For your consideration: we are in the process of cleaning up the DU Groups

[EarlG]

As many of you have already noticed, some of our DU Groups are underused and outdated. While doing some housekeeping, we came up with a proposal to archive a few Groups and re-organize the others into more specific categories, which we think will make navigation easier. (If you don't know what a DU Group is, click here to learn more.)

As part of the proposal we also intend to:

• Include links to related Topic Forums on the new category pages.


• Allow you to add a forum (or Group) to your My Forums list when you are inside that forum (or Group).

Here's what we've come up with, for your review and comment.

ON EDIT: To clarify -- if you don't see a particluar Topic Forum included in the lists below, it doesn't mean we're getting rid of that forum. In fact we are not getting rid of any of the Topic Forums. We simply intend to provide links to certain related Topic Forums when we recategorize the Groups, and those are the forums you see included in the lists below.

Re-categorization of DU Groups

Activism
Economic Activism and Progressive Living
Peacemaking and Community
Propaganda Debunking
Sibel Edmonds and other Whistleblowers
Socialist Progressives
Link to Topic Forum: Activist HQ

Arts & Entertainment
Animation
Artists
Classic Films
Classical Music
Crafts
Music Appreciation
Musicians
Photography
TV Chat
Link to Topic Forum: Entertainment

Computers & Internet
Bloggers
Computer Help and Support
Macintosh Users
Open Source and Free Software
Website, DB, & Software Developers

Democrats
Al Gore (formerly Al Gore '08)
Barack Obama
Democracy for America
Dennis Kucinich
Hillary Clinton
Joe Biden
John Edwards
John Kerry
Precinct-level Politics
Southern Democrats and Progressives
Link to Topic Forum: Democrats

Economy & Jobs
Career Help and Advice
Consumer Advice
Personal Finance and Investing
Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs
Links to Topic Forums: DU Marketplace, Economy, Labor, Poverty

Education
Homeschooling
Link to Topic Forum: Education

Environment & Energy
Frugal and Energy Efficient Living
Peak Oil
Public Transportation and Smart Growth
Vegetarian, Vegan and Animal Rights
Link to Topic Forum: Environment/Energy

GLBT
LGBT Civil Rights and Activism
Link to Topic Forum: GLBT

Health & Disability
Addiction/Recovery
Asperger's/PDD
Cancer Support
Chronic Health Conditions Discussion and Support
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Exercise and Fitness
HIV/AIDS Support
Mental Health Support
Pro-Choice
Single Payer Health Insurance Systems
Smoking Cessation
Weight Loss/Maintenance
Links to Topic Forums: Disability, Health, Choice

Home & Family
Ancestry/Genealogy
Cooking & Baking
DIY & Home Improvement
Gardening
Parenting
Pets

Humanities
American History
Groupe Francophone
Languages and Linguistics
World History

Media & News
Countdown/Keith Olbermann
Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Link to Topic Forum: Media

People
Baby Boomers
Links to Topic Forums: Rural/Farm, Seniors

Race & Ethnicity
African-American Issues
Interracial/Multi-ethnic Relationship Support
Irish Affairs
Latino/Hispanic
Native American
Link to Topic Forum: Race/Equality

Reading & Writing
Comic Book
Fantasy Literature
Humor
Poetry
Science Fiction
True Crime
Writing
Links to Topic Forums: Books/Fiction, Books/Non-Fiction

Recreation & Sports
Automobile Enthusiasts
Baseball
Bicycling
Birders
EBay, Collectors, Flea market, & Antiques
Football
Gaming
Motorcycle & Scooter
Motorsport
Outdoor Life
Soccer/Football
Travel
Link to Topic Forum: Sports

Religion & Spirituality
Ancient Wisdom and Pagan Spirituality
Astrology, Spirituality & Alternative Healing
Catholic and Orthodox Christian
Christian Liberals/Progressive People of Faith
Jewish
Muslim/Islam
Prayer Circle Group (non-denominational)
Seekers On Unique Paths
Link to Topic Forum: Religion/Theology

Science & Skepticism
Anthropology
Atheists and Agnostics
Skepticism, Science and Pseudoscience
Weather Watchers (formerly Weather)
Link to Topic Forum: Science

Support Groups
Bereavement
Coping with Divorce or Separation
Hurricane Survivors
Loners

Women
Feminists
Women's World
Link to Topic Forum: Women's Rights

Archived Groups

We intend to archive the following Groups. These Groups will no longer be active, although they will still exist in read-only form.

Impeach
Bill Richardson
Bob Dylan
Brian Schweitzer
Chris Dodd Supporters
Grateful Dead
Mark Warner
Russ Feingold
Wesley Clark Supporters

State & Country Forums

As part of the reorganization, DU's state, local, and international forums will be grouped together into a new section called "Places," which will be separated into two sub-categories: "US" and "International"

Feedback Please

We're opening this up for discussion. What do you think of this reorganization? Have we miscategorized anything? Let us know.

[annabanana]

1. Looks good to me.

(you work so hard, thanks)

[malaise]

11. +1

I agree 100%

[Laelth]

2. k&r for exposure.

I have nothing substantive to add here.



-Laelth

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Looks good to me...

I especially like what you're doing with the State and Country forums.

Are you getting ready, or is this part of getting ready for Version 3 or whatever it's called?


K&R

[derby378]

4. You need a Philosophy forum

I'm not sure if it should be under Religion & Spirituality or under Humanities, but maybe we should try out a forum for discussing the ideas of Sartre, Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, Hegel, Voltaire, Spinoza, Locke, etc.

[BlooInBloo]

22. No they don't.

[Divine Discontent]

35. you can be so nasty and not even realize it. if enough people want that forum, let them have it,

if no one else says they want it, then they won't get it - but to actively tell them they don't need it is nasty.

and knowing the atheist friends of mine, btw, they would not want their forum in a religion section. maybe not be so absolute in your declarations would be a better way to function here with other human beings who are merely trying to state their desires, that DUer didn't need shot down by your "No they don't" comment. Let the guys who run the website tell them that.

[derby378]

36. It's like Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan once said...

"The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas."

Thanks!

[BlooInBloo]

37. (shrug) I'm fine with people disagreeing with me. Would only that others were similarly.

EDIT: Incidentally, you provide the *best* reason for those forums NOT to be under the 'science' label.

[kimmerspixelated]

104. Perhaps a Science Snobbery forum should be created.

[BlooInBloo]

116. Possibly. Since we're Americans though....

The forum: I Don't Know Anything About Science But Want To Talk As If I Do And Then Call People Who Do Know About It "Snobs" - would be a much more popular one.

[Call Me Wesley]

41. Only if there's a Rhinoceros in the forum.

Since a serious and good philosophical work could be written consisting entirely of jokes.

And keep Kierkegaard from me. He's not funny!

[voc]

76. Philosophy Forum

I think would be a good idea.

[valerief]

97. Definitely s/b posted to Humanities. nt

[LiberalLovinLug]

102. Yes a Philosophy forum

that would be great.

[Jim__]

103. I'd like to see a philosophy forum. - n/t

[uppityperson]

5. States,will they be listed individually under Places? Or just state info as a group?

I like having individual states available since there are things specific to one state, and people in most of those forums. If you mean there will be "US" and "foreign" and then sublistings of each state, that would be fine with me. If you mean everything formerly listed under and individual state goes into a larger catch-all "US", then I don't think that is a good idea.

[TransitJohn]

21. I'm pretty sure those are forums, not groups. n/t

n/t

[EarlG]

33. It will be

Places
   |
   --> US
   |    |
   |    --> All the State forums
   |
   --> International
        |
        --> Democrats Abroad
            Australia
            Canada
            Latin America
            United Kingdom

[uppityperson]

39. Thank you for the answer. If a link to "state forums" with each state still having own

forum, it will work. Which I think is what you mean. Each state needs its own forum for stuff specific to that state.

Thanks earl

[EarlG]

55. Yes, to clarify

All the state forums will still exist. I just didn't want to write them all out in the example above

[oldironside]

101. What about the United Kingdom group?

Will that still exist independently or will you dump us into the rest of the world?

[Barack_America]

6. What goes on in the John Edwards group these days?

Anything positive?

[waiting for hope]

54. Lots of us do - and yes, there is positive

things to post.

[Hekate]

7. KnR. Looks good to me

Thanks, EarlG and Admins!

Hekate

[Blue_Tires]

8. you forgot the 'Ask the Administrators' group

[mopinko]

52. +1

[Hawkeye-X]

56. +infinity

Bring back the Ask the Administrators Group!

Some ideas for improvements for DU should be considered.

Hawkeye-X

[blondeatlast]

107. +forever. Best, Sunday, Morning. entertainment. EVER. nt

[BlooInBloo]

9. Please don't pollute the science forum.

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. ouch!

[Cha]

13. I had to go back and look..

I agree.

[Xithras]

89. Science is a topic forum, not a group.

One of my favorite forums, BTW. I feel my IQ rise every time I visit it.

It looks like they're just going to place a link to the existing DU Science forum beneath the Science/Skepticism/Voodoo DU Groups category. Science may get a few more dissenters wandering in because of that, but I don't think it will be a real problem (and may expose some people to real science who might otherwise never see it). Aggressive moderation should be able to deal with any problems.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. good idea.

[intheflow]

14. Looks good, but I have a group name change suggestion.

Perhaps the hurricane survivor's group could be changed to something like natural disaster survivor and resource group? That way people who have experienced other natural disasters (tornados, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires) will also be able to utilize the forum.

The Dead and Dylan groups were started by the same tombstoned guy who started the photography group. I'm so glad the photo group hasn't gone the way of his other groups, and himself!

[uppityperson]

17. I would second that, hurricane survivors group should be Disaster survivor group

Since it was started for Katrina survivors, and had some posts for other hurricanes, but it would be VERY good to have a Disaster Survivors Group since there is always stuff happening and having one place to post stuff, resources, etc would be wonderful

[peace13]

15. Russ Feingold? I am sure that he would be pleased to know that he was cut along with Grateful Dead!

Feingold is one of the true Dem hitters but hey if space is tight. Where did you put 911 information, Propaganda Debunking?

[Heddi]

16. I'm kind of confused, can someone explain

example:

Science & Skepticism
Anthropology
Atheists and Agnostics
Skepticism, Science and Pseudoscience
Weather Watchers (formerly Weather)
Link to Topic Forum: Science

Does that mean that posts for/regarding Anthropology, Athiests & Agnostics, Skeptics, and weather will all be posted in one forum (Science)?

I'm just confused as to whether there will be a separate forum for Atheists, Skeptics, etc, like there is now, or if the Science and Skepticism forum will be where all topics (the ones listed above) will be posted...

[EarlG]

26. It means

there will be a new category called "Science & Skepticism" and within that section you will find the following Groups:

Anthropology
Atheists and Agnostics
Skepticism, Science and Pseudoscience
Weather Watchers (formerly Weather)

...because they are related to the topic "Science & Skepticism." Also on that page we'll put a link to the Science forum, since that forum has related content.

[BlooInBloo]

30. Atheism and agnosticism are topics pertaining to religion.

[EarlG]

31. Then maybe that Group should go in the Religion & Spirituality section

But I'm not sure the people who participate in that Group would want that. Some of these Groups are going to be tough to categorize (which is why we've posted this for people to comment on).

[BlooInBloo]

32. Excellent idea.

[eppur_se_muova]

45. How about a "Belief" group?

That's even broader and vaguer than "Spirituality".

(Seriously, though.)

The Rod Serling voice was a nice touch, BTW.

[bananas]

78. They are religious topics and belong in the religion section.

[enlightenment]

113. You're right.

Despite what Bloo seems to think - the A&A group doesn't belong with religion - and yes, I participate in the Group.

Bloo is of course entitled to think otherwise.

[Heddi]

62. Thank you for your reply

that's what I was hoping would happen.

[GoCubsGo]

18. Whatever...

These forums are only open to those who can afford to donate. Those of us who cannot have no access to them anyway.

[kestrel91316]

25. I have donated as little as $5 at times. You don't have to be rich, lol.

And if you are NICE and have FRIENDS here, you could likely get one of them to donate on your behalf.

[tosh]

19. I like it!

[Bluenorthwest]

20. I have no idea if these are good ideas but making groups

more visible is a great idea. I forget about them, get habitual, and need to be reminded. So if that is the goal, it is a good goal.

[supernova]

23. Can R/T be renamed Christian/Atheist Cagematch?

[Iggo]

44. +1

[LeftyMom]

51. Awesome! Maybe we can get those cool Mexican wrestler masks for everybody!

[gkhouston]

94. I thought that was GD.

[FreeState]

24. I think LGBT Civil Rights and Activism should be in the Activism section, not its own

logically thats were I would look for it.

[REP]

28. Agreed

Maybe that's where ProChoice belongs, too.

[EarlG]

59. That seems like it would fit

I'd like to get some more opinions...

[intheflow]

63. I thought the same. Also thought it would work under "Family."

Perhaps some of these should be listed in more than one place? Or linked together. For example, I like The Daily Show Group under Media, but it could just as easily be listed under Arts and Entertainment, too.

[REP]

27. "Pro Choice" doesn't seem to belong in "Health and Disability"

There are only two topics in that list - Choice and Single Payer - that aren't support/self-help-type groups. Maybe move those out into other forums, or create a support/self-help group category?

[intheflow]

64. I'd put pro-choice under activism, that seems more logical.

But it is also a health issue, so ideally I'd like to see it listed in both places.

[REP]

66. Yeah, it's a health issue, but it's not a self-help/support group, like the majority of H/D groups

If there were a health ISSUES discussion, in addition to the self-help support groups, it would belong in issues.

[InvisibleTouch]

112. I'd put it under Activism.

That's really the only suggestion for change that jumps out at me. Otherwise I think the re-organization looks good!

[Are_grits_groceries]

29. Put in a Rachel Maddow group with the KO bunch. nt

[intheflow]

65. +1.

Can't believe no one has requested a Maddow Group yet!

[Mrs. Overall]

34. I like that the Loners are under Support Groups.

[MagickMuffin]

38. My suggestions

1. Are we stilled only allowed 15 My Forums?!?

I know that you count certain forums (6 Big Forums) as a required feature, but could they be fixed where they show up first on the left hand side, that way we could adjust our favorites according to our liking.

2. Could the 6 Big Forums not count as our 15 favorites?!?

I would add more favorites if the Big 6 weren't include as part of the 15.


Those are my only concerns. I like the new house cleaning


edit: I would also like to have bigger Avatars

[Nederland]

40. The Peak Oil Forum is Dead

No one has posted there in months. Most of the people that posted there (I am one of them) have taken to posting Peak Oil stuff in Environment / Energy. Back when oil was up at $135 a barrel it was a pretty popular forum, but at this point I don't really think the topic needs it's own space anymore. IMHO, naturally.

[Call Me Wesley]

42. Looks fine.

It's pretty sad to visit a Topic Forum where the top thread is from last year.

[Thickasabrick]

43. Celebrity/Tabloid Forum...not that I want it personally, but it would

be nice for stuff like that to have an official home.

[KoKo]

88. I'd second that one... Great to have those posts in one spot

for readers who want more and those who think sometimes they clutter the board.

[EarlG]

91. I think people use the Entertainment forum for that mostly.

Or the Lounge.

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Are you eliminating the education forum? Why is it listed under homeschooling??

Sorry I don't understand the organization. Is homeschooling the only topic under education?

And may I suggest a teacher forum?

[EarlG]

57. No, we're not eliminating any forums

Currently "Homeschooling" is the only group in the Education category, but that could chance if more groups are added. For example, if you propose a Teachers group and it is accepted, then it would go into the Education category.

In addition, there will be a link in the Education category to the Education forum, because it would probably be useful for people who are browsing the Education category to have a direct link to that forum.

I'm sorry if this is a little confusing, we're doing it this way because of the limitations of our current software. I think it will make sense when you see it in action.

[SidDithers]

47. No "Good Bye Cruel World" group?...

It could go under Arts and Entertainment

Sid

[crispini]

48. Are you referring to the organization of the Lobby?

Or where on this site will the reorg appear?

Also, I wonder if your proposed "Places" label is clear enough. I'm not sure it conveys what you want it to. Also, if the next subdivision is only US and International, it seems to me that your navigation hierarchy may be getting unnecessarily deep. Just my two cents.

Edited to add: You might have fun doing this via an online card sort. There are many tools that are easy to use and some are free. For example: http://www.optimalsort.com / I am sure if you sent a request out to the community you would get LOADS of opinions.

[EarlG]

58. The Lobby will be reorganized

to show the new categories in the DU Groups section.

As for the State and Country forums, if you look at the way they are listed now on the Lobby, it says "State & Country Forums" in bold, and then that's broken up into two sub-categories which are "State Forums" and "Country & International Forums".

So that will become "Places" in bold, broken up into "U.S." and "International." We think it's a bit clearer, and it allows us a bit more flexibility going forward.

[Scurrilous]

49. Kick

[demwing]

50. Support Groups

Should include these selections from "Health & Disability":

Addiction/Recovery
Cancer Support
Chronic Health Conditions Discussion and Support
HIV/AIDS Support
Mental Health Support

And, most importantly, should be open to all, regardless of donor status. You shouldn't have to pay to greive or heal on DU.

[NMDemDist2]

67. agreed, I was just going to suggest Addiction/Rec. be moved to support and

out of health

GMTA

[hunter]

70. I disagree. The donor requirement increases the comfort level in those forums.

Not a lot, and nobody should expect any privacy if they post those forums, but requiring donor status reduces the number of trolls and sociopaths somewhat. People who donate are more likely to have some sense of DU community...

[demwing]

74. It is heartbreaking when you find the group, and then are closed out if you have not donated,

or can not.

[Chemisse]

53. I like the way it is organized

But I am confused as to why there are a list of topic forums under the main heading, then links to others.

Why can't those others just be there in the list? I am concerned that it will be hard to find a topic that is within a heading but only as a link. It seems like a way to bury something.

[Chemisse]

60. Maybe I am just confused because I dont know the difference

between groups and forums.

So I guess the groups are all under certain headings, and there are links to the topic forums.

[EarlG]

61. Here's how it works

And it is somewhat confusing. Hopefully this will make sense.

On DU we have our "Main forums" or "Big forums" - these are Latest Breaking News, GD, GD-P, Editorials, Videos, and the Lounge.

We also have a number of Topic Forums which can be found here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

The Topic Forums were created by the Admins and cover a broad range of issues. Any DU member can post in these forums.

Then we have the DU Groups, which can be found here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

The Groups were all suggested by DU members, and focus on more narrow issues than the Topic Forums. In addition, the Groups are donor-only.

As you can see, they are currently grouped into the following categories:

Democrats
Politics, Issues & Media
Ethnicity, Religion & Atheism
Personal Interests
Lifestyle, Peer Support & Self-Help

Our proposal is to do away with these categories and reorganize the Groups into the categories I outlined in my first post of this thread, which are more descriptive and should make navigation easier.

In addition, we thought it would be helpful to place links within the new categories to relevant Topic Forums. Because if someone is browsing, say, the list of Groups under the Health & Disability category, they might appreciate a link to the Health Forum or the Disability Forum.

[Renew Deal]

99. That makes a lot of sense

Thanks!

I would suggest not changing the name for the "State and Country" forums. "Places" is less descriptive.

[madinmaryland]

68. Except for what is getting dumped into the sports forum..

Birders
EBay, Collectors, Flea market, & Antiques



Doesn't really match up with the sports forum.

[Forkboy]

71. Hey, the World Series trophy was an antique the last time SF won it.

[madinmaryland]

106. I betcha it has "collected" some "fleas" in those 55 YEARS!

[hmorehead]

69. Still too many!

[merh]

72. kick

[lpbk2713]

73. I've noticed some groups won't allow recs/unrecs.

As an example, Computer Help and Support Group. I've seen some posts that would be worthy of a rec
for the info or advice they contain buy it couldn't be done. Any likelihood this might change?

[akbacchus_BC]

75. Hi EarlG, thanks to you all for the great job you do in maintaining this

site. Your cleanup looks excellent. I have a question though, can you please add a Caribbean Group if you don't mind?

Thanks to you all and the Mods for the great job you do.

Best regards

[sandnsea]

77. I think you're dumping too much together

The photography forum and the John Kerry forum get separate and unique use. If you put the Kerry forum in with Democrats in general, you'll disrupt a key group of people who have been together for 6 years.

The photography forum must stay on its own. You would ruin it to put it with anything else.

Somebody who is having addiction troubles isn't hardly going to spill their guts in a forum with non-addicts in it. Again, you may as well delete the forum. As previously mentioned, pro-choice is activism, as single payer.

What the hell does cooking have to do with genealogy?

I think you need to give it another go, and respect the relationships that have developed and don't disrupt them.

[muriel_volestrangler]

80. I think the groups will all remain separate

From the OP: "In fact we are not getting rid of any of the Topic Forums. We simply intend to provide links to certain related Topic Forums when we recategorize the Groups". This is about the categories of groups that you see in The Lobby and the DU Groups screen.

So from the Kerry Group, there will be a link saying something like "If you want to talk in more general terms about Democrats, you may be interested in the Democrats Forum ". It will still be the Kerry Group, and if you go straight to it, you won't see anything of the posts in other Groups, whether Democrat or not.

As to the connection between cooking and genealogy - they're both interests. At the moment, cooking is under "Personal Interests", while genealogy is under "Lifestyle, Peer Support & Self-Help". I think genealogy is closer to cooking than to Cancer Support, myself, so that small bit of the reorganisation looks sensible to me.

[sandnsea]

84. Okay, I see

I thought they were dumping everything into larger groups, but I see what you mean. They're trying to get the groups to make more sense within categories. That makes sense.

[EarlG]

85. Sorry if I wasn't clear

The individual groups are not being merged together, just categorized differently. Here's some more info:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[sandnsea]

86. You were clear

I didn't read clear. Sorry about that.

[madinmaryland]

105. I was confused at first. Had to go back and reread.

I thought it was a bit odd to be dumping the Bird Watching group into the Sports Forum!!

[wroberts189]

79. I think you should keep the state groups separate ..as dead as some are. imho...

It makes it easier to see a summary of the threads posted by DU's in your state.

[wizstars]

81. How useful would it be.....?

... to have some kind of forum like (for lack of a creative name)"Right-Wing Watch" where we can post things that we find about right-wing activities, ideas etc. (Not sure I have a real clear idea where I'm going wit this, but I think it'd be useful to help us "know thy enemy", so to speak.


What say you, DUers/Earl?

[EarlG]

92. I think the Bush/Conservatives forum is eventually going to become

"Wingnut Watch". But that will be later, we're focusing on the Groups for now.

[rpannier]

82. You're archiving the Grateful Dead???

I didn't even know we had a Grateful Dead forum!!!

I'd have been posting there every other day.

Damn it all to hell.

[kentuck]

83. Looks like progress.

[Blue_In_AK]

87. I don't care what you do

as long as the Photo Group remains.

[lumberjack_jeff]

90. I don't understand

on edit;

I originally interpreted your message to say that you were consolidating groups.

That apparently is not the case, but I'm not sure what you mean by "linking" them.

[bluescribbler]

93. Don't archive Bob Dylan, pretty please?

I heard he's coming out with a Christmas album later this year.

[gkhouston]

95. Nicely done. n/t

[valerief]

96. Looks great! nt

[graywarrior]

98. No Alan Rickman group? ! ? !!!!

A pox on you, sir!

[Renew Deal]

100. Where is the Joe Lieberman forum?

[bloom]

108. Science & Skepticism, Atheism and Agnosticism, Weather, etc.

A lot of people who participate in the religion forum are atheists - so yes - it makes sense for Atheists and Agnostics to be in that group.

As someone else mentioned Atheism and Agnosticism refer to religion.

You could make the Forum "Religion and Philosophy" and put Philosophy in there too.

A lot of the people who insert themselves into the religious group are also interested in Skepticism. I think that Skepticism should also be in the religion forum. It seems more like a philosophy than a science.

Science and Weather (Watchers) should be with Energy and the Environment. You could throw Anthropology in there, too - so it's not alone.

[bananas]

109. I like that - "Religion & Philosophy"

And you're right, "Skepticism" probably belongs there, it's just another "-ism".

[realisticphish]

110. The group is for scientific skepticism

that is to say, we require evidence for extraordinary claims. We don't just discuss religion; in fact, we rarely do. We deal with medicine, the supernatural, and conspiracy theories far more than religion. Not that it really matters, since they will still be separate groups.

[woo me with science]

111. +1 nt

[Warpy]

114. Please don't move the atheist group

It's a reasonably active group and quite necessary for those of us who feel quite put upon if we dare let our hair down in established groups.

While scientists have a relatively large number of atheists/agnostics, we are still vastly outnumbered by believers of various types.

Please keep our dusty intellectual ghetto. It's a protected place that we need in order to discuss issues without rattling the cages of our thin skinned fellow Democrats who believe and think the rest of us ought to, also.

[EarlG]

117. It's not going away

The question is, do you think it should be categorized in "Religion & Spirituality" or "Science & Skepticism?"

[Warpy]

118. Whew!

Well, since it's not a religion and is highly skeptical, I'd put it in "Science and Skepticism."

Trust me, there will be a lot less friction that way.

[Arugula Latte]

115. *Raises hand*

Is this going to be on the test on Friday?

[Synnical]

119. How many days do we get to think about this? n/t

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[EarlG]

120. Thanks for all your input

We are going to make a few edits to the list and hopefully go live with the new categories some time today. I will post another announcement when it's done.

If you are an active member of a Group and are dissatisfied with that Group's new categorization, you will still be able to suggest changes after the reorganization is complete. I will explain how to go about doing that in my next announcement.

Thanks again,
EG