Changing Thread Titles

[kaldaniels]

Not my site, but I've noticed many thread title changes lately. As posters, what are our "rights" in terms of keeping a thread title how we want it. If I posted the title, "Drew Stubbs Uncle", I wouldn't want that to be changed. Just looking for some ground rules going forward.

[paintmered]

Mods can change them at any time. Generally, I change a thread title if it's offensive, grammatically offensive, or invalid.

[Boss-Hog]

You also need to consider that sometimes, the original poster asks us to change the title for them.

[kaldaniels]

Originally Posted by Boss-Hog

You also need to consider that sometimes, the original poster asks us to change the title for them.

That was considered. But what I was getting at is let's say I start a thread "Player X is awesome", but over time the thread veers in another direction. Is that reason enough for the mods to change a thread title, or would you ask the thread starter first. As I said, I'm just looking for the ground rules here.

[macro]

I change them when they're vague, provided I see them before they have several replies. When threads hit the board with titles such as "Something I'd like to see...", "Pitching", "Attendance" or just a players name, I almost always change them. It makes the board more readable, it makes a topic more likely to generate views/replies, and it makes it easier to find the thread in a search a few months or years down into the future.

If a thread with a vague title has already received 15-20 posts or so, I usually leave it alone, because I assume several people have already read it and will be confused when they can't find it.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by kaldaniels

That was considered. But what I was getting at is let's say I start a thread "Player X is awesome", but over time the thread veers in another direction. Is that reason enough for the mods to change a thread title, or would you ask the thread starter first. As I said, I'm just looking for the ground rules here.

My usual policy, if discussion veers heavily, is to add something additional to the end of the title.

Ex: "Drew Stubbs Defense" -- if that thread morphs into something about UZR and defensive metrics, I might change the title to "Drew Stubbs Defense (Advanced Defensive Metrics)."

I don't ask the OP's permission to make the change, I just do it and move on with my business. Ditto to merging threads that are duplicates or moving threads to other forums. I've never had anyone complain about changes I've made. The goal is to make the board as reader-friendly as possible. I don't think any mod is out there maliciously editing titles to make people look bad.

[TRF]

IMO, and no disrespect intended, these are your rights: follow the rules as stated below and you get to post. If I go into someone else's house and am watching television, I don't get to complain if they change the channel.

Remember, we are just visitors.

and that is my 2 cents.