Some change is good...

[Ferret]

Spring is in the air and I'm breaking out the cleaning supplies...

I'm getting concerned about the Forums of late...I've been frequenting a few other forums to continue my air-raids of sanity and I've been taking a look at how other admins work. There's a few things that I'd like to see:

More diversity in the forums (I know, Spidey, I know). Some new threads dedicated to video games, MTGOnline, perhaps other CCG's, movies, sports, Tv.

A little more discipline in the forums. If a thread starts getting ridiculously off-topic it should be closed. If someone wants to start a new thread w/ the same off-topic (now, on-topic) posts, it'll be fine.

A little less spamming. People just posting for the sake of posting is never a good idea. The post count should never be a reason for typing...

I've seen some pretty succesful forums that have been around only a year longer than us. We have the room and can afford a little growth.

-Ferret

"...a little evolution never hurt anyone..."

 

[Spiderman]

I never know when this should go to CPA/Magic Issue... it seems suited for that also.

I don't think we have enough active members to warrant opening up new forums, but if the majority (and/or Ed) agrees to it, we could try it for a trial basis. If it doesn't get much activity, the threads could always be combined into the original appropriate forum and the new one deleted.

I don't think there's much of a problem with threads going off-topic with the exception of one person, so I think closing is unnecessary. Just delete the offending post. One of my pet peeves actually is people starting new threads on the same topic - my action to to merge the threads together. I don't want to see 10 different threads on the same subject in the forums.

I agree about the spamming.

 

[train]

I don't think there's much of a problem with threads going off-topic with the exception of one person

I'm sorry...

My suggestions start here, and can accommodate both of your thoughts thus far:

More diversity in the forums

Why not start with a Thread about these topics and see how developed they get(within the thread), before opening up a forum. If you start said TV thread and you get 3 replies, and then spam, it won't take so much. Now if you start said CCG's thread and it gets 57 replies before spam, and from at least 10 different people, then there may be a validated push for the said CCG thread.

As for discipline in the threads - I've been guilty of randomness myself. But that is me, my character, and I'm a free spirit dang it!...

JK -

now seriously... If I'm willing to tone myself down in the interest of the CPA - and do my best to stay on topic, we have to make sure we have more than one person(spidey - right now) that keeps everyone in line. I can only keep me in line. Others should be responsible for themselves, but it takes personal discipline(and some people don't have it), unless people with admin capabilities crack down. Do founders have this capapbility?...

Another idea would be to have a forum moderator. Someone responsible for the content of a forum specifically, and if someone abuses their posting priveleges, then that moderator can report the incident to Spidey, Spidey can investigate, and if need be, issue disciplinary action.

This will take a lot of time, for one person, and one person can't do it all, well... they could try, and probably be limited by time, and other responsibilities...

As for the spamming, I think spamming actually has a life force with it... sometimes it can instill discussion, and sometimes it can deter discussion. If the spamming is encouraging discussion, split the thread where it started, and allow the instilled discussion to carry on. If the spamming is deterrent the post could be deleted, especially if the thread is not receiving posts on a regular basis. Dead topics slow forums, so move them along and may they RIP.

That's Train's 2 cents... but I'm charging you guys the special price of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.00

 

[Spiderman]

Actually, you weren't the person I was thinking of. You've definitely "toned down" since you first got here and I don't think you're a problem

Founders have the capability. Basically, all of the Founders/Admins are "forum moderators"; I don't think we need a certain person for each forum. Also, I don't think we get enough traffic/posts to warrant it anyway (at least for now).

I agree about the spamming sometimes encouraging other discussion, but the ones lately are not doing that. They're basically posts just to randomly say something.

 

[train]

So who'd like to start a "TV" thread in Off-topic.

 

[Spiderman]

It's all about you. The slight problem I see is that there's a lot of TV shows out there, so it'll probably get a lot of posts all spread out... I guess I'll see how it goes. My instinct would be to keep each TV show as its separate thread, so I guess I'll need to exercise some self-control

 

[train]

Well.. I think starting a TV thread(just one) would let you know if you needed a forum.

If it talked about 12 different shows, with a lot of comments on each, then there's 12 potential threads in the "new" forum already...

If it stays with 1-3 shows, and various others here and there, I don't see the need for a forum...

I guess the real question is: Where is the best place to place this Test TV thread to give it the most exposure?...

 

[Spiderman]

Pretty much the only place it can go is Off-Topic.

 

[Nightstalkers]

Originally posted by Spiderman

One of my pet peeves actually is people starting new threads on the same topic - my action to to merge the threads together. I don't want to see 10 different threads on the same subject in the forums.

Spidey has the same problem as me, stupidity in action. Why should i have to suffer through the ten threads started up by people that cannot share their idea's and opinions with the rest of the group. Whatever the forums need, its enforcement of this that is what makes this site a little better than mtgnews.

Originally posted by train

As for the spamming, I think spamming actually has a life force with it... sometimes it can instill discussion, and sometimes it can deter discussion. If the spamming is encouraging discussion, split the thread where it started, and allow the instilled discussion to carry on. If the spamming is deterrent the post could be deleted, especially if the thread is not receiving posts on a regular basis. Dead topics slow forums, so move them along and may they RIP.

If its one thing that we have seen time and time again, its that threads are braught back to life, if only for a short while, by this phenomena we like to call SPAM. Social Pacifism Announcement Messaging is still a big problem for 90 percent of people with email. train may be a spammer but we all have a little spam in our hearts as well (Got a friend with the stuff shoved up in there literally).

Wow... Somebody should quit spiking this water

 

[Ferret]

Spidey has the same problem as me, stupidity in action. Why should i have to suffer through the ten threads started up by people that cannot share their idea's and opinions with the rest of the group.

I dont' mind the threads started by people wanting to express their opinions, I just have trouble w/ people finishing said threads w/ utter nonsense posts...

-Ferret

"..."

 

[Spiderman]

If there's already a thread on said topic though, those people could express their opinion in it instead of starting a new one...

 

[train]

agreed...

 

[Nightstalkers]

Psychically bonded minds work at the best speed...


Aye! I mean agreed....

 

[Ferret]

Originally posted by Nightstalkers
Psychically bonded minds work at the best speed...


Aye! I mean agreed....

Really? If you truly agree, then why are you digging up ancient threads and posting mindless replies?

-Ferret

"Spam is spam. period."

 

[Nightstalkers]

Spam also brings back threads that could be brought back...

It was a test to see if anyone actually looked at the threads and it has very little results. Needless to say, its just a waste of time for me to try again unless I find a really controvertial thread that has been lost to the dust of time.

"If you cut off the head of a chicken, does it not run around for minutes afterward? The same goes for cults, spammers, and the terrorized ex-military soldiers." —Nickolas Warren

A little biography about our newest quote that we have been entering in here:

Poet Lt Nick Warren, with the 9th Battalion Devonshire Regiment,
is killed on the Somme, south of Mametz by a bullet in the throat
while taking a fresh supply of bombs to his men.

 

[Spiderman]

Most of them die for a reason. If someone new brings up a subject that I remember has been talked about before, I might try to find the old one and merge it, but that usually has to do with common questions, not stuff that probably only one or two people are interested in and thus aren't around to keep the newly resurrected thread alive.