How about an Off-Topic Forum?

[Dugunthi]

I'm thrilled to finally be able to take part in a forum on something that interests me again, like it use dot be in the internet before "social" media and the onslaught of mass internet consumption ironically but ienvitably depersonalised and dehumanised user interactions to a bottomless sea of indistinguishable virtual pinned notes on a wall.

However, it still misses a vital part of what made regular forums such a great place to hang out with likeminded people and find friends from around the world, namely an off-topic section where people can goof around, have fun, discuss all sorts of topics and get to know each other on a personal level, beyond an exchange of immediately hobby-related information. Imo a forum isn't a fully fleshed forum without that, and I'm surprised it hasn't been added during all the time this forum has been active. Can you please make it happen?

[Widower]

I raised this point with Jimmy a few months ago and it was decided that an off-topic forum would not be added because we do not want to moderate it. If there is sufficient demand, I may take it up again after the conclusion of several other important items of business.

[MetaVileTerror]

How many more trusted moderators would you and/or Jimmy propose the community needs before such a board would be deemed acceptably manageable?

[Widower]

It's not really about numbers - we have 25ish GMs, and right now the forums work is mostly attended to by two of us. I can't speak for what Jimmy is thinking, but I suspect that he just really doesn't want to deal with the inevitable political discussions that would result. By and large, I agree with this. I think any attempt would require a larger guideline-building process which neither of us have the time for at the moment.

 

And as to the question I think you're really asking, we may be asking for more volunteers in the near future.

[Apparition]

44 minutes ago, GM Widower said:

It's not really about numbers - we have 25ish GMs, and right now the forums work is mostly attended to by two of us. I can't speak for what Jimmy is thinking, but I suspect that he just really doesn't want to deal with the inevitable political discussions that would result. By and large, I agree with this. I think any attempt would require a larger guideline-building process which neither of us have the time for at the moment.

 

And as to the question I think you're really asking, we may be asking for more volunteers in the near future.

 

From personal experience of running and admining several on-line forums over the years, political and religious discussions are a scourge if the forum has otherwise no relation to either subject.  It just sucks in everyone and everything like a black hole, if left unchecked.  So it's certainly understandable.

Edited November 17, 2019 by Apparition

[Doc_Scorpion]

20 hours ago, Apparition said:

From personal experience of running and admining several on-line forums over the years, political and religious discussions are a scourge if the forum has otherwise no relation to either subject.  It just sucks in everyone and everything like a black hole, if left unchecked.  So it's certainly understandable.

Indeed.  And the unpleasantness and ill will generated in such forums (unless very heavily moderated, and sometimes even then) will invariably spill out into the rest of the forum.  I've seen power kegs lit in an off topic forum explode and take down the entire forum...  (And that was before the current political environment.)

It's a lot of work for a mod team to keep a lid on, and can (and probably will) generate a lot of ill will between users and users and users and mods.

So, yeah, I'd be highly tempted to /jranger this idea too.  What you gain is not worth the the cost.

[Heraclea]

My suggestion would be to create a 'popular culture' or 'superheroes' forum for general discussions along that lines, with the rule against political or religious argument remaining in place.

[Apparition]

5 hours ago, Heraclea said:

My suggestion would be to create a 'popular culture' or 'superheroes' forum for general discussions along that lines, with the rule against political or religious argument remaining in place.

 

A "comic book culture" forum sounds like a good idea, but it would have to be tightly moderated in order to stave off the political beast when it inevitably tries to wander in, and I'm not sure that Homecoming wants to devote their volunteered manpower to that when they already have a lot on their plate.

[Sailboat]

I was an administrator on another game-related forum for many years.  We had a "no politics, no religion" general topics forum, AND a "don't be a jerk" rule, and it still required some moderation to enforce the rules (responding to protestations that a given topic was or was not political, etc.).  Eventually, due to popular opinion, we opened a separate Politics & Religion subforum.  It immediately became the locus for a lot of strained feelings and several bannings, and remained the prime source of trouble for the duration of the time it was active.  You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than a Politics & Religion subforum.

 

If Homecoming does a general topics forum, I strongly recommend enforcing a "no politics, no religion" rule.  And I would understand if even that level of control over topics deters them. -- it can be a lot of work.

[Tahliah]

Yeah, I think a "general" forum will just open a can of political and religious worms that would create havoc across the forum and that would seep into the game.  I'm a "no" for that reason.  People have the entire internet (blogs, news sites, social media) to vent their crap about politics and religion, most of us come here to escape all that and just have fun in a game we love and with people we love (and might not, in this political climate, if we knew about their political beliefs).

 

Some kind of specific general forum (how's that for an oxymoron) like on comic books might work, but again, rules would need to be established . . . and enforced. 

[Widower]

It exists now. Please don't ruin it! :P

[WanderingAries]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2020 at 3:11 PM, GM Widower said:

It exists now. Please don't ruin it! :P

Well there goes my meme-ing then. ;)