I agree, they are annoying, but I don't run this place. It occurred to me once that a group of us should start posting on those threads. We could converse among ourselves on them. Maybe post some recipes or copy/paste articles that we then discuss.

I too had been wondering about those 5,000 comment design dilemmas and just assummed it was about a design ...it makes sense that they might have evolved into something else

We used to have a limit. Maybe suggest that be reI should be reinstated?

Obviously those threads are drawing interest and visits, which is the life blood of this kind of site. I have been on sites where 'stickies' posted by the site listed at the top mean that many conversations soon end up on the second page. No big deal.

If newbies needing help are always on the second page, those who want to help will look at the second page. However, a quick look at the actual realities showed just a few long threads on the first page, there was plenty of room for everyone. So really it is just a straw man argument because there really isn't a problem at the present time.

If Houzz starts telling people exactly what to talk about and how long they can talk about it, the forum will just dry up and drift away.

I also feel like phrases such as 'let the fur fly' indicate a desire for entertainment, a cat fight, rather than seeking compromise.

oly I get it - seeing some of those threads continually bumped up and bumping others down bug me as well. Do you remember how frustrated we would get 'in the old days' when a particularly juicy thread would begin to reach the post limit? Someone(s) would inevitably post that we are close to the limit (and add nothing else) thus taking away space for someone who wanted to contribute their thoughts. There is no perfect site with perfect rules. It seems we've reached the point where the unspoken collective decision (among GWers still here) is to go along to get along for the most part and stick close to this little conversation corner.

I agree that they seem a bit ridiculous, and it also seems to indicate a need for more conversations forums, doesn't it?

FWIW, houzz does provide the option of seeing only unanswered posts - at least on my desktop browser it does...

So, I was thinking that I don't see very many threads with that many responses. Then I realized, and then saw CarolB's note, that I can change my sort to Popular, where I indeed got those high-activity posts. I've always done "Latest". I don't think I see the sort option on my phone, though.

Lucille, you're right....my language about fur flying seems like I was hoping for a cat fight. Not at all; I'd love it if people would think about other posters and let their threads die back, but assumed that anyone who doesn't think about other posters might likely become quite defensive about their posts. If I could have suggested a compromise, I would have. Maybe suggesting a 500 post limit to someone who has 5,000+ posts could be considered a compromise?

I can't actually open any of those threads to see what they have "evolved" to, even if I wanted to, because they would freeze up my computer (slow bandwidth).

I do sort by most recent, which is the problem I see with threads where people post so many responses - each new response puts the thread back at the top of the page.

I'm not so sure those threads are drawing any NEW interest. I know I'm not about to click on a thread that contains thousands of posts, because my time is more valuable than that. Those threads give the forum a cliqueish feel, and I agree that Houzz should implement some control over them.

Isn't there another forum called Other where people can chat at length in a single thread?

I did open one of those just now and as I thought, it's a handful of people just making idle chitchat. It's nice that they've connected, but not an appropriate use of the forum. It's entirely the fault of Houzz though. They didn't think these forums through on several levels.

I don't ever bother opening those super long threads, since I can be fairly certain they've strayed far off topic by comment 100, and who has the time (or inclination) to read all those comments anyway?

I do try to be forgiving of varying levels of tech savvy-ness, because some people, to be fair, may not realize there is a better way to do things.

And on the Hot Topics forum, it's a pretty sure bet it's devolved into a couple of folks bickering with each other...

IdaClaire, not sure how it is Houzz's fault, or even the fault of an original poster. People have tried to redirect a thread to somewhere else, but new people keep chiming in. Perhaps an OP could have an ability to close comments on their own thread, with a final comment as to why or redirecting future commenters.

Of course, I can see that ability could be used a lot on HT which will create a firestorm all its own.

If those threads are just being used for chatting now, they should be moved to Other on the Houzz side. A group of you could make the request of Emily/Houzz to move it. I don't go to Decor any more but I think one of those is on the Building a Home forum AND the kitchen forum! The one by pink peony IIRC.