Reply #252: Suggestions and a Comments

[RoyGBiv]

I let all this simmer in my head today. I didn't think of a great deal to add that would be of importance, but I did want to offer a few observations.

One specific suggestion I have relates to the My Posts function and is actually rather minor and probably shouldn't be put on a high priority list. I wanted to mention it because the proposed changes seem as though they have the potential to worsen it. When threads are moved from one forum to another, My Post essentially breaks if a participant has posted in the thread before it is moved. Also, no distinction is made in the error message that is presented between a thread that has been thoroughly deleted and one that has been moved. Like many participants, I use this function more than any other to follow discussions in which I am involved, and it becomes incredibly important when I'm away from the computer for awhile. If something could be done to create a symbolic link between the link in "My Posts" to the location where the thread has been moved, it would be extremely helpful. This happened to me today, and because of how many individual threads had been started on the same topic, it took me quite awhile to find the specific thread in which I had posted so I could read a reply to one of my posts.

I'd also like to suggest that the admins take a careful look at what forums they decide to delete due to inactivity. The main reason I mention this is related to something you yourself mentioned in your discussion of potential changes. A couple of forums in which I participate would probably qualify for the chopping block. One in particular has had no real activity in over a month. The problem with it, in my view, is not the forum itself but the fact that commentary in that forum gets no audience because everyone is hanging out in GD for the "more eyeballs" effect. I've even experimented with this a couple times, posting essentially the same comment in a forum and then later in GD. In GD, the comment will get multiple replies or instigate a discussion while in the forum, nothing happens, in part, I am presuming, because no one is reading it. You could call that a problem with the forum itself, but it seems to me the problem is more that people tend to go "where the people are" and not bother with a specific forum. Only those who really wanted the separation of topics in the first place seem to take the time to bother; others just go the path of least resistance to the generic group that places no limits on subject matter. It's sort of a chicken or the egg argument, so I cannot say positively what the best course of action might be, but I hope the admins will consider it as they try to tweak things to provide more effective discussion.

With regard to a few comments above, I will also weigh in with my opinion that I hope DU does not adopt a Slashdot style of moderation. I read that forum regularly, but I despise the manner in which it is administered and so do not participate. I'll not bother with a thorough discussion of why since this does not seem to be in the list of imminent changes, but I'll as that if you ever truly consider implementing this, please follow that forum closely, paying close attention to comments from those with low moderation scores and even some with higher scores who complain of "karma hogs," favoritism, and the like. The bottom line for me is I think this style of administration would make the current complaints from newbies about treatment they receive and the various "clique" and forum wars have more of a basis, at least in perception.

In summary, I'll mostly just repeat what I said earlier and say that I appreciate the effort, in whatever form it takes, to foster actual discussion and dissemination of information. I like the socializing and sometimes actually need the one-line quips just to vent some frustration or feel validated for having a strong emotion about some event, but that's not my primary purpose in participating here.