Thread: Reoccurring dreams about being eaten

okay, spellbee2.

I thought the rule was that you couldn't revive an old thread unless you had something relevant to add, and I thought that having an interpretation for a requested interpretation was relevant.

What does relevant mean? And also, the definition of off topic, please? (I'm very new!)

Originally Posted by amateur

okay, spellbee2.

I thought the rule was that you couldn't revive an old thread unless you had something relevant to add, and I thought that having an interpretation for a requested interpretation was relevant.

The rule is actually that if a thread is old and inactive (i.e. no posts for about a year or more), it's better to start a new thread than post in the old one. There are a few exceptions (threads in DreamViews Favorites, for example). And yes, you're somewhat right - reviving an old thread for a relevant response is better than reviving it just to say "cool" or "thanks". But in this case, the original poster hasn't even logged into the forum since June 2014, so interpreting their dream is a bit of a waste, as they'll probably never see it. And you may say "well it's still a good point of discussion regardless", and I agree - but not in the Dream Interpretation subforum, which is specifically for interpreting users' dreams.

Originally Posted by amateur

What does relevant mean? And also, the definition of off topic, please? (I'm very new!)

Relevant is the same as the dictionary definition: pertaining to the subject at hand. In this case, "relevant" is any discussion that is related to the thread title, "Reoccurring dreams about being eaten". Off-topic is any discussion that is not relevant - Jungian Archetypes or the Book of Genesis, for example.

Originally Posted by spellbee2

The rule is actually that if a thread is old and inactive (i.e. no posts for about a year or more), it's better to start a new thread than post in the old one. There are a few exceptions (threads in DreamViews Favorites, for example). And yes, you're somewhat right - reviving an old thread for a relevant response is better than reviving it just to say "cool" or "thanks". But in this case, the original poster hasn't even logged into the forum since June 2014, so interpreting their dream is a bit of a waste, as they'll probably never see it. And you may say "well it's still a good point of discussion regardless", and I agree - but not in the Dream Interpretation subforum, which is specifically for interpreting users' dreams.



Relevant is the same as the dictionary definition: pertaining to the subject at hand. In this case, "relevant" is any discussion that is related to the thread title, "Reoccurring dreams about being eaten". Off-topic is any discussion that is not relevant - Jungian Archetypes or the Book of Genesis, for example.

Okay. I'm not sure I understand, but I'll make an effort.

I was able set up email notifications for this forum, so I thought that even if a user hadn't posted there was a chance they would be notified of a response, and come take a look. I would do that, even if I hadn't been back for a long time, because I would want to know what someone had said in response to my post!

From now on I'll assume that people no longer want interpretations, if they were not interested enough to post in any other subjects on this site! It confused me only because people were asking for a response, so I assumed they would still want one, especially if they hadn't gotten one yet . . . I was focusing on interpreting dreams that hadn't been tackled by anyone yet, thinking that it would be appreciated, especially if the original poster had waited for a long time.

I'm a little confused about the restriction regarding "off topic", and "relevant", and wonder if you could clarify.

In personal conversations between people, it's not usual to stick to the original topic, and only the original topic. Conversations morph away from the original topic, and remain relevant to the conversation as a whole. If someone comments with something that's not in the title of the thread, but is still relevant to the preceding posts within the thread, is that not relevant, and related to the original topic?

I'm sorry again! Thanks for answering!

Edited: I guess I was thinking that not everyone who joins the site looking for an interpretation has anything to add in the other areas, so it would be natural for them to never post again, but still want a reply. I won't do that anymore! Because if I start a new thread, the person won't be notified, and it was their dream, so the new thread would be relevant to no one!

Last post before I move this DV rules-related discussion to its own thread for being off-topic as well.

Originally Posted by amateur

I was able set up email notifications for this forum, so I thought that even if a user hadn't posted there was a chance they would be notified of a response, and come take a look. I would do that, even if I hadn't been back for a long time, because I would want to know what someone had said in response to my post!

For one, I don't think they'd want an email from a site they haven't visited in 3 years. I used Runescape back in 2008, and if I randomly got an email from them telling me to come back, I'd probably either a) ignore it, or b) hit the unsubscribe button (yes, that's more than 3 years, but it's the best example I can think of off the top of my head). On top of that, I hardly even remember any dreams from 2014, even the ones that were amazing lucids. So it's highly unlikely that whoever posted it originally even remembers the dream. And from an interpretation perspective, they were probably a completely different person 3 years ago than they are today, and any interpretation may no longer be applicable to them.

Originally Posted by amateur

From now on I'll assume that people no longer want interpretations, if they were not interested enough to post in any other subjects on this site! It confused me only because people were asking for a response, so I assumed they would still want one, especially if they hadn't gotten one yet . . . I was focusing on interpreting dreams that hadn't been tackled by anyone yet, thinking that it would be appreciated, especially if the original poster had waited for a long time.

I'm not saying you shouldn't help interpret someone's dream because that's their only post. You'd be surprised at how many users create accounts simply to make one post, and probably 75% of those users make their one post in Dream Interpretation. I'm just saying that if it's their only post from years ago, it's not really worth it to respond, since it's unlikely they'll return to see your response - email or no email.

I have no problem with you wanting to help interpreting - in fact, I highly encourage it. I think dream interpretation is one of the biggest things we lack on the forum. Often, threads in the Dream Interpretation forum go unanswered, simply because we don't really have many users who are good at interpretation. It's understandable though, since our focus here is on lucid dreaming, and dream interpretation is only really related in the fact that it involves dreams.

Originally Posted by amateur

I'm a little confused about the restriction regarding "off topic", and "relevant", and wonder if you could clarify.

In personal conversations between people, it's not usual to stick to the original topic, and only the original topic. Conversations morph away from the original topic, and remain relevant to the conversation as a whole. If someone comments with something that's not in the title of the thread, but is still relevant to the preceding posts within the thread, is that not relevant, and related to the original topic?

Darkmatters pretty much nailed it. Our forum is a learning resource. Think of it like a classroom - there are personal conversations and discussions between students and teachers, but they are all related to a specific topic. There are subforums where deviating slightly from the original topic to continue the flow of conversation is okay (within reason, of course) - our non-dreaming-related subforums like The Lounge, Extended Discussion, etc. But in the Dreaming and Lucid Dreaming subforums, it's important to stick to the original topic. In the future, say someone is Googling for reoccurring dreams about being eaten, and stumbles across this thread. They click it and start reading, hoping to learn more, but instead find a long discussion of Abrahamic Texts, Jungian archetypes, and now the importance of staying on-topic in online forums. It's unhelpful and unprofessional, and it's why moderators work to keep threads on-topic as much as possible.

And thanks DM for pointing out that this is the Nightmares & Recurring Dreams subforum and not Dream Interpretation - I got confused since the OP asked for an interpretation.