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Richard Brian Nunweek
Chief Inspector
Username: Richardn
Post Number: 593
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 3:18 pm: |       |
Hi,
Hopefully I will not sound a miserable so, and so, but I feel strongly, that these boards, are not concentrating on the actual subject as much as they should.
There are some threads that deal entirely, with the subject in hand, but these are currently being swamped with worthless threads, that have little to do with the subject.
I appreciate, that we should not appear to be all doom . and gloom, and it is acceptable , for the occasional thread, that is lighthearted, but lets please stick to the original forum, ie. 'Who was Jack'
As I have mentioned, there is good imformative discussion, still appearing on these threads, but I feel sure a lot of you , are going with the flow, and talking about, nik nacs, rather then the subject in hand.
Sorry to appear Mr Grumpy, but many people zoom into this site every day, and witness , irrelevant topics, and that cannot be good for the future of these boards.
You can all boo me now .
Regards Richard. |
Scott Nelson
Detective Sergeant
Username: Snelson
Post Number: 55
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 4:25 pm: | |
I couldn't agree with you more Richard. What is particularly tiresome are people who feel compelled to post something every day, even though they have nothing useful to say. |
Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 2928
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 5:44 pm: | |
Richard - you do have a point, thanks for bringing it up.
Everyone - please, please PLEASE do your best to stay on topic. If you want to discuss birthdays, hairstyles, or the price of tea in Tibet, please do so either under Pub Talk or via email.
ALL OTHER TOPICS are constantly archived and maintained for several years, taking up a great deal of space on our server, so please consider this when you are posting. It is not difficult to start a new thread under Pub Talk and continue an off-topic discussion in that area.
I completely understand that people have their own personalities and manners of speaking, and that sometimes it is impossible for a thread to remain 100% on-topic. That's fine. But please be considerate of others who use these boards every day for legitimate research-purposes. If you find that a thread you are participating in has wandered off-topic, please say so on that thread and suggest that the tangential conversation be moved to Pub Talk.
Again, everyone - please enjoy yourself here. But if you want to be silly for a bit, please do it in Pub Talk. That's what its there for.
To those who are irritated by off-topic posts, you can opt to NOT receive Pub Talk emails by clicking EDIT PROFILE.
Please email me if you have any questions or comments.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Stephen P. Ryder, Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper |
Ally
Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 171
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 5:48 pm: | |
I disagree. Off-topic threads are not dominating the boards. Off-topic posts in on-topic threads are. There are a couple on inane, chirping people who feel the need to post dithering blather across every thread regardless of it's topic. But the actual number of off-topic threads currently active on the boards is small and in Pub Talk where they bleong. |
David O'Flaherty
Inspector
Username: Oberlin
Post Number: 214
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 8:02 pm: | |
Right said, Richard.
Also, can people be forced to use spell check against their will? Sure, it's human to make mistakes (I make them, too)--but there are some people who are spelling terrorists.
If you think I'm uptight, I think there's something about grammar and spelling in the rules of conduct. I'm not asking for Chekov, just an effort--I mean, the spell check is right there, people, and it didn't just fall from heaven. Someone put it there.
I don't mean to be nasty--today's the day to vent, and since we're giving constructive criticism. . .
Best,
Dave |
Scott Nelson
Detective Sergeant
Username: Snelson
Post Number: 56
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 11:10 pm: | |
So someone please tell me that the JtR Poetry thread won't be archived. It's the longest, most useless "discussion" on the boards thus far. The few participants should take it to private email. |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 1896
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 5:03 am: | |
Scott, your "discussions" are certainly the shortest, most useless ones. You make a remark and then disappear without waiting for an answer.
I prefer discussions to announcements.
Robert |
Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 2929
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 8:19 am: | |
Ok, let's ease up a bit people.
Scott: The poetry thread may not be to everyone's taste, that's perfectly understandable. But it has a place on the Casebook, where creative expression is certainly nourished and welcome. Still there is a large volume of posting going on in that thread, and since it lives under General Discussion, anyone subscribed to receive emails from that section will be inundated with them. I will make a point to move the Poetry thread into a new main subheading, "Creative Writing". Subscribers can then choose (under "Edit Profile") whether or not they want email notifications from that thread. Scott, I suggest you unsubscribe yourself from this thread so that you will no longer receive emails on the subject.
Everyone, please be respectful of each other. We're all here for different reasons, and we've all got different ideas of what these message boards should be used for, but there's plenty of room for everyone. If you don't like a particular discussion area, then remove yourself from the email distribution on that thread and concentrate your activity elsewhere on the boards.
As of today there are 17,805 posts on these boards - the idea that all, or even most, of these posts will be of interest to any one person is absurd. Focus on the threads you enjoy, ignore those you don't, and feel free to email me if you have a gripe about how the boards are being run.
Above all, respect your fellow poster.
Stephen P. Ryder, Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper |
Caroline Anne Morris
Chief Inspector
Username: Caz
Post Number: 658
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 9:19 am: | |
I agree with David about some of the appalling grammar and spelling lately. I trust the worst offenders are not thinking of offering any of their work to a publisher unchecked, expecting it not to be rejected out of hand.
Carry on chaps.
Love,
Caz
|
Ally
Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 179
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 9:22 am: | |
Dave,
Back in the day when I moderated, I put in the grammar and spelling thing as a guideline for people who wished to be taken seriously. It's more of a suggestion than a rule although it is too bad that it can't be made a rule.
bcos while i also make pselling erors on ocasion, to me hteirs is nothing omre irritaiting then
someone who consistently writes like that. It's like they feel they are too superior to us to bother taking one minute of their precious time to present a clear, punctuated sentence. Why in the name of hades should we have to scramble about to decipher their code?
I maintain, that anyone who wishes to be taken seriously and thereby earn respect as a poster should respect the people who read their posts and make the posts neat. Again, I am not talking about speakers of languages other than English. They can't be expected to have perfect grammar and spelling, but it is always obvious who is foreign and who just doesn't care.
Respectfully,
Ally |
Ally
Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 180
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 9:24 am: | |
Oh Damn.
Caz and I had the same thought at the same time. The world must surely be ending.
Oh wait this is off-topic isn't it? Double Damn.
 |
David O'Flaherty
Inspector
Username: Oberlin
Post Number: 215
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 10:07 am: | |
Hi, Ally
I'm glad you mentioned the people whose first language isn't English, and I hope they understand my post isn't directed at them. I think posters like Glenn, Christian, and Thomas Schachner (a few names off the top of my head) must make an extraordinary effort with each and every post they make. I think they do a terrific job, much better than I'd do if I had to post in German or Swedish. Christian could make some bitter complaints about my terrible German 
A lot of us (and I include myself) could take a page from their book. It's a pleasure to read messages when someone cares enough about their ideas to make them readable. If Glenn can take the time to make himself understood, then a native speaker doesn't have much of an excuse--especially with the spell check option available.
Besides, there's so much information to digest, so many names, places, and theories, that I'm lost half the time anyway. Posters should help their readers out with at least a stab at decent spelling and grammar.
I'm not picky, not really. If anyone thinks I am, wait until you run up against an editor, just as Caz says.
Enough from me,
Dave
P.S. I happen to enjoy the Poetry thread.
|
AP Wolf
Chief Inspector
Username: Apwolf
Post Number: 749
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 12:57 pm: | |
Although the poster objecting to the poetry thread might well have a valid point I did feel he could have expressed that point in a kinder fashion, for I see no positive benefit to these boards in belittling and deriding the genuine efforts of an honest group of people who have taken the brave decision to bare their creative soul in a public forum.
This is not an easy thing to do.
I think Stephen summed the situation up fairly and succinctly, it is a small world out there but still room for everyone.
Whether we like it or not, history does show us that the artistic interpretation of momentous events within our society often have far more impact on our understanding and knowledge of those momentous events than does the purely factual interpretation.
I quite like that situation. It shows we still have a soul.
|
Jennifer D. Pegg
Inspector
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 207
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 2:44 pm: | |
hi
understanding you probably mean me and having not looked just to see if i have done it here the reason i do not spell check my threads and sometimes make typos are as follows
1 i am not opperating under my prescious time but either in a public place such as university or the local library where i am either/both embarrassed to be on a website discussing horrible muders or someone is waiting to come on or under a time limit or am on a family computrer that is not my own and is costing someone else money.
having said that i do wonder if my spelling has gone down hill a bit recently!
concerning the threads
when you hit search you can see what is what i do not look at any thread that does not intrest me i advise you all to do the same even ones i have created this way they will die as you will not feel compelled to post on them
better check this at least a little!
jennifer |
Jennifer D. Pegg
Inspector
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 208
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 2:50 pm: | |
ps where is spellchekanyway
maybe it is here somewhere and i will find it in a minute, some of us are slightly offend but will try to improve and get over it!
jennifer |
Ally
Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 184
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 3:01 pm: | |
Jennifer,
No offense. But what a crock. First of all it doesn't take any more time to hold down the shift key and capitalize your letters than it does to hit the key without the shift, considering that they happen simultaneously. It does not add considerable time to insert a period either. If your concern is costing your family money because you are a lousy typist, then type up replies to all the threads you wish to respond to in a word document while you are offline, providing you with plenty of time to make them legible. Then, when online, copy and paste them into the appropriate thread.
Second, if you are so embarassed by the subject matter that you are willing to allow total strangers to dictate your actions, then it probably isn't a subject you should continue to pursue. I would hate for these boards to cause you to hold your head in shame.
If you don't even plan to present an attempt at acceptable writing as your above posts indicate, then don't attempt to excuse it either because I know I won't accept "I am in too much of a hurry/too embarassed". We already knew you were in too much of a hurry. Basically, you are telling us we aren't worth the effort and therefore, your posts aren't worth the effort to read.
(Message edited by Ally on January 21, 2004) |
Richard Brian Nunweek
Chief Inspector
Username: Richardn
Post Number: 600
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 3:25 pm: | |
Hi Jennifer,
I Get the impression , that you are giving the impression , like 'Jacks' letters . as someone trying to fool the authoritys.
All of us are guilty of making , the odd spelling mistake, depending on the lateness ,of ones posts, or that one too many, it is not an issue.
As long as ones posts are readable, and make a degree of sense, that is all that is required.
When I started this thread yesterday, I was expecting heavy flak, I am pleased that there has been a understanding , exspecially from Stephen, who must be utmostly respected in his endeavour to keep these boards open to the wide audience, we have, for those intrested in our subject, a lot of imformation, is stored in our archives, and we must insure that us regular posters, do our utmosts to continue this.
Regards Richard. |
Suzi Hanney
Inspector
Username: Suzi
Post Number: 394
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 4:08 pm: | |
Hi everybody
Points taken chaps!! Let's keep the J.T.R.Poetry thread going!!! Please!!!..it's a very positive thread that enables people to communicate maybe not to everyones taste but some of us like it!I don't know what I'll do without my daily dose of A.P and Robert!! (and Nats!!)
Well??
Suzi (I know I'm guilty of this but am verrrrrrrrrrry repentant!!) |
Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 2931
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 4:09 pm: | |
Guys, cut Jen some slack - her second message says she's going to make an effort to improve, and goodonya Jen for doing so.
Jen - click "Edit Profile", log in to your account, and then click "Preferences". One of the options there will say "Spell check my posts". Check that, and then save your preferences. From then on, you will see misspelled words in yellow highlighting on the preview screen, and you'll then have a chance to fix them.
Thanks for making the effort,
Stephen
Stephen P. Ryder, Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 1897
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 4:21 pm: | |
I agree that the non-English speaking posters display considerable fluency and guts. Occasionally French people have posted here in French, and I've wanted to reply, but haven't had the nerve.
Are dyslexics OK with the spellchecks? I know there are at least one or two on these Boards.
Robert |
Jeff Hamm
Inspector
Username: Jeffhamm
Post Number: 195
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 4:39 pm: | |
I've been looking for the spell check option, but I don't see it? At the top of my post I can bold, italisize, underline, create a hyperlink, insert clipart, change colour, font, and size. Below I can preview/post, upload attachment, or click some option boxes, but I don't see a spell check option anywhere?
After click preview/post, I thought maybe the spell check option would show up, but I still can't find it?
- Jeff |
Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 2932
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 4:48 pm: | |
Jeff -
You need to activate the spell checker in your profile first. Click "Edit Profile" (top-right of every page), and under Preferences check the "Spell Check my posts" option.
The next time you Preview a new post, it will offer spellchecking suggestions automatically. You don't need to press button for the feature to work, so long as you have it marked in your preferences.
Stephen P. Ryder, Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper |
Jeff Hamm
Inspector
Username: Jeffhamm
Post Number: 196
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 5:13 pm: | |
Thanks! I've now turned that option on. My spelling is terrible, so hopefully this will help. Does the spell checker include case relevant words, like Diemschutz? I guess I'll find out shortly when I try and post this.
- Jeff
The spell check has flagged Diemschutz, which I believe is correct. Is it possible to include case relevant words and names?
|
Glenn L Andersson
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Glenna
Post Number: 1035
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 6:08 pm: | |
I just want to take the opportunity to thank David O'Flaherty for his very kind words. God knows I am doing my best -- and it's not easy; the discussions here are mostly on a high level, compared to other boards. I try to use a dictionary whenever I am uncertain and I use the spell check on a regular basis. However, grammar mistakes can't be totally avoided.
Thanks again, Dave.
-------------------------------------
Jeff,
The spell checker seem to react on some names and occasional words, but no automatic function is perfect, I believe.
All the best
Glenn L Andersson
Crime historian, Sweden |
Mark Andrew Pardoe
Inspector
Username: Picapica
Post Number: 180
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 6:11 pm: | |
Whatho all,
I write as a dyslexic and feel the correct spelling is essential. Especially as the site has readers whose first language is not English (in any of its forms). I try my upmost to get my spelling right and sometimes it does take time!
Using a dictionary is not as easy as some people thing. When I was at school I was always told:
"If you do not know how to spell a word, look it up in a dictionary".
Not very useful when you do not know the first three letters of the word!
The speckcheck here is useful but it only tells you when you have made a mistake; there are no suggested alternatives.
By the way Ally; that's capitalise and full stops  .
Whoops, that's a bit off subject.
Cheers, Mark (who sometimes cannot control his sense of humour; sorry) |
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