Sticking to topics

Hi @izogi, I have been planning to add topic branching much as you describe. Anybody else keen for this?

"An older variant of the site let people change the subject for their comment, but it still stuck to the same thread and never lasted in the thread longer than that single comment." I remember that. Seemed a good idea but 90% of the topic changed posts were spam. Might require more moderator input

i was being polite. trolling by bashing groups of people on a thread started for a diferent purpose is against forum rules...

Hi everybody, In my view, awareness of cultural differences is essential to exploring, understanding, accepting, and welcoming people to our country. On the other hand, it's a very fine line between exploring cultural differences and generalisations that are basically racist or similarly offensive. I think that line has to be drawn somewhere and that it needs to be a conservative position. Negative generalisations about people of particular sex, race, country of origin will not be acceptable, and this will be stated in the forum rules, to be updated this coming Wednesday. If you want to talk about particular instances, then I see that as OK at this point in time. Additionally, generalisations that are not reasonably offensive I see as acceptable at this point in time. Open to discuss this. Go ahead...

do people re read what they post on here? or are they just having an unedited brain explosion. sometimes the comments are so one eyed and far from the truth as to be a farce... somewhere in the world there are threads on forums about how lame NZers are, and all they want to do is drink, watch rugby and be loud and obnoxious.... i'm sorry if you've had some bad experiences with a few people of a certain nationality, but do you really believe the majority of them are the same?

Matthew - I like your suggestions around racism, generalisations etc. As a matter of interest, do you actually ever moderate and stop some posts from getting onto the site, or take some off, or do you allow everything on and hope people adhere to the rules (which they may not have read)? Cheers

lame NZers are, and all they want to do is drink, watch rugby and be loud and obnoxious.... Isnt that on a NZ based forum? Seriously though This might be a NZ based forum but it should be considered an international forum because although the main core of members are pretty much all NZ based we get short term members from all over the world looking for a holiday with an element of tramping or related outdoors activity included. Every time we go slagging off race X or Y everyone else reads it. What we might say in humour might not be understood as humour by them so they read "what a horrid racist bunch these are" or Then then plan there holiday somewhere else. We want these overseas visitors to come here and enjoy there stay We want to give then all the help we can to make that happen. We want tourism to be a bigger earner for the country than dairy farming.

It's very easy for a thread to go "off topic" as a discussion develops & people pick-up-on & run-with bits of what has been said by someone. This is where "branching" within a thread would be useful. You can pick a bone with someone, without bringing the Original Post (OP) to a bloody stop. Might spoil the nice, spacious, orderly presentation of the forum though ?. I guess I'm reluctantly in favour of it. "Hi-jacking a thread" is a whole different sport, and requires regular moderation to maintain. This is where people start getting issued warnings & ISP's eventually get blocked. Fortunately, "flaming" doesn't appear to be tolerated, tho some are nudging that way ?. All part of the fun & games of anonymous social media. I think this forum is healthily diverse, and maturely tolerant. To maintain that, you might have to do some occasional weeding ?. Great website, Matthew !.

i started a thread on people not being clothed properly on the tongariro crsossing , it quickly turned into a bash foreigners esp israelis attitudes, it was heavily slanted towards the negative, the thread was hijacked and trolled... i have met more than a few israelis i've found a bit wanting but i'd balance my comment, they are individuals and thats all i've met plenty of israelis that are competent in the outdoors and that i have respect for