Is Answerbank spoilt?

[LOLLUL]

Like it seems many others I have changed my login on AB to be able to post a question. I first came to this site as I wanted a question answered - which I thought what the site was for? Now it seems that it is more of a chat room? - with 'regulars' taking over and making it more personal and not a "question answering information gathering internet site"? My question for all you 'chat' people - why do you not go to a chat room and talk rather than get personal with each other? By the way I am NOT one of the regulars - just a casual visitor that gets miffed...

[raysparx]

If people ask a sensible question,they get a sensible answer, that is fact, if certain people post stupid questions they get,yes, stupid answers

[Redbel]

LOLLUL, I have never and don't intend to use "chatrooms". I have MSN if I want to chat to my nearest and dearest.
I don't think AB is spoilt, there is nothing wrong with a bit of banter.... as long as it's not malicious. AB Ed has said that she doesn't mind the odd thread of "chat". AB will always be what it is, a question and answer site.

[ELVIS68]

Why don`t you miff off then?

[ELVIS68]

Hiya Bez...that Q wern`t for you btw lol

[Redbel]

Hiya Elvis... LOL....now would I dare "chat"...... hee hee.....YES :)

[ELVIS68]

I meant the miff off Q...Doh!

[kazminx]

exactly elvis!!

[Redbel]

Elvis that was your reply not a question.... DOH ;-)

[ELVIS68]

exactly what?

[zipadeedodah]

How I see it is....

There are different people on here....some like to come on often to 'chat' with others, and get to know each other more. Others purely want to use the site as what it was originally intended - a question and answer site. Personally I like looking through questions in different topics, answering where I can. However, occasionally I see a more fun chattier post that I would also like to join in on.

Because people can choose to ignore the threads they are not interested in, the main problem I see is that in Body and Soul, proper questions get pushed down the page far too fast, and there is less chance of getting a decent number of replies. The Chatterbank section went out of control, but it obviously kept the chatty posts out of body and soul. I'd like to see a similar section to Chatterbank (re)introduced, so those who want to chat can, and those who want to post "proper" questions can do so in B&S without it disappearing so quickly.

[kazminx]

elvis..i was agreeing with you 'miff off'...lol

[electricblue]

so there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ELVIS68]

Who you telling to miff off?

[kazminx]

elvis...sober up....you bloody said it to lollul ya dafty!!!

[Redbel]

Oh Elvis just giz a song you Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love.... :)

[curiosity]

I think this is a reasonable question to ask, like you I first came to the site to ask a question and was very interested by the site, I also enjoy reading some of the banter as Zip says, and will chip in sometimes, what puzzles me is when people who are clearly not regulars in the chat do chip in, they arn't even acknowledged sometimes, and the regular chatters just keep talking to each other. I think that some threads become exclusive, and that's not really in the spirit of the site.

[dot.hawkes]

aye

[abanker]

Well said lollul, zipadeedodah and curiosity. I couldn't agree more.

[Booldawg]

For the most part, AB is a serious question answering site. Body and Soul has become the domain of the ex-Chatter Bank people. Like asylum seekers, they were forced to leave their natural homes and decided to seek asylum in Body and Soul.

[kick3m0n]

It's largely only B&S that has become a chat site, so think laterally and post your questions elsewhere if you can, or ignore that particular topic altogether and you'll miss the inane chat that miffs you so much.