nsx

Although I see the value that would provide interested members, IMHO that value is outweighed by the risk of reduced willingness of TB members to post controversial thoughts or unconventional or half-baked ideas. A group can create something quite extraordinary from a half-baked idea, but this would be much less likely to happen in a public forum.

In summary, an open forum would close down discussion. The current system of one open forum and one closed forum is ideal, IMHO. FWIW, this public forum is more active than the private one. Most of the ideas the TalkBoard considers originate here. Good ideas are picked up and posted in the private forum very quickly in case any TB members missed them.

Cholula

I'm certainly not trying to make excuses for those members who don't communicate. In fact, I have never met nor conversed in any manner with the folks I think are being referred to.

I'm just thinking out loud as to why somebody would bust their butt to get on TB only to then clam up and rarely be heard from again.

There's some dynamic involved that I'm trying to discern here.

nsx

Enthusiasm and free time to indulge it can have their ups and downs. Only retired people are likely to be able to engage at top speed all the time. That's why we tell others when we are preoccupied and they offer to carry the load for us. It's rarely more than a few weeks of consecutive low-availability time for any TB member. This is the same as for moderators' availability in my experience.

Jenbel

Five months, one post, a bunch of Yes votes (I'm left wondering if the first option was 'no', would they have voted 'no' instead) and no response to PMs from concerned members.

Or is this one of those rare events happening when it is months and months on end?

(I take the general point that for the rest of you stuff comes and goes - apart from Cholula, he's just on never-ending holiday and I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem with one post in five months... as you might have guessed from this thread!)

lin821

A shining title? Fame? Ego? Vanity? Winning a popularity contest? Your guess is as good as mine.

Since TBers don't get paid by IB, I can't guess money.

jackal

I'm still listening to the points of view by everyone in this thread, but I do want to say that I agree and support nsx's statement below. I have posted several half-baked ideas in the private forum that I wished for some comment and a fresh set of eyes before setting them out for the public tearing-apart process. Some made it out, some are tabled, and some were disposed of; all were posted informally, and I would not have posted them had it been publicly viewable.

One could argue that such informal discussion could be handled by PM, but we all know that FT's PM system is not the easiest to use, especially in complicated back-and-forth discussion with several people.

I'm not necessarily against (although nor am I for, at this point, anyway) some form of open-discussion bylaws that restrict what can be discussed behind closed doors, but there definitely needs to be a forum-type environment for at least informal discussion, if only as a practical matter given the limitations of the current software.

itsaboutthejourney

Dumb, maybe technical question: the OP has repeated their displeasure that the TB member in question (BTW, why all dancing around the member's handle?) didn't respond to PMs - if that person had the OP on their ignore list would they still receive the PM?

It seems many people here are suggesting TB members should post more and someone even suggested adding a requirement or best practices. (I actually agree with dovster). But based on the OP's question, should that scope be widened to include responding to every PM they receive? just some? How do you regulate that? If I PM'd jackal and told him he's an idiot (BTW, my friend is not) should he be required to respond? If I PM'd SkiAdcock a complicated question I know she'd take the time to reply with a detailed response, but perhaps other TB members don't have the time or want to think about an issue?

Spiff

No one has to respond to or even accept PM. If someone doesn't want to respond to you, then that lack of response says volumes. Move on.

Cholula

I send him a similar PM several times a week and I usually get an answer.

But not one I can repeat here.

kipper

Does that mean everyone can feel free to do that and we can all compare responses?

jackal

And I PM'd you back and said you were--oh:

Thanks for the disclaimer. Glad I stopped at that Starbucks in Yakima for you...or else I might really be on your bad side!