Splitting General Chat?

thunderchildobs · #1 01-09-2014, 06:04 PM

Is it possible to split the General Chat forum into "General Astromony" and "Social Chat"?

Where General Astromony is anything (vaguely)related to some aspect of Astromny and Social Chat is for everything else.

(Complaining about weather goes in Social chat)

LewisM · #2 01-09-2014, 06:34 PM

Why not just create a separate forum called "The Minefield" where anything goes? Unmoderated, have at it. We did that with one of the forums I was admin for for 15 years... it got so civilised (yet full on) as to self-moderate!

Seriously, I don't think we need it. I fail to see where people cannot simply ignore something they don't want to read. Don't like the thread, move to one you do. Simple really.

LewisM · #3 01-09-2014, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunama

Maybe a third sub section also: AntiSocial Chat (there has been lots of it lately)

btw, I vote yes to the original poll.

Brian3 and I could start a "Taunt the dealer" sub-forum

Octane (Humayun) · #4 01-09-2014, 07:03 PM

And, a special sub-forum in General for Renato.

H

clive milne · #5 01-09-2014, 07:24 PM

I'd be happy if the mods just censored antisocial behaviour (or restricted access to those habitually guilty of it) rather than banning intelligent debate on subjects that attract them.

To me, it's like banning food from your house because you don't like mice.

casstony · #6 01-09-2014, 07:30 PM

The 'minefield' forum is a good idea but it would still need moderation I think, just to keep it from getting nasty.

Kunama · #7 01-09-2014, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clive milne

I'd be happy if the mods just censored antisocial behaviour (or restricted access to those habitually guilty of it) rather than banning intelligent debate on subjects that attract them.

To me, it's like banning food from your house because you don't like mice.

The problem is that the mods are busy just keeping the show running and when they do intervene or close a thread, it only takes a day before another near identical thread is started.

Contentious issues like religion, politics, climate debates tend to polarise the membership and that does nothing for the enjoyment of the forum, nor does it make the forum appealing to new members.

Some here are hellbent on starting topics just to create disharmony, perhaps a few weeks absence would benefit them.

As for the recent NBN and Global Warming debates ..........

LewisM · #8 01-09-2014, 08:07 PM

True all that.

clive milne · #9 01-09-2014, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunama

As for the recent NBN and Global Warming debates ..........

I also feel a degree of cognitive dissonance.
..... that discussion of a well established aspect of planetary science should be censored as a matter of policy on an astronomy forum (ostensibly) to protect the sensitivities of a demographic that doesn't actually participate in these discussions when it would be more consistent with the objectives of this forum to simply ban the 5 or 6 people responsible for 98% of the anti social behavior.

astroron (Ron) · #10 01-09-2014, 10:26 PM

I voted NO.
If you don't like a thread,Don't read it. "Simple"
There are other forums to discus astronomy on iceinspace
Why start another one.

Cheers

PM_ME_URANUS (Gabriel) · #11 02-09-2014, 02:20 AM

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/f...splay.php?f=19

iceman (Mike) · #12 02-09-2014, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunama

The problem is that the mods are busy just keeping the show running and when they do intervene or close a thread, it only takes a day before another near identical thread is started.

Contentious issues like religion, politics, climate debates tend to polarise the membership and that does nothing for the enjoyment of the forum, nor does it make the forum appealing to new members.

^^^ what he said

hotspur (Chris) · #13 02-09-2014, 07:41 AM

firm no from me,all these special interest forums have general chat.I think a lot of people take some things far too seriously-with relgious/politic etc chat.TOS here state its not on anyway,and what good does it do?-what does it achieve?-apart from people getting flustered.

These forums are suppose to be generally exchanging information and helping people out with similar interest.Over the years I have meet some great people,they have helped me greatly,and I have helped them-people I would never have known,without a general chat forum in various forums.

graham.hobart (Graham stevens) · #14 02-09-2014, 09:46 AM

Nope- leave it as is.
I like the swashbuckling to and fro and I have learnt a lot about different issues from the info presented here. Plus I get a good laugh occasionally.
It seems to be well self censored if someone gets out of hand anyway.
Now, about them polar bears......

mental4astro (Alexander) · #15 02-09-2014, 09:53 AM

Ney from me.

This is what makes the General Chat forum so good. People can ask astro or social questions, and others then select what they want, as what happens in other fora. To chop it up only creates more head aches for the mods, and doesn't actually solve anything for us - as Ron said, there are already specialized fora to make contributions to.

General Chat I would say is the one forum that gets the most traffic out of all of them. Chopping it up only divides us more.

astroron (Ron) · #16 02-09-2014, 09:57 AM

@ Graham
Now, about them polar bears..
Do you mean the ones from Antartica

Cheers

graham.hobart (Graham stevens) · #17 02-09-2014, 01:24 PM

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum!!

GrahamL · #18 02-09-2014, 02:32 PM

Unmoderated or anything goes forums in my experiance plain don't work

giving those who can't play nice a corner of the sand pit to do what they like,well that works briefly, before they start slinging sand all over the place again and everyones crying..

I do see the need for the sub forums that pop up over the years , general chat ?,, I can't see much wrong with it , like Ron says a topic or poster you have an issue with ,just skim over it .

Nikolas (Nik) · #19 02-09-2014, 02:42 PM

I can see both sides of the argument but as a general rule, and I'm speaking from experience as I am a mod of 15 plus years on Australia's biggest motorcycling forum, that unmoderated forums don't work with a large membership base. We have a forum called "the pub" where people can discuss anything they like so long as they behave and don't become abusive or condescending.
There are other forums that allow anything goes and they are more or less self moderated but in those circumstances most of the people know each other on and off the forums.
On this forum we do have people who are well educated on the whole so the ego to sensitivity factor is higher than some other forums.
(how do you become a mod here?)

multiweb (Marc) · #20 02-09-2014, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LewisM

We did that with one of the forums I was admin for for 15 years... it got so civilised (yet full on) as to self-moderate!

That would be a first!

In reality such a forum would fall into anarchy then create a singularity and suck in all the adjacent forums. It would be the end of IIS then the world as we know it.