the Off-Topic reopening petition.

[Zilla]

Shiney suggested this was a viable route, and I've been secreting wanting it ever since my return.

My case: Off-Topic always had a special flavor and intensity that has been lacking since the merger. When Off-Topic and General were seperate, it's true that General had less activity compared with Off-Topic, and some topics would be better suited for General than Off-Topic, but this was not due to page-limit restrictions, merely the atmosphere of the board in the first place. Off-Topic was a place that had its own devout community, and some topics that were made for that community may have been less suited for Off-Topic than General but were made for that Off-Topic community to use in its own special flavor.

The merger was not detrimental. The merger actually has served its purpose, and there is now a real appreciation for the General board, and it has gone from a ghost-forum with the odd list posts and casual browsing to the new center of forum activity. This is why the reintroduction of Off-Topic is viable now.

Since Off-topic will be reintroduced, General will still see more use than Off-Topic, which means the difference between the two will become distinct. Furthermore, instead of the intended effect of simply incorporating Off-Topic topics into General, we have not seen the same kind of topics used in the board. Reintroducing Off-Topic at this point will allow those topics once again, while still keeping a healthy respect for General and the difference between the two.

Petition signatories:

1: Zilla
2: AuronTheUnsent
3: Seil
4: Wizardcat

[Victus]

I think I'll sign this as well Zilla. *Signs*

[Fifthfiend]

If we reopen Off Topic people will go back to using it as "Exactly like General except your shitty thread can run for 120 shitty posts instead of 60 shitty posts before someone closes it". And I will go back to slowly killing myself by way of moving twelve fucking threads a day between the two in the vain hope of enforcing some kind of actually meaningful distinction.

We were ultimately just never willing to tolerate in any capacity the kind of ballsassedly retarded shitcockery that would make an OT forum actually justified, and the kind of ballsassedly retarded shitcockery we are willing to tolerate fits just as well in Gensie as it does anywhere.

I think the best way to deal with the current lack of an Off-Topic forum is, think of whatever thread it is you would have liked to see in Off Topic, and then post that thread in General. And if it's some ballsassedly retarded shittage, well we will go ahead and put a locking on that. But if it's lulzy good times for all and sundry, then we will play that where it lies.

[Meister]

What Fifth said. In addition:

Off-Topic was a place that had its own devout community

RaiRO has its own community. The roleplaying/games section and the 8BT subforum have their own community only to the extent that there are people there who never post anywhere else. Off Topic was and any other subforum in Main is, in my experience, 99% frequented by one and the same crowd.

[...]there is now a real appreciation for the General board, and it has gone from a ghost-forum with the odd list posts and casual browsing to the new center of forum activity. [...] Since Off-topic will be reintroduced, General will still see more use than Off-Topic, which means the difference between the two will become distinct.

I doubt this, because we used to have only General and indeed it was the center of forum activity. Then we introduced Off Topic and while things were good for a while, after some time the two became this sort of indistinct mush. I don't see what would keep that from happening again if we reintroduced OT.

[Nikose Tyris]

I still see some differences between what topics would go where.
For example...
this stuff:
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=32030
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=31880
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=31693

would be off-topic-topics, and this stuff:

http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=31981
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=32002
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=32072

Would seem more serious and 'general' oriented.

aka silly shit goes in Offtopic, more serious "I need advice on subject x" goes in general.



Actually I like having just General for all "general" topics. So I'm not signing the petition, but just adding a point of view.

[Loyal]

Originally Posted by Meister

RaiRO has its own community. The roleplaying/games section and the 8BT subforum have their own community only to the extent that there are people there who never post anywhere else. Off Topic was and any other subforum in Main is, in my experience, 99% frequented by one and the same crowd.

I am of the opinion that this devout community DID exist, except that it now lies in the "Community" forum.

Honestly after the Comm forum was made I dunno what the hell Zilla could be talking about.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Originally Posted by Nikose Tyris

I still see some differences between what topics would go where.
For example...
this stuff:
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=32030
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=31880
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=31693

would be off-topic-topics, and this stuff:

http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=31981
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=32002
http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=32072

Would seem more serious and 'general' oriented.

aka silly shit goes in Offtopic, more serious "I need advice on subject x" goes in general.



Actually I like having just General for all "general" topics. So I'm not signing the petition, but just adding a point of view.

They had thier distinct roles but nobody ever really used them correctly.
I'm totally happy with one forum.

[Zilla]

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

If we reopen Off Topic people will go back to using it as "Exactly like General except your shitty thread can run for 120 shitty posts instead of 60 shitty posts before someone closes it". And I will go back to slowly killing myself by way of moving twelve fucking threads a day between the two in the vain hope of enforcing some kind of actually meaningful distinction.

I think this is a misconception, as I know I didn't care about the extended page limit at least, and I have doubts anyone else really did. The attraction of Off Topic wasn't the 120 post count, it was the people that frequented it and the entire atmosphere of a board where a topic could degenerate randomly. That sense is gone with General.

We were ultimately just never willing to tolerate in any capacity the kind of ballsassedly retarded shitcockery that would make an OT forum actually justified, and the kind of ballsassedly retarded shitcockery we are willing to tolerate fits just as well in Gensie as it does anywhere.

This argument makes me sad if it really means what I think it means, meaning that all the topics that you say belong in Off Topic are not acceptable, meaning, if this is the case, there's no reason for OT. I'm of the opinion that OT does have its own flavor of topics it deserves.

I think the best way to deal with the current lack of an Off-Topic forum is, think of whatever thread it is you would have liked to see in Off Topic, and then post that thread in General. And if it's some ballsassedly retarded shittage, well we will go ahead and put a locking on that. But if it's lulzy good times for all and sundry, then we will play that where it lies.

A modest proposal, the flaw I see in this is the different inherent status quo of General compared to Off Topic. Boards have a self-reciprocating nature in a way, where currently existing topics influence future topics. This is CLEARLY evident in Discussion, and still clearly evident in General with cases like my advice thread prompting the dog advice thread.

The point of this all is "If you build it, they will come." The lack of Off Topic as a board makes for the lack of Off-Topic topics to put into General in the first place. I've noticed through the 4 years I've been administrating forums that the boards available shape the kinds of posts that go on in those boards. If you combined all of Music, Comics, Gaming, and Movies into one "Media" forum, the depth of topics would severely lessen, while the breadth of topics would potentially increase as the board is more generalized.

RaiRO has its own community. The roleplaying/games section and the 8BT subforum have their own community only to the extent that there are people there who never post anywhere else. Off Topic was and any other subforum in Main is, in my experience, 99% frequented by one and the same crowd.

I find this an exaggeration. There's a LOT of people who stick to small sections. I hardly see DFM posting anywhere but Gaming now, Mac seems content with Community, and Discussion has its own community. Even General doesn't seem to take the same position Off-Topic used to, where in days of yore, just about everyone was in Off-Topic, but now there are many people that I never seem to see in General. I know I barely visit anywhere outside of Discussion, General, Forum Games, and the RP threads unless the latest topic in some board catches my eye.

Honestly after the Comm forum was made I dunno what the hell Zilla could be talking about.

Eh wot? Community has nothing to do with this, and that whole board usually turns me off because it's basically a "pat me on the back" forum as far as I've seen. The only time I really go there is to check the wingwong thread, but that's less than steller sometimes.

I doubt this, because we used to have only General and indeed it was the center of forum activity. Then we introduced Off Topic and while things were good for a while, after some time the two became this sort of indistinct mush. I don't see what would keep that from happening again if we reintroduced OT.

I see this as a problem too, but I also see it as being able to be prevented by nurturing the boards to develop in different directions.

I have an idea, but I hate to propose it because, coming from me, it doesn't sound objectively quantified, but I'd like to take charge of the project by moderating Off Topic. I feel I'm qualified, but I don't demand it. I won't take personal affront to being refused.

At the very least, I think an experimental phase would help to see if things are as expected, as reinstating Off-Topic need not be permanent. I'm reminded of the abortion topic, which was apparently banned, but was allowed, and went civilly.

What are your opinions on this, NPF?

[42PETUNIAS]

I like it like this, but it still seems kinda silly that the forum is still there even though it's closed. Just bury it and we can be done with this debate.

Edit: Turns out it did get removed... so nvm.

[P-Sleazy]

I like the lack of off topic as well. The only off-topic threads I ever visited are the ones that we get now-adays with just general. If keeping the two merged means less sifting through crappy random threads to find the true jewels, then lets keep it. It was most of the reason I didn't participate in that forum too. sifting.