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View Full Version : Merging the Forums (Poll)



BRUTALITOPS
09-02-2006, 04:46 PM
Greetings everyone. I am JUST curious... this doesn't have to mean anything, I am just interested in everyone elses thoughts.

Would you like it if the current events forum and the general politics forum was merged?

For me, I feel it hard to keep track of various threads I have participated in. Yes I use the search function but the disorganization I think hampers me. I prefer to have everything just laid out.

I am just interested in everyone elses thoughts . .

OrnotBitwise
09-02-2006, 05:11 PM
It may seem more convenient now to merge them. I believe it would be a mistake, however. If the site takes off and the number of regular posters rises above a certain level -- maybe a hundred or so -- keeping everying mushed together into one forum becomes really chaotic. Believe me: I've been there, done that and have been forced to dig out from under it.

Grouping threads together by general theme really does make sense.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 05:22 PM
In a smaller forum like this it simply causes lot's of confusion.

Maybe one "economic policy" and one "social policy" thread.

OrnotBitwise
09-02-2006, 05:31 PM
In a smaller forum like this it simply causes lot's of confusion.

Maybe one "economic policy" and one "social policy" thread.
Some people are easily confused, it seems. :cof1:

I certainly agree that re-labelling the forums might be in order. "General Politics" is like saying "Miscelaneous." I like "Current Events," personally, but "Social Policy" might be a good companion. Or how about "Culture War" if Damo wants to be more flamboyant?

:D

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:00 PM
I've been trying to think of a good divide. The two are relatively closely named.

I think two forums is starting to get more needed. I have been to boards where too few of them makes it far more confusing than you think. There are also more features like Subscribing to the thread to find out which threads you have taken part in. You can even set it up to e-mail you an replies.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:25 PM
Any thread that's has "general" in its name will eventually get so much dumped into it that the rest of the forums will become absolutely irrelevant.

Social policy, Economic policy, Foreign policy, and Whatever Goes cover just about everything imaginable.

In a smaller forum like this setting up 10 different forums would mean that each would have so few posts and threads that the site would seem dead to everyone.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:28 PM
If the site get's large enough to mandate it, however, splitting, for instance, "social policy" into two different forums that cover as much territory would get difficult withough creating a "general" forum, and a general forum would make the other forum irrelevant.

If we are going to split up the forums, there needs to be enough difference between each one that a near-equal amount of threads is in each one. No one needs to have 90% of the posts or else we're basically in the same situation we are in now.

With what I proposed, you pretty much know what you're getting. However, for instance, Brent's 7 forums were a nightmare to navigate, and there was very little to distingiush each one. Let's not fall into Brent's or SR's mistakes.

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:29 PM
Except that it doesn't. There are many posts in each of the forums...

klaatu
09-02-2006, 06:34 PM
I like things the way they are ....

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:36 PM
But there's very little distinction between the two political ones. It's basically balanced because everyone randomly decides which of the two to post their political threads in. It's pointless to have two forums which are practically the same.

Economs, social, and foreign are well divided, and Rob will hopefully no longer post the information about his latest ingrown toenail in them either. Lumping a 'general' in there, however, would simply mean that everyone will put all of their economic, social, and foreign news in the general forum - I've seen it happen to many sites.

I don't honestly see much point for the games forum...

Then again, I don't even believe I've ever looked in there.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:37 PM
With it like it is now, it's basically like having a "politics" forum, and a "politics" forum. It's redundant to a numbing degree.

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:37 PM
What games forum?

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:41 PM
Anyway, in the future if it gets to a level where there is serious confusion I'll change things. Getting "confused" between two choices that are well-used? Come on... you can do better than that there H2O.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:41 PM
Sports, hobbies, and pictures...

it's also the smallest forum. I think it should just be merged with "anything goes".

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:43 PM
Sports, hobbies, and pictures...

it's also the smallest forum. I think it should just be merged with "anything goes".
I'm sure you do. But it was requested... If you don't care then don't go.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:43 PM
Anyway, in the future if it gets to a level where there is serious confusion I'll change things. Getting "confused" between two choices that are well-used? Come on... you can do better than that there H2O.

Well, I wouldn't say it's confusion. It's simply redundant. Everyone uses the current events thread for general politics also, and the less used general politics forum often has current events in it as well as general politics. They're just so simialar it's pointless. It also makes it more difficult to read all of the threads, since they're divided between two forums that are exactly the same.

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:44 PM
Well, I wouldn't say it's confusion. It's simply redundant. Everyone uses the current events thread for general politics also, and the less used general politics forum often has current events in it as well as general politics. They're just so simialar it's pointless. It also makes it more difficult to read all of the threads, since they're divided between two forums that are exactly the same.
The separation actually makes it easier to keep track of new posts. I'm keeping them. I may rename them, but for now it is staying as it is.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:45 PM
I'm sure you do. But it was requested... If you don't care then don't go.

Well, it's just out of place. We have three very general forums, and then suddenly a very specific forum. If we're going to have a single specific forum, I can think of other much more important topics.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:46 PM
The separation actually makes it easier to keep track of new posts. I'm keeping them. I may rename them, but for now it is staying as it is.

Maybe you should rename them "politics", and "other politics".

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:47 PM
LOL. It's not so specific... Deep Breathely. It's the stuff the least on this board will care about, therefore separated enough so people don't have to sort through an overly huge amount of dross to get to the meat.

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:47 PM
Maybe you should rename them "politics", and "other politics".
Regardless this is a pointless excercise H2O. I didn't start this thread and this isn't a vote.

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:49 PM
When the board first started I had more Forum Topics... Including Foreign and History. People said that it was too much. This was the compromise.... It seems to be working well right now.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-02-2006, 06:50 PM
LOL. It's not so specific... Deep Breathely. It's the stuff the least on this board will care about, therefore separated enough so people don't have to sort through an overly huge amount of dross to get to the meat.

LOL. OK then.

And now that I think of it, if we went with the plan I just proposed, we'd have to put a "current events" forum in also, which would soon become everyones dumping point for everything and social, economic, and foreign forums would soon become more pointless than even general politics is right now. Rob would also start posting his threads about ingrown toenails in it.

Damocles
09-02-2006, 06:53 PM
LOL. OK then.

And now that I think of it, if we went with the plan I just proposed, we'd have to put a "current events" forum in also, which would soon become everyones dumping point for everything and social, economic, and foreign forums would soon become more pointless than even general politics is right now. Rob would also start posting his threads about ingrown toenails in it.
I can't please everybody... So I work compromises. I've found it interesting how it all seems to work out. I'll watch the results and see how it goes. I'm always working to improve things. I don't think it would be all that awesome to shorten the topics more though... Maybe renaming the topics is a good idea. I've been trying to think of a good separation.

BRUTALITOPS
09-02-2006, 07:19 PM
I agree with watermark regarding how it feels that it is redundant.. that's the bottom line.. right now... it IS redundant.

I'm not an idiot.. I KNOW how to navigate.. that's not the problem.. it's more on a subconscious level... when things aren't all laid out.. I just tend to just let a lot of threads slide. I am noticing the direct effect it is having on my posting.. it's real. It's like vote splitting but for topics. We could have one engagging thread but instead may have two or three shorter threads spread out that aren't as good . . .

Fullpolitics survived JUST fine with only one politics forum...

Perhaps damo, the solution would be to eventually have it so users can customize how threads could be displayed... I think that would be a great compromise to tell you the truth.

OrnotBitwise
09-02-2006, 09:05 PM
I like things the way they are ....So do I.




Doesn't that make you feel like you need a shower? :D

TheDanold
09-03-2006, 12:12 AM
Yes this should absolutely be done. It's annoying trying to remember where you saw or did a post.
This was always the best thing about fullpolitics.com

BRUTALITOPS
09-03-2006, 05:17 AM
dano makes an excellent point. It is annoying

OrnotBitwise
09-03-2006, 02:50 PM
dano makes an excellent point. It is annoying
No it's not. I find that it makes things easier to remember.

FUCK THE POLICE
09-04-2006, 07:42 AM
No it's not. I find that it makes things easier to remember.

LOL. You're a funny guy, Ornot. Just like vote-splitting makes it more likely you're candidate will get elected.

OrnotBitwise
09-04-2006, 02:41 PM
LOL. You're a funny guy, Ornot. Just like vote-splitting makes it more likely you're candidate will get elected.Actually, for once, I wasn't joking. I tend to categorize these things in my memory anyway. Formalizing it in this way just happens to fit the way I think.

Dixie - In Memoriam
09-04-2006, 07:17 PM
Maybe you should rename them "politics", and "other politics".


Maybe he should name one Watermark's Whinefest, and we could all go there and tell him what he needs to do, to make the board better! Jeesh, you people make me fully understand why webmasters charge for subscriptions!

The only possible reason it would bother anyone, is navigation, and this is easily solved by going to "Today's Posts" where you will have all of the threads from all of the boards, if anyone posted on them. If you have some particular thread you want to bookmark, you can do that too! This board is full of user options, and those who want to find fault, are going to find fault with anything, it simply doesn't matter.

BRUTALITOPS
09-04-2006, 08:27 PM
lol dixie says the above despite the fact that he voted for it to be merged . . :)

BRUTALITOPS
09-04-2006, 08:28 PM
chump, it's a public poll, if you click the number it shows you how everyone has voted ;)

Damocles
09-04-2006, 09:54 PM
LOL. I'm looking for a way I can give y'all the choice. User options are my thing. If ya want everything to be in one big forum, you should have the choice if ya want it....

Dixie - In Memoriam
09-04-2006, 10:46 PM
lol dixie says the above despite the fact that he voted for it to be merged . . :)

It just goes to show, you can't trust the goddamn polls!!!!!!!!!! :321:

BRUTALITOPS
09-05-2006, 06:02 AM
LOL. I'm looking for a way I can give y'all the choice. User options are my thing. If ya want everything to be in one big forum, you should have the choice if ya want it....

we do have the choice.. it's already present.

Damocles
09-05-2006, 06:04 AM
Ah, then I don't have to worry about it. Choose how you want it and leave me alone....

:D

BRUTALITOPS
09-05-2006, 11:05 AM
It just goes to show, you can't trust the goddamn polls!!!!!!!!!! :321:


what do you have to say for yourself, just what kind of game are you playing? :p ;)

Dixie, you've got everyone under your thumb - cept me :)