What is happening to home and garden?

[tubeway]

I know that body and soul has turned into a chat site, and expect to see chat whenever I visit - but howcome all the chat is spreading over to home and garden now.
Why not have a chat area for those who want to chat but stay on AB - and leave the question sections for those who want to ask or answer questions.
This is not any sort of rant - but I think an "official" chat area might restore areas of the site from being misused

[lou 26]

been there, done that, AB got rid of it

[rugeleyboy]

where is the chat in home and garden?

all i can see is a 67 yr old man asking a (i think) a genuine question and thanking people for the response he has had to questions already asked?

the only thing this person has done wrong is not keep the same subject confined to 1 thread?

[Quizmonster]

The Web is already awash with "areas for those who want to chat", Tubeway. It is an enduring mystery to me why AnswerBank users who fit that description don't find one and use it instead of foisting their chatter on this site...in any of its categories.

[theonlyone]

Tubeway I think that 's a good idea .

[B00]

awww tubeway, you really don't mean phizzy do you? So he hasn't grasped the concept of how AB is supposed to work, hardly a crime is it?

He's a new user, please give him a break huh?

[shaneystar2]

The chap is 67 and a widower ....give him a break for goodness sake . He just wants to get his electrics fixed . He's not "misusing " anything .
Perhaps he doesn't realise you should answer in the same thread . We are not all computer whizz kids and all have to start somewhere . It's not as if he asking what you had for tea or slating anyone !
I post a fair amount of drivel myself .. Home and Garden is hardly a den of iniquity :))

[tubeway]

I am not trying to upset anybody - I did not read most of the posts- if you glance through, it does look like chat. So why not expand my idea-------

1 - a chat area

2 - an area for beginners that explains how to use the site properly

[B00]

like point number two, good idea, but point number one was implented. It was called ChatterBank, it was brilliant for say the 1st 6 months then it went downhill fast, bickering, squabbles, aliases and downright nastiness before it was promptly removed Dec '06. Can't see them being in a rush to being it back.

[Pirate1]

I missed out on the Chatterbank that apparently went so badly wrong. I don't understand why it was allowed to. For instance, I know that people can be really nasty and no one can stop this happening, however, that person can be banned. Now, if they then try to come back as an alias, this can be prevented by banning the IP address of the computer. Most people only use maybe one or two computers and therefore with the IP address banned they wouldn't be able to come back. My daughter is a super moderator on a chat site and this is done to anyone who abuses that site. It does seem a shame that pleasant people who want to chat have it ruined by others. Also, I have tried to find a chat site that would interest me but they seem to be 'interest specific' and I prefer the randomness of the people on Answerbank.

[tubeway]

I do remember chatterbank - but did not use it much.
If you visit body and soul - you will see some bickering, squabbles etc etc, it is just that having chatterbank frees up body and soul for questions.
For example - I work in an area of medical healthcare, before body and soul got hijacked I would help out people with problems in my area of expertise - I no longer do that because I do not visit body and soul anymore.

[Pirate1]

But there is still the subsection Health and Fitness and all the posts there seem relevant.

[B00]

I can see where you're coming from tubeway, i'm sorry you feel that you can no longer visit B&S, and I hate to admit i'm probably one (or more precisely, my ramblings are one) of the reasons why you dont go there anymore.

Pirate- like you i've also tried to find other chat forums, but again hit that topic specific problem or worse, somewhere with only about half a dozen members in it. If you find a good one, let me know and i'll do likewise?

[Pirate1]

Will do BOO (hey that rhymes!). Although maybe the ED will let us try a chat section again if everyone promises to be good!

[mycats]

I dont understand all the bad feeling about chatterbank! It wasnt that bad, certainly not as bad as B&S is now. We were all gutted when it was removed