you deserve the email notification to a 'bump' response. But don't **** and moan about it. Is that 2 seconds to get to a thread and realize it was bumped really a problem?

05/01/2006, 10:57 AM	#22
andycook Shai Dorsai! Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Urbana, Illinois Posts: 1,841	Bumping and tagging increase post count. There would be less of each if those didn't contribute to post counts. __________________ Look for me on UNTAPPD Current Tank Info: FW: 65g 20g 5g

05/01/2006, 10:58 AM	#23
andycook Shai Dorsai! Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Urbana, Illinois Posts: 1,841	Shouldn't this be in the Feedback and Questions forum? __________________ Look for me on UNTAPPD Current Tank Info: FW: 65g 20g 5g

05/01/2006, 08:58 PM	#25
Freed It's what it's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: 41° 2' 45" N 85° 8' 43" W Posts: 7,579	HHHMMMM. Very interesting. Tagging along. __________________ Freed Current Tank Info: 180gal(1120 watts of MH/VHO light), 60gal "sump", Deltec 601 calcium reactor, Euro Reef CS8-3+ skimmer, 20 gallon QT