Console forum locked?

[darkblu]

Dave,

though i fully understand your position regarding the console forum, i believe it would be a pitty to send it down the drain. the console forum turned up to being a place for 'lightening up' for the beyond3d-core visitors (i've noticed quite a few core visitors dropping by the console forum, me included), and has also proven to be a good place to gather info and gossip about console hw and titles. plus, there are quite a few true contributers in that forum who seem to feel at home there.

please, consider not shutting it down, even if it takes additional moderator effort to baby-sit it. i, for one, would volunteer to join the console mods team and help them in their efforts to keep the signal-noise ratio at proper levels. moreover, lately i've been frequenting the forum almost on par with the core forums, so i could use that time for helping the console mods.

 

[MfA]

Bah ... I dislike it when people are unable to ignore shit, much more than the actual trolling itself.

Just close it ... moderation is ultimately an excercise in selfdelusion. A community will use the forum as it sees fit, if you dont like it close it. It's your ball, but not your game. A warning wont change anything, maybe if you close it enough to loose most regulars then you can reopen it again ...

 

[Paul]

Give me another hour and a half and then you can close it.

Please

 

[zurich]

edit: let me rephrase.

I enjoy the forum and certain posters input, however I think the noise-to-signal problem could be fixed with a well placed bullet or four. However, if the powers that be feel that the console forum's entire existence is an embarassment to Beyond3D, then don't do us any favours.

Sorry for the snarky tone, but what can be said when 3-4 bad apples ruin it for everyone.

 

[maskrider]

This version of the forum couldn't do too many things the others can. Like Ignore list, warnings threshold before banned, etc.

I feel that those people who causes problems will not wake up until they were older and have more social experience. But the problem is that there will always be many people like that, you simply cannot avoid them.

I would say just remove the forum (although I certainly miss it and the good members that participated in it) and let Beyond3D be Beyond3D without any other non-core stuffs.

 

[jvd]

May I suggest starting the console forum on a clean slate and give it a months chance. If the console forum can't stay flame clean then it should be taken out. Hopefully with a clean slate many of the old problems will be taken out .

 

[Grall]

The console forum fills an even bigger purpose this time than last, with ATi supplying hardware to both Nintendo and Microsoft. Removing it will not fix anything, that will just make postsers migrate to other parts of the site, most likely along with the issues they bring.

The console forum will always be noisier than the rest of the site, but with some measures it will be manageable. Admins don't need to BABYSIT the forum, but it would be appreciated if they established more of a presence there and help educate newcomers of what is expected of a Beyond3D user.

The console forum fills a valuable role, it is still one of, if not the, most valuable source for console info on the web. Just deleting it would be a damn shame!


*G*

 

[jvd]

well of course before deleting it they could back it up. Perhaps they can even set up an archives . I've been reading about this forum software so I can use it on a guild website i'm making and people are saying it slows down with to many topics and pictures in it. So perhaps pasting them as a normal webpage on another section of the site would help the forums out. Perhaps have a link from the main page to forum archives and anything from over a year would be put in the archives after the console section is started over again .

 

[maskrider]

Well, the forum is good in itself, but the bickering degraded it a lot. Those immature kids can be persuaded nor taught in a short period of time. Who would want to waste that much time teaching kids this and that. I have a hard time teaching my own kids and I will simply ignore them as is.

If we cannot ban them, I would say just remvoe the whole thing. Keeping the archive for the valuable stuffs are fine for sure.

It is too hard for just two part-time moderators. Just too many problems to be taken by too few people.

 

[notAFanB]

Well, the forum is good in itself, but the bickering degraded it a lot. Those immature kids can be persuaded nor taught in a short period of time.

well it's not like we didnt play our part in dragging out some OT needlessly. in hindsight it's probably not a good idea to continue in threads where the participants are talking past each other.

JVD:

Archiving the past threads seems like a good idea (for reference). but I can kinda see eveyone 'mirgrating' to other parts of the forum. General Discussion in particular has been bogged down of late.

regarding the probabation period, I'm not clear how it's possible to keep the forum flamefree as this is very dependent on how persistent the posters are??

late now night fellas

 

[jvd]

Well i'm hoping that not only the mods (myself who has been away due to a wedding and my pc not liking water and sonic who also has a full time job) but the posters step it up a bit. With a clean slate of the forum and some official topics that anything off topic or flames or bait would be deleted asap and anything responding to those posts would also be deleted might help the forum go a long way.

 

[maskrider]

I don't have authority but I have tried my best to not participate in those worthless bickerings and tried to created some other interesting topics to divert the attention, but the people (or kids ) are too decided to flame the others.

I believe the best thing is the removal of the forum and keep all stuffs within the related forums (as they are now). Console forum is not needed at the moment unless the next gen consoles are officially announced. The hate for the kids are just too much to be taken.

 

[Saem]

I agree with Dave completely. The console forum for the most part is used to drive the crap away from the rest of the site -- much akin to a trash can. That's how I saw it when it first came about. If it's becomming an issues where B3D site admins are having their attention diverted then it should go. It was brought here to make the "crows" look at the shiney forum and leave the rest of the site clean. Excuse my harsh words, but that's my view of things.

That being said, there are some very good and interesting discussions that go on in there. There are even core (wrt site focus) community members that visit there and obviously derive something from it. Perhaps, the easiest way would be to create two types of console forum citizens -- not sure if this can be done, I haven't played with PHPBB for a long time. Basically, one group can induct new "approved members", who will have the power to create new topics. Those posters who demonstrate that they're capable of conducting themselves can be brought into the approved member list -- INVITATION ONLY!

I agree with MfA in that the community will do with the fora as it pleases.

Personally, I wouldn't mind moderating. Just deleting severely off topic posts of clean/deleting flames would do the trick. By flames I mean the obvious stuff like, "you're an idiot."

 

[Neeyik]

Personally I'm unconcerned as to whether the console forum stays or not, but what does bother me is the way certain console-only users insist on starting threads in other sections of the board that are nothing more than thinly disguised playground name-calling game. If they're here only because the console forum is, then I'd be the first person in the queue clicking the "forum-remove" button.

One simple question solves the whole problem though - does the Beyond3D site need the Console Forum to remain popular and progressive? I know what my answer is.

 

[qwerty2000]

One simple question solves the whole problem though - does the Beyond3D site need the Console Forum to remain popular and progressive? I know what my answer is.

Yes it does if you remove it forever you'll lose vistors and some people do come for the console forum they would leave too. So you'll lose members that would not be a smart move if you get rid of it.

 

[Neeyik]

One simple question solves the whole problem though - does the Beyond3D site need the Console Forum to remain popular and progressive? I know what my answer is.

Yes it does if you remove it forever you'll lose vistors and some people do come for the console forum they would leave too. So you'll lose members that would not be a smart move if you get rid of it.

Clearly you will lose some visitors but I ask again - does Beyond3D need that particular forum to remain popular and progressive?

Do you think that B3D is regularly in the news because of the forum? Do you think that The Inquirer reguarly quotes the B3D forums because of the console forum? Will the devs, that have their own dedicated forum space, will stop writing for the site if the console forum is removed? Does B3D review consoles? Does B3D write articles about consoles? Is B3D a console specific website?

How many visitors do you think visit the webspace on the B3D server for nothing more than to write in the console forum? Do you think that B3D will disappear from the news or fail to gain new insights about the latest 3D hardware if they and the console forum disappear?

 

[Dave Baumann]

Yes it does if you remove it forever you'll lose vistors and some people do come for the console forum they would leave too.

Good lord could such a thing happen? Mmmm, I hadn't considered that!

So you'll lose members that would not be a smart move if you get rid of it.

Do you know the full statistics of B3D's traffic and what gains us the most traffic / ad impressions in comparison to the time spent and what attracts more users? I don't really think you do.

 

[qwerty2000]

Why do you know dave

 

[Dave Baumann]

Its my server - I have stats coming out of my ears!

 

[Dio]

I am strangely reminded of an old poem.

"There's a girl in 3C
with a wart on her knee
and a pimple upon her behind.
I gave her 3p
and she showed it to me
now wasn't that awfully kind."
P.S. Wonder what she'd do for a quid?

Bill Oddie, IIRC.