META: OT Board

Submitted by NYC Fan on

After seeing 100+ responses to a question about whether one should attend law school or not, I want to raise the idea of an OT tab where users can ask questions as often as they would like.  Sample questions could be, I need a laptop, what model would you suggest?  Do snow tires really help rear wheel drive vehicles?  Was American Reunion a good movie?  Where are some good areas to sit at a Tigers game?  

I think the OT tab would be better than having some specific questions being posted on the main board as they are today.  I am not sure how difficult this addition would be, but I do feel it would be nice to have.  There are a lot of smart people on this board who share similar interests and it is great to hear outside, unbiased opinions.

Thoughts?

1464

April 22nd, 2012 at 11:27 PM ^

Not to mention the heat generated from friction with the road.  Snow tires sound like a terrible idea.  Who comes up with this shit?

In regards to the OP, this topic has been breached an umptillion times.  I probably created the same thread title two years ago.  Brian doesn't want this to drift too far into an OT board, as that would bring undesirables who would most certainly bring with them their emoticons.  And nobody wants emoticons... 

Daniel

April 23rd, 2012 at 8:30 AM ^

broach/brōCH/

Verb:
  1. Raise (a sensitive or difficult subject) for discussion: "he broached the subject".
  2. (of a ship with the wind on the quarter) Veer and pitch forward because of bad steering or a sea hitting the stern, causing it to...: "we had broached badly, side on to the wind and sea"

 

OMG Shirtless

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:18 PM ^

dude, an OT board is a reasonable suggestion and calling a guy a whiner because he suggests it is unnecessary.

However, it is May and there's just not a lot going on outside of recruiting stuff. If this was an issue during the season I'd be more concerned; as it is I'm OK with OT stuff.

http://mgoblog.com/content/ot-separate-ot-board#comment-101526

I have no idea if his position has changed.

Tshimanga Cowabunga

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:19 PM ^

I've always been a Mac guy so I would go with a MacBook Pro

Snow tires help but maybe not worth the amount of money and hassle to change them. Depends on the likely weather conditions and your driving ability.

I was pleasantly surprised by American Reunion. I had few expectations going in but I found myself laughing a lot.  It was rather nostalgic as well.

There are really no bad seats at Comerica Park. It really depends on how much money you want to spend and what you want your experience to be.  Upper deck behind home place is great.  The corners in the upper deck are super cheap but far away so I would bring binoculars. I even like standing room but that is just me.

Wait... what was the real question?

maizenblue92

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:21 PM ^

As long as there is some organized structure to it. I dont want this to become the RCMB where one topic is "Has anyone seen a ghost?"(actual RCMB topic) and the next one is "Gholston in a boot". As long relevant topics are separated from less relevant topics it should be fine. 

OMG Shirtless

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:24 PM ^

I generally shampoo, rinse, repeat, put in conditioner, wash my body, rinse my body, rinse out the conditoner.

No I don't know if your dog's asshole is supposed to look like that.

Bacon Wrapped Squirrel:

 

~ squirrel legs, front or rear, amount depends upon how hungry you are
~ beer
~ garlic powder
~ pepper
~ salt
~ minced onion
~ hickory smoked bacon
 
Soak the legs in beer for 2 – 3 hours. Remove and drain.
 
Sprinkle to taste with garlic powder, pepper, salt and the minced onion.
 
Wrap each leg with bacon. Secure with toothpicks if necessary.
 
Place on hot grill. Cook over medium heat until cooked through.
 
Serve with your favorite sides.
 
Enjoy.

NYC Fan

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:31 PM ^

While I am not married, marriage is a topic that affects everyone at one time or another.  Mid-life crisis seems to be another item that individuals go through, seems like this would be a good forum to bounce ideas off of.  I really just wanted to list a couple of OT topics that seem to be popular.  I live in NYC and don't own a car, but I have always found the concept of snow tires to be interesting.  People that have them, love them, but not many people tend to have them.

Thorin

April 23rd, 2012 at 2:07 AM ^

I just realized half my age plus seven is older than Jessica Dorrell. I wonder if they have snow tires for motorcycles. If not, it's probably time to get more life insurance before I'm diagnosed with a pre-existing condition. Is it a good idea to be worth more dead than alive to your wife?

NYC Fan

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:44 PM ^

I can agree with this.  I also don't want people to think I am just being lazy when I ask a question that can be googled.  I will be the first to say I don't trust the opinion of the general public, which is why I would rather ask the question here.

LSAClassOf2000

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:58 PM ^

.... about 10,038 MGoBloggers have contributed to the board at least once (tried to derive an accurate count from the MGoPoints list - not counting the wayward people with negative points), there is certainly more than enough fuel for such a board potentially, and I would think that, around here, more often than not, you would see constructive advice / discussion / etc... Capital idea really, if it is done with the usual amount of moderation and monitoring to keep up with the quality of the main MGoBoard.

thisisme08

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:43 PM ^

ehh the OT topics that leak threw are at least interesting...if we go w/ a straight OT board we are going to end up with #HALOL videos of animals doing funny things and well this is Michiganfergodsakes.

StephenRKass

April 23rd, 2012 at 1:58 PM ^

I resemble that comment.

And FTR, anyone can post whatever words or pictures they want, since it isn't my board. Brian, mgoprofit, bisb, and seth, on the other hand, might send a few more people to Bolivia. I'll just make up a batch of popcorn and enjoy the fireworks.

denardogasm

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:43 PM ^

While we're on the topic of Meta OT, weren't we hearing about a change to the point system or some general improvements coming weeks (maybe months) ago?  Did I miss an update on this?

rockydude

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:48 PM ^

An OT board makes sense to me. On the other hand, I am not one of the posters who feels the need to spend twenty minutes writing about how clicking on an OT thread cost them 15 seconds, so I am fine with the present system.

Then again, I don't feel the need to draw attention to every minor grammar error that another poster makes, so maybe I am just too soft on important issues . . .

mGrowOld

April 22nd, 2012 at 10:05 PM ^

Is there a compelling reason why this is necessary?  If you have well thought out and reasonable question like the Law School thread today simply putting OT in front of it is sufficient IMO.  And if you dont, like the "have you ever seen a ghost" thread referenced above on RCMB you'll get pounded no matter where the stinkbomb is found on the board.

Not quite sure what problem we're trying to solve here.

NYC Fan

April 22nd, 2012 at 10:15 PM ^

Not a problem, just a statement of a board where members can discuss everyday items not related to the University of Michigan.  If I posted a thread about snow tires, I would receive a couple of comments with the clever google link.  A few comments about just how much off topic is allowed.  Then more than likely the thread would be removed.

This is an educated, diverse group on this board and I think it is a good place to bounce ideas off of.  I get that things are more lenient during the offseason, but questions may come up during the season as well. 

Feat of Clay

April 23rd, 2012 at 9:32 AM ^

I totarlly get that.  I value the opinions of the folks on this board and would sooner ask a snow tire question here than other places.   In fact as I was reading the law school thread I found myself wishing I could ask some advice about my husband's job/career situation.  I'd rather hear from the educated, engaged, intelligent U-M alums & fans here than anywhere else I could think up.  But there really isn't a place for it. 

That said, I also get the concerns of mods & others who think it will increase the riffraff quotient.  I don't know if there is any way around that.  You could restrict posting to folks with a certain number of mgopoints, but there are longtime lurkers who would probably be able to contribute something useful; shutting them out would limit the usefulness of an OT board.