Off-Topics Forum Research Poll

[Optimus Prime]

I need to gather a bit of information from the community at large as I look into some possible changes to our forum in the future. However, as I am not a very regular visitor to the off-topics area of the forum I figure that you, the community members, would be best suited to giving me the information I need.

If you would please vote in the poll (you may choose up to two choices) I would greatly appreciate it. I will leave this poll up for several weeks (at the very least) in order to get as large a sampling as I can.

Please pass the word along to all of your associates around the site to vote as well. The bigger the sample I can get the better I can assess some possible changes.

Regards, Optimus Prime

[thegreekdog]

Great idea.

I would frequent a politics forum.

For the TV/movies/music perhaps just one "Entertainment" forum, which would include the three referenced previously plus games and books.

I think a religious forum would bring bad things.

[JJM]

I say talking about that stuff here is perfectly fine.

[MeDeFe]

Definitely sports.

[PLAYER57832]

Why do we need another dedicated forum? There already are a number of discussion clans for those who wish.

That said, if you want them, here are my suggestions:

Religion is an instant possibility, simply becuase those debates tend to be self-consuming. However, Politics, religion and history tend to intertwine a lot. I think that is part of what frustrates some people, but it is also what makes those topics interesting. Rather than creating a topic dedicated to those topics, I would say seperate out the more "specialized" topics so the people interested in them don't have to weed through the religion and politics threads.

Sports, I can definitely see. Some people are interested, some not and those topics don't tend to interrelate to other topics all that much. (once in a while politics and sports intercede, but not much)

Similarly, music is its own category. People might be interested in simply discussing music without weeding through a bunch of politics.

One thought is a forum dedicated to pure frivolity. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that it would sort of be self-defeating. Part of what makes frivolity attractive is, well, the imposition upon utterly serious topics. Light relief in the midst of seriousness. I am not sure it could be maintained on its own.

There already is a subforum for various games. Maybe there should be one to discuss games other than the maps.

Finally, I would like to see a forum that allows for more of an open discussion/platform for talking about various map making techniques and features. That is, something much loser than the current structure where you propose ideas have them evaluated, etc. Sometimes this happens already, but it might be nice to seperate out the real serious map making from the "stabs" or "tossing ideas around, not yet ready to make anything".

[MeDeFe]

I don't think map-making belongs on OT...

[thegreekdog]

Great points MeDeFe... seriously man, great, great points.

The only reason I would put forth to have multiple off-topic forums is that if many threads are created in one forum, older threads are thrown by the wayside rather quickly... which may be the point, I don't know.

[Balsiefen]

I think a combined politics/religion forum would be good to separate it out from the lighter stuff.

I also quite like the suggested idea for a maps forum, perhaps as a sub of Not Maps?

[SultanOfSurreal]

politics for sure, i would be all over that forum like fat people on a buffet

music i think would be pretty great too, there is little musical discussion around here and i think it would be nice to encourage more of it. plus, i'd rather like to know what jajama spends his time listening to

religion would be nice, if only to quarantine the jesus freaks and keep them away from the grownups

i definitely don't want an ostensible politics forum combined with a religon forum, that only encourages the morons to cite scripture in talking about complex geopolitical issues and this website has given me enough aneurysms as it is

[pimpdave]

How about you leave it as is, but start deleting really old threads. You guys don't have to keep the forum logs from 2 years ago, you know.

If subdividing is meant to decrease the burden to the site, I say delete old stuff before subdividing further. Subdivision stifles creativity and makes forums look a lot, LOT less lively.

The problem with this is newbies and shy people are more reticent to start threads. When there's a whole ton of threads, the shy people are more likely to take a shot. When a forum is quiet, a small group of people can bully everyone. Please don't subdivide further.

[jonesthecurl]

I'm pretty much of the opinion that the charm of MAAD/OT whatever is that there's a whole bunch of different things going on.
SOmetimes there's too much about one topic, sometimes about another. That's just how it works.It's what people are posting about. If anyone doesn't like the mix they can start another topic up. If too many threads are too closely related, the mods can and do merge 'em.
No, I don't want to decide whether to read and debate about religion, science, politics, whatever today. They all intermingle anyhoo. Let's keep 'em all in one place with the totally frivolous too.

About the only thing I can see realistically being split off would be sports - if sports threads start to wander into other territories, then they are getting off-topic. Myself, I don't read sports threads and I don't think it would harm off-topics or sports fans to see 'em put in a separate forum.

[pimpdave]

ps. there's no poll option for Don't Fix What Ain't Broke.

[strike wolf]

I'd pick politics and religion. THat way I wouldn't ahve to deal with any of those types of threads unless I wanted to.

[thegreekdog]

ps. there's no poll option for Don't Fix What Ain't Broke.

Which may mean they're fixing it anyway (which is what I took the poll to mean at first).

I'm waiting for votes for "Flame Wars."

[pimpdave]

How much you guys wanna bet this is because some crybabies are upset about using bad words and vomit pictures? They want a separate politics and religion forum so they can slander one another and act in incredibly un-Christlike ways, but never say anything worse than fiddlesticks, goddamn it!

Come on guys, Jesus hung out with the tax collectors and prostitutes. That's who he came to save. So you guys should hang out and not be such ninnies about a little old salty language.

This is the internets, this is where we get to use the kind of language we never can in real life. So roll with it. It's the wild west.

[thegreekdog]

How much you guys wanna bet this is because some crybabies are upset about using bad words and vomit pictures? They want a separate politics and religion forum so they can slander one another and act in incredibly un-Christlike ways, but never say anything worse than fiddlesticks, goddamn it!

Come on guys, Jesus hung out with the tax collectors and prostitutes. That's who he came to save. So you guys should hang out and not be such ninnies about a little old salty language.

This is the internets, this is where we get to use the kind of language we never can in real life. So roll with it. It's the wild west.

Um... I don't think that's it. I mean, the people that frequent the MAAN forum generally are the same people that talk about religion, politics, et. al. Me, you, neo, Snorri, AAFitz, Sultan, JJM (a/k/a Jim, a/k/a Hickory-hater), Gabon, Nobunga, Honibaz, the captain, etc., etc. It's not like there's some random Christian kid sitting around saying, "You know, I would really like to post but they keep making funny of Jesus."

[muy_thaiguy]

Religion ought to go in with Politics in this poll, if only to bug SultanOfSurreal and nothing else. Music might be able to be a stand alone topic, but throw in sports (how many sporting events have music? Seriously?) with music and badda bing badda boom, it all works out.

[jonesthecurl]

If you separated out all those things, what would be left?
MAAD is for free-ranging discussions. If we saw "moved" every time someone mentioned Jesus, or Obama, it would get old very quick. And what would you do with "Obama is the antichrist"? or "The Bible says a State can't legalise gay marriage/the constition says the bible isn't relevant to the law"?

[AndyDufresne]

Great idea.

I would frequent a politics forum.

For the TV/movies/music perhaps just one "Entertainment" forum, which would include the three referenced previously plus games and books..

I like these two options the best. Though perhaps a dedicated Sports one as well...but that could even be classified as Entertainment? Hm.


--Andy

[pimpdave]

If you separated out all those things, what would be left?
MAAD is for free-ranging discussions. If we saw "moved" every time someone mentioned Jesus, or Obama, it would get old very quick. And what would you do with "Obama is the antichrist"? or "The Bible says a State can't legalise gay marriage/the constition says the bible isn't relevant to the law"?

It's as if the mods want more work to do...

If you guys really enjoy sorting things, you can always just apply for jobs with the postal service.

[Optimus Prime]

Let me clarify something. This research is because of the numerous occasions where requests and suggestions have been made by the community that they would like a new dedicated forum or two for some of the more common topics. It doesn't have anything to do with people being offended, hurt, annoyed, etc.

I'm simply working on some forum improvements and thought the community would like to have their say on changes that they suggested in the first place. If no clear option is found perhaps no new forums will arrive at this time and it can be revisited in the future, or perhaps a very clear choice will appear and we can make it work.

Just looking to take action on a few things that have been asked for and requested for a long time is all.

[sailorseal]

Maybe a forum for topics with little to no purpose so that the regular off topics forum could be rid of such topics

EDIT: By purpose I mean threads like "Whats up guys?" which have almost no room for discussion and die quickly

[JJM]

Let me clarify something. This research is because of the numerous occasions where requests and suggestions have been made by the community that they would like a new dedicated forum or two for some of the more common topics. It doesn't have anything to do with people being offended, hurt, annoyed, etc.

I'm simply working on some forum improvements and thought the community would like to have their say on changes that they suggested in the first place. If no clear option is found perhaps no new forums will arrive at this time and it can be revisited in the future, or perhaps a very clear choice will appear and we can make it work.

Just looking to take action on a few things that have been asked for and requested for a long time is all.

I requsted a question forum

[EvilPurpleMonkey]

I would be on a politics forum like white on rice!

Although, perhaps it would be better to make a forum dedicated to serious topics, and keep Much Ado About Nothing relegated to holding topics of little consequence, e.g. Sports, Movies, Spam...

One forum for serious debate and discussion, one for stuff that is more light-hearted.
Eh?

[Frigidus]

Hm...I voted sports, but on second thought perhaps the best choice would be to have either an off-topics forum with a debate sub-forum or something to that extent. Sports/movies/music could be put into one category, religion/politics/other things people argue about put in another.