Message board topics and behaviour

[Trout]

WR Logan has expressed strong opinions about what we get up to here.
I'll try to sum them up, but he'll correct me if I'm wrong.

1. He likes off-topic discussions and general daftness but believes it puts people off joining in.

2. He has objected to a sexual reference in terms of how young newcomers might react.

This begs the question: Should we have stricter rules for the board?

Anyone in favour of banning swearing (yes, we may have discussed that before, but it's worth airing now, IMO) and adult themes the comic might not use?

And what about non-2000AD related dicussion?
Should we limit ourselves for matters which are strictly on-topic?

Are we a clique?

- Trout

[Art]

Hookjaw rocks!

[Trout]

:-) LOL! :-)

But Shako's better.

and bring back the Dicatators of Zrag!

- Trout

[paulvonscott]

Well, Logan could kill everyone off and start again building a 2000AD net utopia.

The truth is that once you've pretty much vented your spleen about what you think of 2000AD and you get to know people, you want to discuss other topics with them.

The easiest way to sort this would be to have several chatrooms, for on topic and off topic.  

More importantly and I think this has been grossly overlooked is that what you really want is a guest chatroom/s, which DO NOT require you to log in and register.  If people went to the front page and there where guest rooms based around various topics, I'd bet a lot more people would take a casual look.

There are many sites I use frequently and never bother with the chat rooms, or register, because it is a fanny on.  I'm sure thats the case for most others.

As for adult language and discussion, I felt pretty much the same way until i relaised there was very few younger readers in anyway.  Of course if this changed I'd be happy to accept a watershed for such talk, though lets face it, these conversations usually do occur very late at night.

[W. R. Logan]

>WR Logan has expressed strong opinions about what we get up to here.
I'll try to sum them up, but he'll correct me if I'm wrong.

>1. He likes off-topic discussions and general daftness but believes it puts people off joining in.

I sure do, the reason that I frequent this place is because it?s like being down the pub having a chat without anyone seeing me fall over and flirting with the barmaid, but believe that yes we do put people off joining.

>2. He has objected to a sexual reference in terms of how young newcomers might react.

Personally I couldn?t give a stuff about sexual references or swearing, I?m an ex squaddie who can be as crude, rude and crass as the next person and don?t really care about it. I tone down my general Anglo Saxon language simply because this is a public forum and save my normal language for the pub.

>This begs the question: Should we have stricter rules for the board?

That?s up for discussion, but I?ll make some points in a moment.

>Anyone in favour of banning swearing (yes, we may have discussed that before, but it's worth airing now, IMO) and adult themes the comic might not use?
>And what about non-2000AD related dicussion?
Should we limit ourselves for matters which are strictly on-topic?

Again I don?t think so but a two-tier board or more topics to choose from may be of benefit.

>Are we a clique?

Yes.

The biggest problem we have is, are we happy with this board, I?d answer yes. Could this board do with a few more members, well it probably wouldn?t do any harm.

The biggest question we have to answer is do we want the mighty one to advertise or publicise this board more?

All answers will have benefits and a downside, more publicity may add more members, but if the board grows too much does it become to huge to retain its sense of community, as we have to dredge through countless posts each day, finding it hard not only to follow particular threads but to remember peoples names and keep that sense of knowing everyone.

Personally I like this board, sure it could be improved or tweaked but any wholesale changes would/could change the whole nature of what makes this place fun to be a member of.

Are we the vocal minority, yes, do we want things to change and make this place more inclusive of the 28,000 readers, well that depends on what you like about this place. If it?s the friendliness or community feel then bringing the board to the attention of a wider audience would probably change that, and once changed it would be impossible to go back.

Do we leave things the way they are, my answer would probably be yes, but I?m one voice amongst many, and I know I?m part of the vocal minority, and I?m quite proud to be so. 28,000 readers, 100+ board members, sounds about right to me. From time to time I?ll take part in discussions to make places like this more popular or known to the wider readership. In the end I know that those opinions wont really change much, and also don?t really want them to. Bring the topic up, discuss it but in the end the status quo will remain simply because the vocal minority will raise their voices but who will hear us 8-)

La Placa Rifa,
W. R. Logan.

[petemaskreplica]

I agree, thats all true. The language thing doesn't bother me, but just in moderation, kept to normal-speak. Kinda? Hmm...

[John Caliber]

'I sure do, the reason that I frequent this place is because it?s like being down the pub having a chat without anyone seeing me fall over and flirting with the barmaid, but believe that yes we do put people off joining.'

I'm in total agreement with Will; I don't bother much with the Offiical Message Boards for this reason; most of the threads are OT.

Now, for an example of a well-ordered message board, check out the Dredd group on Yahoo; Webmaster Doc TOC keeps us from straying too far from the main business of Dredd, though he will allow occasional sidelining to mention other 2000AD RPGs and boardgames that are in development.

- JC

Link: http://2kadpbem.20com/jd" target="_blank">THE JUDGE DREDD STREET SIM

[Art]

It only has 200 odd members though

[Bolt-01]

Just letting people know I'm reading, and if I think of something that hasn't been said, I'll say it.

Rotts

[Wood]

Well, I'm not by any means the most frequent poster here, or part of a perceived "clique" (to be honest, there probably is a clique, but it isn't one that's terribly exclusive, if you know what I mean).

Anyways, off-topic discussions don't faze me. If I don't want to read them, I don't read them.

It might be good to have a moratorium (good word that) on potty language - there's kids reading this board, after all.

[karne]

Hey! lets get something straight about the amount of f*cking swearing on this b*st*rd Website. The one thing kids know how to do from the word go, is f*cking swear. It's f*cking impossible to walk down the f*cking street these days without hearing some foul mouthed little sh*te swearing like theres no f*cking tommorow. Moderate our swearing? B*ll*cks to that! it's them little f*ckers that need moderating. Mind you, you could always do what I do and replace the vowels with stars ;)

[Art]

First they come for our pooping vicars, and now this...

[Queen Firey-Bou]

yeah if anyone is bothered by crude rude lewd language, let me know straight & I'll watershed it/ amend it.

But frankly i hate rules, its the tolerance of eccentricities & all the different personalities that makes this such a fun place. After a lifetime of never meeting another squaxx its great to chat about everything & anything with the boarders. We are by nature of being 2K obbsessed enought to be here, fairly like minded people, thus its good to chat.
Imagine if when hanging with other mothers all i talked about was kids? or down the pub with the firebrigade boys all we talked was fires? that is the way of the saddo with no mates.

If there was rules, pendantry or on-topicness only, i'd be off like a shot with ne'er a backward shrugg.

whats the problem anyway? if it aint broke don't fix it.

[Wake]

At what age do you think someone learns what letters go where the * is in a four letter word?

What is the real difference between typing 'f*ck' and 'fuck'?

Wake

[Wake]

It would be nice if message board regulars (who should know better) could make more use of the message categories, rather than putting everything into General. Specifically, Off-Topic is far less annoying when it is marked as such, and message threads with titles which actually say what the thread is about are a big help.

IMO, having separate chat rooms or message board for on and off topic discussions would be a disaster. Either both would end up with messages that were both on and off topic, or only one would every get used (as with the IRC/database chat room).

Wake

Wake