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The time has come where we need to re-evaluate our forums and the site in general. As you know, arguments have been carried out through the forums, which have affected many members.

The objective of this site is to provide users with story-making tools and allowing them to freely publish them on the site.

If you were a writer, would you like to register on this site after seeing what happens in the forums. I would be reluctant to participate in a community filled with anger and hatred to one another.

There will be conflict, yes, but we do not need to show it so openly that there is conflict in the community. That is why we have PM's and we can use e-mail.

I am only basing my support to a feature idea (which i have not provided any information yet, but hold you breath for just a few more seconds) on the argument in the forums. Another thing is that posts usually contain spam and really off-topic things like gameboy games, the baseball game that happened the other day, to name a few. This is not very story-orientated, unless of course you are talking about the story line from a gameboy game (which has not occured).

That is why i propose that we eliminate The Lounge from the forums, to discourage non-story related topics. To substitute for the lounge, and it stimulate mature discussion, i propose we insert a "debates" or "world topics" forum where mature discussion can take place.

Further suggestions to this are open too!

there are many possibilities with this and im up for discussing any of them. i would love to see a debates or world topics forum. it would bring more sophistication to the site, which, is what was wanted when CYS was created. also, maybe giving points for intelligent discussion? like what happened with Darth, he tried to bring the community together, he was promptly rewarded, as he should have been.

nate

That is my main goal in this, to bring the community together and to make it grow!

I'd rather see a new forum topic for "serious" discussions and not lose the Lounge.  So what if the stuff is sometimes off-topic?  more later-- have to cook pasta.

a serious discussion forum would be nice.

Maybe the lounge could just have more stricter rules or some kind of rule that limits immaturity...

Here's my idea: You click the Forums link and that gives the menu of forums. You click 'The Lounge' link and you are then greeted with other (let's call them) "sub-forums". These sub-forums are things that don't necessarily have any direct connection to story writing, but are a place for serious discussion i.e. World Crises, debates, etc. These topics (or at least some) would have an element of story writing in them. Plus it's a way for members to connect about interests other than writing. We don't have to eliminate the Lounge and make this site strictly about story writing, we just need to orient it around story writing more than it is now.

I don't think elimenating the lounge will solve anything. In fact, I think it will serve only to make things worse. Without a place wher you are allowed to put off-topic comments, I think you will see off-topic comments everywhere. Elimenating a smokers lounge in the hopes of elimenating smoking just results in smokers smoking where ever they please.

If I may make a suggestion; you should have strict enforcement of the "stay on topic" rule and delete any comments that are not on topic. The only area of the forums where anyone should be allowed to stray from the topic should be the lounge, and maybe the newbie section (since that's really just an introduction to the site that could contain ANYTHING in the form of discussion).

Well n00b central is for asking misc. questions, but yeah also for introductions. You aren't really allowed to stray off-topic, so to speak. But I agree with you dep. (I agree as much as possible.) We will need a place for people to just lay back and talk about gratuadous small talk things, but we can't allow that sub-forum to be where everything happens or all of this would be unnecessary and pointless.

"aren't really allowed to stray off-topic, so to speak."

Sure the rule is there, but it should be enforced stricty if you want people to follow it. This site is pretty good about deleting a post that includes the f-word, so it shouldn't be too much of a change to start deleting off topic posts. If one person gets away with an off topic post (and clearly it's far more than one person) then everyone will try to get away with off topic posts. It's just human nature; once a rule is broken but not enforced, other people are going to try and get away with the same thing. Unfortunately, when it comes to enforcing rules, it's all or nothing. No exceptions.

By "aren't really allowed to stray off-topic...", I meant that if you talk about sports games, that should be in the lounge. It has to do with newbies. That's what I meant. I guess what I said was a bit extreme...

I don't understand what was wrong with my Gameboy discussion... I thought the Lounge was meant to be Off-Topic, a place to talk about anything, you know, a place to socialize with each other and make friends, instead of just talking about what we're writing all the time. I can understand some issues being out of place, or causing problems, but most online communities have a forum location for general talk.

Perhaps you should be making rules about bad behaviour, rather than eliminating social interaction. Penalise people for flaming and pointless insults, not simply for talking about things that interest them. It seems a lot of the lounge problems come from harshly worded disagreements, insults, and the like, not from people simply talking about things that interest them. A lot of problems could probably be solved by the simple age-old catchphrase, "If you've got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all"

"I thought the Lounge was meant to be Off-Topic, a place to talk about anything, you know, a place to socialize with each other and make friends, instead of just talking about what we're writing all the time. I can understand some issues being out of place, or causing problems, but most online communities have a forum location for general talk.

Perhaps you should be making rules about bad behaviour, rather than eliminating social interaction. Penalise people for flaming and pointless insults, not simply for talking about things that interest them."

I think paul is right on target.  If people can only "chat" through pm's, I think that takes away a lot of the sense of community. 

Also, most people that I do pmchat with, I never would have started talking to if not for "meeting" them on the forums.

nothing was "wrong" with the gameboy discussion, i was just using to say that it wasnt a story-related matter.

but you guys are right, the lounge is fine, we just need RULES.

and i still like the idea of adding in a forum thread for discussions on world-issues or something similar.

The forum changes that need to me made include making it PHP so that we can see what topics we responded to, are watching, new posts, etc. I've always found it difficult to find things.

As far as the raving banter and hatred, that has something to do with adolescence...and I don't mean that in a judgmental or critical manner, only one with unconditional positive regard, but it still exists. Yelling "grow up" doesn't help, either, because everyone has to evolve at their own pace.

As a bottom line (god I hate cliches but there is one) I'd say it's not much of a problem. People bicker all over forums worldwide, regardless of content. It's a sociological truth that people tend to act out more when they know they are anonymous. Just everyone try to stay chill and remember that we are a community.

Am I raving again or making a good point? Difficult to tell.

You're ranting and rating is good.

i'd have to agree with madglee (although im still very novice and green on tis site and dont have  a  big affect on it) i think if theres a conflict between two members, it needs to take its course. if a couple of people have an argument, we should be able to start a forum on it and either agree to disagree, come to terms, or solve it. maybe there should be some feature/forum called conflicts, where people discuss the conflict and do whatever and there is a mod there to see it thorugh. although most of here shouldnt need babysitting (ipod) and have authority do our dirty work for us.

 

take it how u shall.,

 

DS