Combining the Film Forums (Revisited)

This discussion really has turned into a lightly toned flamefest, particularly from you Matter. We've been going in circles for 100 posts, do we really need to continue posting the same back and forth arguments?

 

Some people are making good points, and if we could focus on them, you'd see that it's not circular.

 

How about we try to have a serious discussion about this, like I posted we should. Does that mean a new thread should be started on it, by a different person? Perhaps. I'd be willing to do that, if nobody else does. But that seems dumb to me. Let's just not be jerks to each other, and have an honest discussion about it.


Thats something everyone had to see coming though. Lets be honest theres going to be a lot less traffic here now that the PT is over. It may pick up some when the TV shows start but we're not going to have the huge flow of newbs we had with the PT releases. That was our big draw. Some users are brought the boards by other other aspects of the SW 'verse. That includes things like Lit (what brought me here), FanFic, or the upcoming Indy film. The slowdown was expected and honestly I don't see it affecting my posting that much. Trying to mix things up to create a buzz could have quite the backlash in my opinion. People are stuck in their ways and don't readily like change. The last thing anyone would want to do is alienate a core group of posters.

I agree, and you must understand, I'm not advocating for huge change here. I'm only advocating for discussion about this topic, because I don't think it gets discussed enough, and when it does, it turns into a freaking flame fest. That was the point of my post. We need to be having this discussion, because there are at least a couple of users who feel like this board could be improved, and we don't want to alienate them, either. If there's open discussion about how to change things and what to change, it will appease both groups, no?

 

One more flame or personal comment from anybody and the thread is locked. Very simple.

Matter, I will agree that some good points are being addressed that tend to lead everyone to believe that there is no need for any sort of change. I tend to go back to old adage that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I don't feel like there is a need for a change in this area.

 

[Yoda]Yes, to MASTERPRENN you listen![/Yoda]

I need to say that although I've proposed huge, even radical change, I'm NOT expecting it. What I am expecting is discussion. So, how can we proceed with the basic ideas we've all laid down? Maybe there is a core improvement we can agree on, or a set of changes which we can discuss more abstractly? I totally get that such change might not happen, as I've said probably dozens of times, but we can still discuss things, I hope.

 

But some people do feel like there needs to be some change, or that the issue at least needs to be addressed. So we would still be better of discussing it, no? As long as we can do things respectfully and constructively, of course.

 

So are you saying that you know the changes aren't going to happen but you want to talk about it anyways? Why? I honestly don't get it.

Also I don't think the discussion should be about "core improvements we can agree on", the disucssion, if there is one, should be about if a change is needed at all. If enough people actually said yes, there must be change, that's when you talk about what the changes should be. I don't think you should just start out assuming that changes are necessary when most people don't really think that's the case.

 

It seems to me that discussion has already happened. Back in June you brought the thread up and a decent amount of people added their input. While discussed, a consensus is made that things are fine and nothing changes.

Several months later, you say nothing has changed in those forums--so we should readdress the issue because there hasn't been any progress.

Most people in this thread seem to agree that things are fine the way they are. I wouldn't say the moderators are lazy for not jumping on the bandwagon...rather, they rightfully claim that things are fine because no one else seems to be complaining.

I don't really see why you expect a discussion. What is there to further discuss that hasn't been mentioned previously? Are there new ideas? New facts? If so, they should certainly be addressed. It doesn't seem like anything's changed, though.

 

Aragorn, are you saying that a discussion forum about board policy need only concern itself with consensus opinion?

Oh, and the new facts are that the slowdown is still slowing down, and doing nothing doesn't seem to be reversing it.

 

It doesn't need to be reversed.

 

There should be a clear objective to a discussion like this, though. And with a clear objective, reasonable requests and consensus reached in most cases. In this discussion both times, the consensus reached is that there is no change needed in the movie forums. I would apply much of the same principle to overall forum changes. Changing just to change isn't good. A vision with a clear objective and a reasonable approach to get there is needed. Throwing out unfeasible suggestions to get attention will only handicap the discussion and shut down the process of exchanging ideas. In a nutshell, this is what happened with the other discussion.

 

So only the people who agree with you should be posting?

 

Bobafett, don't you know that everybody who disagrees with DarthMatter is suffering from groupthink?

 

Alas, I did not.

 

I have no problem with discussion. However, I think the discussion needs to be constructive. At this point no one seems willing to concede anything in this debate. I freely admit change it good, but change needs to be done for a reason to solve some kind of problem. The boards slowing down I don't think warrant major change, however minor changes I don't believe would be an issue. What these changes would be should be proposed to the admins/staff and let them decide whether its a good idea or a bad idea.

Agreed ObiWan. Personally I don't see the need for change either, but I can see where people might be coming from who are asking for it. I think people are thinking that some changes might reverse the trend of the board calm down. Whether it does or not, who knows?

QFT roo. I agree the reasons for change should be fully fleshed out and then plans to implement these changes should be fleshed out as well.

Just a heads up Matter, from an outsider who just recently started following this thread it almost seems like you are trying to keep things stirred up. Just an observation, but you might want to tone things down a bit.

 

I have no problem with discussion. However, I think the discussion needs to be constructive. At this point no one seems willing to concede anything in this debate. I freely admit change it good, but change needs to be done for a reason to solve some kind of problem. The boards slowing down I don't think warrant major change, however minor changes I don't believe would be an issue. What these changes would be should be proposed to the admins/staff and let them decide whether its a good idea or a bad idea.

You and I are completely on the same page. I've always said that I'm not advocating major change, but constructive discussion about minor change, because the boards and community would benefit from it, more so than if it was never discussed.

 

Agreed, and if everyone agreed on keeping the scope of the discussion in terms of minor changes we might actually get something accomplished. But like roo said it is important everything needs to be done for a reason and planned out.

 

Doing nothing? Now you are even ignoring your own comments on the changes and the efforts that have been and are being made by members of the administration. "I think some of you listen to ideas and I know for a fact that you take it seriously and provide respect in return." This comment stands in direct contradiction to what you said about nothing being done.

 

I've been lurking in here this week, so I thuoght I'd try to contribute Like 506, I think that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but I'm also open to some minor changes that PRENN was talking about. I don't think we'll ever get membership up to what it was before for the reason stated above, but I think that good ideas should be listened to. PRENN, what sort of changes were you thinking about?

 

So far the only changes that I've seen suggested are to combine the different film forums into one, most of the comments on that have been "Why?". Nobody has suggested anything that even resembles this being a reasonable suggestion, let alone being a necessary change.

Change for change's sake is not going to get a larger userbase to sign up here.

If changes are going to be made, no matter how minor, then the changes requested need to be presented in a more formal and well thought out manor. Not just in a "I think the Film forums should be combined, and omg the administration is totally keeping the community down by not thinking outside the box, when I request such a thing".

Do you have any idea how many attempts it took to get a sports forum here? I can think of at least five times it was requested, and I've only been here three and a half years.

Between myself and several others, we discussed a proposal, made a fair argument, presented it, and actually got a positive and constructive conversation within the community. Which, in the long run, ended up getting the forum approved and added to the boards.

All that you're doing, is asking for an accommodation, and then complaining about the thoughts and feelings of a move that most of the admin and users alike, don't find necessary or prudent. On top of that, you're accusing other users of trolling and flaming you, just because they disagree with your suggestion. And btw, trust me, I'm pretty sure that if they really wanted to, there are plenty of people that have posted in here, that could pwn the **** out of you in a war of words. So, let's try and cut the anti-modesty down just a bit, hmm K?

I also find it rather suspicious that you're trying to garner animosity over the Basher's Sanctuary thing like two years later, at the same time that PM boxes are getting spammed the hell out of by ORS socks.

 

Locked for a couple of reasons. Discussion is over and we're going around in circles, and the conversation has shifted back to focus on Matter and their "intentions". Something we don't need to address.