On The Recommendation Thread

[phil_geo]

One impression I have after reading this forum for over a year is that sometimes the mods close threads too quickly, especially threads asking for input on ideas for books to read.

The Recommendation Thread (TRT) is good, but honestly, a lot of the threads referred to in the thread haven't been updated for 2 years or more. New books are written, and perceptions of old favorites change as time goes by. Also, I have seen mods pointing to the thread even though the suggestions in TRT aren't exact matches. For example, asking for books for someone new to fantasy, and getting pointed to fantasy for children.

Also, sometimes a thread will be very specific, for example someone recently listed about 20 books they had read, and rated them A+, C-, etc. They asked for recommendations, and their thread was locked. I think this was a mistake - a lot of information was in their post. If they loved Harry Potter and hated Sword of Truth, that might trigger someone to give a spot-on recommendation - one they could not have gotten from the TRT.

Finally, may I respectfully suggest that a large part of the reason people come to a forum is because they want to have a conversation and a discussion, not just to get info? If you only want people to look at TRT, I could download it and not have to come here anymore. Sometimes people just feel like chatting about books they love. They want to get to know each other - reading TRT will let you know that some guy who hasn't posted here for 2 years liked Wheel of Time, but it is much more useful if a current poster recommends Wheel of Time so you can ask follow-up questions.

If people don't want to post on a thread asking for suggestions, they don't have to - they don't even have to read the thread. But you will notice a lot of people love to post on those threads until they are locked. I realize the mods will have more work if they allow more threads, but if at all possible, I think the benefits would be huge.

I really enjoy these forums, and the mods are doing a great job. This was just my 2 cents.

Thanks,
phil_geo

 

[Soon Lee]

A fair comment I think.

I was composing a reply to odo's Authors similar to Greg Egan? question and was pointing them to the recommendation thread when I realised that the SF section of the recommendation thread does not have a :
"If you like ^^^^^ then you might like #####" thread.

I'm happy to start one if the mods don't mind.

 

[Monty Mike]

A fair comment I think.

I was composing a reply to odo's Authors similar to Greg Egan? question and was pointing them to the recommendation thread when I realised that the SF section of the recommendation thread does not have a :
"If you like ^^^^^ then you might like #####" thread.

I'm happy to start one if the mods don't mind.

Very informative reply to the Authors similar to Greg Egan thread, Soon Lee

Here is the Sci-fi: If you like ^^^ then you might like ###

Hope that helps

 

[Soon Lee]

Hah! Serves me right for being too lazy to do a search first. Thanks monty mike.

Mods, if you're reading this, could you 'sticky' the thread to the recommendation one too?

 

[Rob B]

I've been let this one brew for a while before answering it, so here are my thoughts.

The Recommendation Thread (TRT) is good, but honestly, a lot of the threads referred to in the thread haven't been updated for 2 years or more. New books are written, and perceptions of old favorites change as time goes by. Also, I have seen mods pointing to the thread even though the suggestions in TRT aren't exact matches. For example, asking for books for someone new to fantasy, and getting pointed to fantasy for children.

Part of the reason the threads are linked in there is so they CAN be updated and added to, rather than create brand new threads where everyone will recommend the same books they always suggest. Some have been bumped and continued, others, I agree are out of date. In the past, I've gone and bumped some of the topics in the Recommendation Thread, this usually does get more conversation going. I'll get back into this habit, because as you say, tastes do change over time.

Also, sometimes a thread will be very specific, for example someone recently listed about 20 books they had read, and rated them A+, C-, etc. They asked for recommendations, and their thread was locked. I think this was a mistake - a lot of information was in their post. If they loved Harry Potter and hated Sword of Truth, that might trigger someone to give a spot-on recommendation - one they could not have gotten from the TRT.

If the thread is specific enough, then we do try to let it grow and move along, rather than close it. Not all the time, I do freely admit to having a quick trigger finger with closing recommendation threads, especially if there are three or for "what should I read next" topics floating around on the front page.

Finally, may I respectfully suggest that a large part of the reason people come to a forum is because they want to have a conversation and a discussion, not just to get info? If you only want people to look at TRT, I could download it and not have to come here anymore. Sometimes people just feel like chatting about books they love. They want to get to know each other - reading TRT will let you know that some guy who hasn't posted here for 2 years liked Wheel of Time, but it is much more useful if a current poster recommends Wheel of Time so you can ask follow-up questions.

...and I will respectfully agree with you - people do come here looking for stimulating conversations and not just get info.

I, and all the mods, WANT people to engage in conversation. But conversatoin more than simply restating the same books, which is what a proliferation of "what should I read next" threads will and has turned into in the past.

 

[Soon Lee]

Rob, I agree with your points.

The system now is far superior to the past. There is a much better signal-to-noise ratio.

I appreciate that it is a difficult balancing act & have nothing but admiration for the work people like you put in to make this a fun & interesting place to hang out.

Thanks for listening.

 

[Rob B]

Thanks Soon, Hobnob for you!

Incidentially, I updated the big thread today with some more recent threads:

The Recommendation Thread

 

[phil_geo]

hmm

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I checked out the updated Recommendation Thread, and it is very good. I agree with your points, and I have always appreciated the work the mods perform here. I just wanted to raise the thought that sometimes we less-well-read posters like to be able to help out a true newbie.

Hey I checked, and I haven't been posting here for a year, I've been posting here for over four! Time flies on a great board i guess...

 

[Brys]

The real problem isn't with threads being closed, its with there being a stigma attached to replying to any thread older than about a year. When I first came to these forums there was a thread (linked to by the recommendation thread) that had just been revived, but after I posted there, I was quickly told not to post there and reply and to only look in the Reccomendation thread (by moderators as well). I know the main reason of the threads is to give information, but given that there going to be a subjective nature, I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that each person will want to give different recommendations and will add their's to one of those threads. Now while those specific books/series may have been mentioned before, what is often is important in recommendations is the groupings of books by a person - for example, if someone likes both Robert Jordan and China Mieville, and you do as well, then you're far more likely to look closely at those reccomendations.

I know the theory is that you can post in them, but the problem is that often people have something against posting in them. The situation has certainly improved, but its still a problem.

What I think would be beneficial would be a recommendation thread for fantasy much like the science fiction one as well - an open ended, regularly updated one. People tend to look at that type more than just the bewildering list of recommendations. The Recommendation thread for fantasy is great if you want something detailed, but most people somehow tend to miss it, mainly because it isn't updated regularly and people can't post in that one. Perhaps taking one of those threads and separating it out into another sticky would make people realise that they shouldn't be posting new threads.

 

[Jack]

On the majority of forums I have encountered around the web, "gravedigging" (catch-all term for reviving a really old thread) is frowned upon. I think this is typically the case in forums that are not well moderated, in other words, forums filled with flame threads (heated argument threads that always devolve into ad hominem [personal attacks]).

Since we don't have that problem here, gravedigging is not frowned upon. I sent a PM to one of the mods right around when I started posting here to ask about gravedigging, and was told it is not an issue 'round these parts.

As for recommendations, I perused the recommendation thread thoroughly, and found many excellent reccs, before starting my own topic requesting Victorian alt-fantasy recommendations. I was tired of asking for Victorian Fantasy recommendations elsewhere, because all I ever got was "d00d reed PSS mieville its the r0xx0rz". OK, so it was never that bad, but you get the idea. Anywho, that little thread was adopted into the greater recommendation thread, because I obviously had a sincere desire to find Victorian Fantasy, or victorian like fantasy - from that thread I discovered Susanna Clarke, Sean Russell, and John Crowley, not to mention a myriad of other possibilities I haven't read - yet.

The point of the previous paragraph is that not all the recommendation threads get locked down. But if I go and post "zomg whut book 2 reed nxt i lik martin and jordan and hobb and shannara plz tell k thx bie"; well, first I need to spend some more time mastering english - if I write that way, my reading comprehension must be poor. Second, Rob or some other "mean" mod will lock the thread and refer me to the Big Thread.