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As you may be aware, there have been some minor problems encountered with the "sticky topics" block recently. Now these problems have been resolved with the introduction of the newly styled block at the top of the page, it seemed a good idea to point out how to use the new "sticky topics" arrangements. We aim to keep the number of "sticky topics" to a minimum as large numbers of "sticky topics" tend to detract from the neat appearance of the main page which is effectively our "shop window".
For convenience I will list this post in Q/A format
What is a "sticky topic"?
The "sticky topics" block is at the top of the main page and now consists of a list of headings containing the topic description. The reason for designating a topic as "sticky" is to keep it visible to members for a set length of time, even though no-one might have posted on the topic recently. Clicking on the title of the "sticky topic" will take you straight to the topic in question.
What sort of topics should be designated "sticky"?
Any topic that needs, in the opinion of the site staff, to be drawn to the attention of the members. Typical reasons are:
Forthcoming events (rallies, meets etc.), Safety related topics (recalls, known vehicle safety alerts etc.), Announcements, Polls etc. General interest topics ie: unrelated to this site or motorhomes in general, will not generally be made sticky.
How long will the topic remain sticky?
"Sticky topics" will now remain at the top of the main page for 21 days unless cancelled before that date.
Can a "sticky topic" be re-stickied when the 21 days have expired?
No, this cannot be done except in exceptional circumstances as it requires special coding by the site administrator.
I have seen a topic that I think is important, how do I get it "stickied"?
Any member can request that a topic is made sticky. To get a topic stickied you must contact a moderator by sending him/her a PM . The moderator will consider the request and if appropriate, make the topic sticky within a short time. If you need this to be done quickly it would be advisable to look in the "members on line" block to see which moderators are currently logged-on. If the request is considered inappropriate for some reason, the moderator will PM you to inform you of that reason. Please do not post things like "mods - please sticky this" within a post as it is easily missed by the moderators and if your request is considered inappropriate, may leave you feeling as if you have been publicly snubbed. In future, only requests via PM to a moderator will be considered.
As we are trying to keep the number of "sticky topics" to a minimum, it would be helpful if you would PM a moderator if you consider that a "sticky topic" you proposed has become redundant eg: event now completed. This will enable the mods to "un-sticky" the topic before it expires and free up the space for new "sticky topics". If starting a topic that you intend to be stickied it would also help if the topic title were kept reasonably short, ie: "Birmingham Rally" instead of "Rally at Birmingham Starting on 31st January" this takes up less space in the block. Rally and meets coordinators do use the "sticky topics" block fairly frequently and it is accepted that sometimes they have the need to post multiple stickies on a frequent basis. It would be appreciated if they could work within these guidelines if possible, keeping their topics to a minimum. Having said this we appreciate their problems and will try to accommodate them whenever possible.
Please post any further questions here and Nuke or one of the moderators will try to answer them. Can members please refrain from posting answers to questions as that might just confuse the issue.
Hi
Do we need to point out all of the redundant stickys that are on the forums now or is a moderator going to do this? The reason I ask is there seems to be a lot of them.
Steve
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Is that a lot of stickies or a lot of moderators - or a lot of both?
In normal circumstances, stickies that have run their course will either drop off the bottom of the list after 21 days or will be removed to make space for new ones. There are circumstances however where the mods might not be aware that the sticky is redundant, eg: rally/meet fully booked so undesirable to promote further or perhaps the issue being dealt with has been resolved etc.
BTW: the number of posts that can be accommodated in the sticky block has been set at nine, so it's full at present.
This topic is just relating to the stickies on the main page - sorry I should have made that clear. Stickies aren't time restricted or limited by number in the individual forums as there isn't an issue with space there.
But you do have a point, why leave outdated stickies lying around? Methinks a manual tidy up might be in order. Good job for a moderator with a bit of spare time on their hands eh?
Hi Ken
Thanks for the explanation about the sticky block, however it now leaves me with some questions and concerns....
There are two stickies pertinent to our get together / meet at Huntingdon this weekend, our original post and Stewarts post, both of which are about the same topic and both of which are sticky... I guess that as of this weekend they will no longer be required so they will naturally fall off or you can remove them as stickies after the weekend...
There are also several stickies regarding rallies / meets that are dated more than 21 days from now, these will presumably meet there end before the rally / meet date... One rally is not until mid October so it will fall off months before the event. Is this desirable?
Sometimes rallies (especially) need careful planning and organisation which can take a long time so I think 21 days notice is insufficient for these topics, in my opinion. Also with a limit of 9 stickies there is precious little room for upcoming events as well as important notices such as you referred to.
I am not sure that it is possible to accommodate everyone here and I am certainly not trying to tell you or Nuke how to run the site, but as we need to keep people informed about the rallies / meets it would be nice if there was a high profile way to do it, I don't think people always scroll all the way down to the rally block at the bottom of the main page but just look mainly at the central portion of the page, so a heads up for outings is vital, again in my opinion
I look forward to your thoughts and reply
Keith
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Yes, you're right, there might have to be some compromises here - and some forward planning. Don't forget that as Steve has pointed out, even when the sticky expires on the front page it will still be sticky in the relevent forum so anyone interested in meets or rallies will see it immediately they go to that forum. Also as you say, the meets have now been added to the scrolling rally block to make them more prominent. I'm not certain what the parameters are for time expiry in the scrolling block but as far as I know events stay there until removed. I would suggest that for most meets 21 days should be enough as they tend to be planned on a more short term basis than the show rallies. If you want to publicise one further in advance you can of course post it up for 21 days when the meet is first planned, then nearer the time start another topic with a link in the first post to your original topic.
Nuke has considered the problem in depth and arrived at what he considers is the best compromise between keeping the front page tidy and giving publicity to forthcoming events. After all, the previous timespan of stickies was 30 days so the current timespan is only 9 days less.
Thanks for the reply Ken.
I would like to point out quickly that I never mentioned meets and long time spans... Here is what I said "Sometimes rallies (especially) need careful planning and organisation which can take a long time so I think 21 days notice is insufficient for these topics, in my opinion."
I realise that the timespan has only reduced by 9 days however this was my second concern" Also with a limit of 9 stickies there is precious little room for upcoming events as well as important notices such as you referred to. "
Keith
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