New Category Added - Candlestick & Wood Phones

[Dennis Markham]

A good suggestion was made by "Sargeguy" to add a new section for specific discussions of candlestick phones and wooden phones.  I have done so.  The new "category" currently has two new "boards".  One titled "Candlestick Phones" and the other titled "Wooden Phones".

There was discussion about making individual boards for Western Electric, Kellogg, American/Automatic Electric/Strowger and Everything Else.  That can be done later if it looks like we need separate boards.  Topics can be moved into the appropriate boards along the way.

If you're making a new post that relates to Wooden Phones (maybe wooden ringer boxes too) and/or Candlesticks, please begin your topic in the appropriate board.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

~Dennis

[flingwing1969]

Thumbs up on that!

[AE_Collector]

A month ago when the new Payphone Board was started, DavePEI and I had a bit of a discussion about just which topics should be moved into the new Payphone board and which topics shouldn't. Some were obvious while others weren't quite as obvious.

Anything that is within the Payphone Board no longer has the option of being in the Auction Talk section versus General Discussion or Technical stuff but intead is all lumped together into the Payphone board.

In some ways having boards on each type of phone sort of over rules the existing system of all phone types mixed together but topics divided up by other areas of discussion. I guess there could be further sub categories to cover other more general discussion within boards that are divided by phone manufacturer.

I see it like all the pictures I take and keep in my computer. I like to file them by topic while my wife likes to refile them by date. I can rarely find a picture that is in a date sorted file folder because I can't remember when it was taken. I do remember what the topic is though (our pets, cruises etc) so I can find them a lot easier if sorted by topic.

Something to consider going forward I guess.

Terry

[Phonesrfun]

I think having topical sections aids in finding stuff later.  Particularly as we amass so many threads over time.  I also agree that so many threads and posts can transcend several topics simultaneously.  Kind of a catch-22.

[Dennis Markham]

So before we populate new "board", is more too much?  When using the search feature, as long as it is being done from the home page, each category and board is being searched with one search for a particular thread.

[AE_Collector]

I am not sure which way to proceed. The easy way out will be to see which new discussions land on the new board versus which ones go to boards such as "Auction Talk" etc. Stuff can always be moved later. Or we could form a "Royal Commision" to discuss which way to go forward. We could have a few polls to gauge members feelings on some topics. I've been speaking out a little lately about poorly titled topics not helping future searches, putting all discussions about a particular phone into a single topic rather than starting 3, 4 or 5 topics about one telephone, not over using "quotes" etc. But these things are just how I think the forum would work better and I could be 100% wrong.

Terry

[Dennis Markham]

Terry, I agree that it is important to use key words when creating a topic title.  It makes it easier when browsing a board.  But when the search feature is used, I THINK it searches each individual word, whether that word is contained within the thread or part of the title.

[Russ Kirk]

I think it is a good to add the two new boards.

[Sargeguy]

How do I move old topics to the new board?

[Dennis Markham]

Greg, PM sent.

[Sargeguy]

I am only going to move stuff from the General Discussion, Collector's corner, older Auction Talk and Flea MArket Finds and leave technical and repair questions related to candlesticks on those boards.