Thread Combining / Subcategories

[Simon 4,557]

I didn't see a suggestion thread on this particular issue, so I thought I should make one.

 

Earlier I saw a meetup thread get posted which was ultimately combined with the general meetup map thread.  It kind of rubbed me the wrong way even though I wasn't personally involved in that thread just because I think a forum this large can easily ruin areas of discussion by over-combining threads.

 

For meetups in particular, those types of threads might easily turn into actual planning for a meetup, and that's very hard to do when a small group of people are trying to make out specific plans in a general thread with hundreds of other people unrelated to that meetup posting there.

 

To me, it's kind of like combining all of the threads about conventions into one massive convention discussion thread, and force everybody to have to sort through all the posts to find the ones relevant to them.

 

I think there are other instances of these massive threads too... for instance, the massive 'post your collection' thread where nobody really does any commenting on collections just because it's become more of a way to stop people from posting their merchandise and clogging up the discussion area.

 

Because of this, I wanted to suggest perhaps taking some of those areas that might easily have dozens of possible unique threads and instead of combining them into one massive thread, give them a subcategory.  There could be a meetup sub-category to organize meetups and find people in your area.  Maybe a subcategory for posting collections so people can update their collection thread as they buy more merchandise and get comments and feedback.  And I'd also like to see a section added to the convention area for discussions on conventions that don't have a dedicated discussion area... I know that there are certain conventions that this forum has an affiliation with, but I find it kind of silly that all of the other dozens of conventions get almost no discussion on here.

 

Of course I'm sure there are other ways to solve this problem, but I think some of the pinned threads are so large and vague that they limit discussions for the sake of organization.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Simon

[Shanks 10,816]

Sub tags have been used effectively on many sites and if they can be used effectively here than I am all for it.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

I like your style, man.

 

I've noticed that the staff seems to be extremely conservative when it comes to making new categories and sub-categories, and, of course, I think being at the extreme end of things like this will always lead to flaws in the system, like the ones you brought up; of course, there's the topics like "Who's your best pony?" that all need to be merged into one giant one, but topics that are more like "Any Bronies in (insert location here)?" should be given their own sub-category in SC Corner (and probably removed from being displayed in the Community Index to stahp clutter like so) rather than that map topic, which seems to be pretty ineffective at performing its designed duties other than limiting clutter.

 

You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar and you've got mad cajones for saying this, and I respect that.

Edited February 9, 2014 by ghostfacekiller39

[SCS 7,537]

You make some very good points. While I agree with merging duplicate threads in most situations, that paradigm is not infallible. It can break down, and this would be an example of such a case. 

 

I would agree with the addition of a new forum section for meetups. I have personally viewed AppleBloom's meetup map thread as more of a reference thread to aid in meetups, but not an environment conducive to the forming of specific meetups over time. Trying to fit all of that into a single thread is not convenient for the people trying to organize these. I think it would be better for there to be able to be a separate thread for each meetup someone wanted to organize.

 

However, if such a section were created, it would need to be moderated very carefully. There are many members under 18, and while I'm not immediately inclined to say they should be outright banned from the section, the moderators should make sure that they do not fall prey to child predators who would attempt to take advantage of someone through the guise of a harmless meetup. Hopefully something like that would never happen, but it is a very real possibility anywhere on the internet.

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,527]

However, if such a section were created, it would need to be moderated very carefully. There are many members under 18, and while I'm not immediately inclined to say they should be outright banned from the section, the moderators should make sure that they do not fall prey to child predators who would attempt to take advantage of someone through the guise of a harmless meetup. Hopefully something like that would never happen, but it is a very real possibility anywhere on the internet.

 

It could be strongly advised that anyone under 18 avoid going to a meetup without clearing it with their parents (and possibly taking one or both of them to the meetup).

[SCS 7,537]

It could be strongly advised that anyone under 18 avoid going to a meetup without clearing it with their parents (and possibly taking one or both of them to the meetup).

 

I agree that this should be done. There could be an interstitial message page that would say this whenever you tried to post a new topic, in addition to some kind of notice when posting replies if possible. If that is not possible, there could be a pinned thread or an announcement at the top of the forum section's page that would say this. Doing these things would cover all the bases to help ensure that as many people as possible saw that, regardless of whether or not they were going to post a new topic.

 

Additionally, there should be a warning stating that anyone who attempted to engage in or threaten violent, predatory, or otherwise abusive behavior involving real life interaction through meetups organized on this site would be permanently suspended immediately, and the relevant authorities would be contacted.

[King 5,625]

So from what Im reading, any section specific to meet ups would need to be heavily moderated with rules very clear to anyone posting in there. Perhaps one of those "I Agree" messages before you post in that section, making it very clear that those who break the rules will be severely punished, and at the top of the section a pinned thread explaining basics of internet safety?

 

Either way, moving away from the meet up section discussion and back to the general idea the OP was trying to get across, I believe any thread that has the ability to work as a section will be discussed on a case by case basis. As you may already know, we're hesitant to add any new sub-sections, especially with our current staff levels. Though as you have seen above, we're always willing to discuss each of these sub-section ideas.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Dawn Rider

[NavelColt 22,881]

'Allow dupes and near dupes galore' VS 'super thread everything' are too sides of a spectrum, with a slope in-between that shifts one way or the other in a rather slippery manner. Your concerns about super threading is not a new concept, and has been discussed a few times by the staff in the past, both from member complaints and personal notice. A viable solution wasn't exactly found, as far as I recall. I know I myself have racked my brain on a better set up than having one thread as an umbrella, VS having thirty topics all more or less talking about the same thing, multiple times. While a big thread may discourage some people, big clutter from tons of dupes can confuse members and can make search results look like a horrendous mess for potential new members finding our site. The situation is something that's still being thought through.

 

As far as a meetup subcategory or an alternative tagging system, tags and other solutions have been discussed in the past, but as far as I was aware, we've never had the technical prowess.

[King 5,625]

As far as a meetup subcategory or an alternative tagging system, tags and other solutions have been discussed in the past, but as far as I was aware, we've never had the technical prowess.

To add onto this, I believe a more detailed tagging system will come in place in the future, though it requires more tech monkey focus then we currently can pull off. 

 

But it is indeed something seriously been discussed for the future. Till then I guess we just need to use the current system to the best of our ability.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Dawn Rider