Where to go from here?(long post warning)

Well, I haven't really taken the time to look for anything new to mod lately, but I remember I was running low on things that were cut and dry, like moving offtopic posts and flamewarz out of good threads, etc.

But there are also threads that just plain suck, old one-sentence intro posts with no replies, threads that went two posts then turned random, and now the garbage bin is full of scraps. Also, while I certainly had my part in them, there are two active threads *in* the trash, and I think that's a bad idea. If we're gonna do forum games, KP would be appropriate for that.

On the whole, I think new members would see this place as totally unprofessional. Which is bad, because we only have a couple actives. We need some manner of change, that's for certain. I'd like to see some of the old regulars back, like aarhus and the guy with his name in kanji,
I remember them making some good posts. I'd also like to get some material on the wiki. As for the forums, I think a fresh look would be nice. Both cosmetically, and logistically. Some things I can think of would be rearranging the forums, giving the emptier boards the ax. Also, making a posting-locked archive forum for old threads that have matured well, and have been pruned of crap - So that people will make new discussion instead of necroposting, and also have some good content to read back on.

I think once we do some more cleaning, and get some posting guidelines and such in place, we'll start to see decent members filter in. Right now I see some people lurking occasionally, but it's like people are afraid of making any sort of serious posts. Maybe considering the drama level in the past I don't blame them.

In that regard, I'd reccomend we erect a dispute policy and enforce it. As much as I love our tradition of mindlessly derailing intro threads, it needs to stop. We need a game plan for dealing with new members in the future, we always seem to hit the same snags; they make a wierd claim and everybody fixates on it, they act immature and the thread turns into garbage, or a dispute in another thread spills into an unrelated intro. A standard method of dealing with newbies would cut down on this. If I ever get around to making that intro sticky I said I would, that'll be part of it, at least we should usually get some decent information from the user. Another will be going back, looking through old threads, seeing what went wrong and making strategies to avoid it.

Members should play the ball in threads, and if they need to take personal issue, it should go in OMG WTF. And maybe try to be more constructive when criticizing people. Yes some people are just plain twats but calling them twats doesn't solve anything and usually drives them off. While my thoughts on the importance of each have changed, I've always seen this site's purpose as twofold. First, to allow us to congregate and share our experiences, and second, to guide newcomers and passers-by. I think the best thing we can do for the latter is to leave them more able to figure things out on their own. Contrary to the opinion of a well-known comic, you can fix stupid.

This isn't going to happen quickly, and we'll all have to contribute. Not having internet on my home machine is killing me right now, but after I move and get internet set up there(~half a month or so) I'll be in a position to be on IRC almost constantly. I'll also be setting up a second computer for comm apps, so I can be reachable regardless of what else I'm doing. I should also have the privacy(and by proxy, concentration) needed to work on some projects I've been meaning to do, including this SL thing, and learning Flash.

Another problem that not just I but many people I know IRL have been feeling lately... is plain lack of motivation. It's hard to see how things are and still care about things. But... this is worth it, isn't it? Once we get a decent foundation built, maybe alynna will finally bring in her reserve of people she hints about, who she wants to invite but not when there's so many problems. Which is understandable, I wouldn't want guests over when my place is trashed either.

Get out your brooms!