new forum category

[eclectica]

It's tempting to create many categories for different topics, but the problem with that is that then one becomes a slave to the very structure of the forum.

When there are too many subforums then the occasional post that occurs in one of them isn't noticed. But when everything is mixed together in one big forum, then the forum lacks a theme, and the good specialty items sink to the bottom.

Ask me what the theme of this forum is about and I can't say I know. I just post what I find to be interesting. But I think one can look at the subforums and get a sense of a forum's theme. For example, compare P2P Forums (http://www.p2pforums.com/index.php) to Ogrish.com (http://forum.ogrish.com/). The only forum that I know which is basically just one theme, where all the posts occur in the general section, is the Napigator forum (http://ikonboard.napigator.com/ikonboard.cgi), though it has a section set aside for audio ripping.

Setting aside topics makes me uncomfortable, because all topics can drift into other topics and all knowledge is tied together. Sometimes a thread would fit under many categories. It's like thinking in black and white to force people to choose which fourm subcategory to post in.

For now I'll try out this new subforum of Computers to see how that goes. It can always be dissolved back into the general forum if I change my mind.

[eclectica]

I think having more subforums might be a worthy thing to do if the forum were bigger or more active. For now though, it is a slow forum with little activity.

A big forum like Zeropaid (http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/) with its 158,000 members, would need more than one forum. I find when I go there that I mainly just read the WinMX subforum (http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=25).

Small forums have more freedom, because they are not limited to a set structure of subforums, and it is easy enough to modify and manage them. Imagine trying to overhaul the structure of Zeropaid? Ye gods, if men could move mountains.

[nicobie]

Originally posted by eclectica
Ye gods, if men could move mountains.

the bible says they can.


bable on bro........

[eclectica]

I'm thinking about creating a music subforum.

[eclectica]

I'm trying out a new subforum "political and world events". Do you think it's a bad idea or a good idea? I'm going back and moving old lounge threads into there. It takes a while to go through old threads and move everything, but it can be undone easily by mass moving everything.

[eclectica]

Well nevermind, there's too much of a blur to break it down into more sections.

[tim]

i don't understand what you were trying to do with that forum anyway. Although I do understand you and the things you enjoy. Personally I'm against it.
It has been sucessful elsewhere...no reason it couldn't be so here as well.

[Criminal_Sniper]

good idea

but if u do not know what to make it about then what are we doing this for?
lol

i know ur looking for something E
u do not have to even look
its of no distance and no substance

but maybe we can discuss it here

ordo ab chao
maybe we can create the ORDER OUT of the CHAOS

maybe a subforum called Path To Enlightenment or Seach of Peace and Truth

something like that
what u think?
i can encompass all the good and the bad and the challenges we face and the obstacles

just a thought

[slx]

i vote nope...


i forget about the other forums...it's usually my typing mistakes that makes me look at them

the lesser, the better for me

"keep it simple stupid"

[Criminal_Sniper]

wading in the shallow and wondering why its so cold up there

[nanook]

If you had a bigger lot of posters, it could be very interesting. Unless you have a sort of news page, in which peeps could give their take on things. But you lot generate literal speeches, when it comes to your opinions on world events and such. I enjoy reading the them. I leave it up to you who have been here longer.

[eclectica]

When this site started out in April 2003 there was one public subforum. There are now four. As the forum grew the subforums were created later and then the old threads were moved into them.

Most sites start out with the subforums in place already, like an empty bookshelf with spaces set aside for varying topics that they expect to fill up. The way it happened here in this forum is that the subforums were created after the fact. A lot of people try to build content into their forum by having a lot of subforums. I like the simplicity of not having too many subforums.

What I find is that different people have different topics that interest them, and different styles of writing. So to really break it down and get it organized, one would have to set up a subforum devoted to each different user here. But that would go against the whole concept of having a forum.

http://www.3-3-3.org/forum/images/icons/icon13.gif say no to a multitude of forum subdivisions
http://www.3-3-3.org/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif say yes to a multitude of orgasms

[Criminal_Sniper]

i find that all is connected
breaking it down makes one less or more inportant than the other
imbalance occurs
could this be said about many things

we would be fine simply with the dionysians subforum

E would u agree looking at it statistically and by ur own view on how things seem to work around here?