[Alan92RTTT]

I'm considering adding an Off Topic Forum. I would like to know what everyone thinks.


I am not trying to curb the amout of OT posts or encourage them. All I'm trying to do is reduce some of the traffic in the main forum.

As A test I posted a post(and closed it) to see how far a post would go in 24 hours if un replied to.

How far? It landed at the end of the fourth page.

I figure OT posts are a good place to start for trying to organize things better.

 

[TooFast4Radar]

A "3Si Lounge" forum would be nice to get rid of all of the OT stuff in the areas where we're concerned with the cars, not the women Neo has conned into stripping on the hood of his car

 

[WICKEDDREW]

I like it the way it is. It isn't that hard to click to the fourth page.

 

[Trevor]

Sounds like a good idea to me. Only concern I can think of is getting more OT stuff by non 3/S owners slowing down the board and increasing traffic. I really doubt that will be a problem though. Like I said...good idea.

 

[Ryououki]

I voted no basically because even though the message board does have different areas for specific topics, I don't go into the other message areas just because the area doesn't really interest me. By posting OT posts in the areas I'm normally in (as well as most everyone else), then it gives everyone a chance to see messages and a better chance for it to get a reply. And it's not at all hard for anyone to just skip a message topic if they aren't interested in the title.

 

[Good2Go]

I could be wrong, but I know I use the view new message button since last active at the top right. I would be willing to bet a lot of people in here do as well, so then making another forum for the mass won't do anything as far as where that off topic post got to. What you should do is have public floggings of people who fail to look through the FAQ's before posting, LOL.

-Aaron

 

[Xenon]

I'm considering adding an Off Topic Forum. I would like to know what everyone thinks.


I am not trying to curb the amout of OT posts or encourage them. All I'm trying to do is reduce some of the traffic in the main forum.

As A test I posted a post(and closed it) to see how far a post would go in 24 hours if un replied to.

How far? It landed at the end of the fourth page.

I figure OT posts are a good place to start for trying to organize things better.

Excellent idea. Please add a Turbo and N/A forum while you're at it.

 

[HellBringer]

I like it the way it is. It isn't that hard to click to the fourth page.

I completely agree, we already have "FAQ" and a "Modifications" forums..

 

[phreakerz]

Sounds like a good idea to me. Only concern I can think of is getting more OT stuff by non 3/S owners slowing down the board and increasing traffic. I really doubt that will be a problem though. Like I said...good idea.

I was going to make a suggestion to Alan but that is exactly what I thought it would do so I decided not to. I know there are quite a few people like me who would rather not post off-topic posts in an off-topic forum like the "3Si - General 3si related" forum. If you made a specific off-topic forum you will get a lot more traffic. Or you can heavily moderate it and/or make strict rules for it. I also think it's a good idea.

 

[esc]

What's the point in having the 3000GT/Stealth International forum if you make an OT forum? Here's an idea. You could set up some kind of OT forum, and instead of 3SI Forum, you could set up regional forums for people to get together and stuff. Just a thought.

 

[Stealth Turbo]

I like it the way it is! I already rarely ever go to the modifcation forum........i even think that forum should be deleted.

 

[Rah]

I like the current setup...

 

[[email protected]]

I think it's a bad idea. Most people use the 3SI forum and post FAQs, modification questions, and just about everything else in there.

 

[nuck]

I think it's a great idea. It's true we do have a modification forum but a lot of what should be in there ends up in the main forum and gets lost unless you crack open every thread. Often the title of the thread does not clearly indicate the content. I am not on the board every day and it's a pain in the ass to weed out the 3si related stuff from the "check out this ricer" or "my girlfriend just dumped me" stuff. Granted it's not a big deal and I do follow some of the off topic stuff but I don't see what possible benefit there is from mixing everything together. If you don't mind reading every thread that comes in great, you just have to read two forums. There is no downside that I can see from making the boards more specific. I think those of us with questions are more likely to get a response if the social stuff is removed from the 3s stuff. Some people just have less web time than others and this would help them make the best use of it.

 

[Lorne]

It seems like adding an OT forum would defeat any
of the work we're doing to reduce bandwith usage...

Lorne

 

[Ajabs]

lets not segregate it any more than it already is. If we have OT there will be a split in people accessing each forum and therefore less people sharing ideas. I like it the way it is now.

 

[Rah]

lets not segregate it any more than it already is. If we have OT there will be a split in people accessing each forum and therefore less people sharing ideas. I like it the way it is now.

That's not a bad point, I think people have their preferences as to which forum each read. With me, it's a quick glance at the FAQ, the misc. forum is most of the time, and the occassional glance at the Modifications forum.

By splitting it, some may spend less time in the main forum. What if someone starts an interesting thread in the OT forum? If that's shared around, others may see the OT forum and sign up just for that, which means in that respect or just by having it, you might be inviting in the wrong crowd...

 

[cotmfk]

I think it would be fun to have an OT forum. That way the general forum would be more geared towards the cars. If the OT forum got out of hand, you could do something like restricting it to people who have already paid their $8.00 dues or something like that.

 

[eyebrowski]

i think if you want to further get rid of trash make a spam or flame section you can just through all the garbage in and no one can get pissed your delting it and all this free speech stuff. i like the international forum the way it is dont change a thing.
-Greg

 

[Aerosly7]

I think it's a pretty cool idea. Over at Sportbikes.net they have a setup where there is a "General Sportbikes" forum and an "Open Forum".

Pros:
Weed out OT posts
Easier to find specific car-related info

Cons:
Some people isolate themselves to one or other of the forums.
Good info posted in car-related forum may never be seen by residents of the "open" forum.
Increased cross-posting to ensure everyone gets the message.
A pure shitload of off-topic posts could increase bandwidth usage.

Suggestions:
Creating an off-topic forum would remove the need for a mods section; mods would then fall under the general 3/S forum.
Allow a "cross-post" feature (if it exists) where important messages could be posted in both on- and off- topic forums.

Volunteerism:
If you do create an off-topic forum, I'll volunteer to moderate it if you need a moderator.