Richard's Animorphs Forum
RAF Section => Suggestions / Feedback & Issues => Topic started by: Aquilai on November 22, 2011, 09:53:20 PM
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Call it Winter Cleaning if you like but I think topics like the Dreams, Funny Pictures and Quotes should be moved to the Bored Board. The Bored Board is the place for essentially spammable topics. A few exceptions might exist where certain non-spam boards could have triple digit page counts but for the most part these topics should be relocated.
The Dreams (http://"http://animorphsforum.com/index.php?topic=77.0") topic currently is 106 pages long, Funny Pictures (http://"http://animorphsforum.com/index.php?topic=2119.0") is 150 pages long, Your current addiction (http://"http://animorphsforum.com/index.php?topic=1625.0") is 288 pages and Quotable Quotes (http://"http://animorphsforum.com/index.php?topic=471.0") is OVER 500 pages! If there ever was a place to put these topics it's not in "Media" or "General". Another example of a topic that belongs in Bored Board rather than General is Most beautiful girls and guys... (http://"http://animorphsforum.com/index.php?topic=1683.0") that is more of a game than a General topic. Unlike the RP boards where you might actually go through 20,50,90 pages of topics because it reads like a story, these topics should really be moved to the Bored Board.
Another bunch of topics that should be moved include "RAF Crush", "Post Pictures of Yourself", "Name Changes", "Birthdays" which should instead be moved to the RAF Social Board.
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Just because a topic is popular, doesn't mean it should go into the bored board. Funny pictures is talking about comical media items. It belongs in the media section. It's not a game to see who can find the funniest pic. What's your reasoning as to why Dreams doesn't belong in the General section other than how popular it is?
These topics have been in these boards for a very long time. If it was necessary or more appropriate for them to be in another board, they would have been moved early on in the topics' creation. Our staff does a wonderful job of organizing and catching inappropriately placed topics. It's good that you care, but this message would be best sent to the Staff as a PM, and not have an entire topic created for it.
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if you notice people spamming posts in the threads or getting off topic, make a report and the staff can deal with it.
by the way, quotes break the url tag. just paste in the url after Your current addiction (http://[url=http://"http://animorphsforum.com/index.php?topic=1625.0")
[url =http://animorphsforum.com/index.php?topic=1625.0]Your current addiction[/url]
:)
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Well you don't think even a single one of those topics should be moved? A blanket dismissal seems very ignorant. Just because the topics have been in a certain place for a long time doesn't make it right. If you think "Funny Pictures" should be placed in Media then why not "Post Pictures of Yourself"? Sure pictures can be considered media but you can't deny it is more of a spammable thread than a general topic that you would expect people to read through. IMO, the seriousness of the thread being discussed should decide whether it's in the Bored Board or otherwise. In the same way that "Discussions and Debates" is a subsection of the "General" board rather than "Bored Board".
On that note, "Dreams" I'll allow is debatable whether it's in Bored Board or General. On the one hand you might want to be able to discuss your dreams with other people so it can be serious but on the other hand if you read what people have wrote it just seems like a paste-bin of whatever we happen to think of (which kind of is what makes a dream). So I'll drop the "Dreams" should be in "Bored Board" but the others deserve legitimate consideration.
I don't deny that the mods are good at their jobs, closing repeated topics, cautioning spammers and inappropriate behaviour but just because "it's always been that way" is no excuse for not changing something. Even the Forum itself has had major overhauls this is no different except it's even less noticeable to those that don't even read those specific topics.
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Bored board topics tend to be topics that require little to no thought to respond to. The topics you listed to be moved to the bored board are topics that you DO have to think about in order to come up with a response. They aren't games. They aren't competitions.
The moves to the social board might be ok though.
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Bored Board topics aren't ALL games. In fact the description for Bored Board is: "Bored? Post anything here... (Including forum games)" games are just an extra but because they are popular they seem to appear more than other simple "Bored" posts. Just because it's in the Bored Board does NOT mean it's a competition. Notice in particular that the games part of the description is in brackets. It's not even meant to be the main reason for Bored Board. Bored Board in effect is a for fun, if you're bored, spam board.
I'd also say your argument that you need to think in order to come up with a response is invalid. The amount of thinking required for games is probably even higher than pasting a picture that you saw somewhere. As for reading the topic you probably wouldn't spend a lot of time thinking about the funny picture after you get the joke. Same with Quotes or Current Addiction, you read what someone else has written usually 1 or 2 lines then post your own if you have one or something to say. The same with quotable quotes. The only topics that really require thought are the debate ones and I'm not complaining about them.
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That describes half of the topics across the entire forum. Very few members take the time to read through pages and pages of posts to be caught up with what's been said. That's why many of the same questions are asked over and over in threads.
Again I feel this isn't something that should be debated by the members; but an internal matter for the Staff to discuss. Should they request our views, that's another matter; however this is not for us to decide.
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That describes half of the topics across the entire forum. Very few members take the time to read through pages and pages of posts to be caught up with what's been said. That's why many of the same questions are asked over and over in threads.
The few threads I have described are not "half of the topics across the entire forum" and as I pointed out earlier there are situations where people will read from 20, 50, 90 pages as in the RP boards. The debate topics for example are another area where RAFians would be willing to re-read quite a few pages to get up to speed on what's been discussed. These are not the ones that I am suggesting to be moved.
Again I feel this isn't something that should be debated by the members; but an internal matter for the Staff to discuss. Should they request our views, that's another matter; however this is not for us to decide.
Maybe so but as a member of this community this is a view that I can present. Not to mention creating a specific topic for this is more fitting than individually hassling by private messaging every moderator or admin. If this section of the board isn't meant to be used in this way what is "Suggestions/Feedback & Issues" meant for?
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Some topics are perennial. Unlike some other forums that restart these topics periodically, we choose to keep the one thread alive. SMF can handle thousand-page threads, so there's no technical reason not to. No one is expected to read the whole thread -- actually, that'd not be a good idea with Random Thoughts (one that's always been a BB thread).
Also, I don't remember how long you've been here, but some of these threads predate RAF Social (and were briefly locked when Social was introduced).
I third considering some moves to Social from General. QQ might belong there, Crush is a definite, and so on.
Honestly, I mostly read from the "Unread Topics" list, so categorization doesn't matter too much to me except when I occasionally start new threads.
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Honestly, I mostly read from the "Unread Topics" list, so categorization doesn't matter too much to me except when I occasionally start new threads.
Same here; for many threads, if you quizzed us where we could find them through the forum index, we wouldn't be able to tell you. *shrug*
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Aquilai, you are correct in bringing this up here, because the placement of these topics is pretty debatable.
I would agree that the social topics you mentioned should be moved, and the will.
As for the Bored Bored topics, that board is the house for topics that aren't discussions, like forum games.
For your given threads:
The "Dreams" topic spurs discussions so it should say.
The "Funny pictures" topic is very borderline.
The "Current addition" topic should be in the Bored Board.
The "Quotable quotes" topic is also on the borderline.
The "Most beautiful..." thread is also borderline.
I will move the last four.
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Thanks. Much tidier!
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Total and utter fail. Way to allow the complaints of one person ruin a long standing tradition of fun.
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I agree with Russ. Holy crap.
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It's only been moved. No one is stopping you from posting in those topics.
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These topics, some of my favorite ones to check, are now in boards where they will be easily ignore and pushed down and away from the general viewing.
RAF isn't my internet home anymore. I've moved on. But that doesn't stop me from being a little upset to see something I loved so much changed by the petty complaints of some guy.
I don't know how long you've been here Aquilai but we tried a move like this before and people had trouble finding the threads and with the idea of having these threads in other places. Its just not a good idea and I don't get how the staff doesn't know or remember that.
And Jess I'm glad you agree with me
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I'm sorry you disagree. These topics are possibly the most popular of all topics (hence their length). Being moved to the appropriate sections won't necessarily make them any less popular. In fact for new members who are interested it will be even easier for them to find these topics if they are in the right sections without recreating a new thread for existing ones.
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Honestly, the only complaint I have with this move is that I lost about 40 posts. D:
Other than that, I don't really see what yer all complaining about. :P
EDIT: Most topics get buried eventually anyway. I don't see why them getting covered by everything else is really a huge problem. (other than "OMG THEYVE BEEN HEER FOR SUUU LONG !!")
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While I definitely understand the impulse to 'clean up' and sort threads into where they should generally go, I have to disagree with what was done in this case. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist, am allergic to change, what-have-you.
But there's something about having a long-term thread that's always been in one place for so long, suddenly move, that's quite disconcerting to me. And I don't think the advantage in organization gained from moving only a half-dozen threads is worth it. Not to mention how very subjective it is which threads should be in the Bored Board and which ones shouldn't. I'm worried about precedents and slippery slopes, too.
. . . Not to even mention the lost posts, which is probably a small consideration to those of you who don't care about post count. I feel cheated, though. I'm a shy person by nature, compounded by the fact that I like to put a lot of time and thought into my (non-Bored-Board) posts. And of course I realize that not everyone does this. But to have a bunch of my posts suddenly just thrown out as meaningless, is at least a little bit hurtful.
I don't mean to complain or be rude, but I felt the need to put my opinion out there. Feel free to ignore me. Time heals all wounds and I'm sure I'll eventually adjust to this change if it turns out to be a permanent one.
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Asher: I have OCD of the sort which, on forums I personally own or moderate, leads me to compulsively organize. I am sympathetic to the drive to have threads where you feel they belong. That said, it is the general board, as in 'anything that isn't strictly covered by other boards at the very first glance.' I don't have any personal investment in either side of the argument, but I do feel that it's a little pointless to fuss over the change and ask the mods to move things back.
As we see it, the arguments for the move are:
-improved organization in terms of where a thread 'belongs'
Counter: where threads 'belong' is a bit subjective
-at least one member is bothered by the former thread location(s)
Counter: several members are bothered by the move
-the move has already occurred
Counter: it can be reversed
Arguments against:
-bored board is hyperactive, so any given thread gets hidden on the list / difficulty of navigation
Counter: using 'replies to my posts' and 'unread topics' will bring threads you visit regularly to the top, if they have been updated recently
-posts in those topics will disappear from individual post counts
Counter: not everybody cares about post counts
...then again, some people care very much.
-alteration of RAFtradition, whatever that tradition actually is
Counter: a board has to evolve and respond to needs
-some members are bothered that a single member's opinion sparks mod action to change something that didn't bother anybody else enough for them to complain about it
Counter: why shouldn't it? Theoretically the mods wouldn't act if they didn't consider it a worthy action
...on the other hand, they could just be acting to make the complainer stop complaining
I believe those are the most immediate arguments on either side? Have I missed any?
As it stands, I was unbothered by the previous situation, and I remain unbothered by the change. I won't be bothered if there is a change back. *shrug*
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A positive side of this change is that it might make the social board a bit more popular.
A negative side is that I never check the bored board. But that's my problem and it's no real biggy for me anyway cause most of those threads moved in bored board I hardly check anyway.
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Honestly, the only complaint I have with this move is that I lost about 40 posts. D:
Other than that, I don't really see what yer all complaining about. :P
EDIT: Most topics get buried eventually anyway. I don't see why them getting covered by everything else is really a huge problem. (other than "OMG THEYVE BEEN HEER FOR SUUU LONG !!")
I lost about 500 to 700 posts.
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Honestly, the only complaint I have with this move is that I lost about 40 posts. D:
Wait, so when topics get moved to the bored board you lose the posts you made in the topic? Huh. Never knew that before.
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Honestly, the only complaint I have with this move is that I lost about 40 posts. D:
Other than that, I don't really see what yer all complaining about. :P
EDIT: Most topics get buried eventually anyway. I don't see why them getting covered by everything else is really a huge problem. (other than "OMG THEYVE BEEN HEER FOR SUUU LONG !!")
I lost about 500 to 700 posts.
Yeah, and you still have 20,000. :P
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I lost 1400. :P I think that takes the cake.
Which is to say, that's my only real beef with the move. I can live with the rest, I just... my post count. D: ...Yes. My priorities are predictable. Which is why I feel like my opinion on this is less than important. XD
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You know what this means?
If he wanted it, Russell would now have a realistic opportunity to reclaim #1 poster. XD
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Come to think of it, are you sure that Latest Purchase does not belong to the Bored Board?
Steph is still ahead of Russ, but if we keep this up he'll probably end up #1 ><
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Come to think of it, are you sure that Latest Purchase does not belong to the Bored Board?
It does.
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Hey, I think my lost posts got restored! Thanks, Richard! You always know how to keep us happy. :)
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Some of mine did. :)
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I honestly think the Birthdays don't go in Bored Board and should go back where they were...just my own opinion.
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It has been put in social, not bored board. Read more carefully :P
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I ment Social :-\
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I don't find anything wrong with Birthdays in social. It is about other RAFians after all.
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It's where RAFians get to know each other.
birthdays seem fine in social.
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Yeah, with the move, I lost almost 2,000 posts. I had hit 14,000+, then after the move, I was down to 12K. It pissed me off royally; however as it was said, it's not that big of a deal, and it seems as though some of them were restored (albeit not all of them).
I also agree that moving some of those topics to the Bored Board will easily cause them to be drowned out by all of the Bored Board games. Yes, they can be countered by going to your unread topics section; however if you used to be a HUGE presence in the Bored Board as Russ and I have, your Unread Topics section gets flooded by Bored Board topics as well. I just go to the Bored Board and Mark all as read so that I can see the topics that truly matter. No if there's a topic of substance in the Bored Board I care about, I now have to sift through 3 pages of Bored Board games to find it.
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I normally just mark the bored board read.
I was thinking about it and I really don't think we even need a bored board or a general board.
After the move the most replied to threads in the general board are name changes (raf social) hows the weather there? (this could be discussed in your own member thread or not at all. Isn't discussing weather the epitome of meaningless small talk?) and dragon's cave (which could be in the bored board.)
Now, if you go to the board and look at the most recent replied to topics you have some cool ones worth saving. RAF awards How man rafians have you met could be in RAF projects or RAF social. Discussion and Debate could be its own board. RAF school hasn't been posted in for 2, going on 3 months, ditch it.
As for the bored board. There is nothing really worth reading there and its the largest board on the forum. If you wanna clean up the forum why don't we do away with all the non animorphs non important threads and boards that take away from what RAF is supposed to be: an animorphs forum.
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How is the weather there could be put in the bored board too.
Name changes belongs to RAF social.
Maybe Rafians are just very bored and social people ><
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-_- If we keep going most every topic anyone wants to post in is going to be Bored Board. I really don't see that ending well.
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Haha. Yeah, it's looking that way. Social and Bored.
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I don't think we need a bored board. That was kind of my whole point...
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The Bored Board is staying.
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Not to mention how very subjective it is which threads should be in the Bored Board and which ones shouldn't. I'm worried about precedents and slippery slopes, too.
CALLED IT.
Also, yeah, the Bored Board definitely needs to stay. It's doing no harm where it is, and even if one or two members think it's pointless, there are also plenty of members (yeah I'm looking at you Steph) who don't think so.
As for RAFschool, just because it hasn't been posted in for a while doesn't mean we should ditch it. It has a lot of threads that are handy for reference, if nothing else. *makes mental note to post in RAFschool again*
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I also think that General and Bored should stay. Some threads just don't really belong in any specific category and you should be able to throw them in a general one. Besides, it is a bit of denial to think that RAF should be reduced to just an animorphs forum. We all know it is more than that ><
There are more threads that need to be moved to Social though if you want to be fair in this winter cleaning.
I think it's a good thing to give the Social board a real dimension, because up until now it was quite desert and I think that rafians are quite the social type given the strength of this community :P.
Proposition of threads which I think could belong to RAF social:
RAFawards: centered around the RAFian community
How many RAFians have you met?
Name changes
You know you are a RAFian if...
How well do you know your fellow RAFians
RAFchat Day
Age
Things that remind you of RAF
...
There are certainly many more, it's just a proposition though, so tell me what you think.
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I get why you think some of those belong in RAF social but I don't see why You know you are a RAFian if... and Things that remind you of RAF do
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I'm (obviously) for sorting out the boards. The ones that I highlighted at the beginning were the main offenders that stuck out like an orange jumpsuit in the business district.
Since you're asking for opinions, I'd generally agree that most of them could be worth moving to the Social board (although I haven't thoroughly read through each page). I'd also have to agree with yunyun that "You know you're a RAFian" and "Things that remind you of RAF" are questionable. Some small aspect might stretch to make it feel like it's a Social topic but I would say "You know you're a ..." or "Things that remind you..." type topics are spammable and are better suited in Bored Board. In fact the Animorphs Boards have some similar topics but since the Animorphs equivalent topics are VERY closely tied to Animorphs I haven't suggested moving them.
Dino you are right to point out slippery slopes and precedents but I am not too concerned about this because I trust Richard's decisions. At the end of the day, he has successfully managed these forums for many years now and knows when to say no. There are many forums out there on the net that have died or don't have anywhere near the popularity or consistent following that RAF has.
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Are we abandoning the "just leave things exactly as they are now, and be content with that, since nobody seems to be having problems finding threads" option?
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I think this is the topic that people will come to first if they think a topic should be relocated to a different board. It can be the thread to request moving another topic to a different board as opposed to opening a new thread for every new topic that they might want to move.
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If a thread needs moving, please click the "report to moderator link".