Empty Posts

[Elspeth]

As a result of feedback about the large numbers of empty posts in the current-events threads for young royals, we're in the process of making some changes to the format and content of these threads.

Since young children don't have many current events, we're dropping the "current events" part of the thread title. Threads for young siblings are being combined so that each thread covers all the children in a family instead of having one thread per child. Children who have very little public exposure and children of minor royals are being included in their parents' threads, which are being renamed as family threads.

We're enforcing our empty-posts rule, "Threads and posts containing information already posted by others will be deleted or merged; empty posts containing irrelevant short exclamations or comments will be deleted," more stringently than we have done in the past. The moderators will be deleting posts saying nothing more than how cute, adorable, pretty, etc, a child is, along with posts asking for photos, thanking people for posting photos, or otherwise not saying anything substantive. The stricter enforcement of the empty-posts rule applies to all threads, not just those about children.

Later this month we'll be adding threads where birthday and anniversary wishes can be posted instead of being posted in the current-events and news threads. Until then, please be restrained in posting birthday and anniversary wishes in the regular threads, since it's rather tiresome to read post after post saying just "happy birthday!"

If anyone has questions or comments about these changes, please feel free to post them here or send them by private message to one of the administrators.

[LadyK]

Great idea! The empty posts can get quite dragging when I, who just checks the "new posts" listings when I come onto TRF, see a new post for the royal children, for example, Infanta Leonor, get excited thinking there are new pictures or news, but instead see "Where is she/happy birthday/why don't we see more pictures/etc." Also, I think since those threads so often have nothing new to add, they seem to be hotbeds for arguments, such as the Mary/Letizia Christian/Leonor arguments that so often pop up on Leo's threads.

I want members to post and share, but those just get us no where. Please make this fun, and informative, guys, and please discuss- let's just not get dragged down those same old paths.

(this post is meant with warmth and friendliness, not nagging or anything)

[acdc1]

I think it's a good idea, too, but what do you say if we haven't seen the child, and they do look cute? Just keep the comment to ourselves?

But I agree, taking up space just to be saying "Happy Birthday" or something like that is a waste of space.

I'm not meaning to be rude. It's a real question.

[Elspeth]

Well, if you can say something more than just "how cute!," it would be helpful. Something along the lines of how much he looked like his father at that age or how much he's grown since his last birthday or how well he's interacting with his family members or his pets or the photographers or some observation which other people might find interesting to read and chat about.

[Vanesa]

Yes. I agree. Threads plenty of "Ohhh..How nice!" or "What a cutie pie!" are not too useful, and we are supposed to be here to change impressions, opinions, information , pics, etc...I find that Elspeth is giving an excellent idea over there. Making some comments about the babies, more than single little admirative sentences will be good for the boards, for we'll can discuss them.

Of course, saying "How cute!" ,time to time is not a bad thing! Sometimes, I did as all here (or almost all also did). The bad thing is to repeat these little exclamations without substance every day...

Vanesa.

[crisiñaki]

I agree with you
Threads become annoying when they are all about: "when is he/she going to show up again", "he/she is cute" etc etc etc

I have another suggestion: sometimes royals are missing for a while, and people start asking the same questions and same statements over and over and over, if the royal is not "working" or isn't showing up then the statements about "when is he/she gonna appear again" and "I remember, that last summer, he/she...", "I wanna see him/her again" etc etc are quite pointless and should be deleted

For example: in the Mary, Letizia, Maxima current events, there should be talk only about what they are doing now (like acts and appareances and stuff like that) but they are on a kind of maternity leave, so I believe talking about how they are not showing up goes against the purpose of those threads, don't you think so?

Thanks for all the hard work done

[dazzling]

what a great idea. well at lest these way & without the empty post's a conversation can start about the child/children. I mean, if you just say "how cute" you cant really reply to that but if you say "oh! he takes after his dad, but with his mothers eye color" you can start to give an opinion if you do agree or not with the poster...
Thankss

[LadyK]

I'd just appreciate a "How cute- I love how big Christian's eyes are" or "Leonor is so adorable, she seems just like her mother..." whatever.

Not just "oh how cute" but "oh how cute because"

[RhapsodyBrat]

thanks for the news mods and admins! glad to see that a thread will no longer rack up 10 pages fast due to repeated empty posts.

members should also do their part too--READ FIRST, going back a few pages in the thread to update yourselves before making any post. or, if you've found a statement that goes with what you think, it would be better to post only when you've got something to add.

[adelaide]

Originally Posted by LadyK

I'd just appreciate a "How cute- I love how big Christian's eyes are" or "Leonor is so adorable, she seems just like her mother..." whatever.

Not just "oh how cute" but "oh how cute because"

I'm totally agree with you. It's not an accusation on the basis of assumption of no fact but it's better to argue even a simple constatation particularly if it's bad or good. It's allow a discussion!

[Australian]

Sound good to me. I feel that it was rather tiresome and tedious just opening posts and threads that were filled with "how cute etc" comments. Anyway, glad to know that it wont be the case anymore!

[kbear]

Sorry I have been thanking people for pics and translations for a while didnt mean to make extra work for the mods.