Would you want MLPforums to expand?

[Clarity 3,094]

Right now, we have more 7,000 members--quite a lot.

 

But I don't believe that's even one hundredth of the entire fanbase, or maybe even one thousandth.

 

Would you want the forums to expand to include more members? Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

Personally, for me, I don't really want it to expand. Forums would get slower and slower and also might include rabid bronies.

[NavelColt 22,884]

Assuming slowness comes with activity is logical, but not always the case. If there's money to buy more to keep things fast, it doesn't matter how many members there are or how much content there is. That said, all those new people who had joined would be expected to subscribe and donate to the board's funds, which would inevitably go up.

 

I don't mind expansion. The bigger the board the more success, the more activity, the more creativity and large events that can take place.

[Luriel Maelstrom 253]

I wouldn't want it to expand well first of all, we already have people who signed in but after a day they aren't online anymore, also we got those people who aren't bronies just want to see out fandom. So no, forums is good for now

[Champion RD92 8,658]

Honestly, no. The community on MLP Forums seemed to be a lot closer back when there weren't so many people. More people would just make it even worse I think.

[Fire_Fly 499]

There are lots of pros and cons to expanding, but my main concern is community, rather than activity. It's already been brought up that there's less of a close-knit community feel around the forums than there might've been back when they were composed of a handful of consistent members, and expanding further is sure to move even further away from that sense of close community. On the other hand, it defeats the concept of tolerance to simply stop expanding and allowing for more of the fan base to join in. I don't think expanding would be such a bad thing, with the forums becoming more inclusive to the fan base, but I'd be careful about how the expansion was controlled.

[MVC NVMXD JVRXD 2,406]

Well, I wouldn't really care. Lots of people here think of the forums as their own private club, and get angry when more people come to the forums. But it is a public site, so if you're above the age limit, you can join. So it's natural that more people shall join, and infringe on people's "private" clubs.

B-but if you value being so close, then why not just communicate with something else along side of the forums? ;_;

Off-topic. Anyway, yeah, I'm ok with expansion.

[Evilshy 5,093]

The more people join, the more significant my being member #73 gets. Feed my ego, peasants!

 

 

But in all seriousness, I don't mind at all. I like it how it is, but it's not like more people will make us lose old friendships. I still love a lot of you guys, but if the site had stayed as it was in the early days, I would've never met some pretty cool people who showed up later, there are a few amazing genres of music I never would've been introduced to (at least, not yet), and many other things.

 

Also, growth is necessary for activity. If we closed registration, some people would eventually get bored and leave. Some would leave naturally, of course. Some would leave because others were leaving, and before we knew it, this place would be dead. So while it is nice to have a small community so you can get to know basically everyone, growth is necessary for life.

[Rainbow Dash Loyalty 1,275]

I'd personally think it'd be great if the forums expand, having a small community would eventually die out sooner or later so we might as well keep it alive. Besides, more members joining means meeting new people around the world, getting to know everyone better, have some fun and laughs. It's nice to have a big community without any trolls for once, but I just hope the forum doesn't get 'too' big, when the forum reaches nearly a million members, mods would be very busy job patrolling everything and make their jobs harder >.<

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

When the forums expand, more posts happen.

When more posts happen, the posts by the friends you know and love closely become diffuse amongst the swathes of the horde of newcomers.

When the newcomers come around and try to get a sense of the community, that means every word you say must be exemplary and worth recognizing, or else they will see and therefore make a low quality post atmosphere.

This requirement of the long-standing users combined with the sense of separation they might feel because of not being able to see their friends as often in any given thread can make them feel like leaving. And some will.

The loss of long-standing users makes the already dilute "Older Community" become thinner still, and it's a self-continuing process.

 

I am in favour of gradual growth, but population explosions ruin existing communities and bring in entirely new ones. Whether or not that's better or worse is up for debate, but even so I prefer to have things change slowly. Like Fluttershy.

[Doctor XFizzle 8,672]

MLP Forums Russian Roulette Lottery Decimation Happy Fun Time Chop Chop

 

A Japanese game show where Feld0 draws 10 random user numbers and deletes one of the 10 to reduce the population.

[Evilshy 5,093]

MLP Forums Russian Roulette Lottery Decimation Happy Fun Time Chop Chop

 

A Japanese game show where Feld0 draws 10 random user numbers and deletes one of the 10 to reduce the population.

 

I brohoofed this solely because you used the word "decimation" correctly.

 

And also because that would be hilarious if it actually happened. I was part of a private board on GameFAQs for awhile, every few months, the owner of the board would randomly kick some 70% of the members and invite new ones, just to keep things fresh.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,697]

Honestly, no. The community on MLP Forums seemed to be a lot closer back when there weren't so many people. More people would just make it even worse I think.

 

I understand that feeling. But as the show got more popular, it was inevitable that more people would come along and change the dynamic. If you decided on a cutoff point and just kept the members you had, eventually everybody moves on. The forum would stagnate, and that wouldn't be any better. The same thing happened to my board several years ago. -_-

 

On the plus side, a constant flow of new members means that the site stays interesting and the fandom is more widely celebrated. I'm really happy that I found this place. I've met so many great friends here that I'd hate to deny anyone else the same opportunity. Also, if or when this forum gets too populated or busy for some of us, or too many of our best friends depart, smaller alternative forums will pop up around the net where we can recreate those experiences.

[Twilight Circuits 604]

One should never be afraid of growth. If you honestly believe that more members would take away anything you've done here and you would lose any thing you've built here, you'd be missing the point of gathering together. With new members comes new talent. With new talent, comes new ideas. It's a community that works together for the greater good of the community that becomes a community like no other. The lack love in wanting to new members to join here hints at selfishness and lack of knowledge and understanding on what ponies as a whole can accomplish. Tsk. Tsk.

[Crispy 5,565]

I dunno. I still have fun around here.

 

The only thing that ever bothers me about new users is seeing an umpteenth thread titled "HAY GUYS WHO IS UR FAV PONE". -___-

[Doctor XFizzle 8,672]

I dunno. I still have fun around here.

 

The only thing that ever bothers me about new users is seeing an umpteenth thread titled "HAY GUYS WHO IS UR FAV PONE". -___-

 

HAI CRISPY WHO IS UR FAV PONE?!?!? MINE IZ RARITY CUZ SHE LIEKS MAKEING COOL DRESSESS AND STUFFS.

 

Yeah those duplicate threads are annoying but are easily reportable and clean-up-able *thumbs up*

[Crispy 5,565]

HAI CRISPY WHO IS UR FAV PONE?!?!? MINE IZ RARITY CUZ SHE LIEKS MAKEING COOL DRESSESS AND STUFFS.

 

TWI IS BEST PONE FIGHT ME.

 

Yeah those duplicate threads are annoying but are easily reportable and clean-up-able *thumbs up*

 

I know... but the search function is right there. It's petty and I stand by it.

 

Still, it's not a reason to want the forums to stay the same. It got pretty spammy when it was only 30/50 of us.

[Twilight Circuits 604]

HAI CRISPY WHO IS UR FAV PONE?!?!? MINE IZ RARITY CUZ SHE LIEKS MAKEING COOL DRESSESS AND STUFFS.

 

Yeah those duplicate threads are annoying but are easily reportable and clean-up-able *thumbs up*

 

Things like that are easily written into the forum rules and threads related to topics like that are are easily stickied. Simply preparing for them with answers in mind makes events that increase the forum size easier to prepare for and execute when the time comes. I think everyone should simply picture the forum in harmony regardless of the size.

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

There's definitely nothing wrong with Bronies or Pegasisters that want to involve themselves within a MLP community, in fact i'd encourage them to do so. MLPForums isn't the only site i actively post comments on (Youtube and Facebook) but it's the only place i can talk MLP. I signed up because I knew that i wasn't going to be able to find any others my age where i live that would want to discuss topics on a girly cartoon show about ponies.

 

I honestly think that if i didn't have MLPForums to turn to (or some other site to discuss MLP related subjects) i probably would have lost interest in the show and never become a brony.

[Shiki 5,857]

Do you really see 7000 active users on here? No, not even close. Most users are inactive people who made accounts and then just didn't bother to ever log back in. I would personally enjoy seeing a few people from countries other than America join, because during school hours, when I'm browsing the forums, things are so ridiculously slow, it's atrocious. Besides, the more the merrier.

[thegoodhen 698]

Do you really see 7000 active users on here? No, not even close. Most users are inactive people who made accounts and then just didn't bother to ever log back in. I would personally enjoy seeing a few people from countries other than America join, because during school hours, when I'm browsing the forums, things are so ridiculously slow, it's atrocious. Besides, the more the merrier.

 

Thegoodhen is from Europe.

Anyways, It's gettin' kinda huge... I am gettin' lost in all that newcomers. I think it might be a good thing to somehow limit the name changes, too. Because when there are >5000 members who keep changin their avatar, nick and signature, it's hard to keep track of em and feel at home... I know like 20 ppl here who I chat with a lot tho. So, I wouldn't want mlpforums to expand much. But I understand it's inavoidable and can't really say it's wrong, of course.

[Winona the Dog 1,984]

I think expansion is a good for the forums.

 

The good

------------------

More users = more activity which is a good thing

More users = more donations

More users = more talented artist to contribute art/music/ and any other malicious requests

 

The Bad

--------------

 

The only possible bad thing i can think of is that we might need more mods to control the new populace.

Edited November 9, 2012 by ~Chaotic Harmony~

[Crispy 5,565]

The only possible bad thing i can think of is that we might need more mods to control the new populace.

 

That's not even that bad, really. Mod increases are totally required when large numbers of members join. Imagine the headache and total mess it would be if we had this many members when it was just Feld0 and Kurtiss modding. This place would be full of unreported bullshit.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,697]

That's not even that bad, really. Mod increases are totally required when large numbers of members join. Imagine the headache and total mess it would be if we had this many members when it was just Feld0 and Kurtiss modding. This place would be full of unreported bullshit.

 

*cough* Final Fantasy Shrine circa 2005. Textbook case of inmates running the asylum.

I think the biggest board I've ever been on was Pro Wrestling Forums. It was run well enough that I stuck around for six years and 5,000 posts. Like you guys said, their secret was having an efficient report feature, enforced rules and enough mods to deal with things. And I've seen far less vitriol between bronies than I have between Final Fantasy and wrestling fans, so I think MLP Forums will be just fine.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

Given the amount of people who register and never come back, there's actually more room for expansion than it would appear. It would be great if the TF2 server was resurrected.

 

An abundance of users doesn't really dilute a community to the point of it being impersonal, it causes smaller groups to splinter off and form their own posses. People become friends and hang out within their own circles, and that's alright. There's a bit of a danger in that because when new members arrive they can feel alienated, though they can still find some common ground in all being new and banding together. Kind of like the CMC did when they were the only ones without cutie marks at the cuteseñera. It's natural for us to stick with the people we know, but we all need to make an effort to interact with those new guys as much as we would the familiar faces. The fact that somebody would make a thread over their concern about the forums getting too big and that this many people would respond to it tells me that we shouldn't have to worry about it. Do you think this place was more close-knit when there were fewer people? Maybe. Consider also that you might have become more reserved. Check your own habits from time to time and determine if there's anything you need to change in regards to the growing population.Do you find yourself skimming a thread for posts by a particular person or persons? If so... stop it. Read the whole thing, don't skip long posts, etc. Feel lost and alone? There are tons of threads about lots of topics with many perspectives, and you're sure to find somebody with plenty of similarities to you; reach out to them.

 

Loosen up. This place is like one big, never-ending party. There's a group of dudes in the corner talking about sports, there are some guys playing Street Fighter on the couch, there are chain smokers on the porch, there's a game of MTG happening at the table. Go chill in one place for a while, mill about for a bit, and connect with another group.

 

TWI IS BEST PONE FIGHT ME.

Why? You got it right.

 

Forums would get slower and slower and also might include rabid bronies.

I'm gonna get'cha, Clarity! Nom nom nom...

Edited November 9, 2012 by Artemis

[Flying Whales 311]

I really wouldn’t mind seeing the forums expand. Having more members could give us great new topics, awesome ideas and what not, plus I want the forums to be successful, not to say that they aren’t now. Plus that’s just more chances for us to make new friends, and meet new people, which is part of the reason I joined the forums anyway.