Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Tigerlily
Excuse me for butting in when I'm such a newb here, but I've been around forums in general a long long time.
It's when you start taking things TOO seriously that the place goes to shit. Aren't general forums supposed to be a fun place to interact with other people.
It's the internet, it's not rocket science, and it's not life and death. If the owner of the site wants to run the site a certain way, then it seems to me he/she is entirely entitled to do it, and if there's a few casualties along the way... then that's just how it goes.
|
One of the downsides of a 'successful' forum (and I've been seeing this elsewhere, not just here), is, in the length of time the forums around, added to the amount(in sheer numbers) of users, personalities, coupled with perceived predictability start to come into play. TFP is in middle age in internet years, far outlasting many other forums. One person always responds to that person out of old-time habits and the perceived predictability, leading to a why bother, leading to less posting until something new comes up....and the older it gets, the less something new comes up....a common phrase used here lately is 'I haven't been posting here for a while....'
People get a comfort zone as well and 'personalities' and quirks show through-now you have likes and dislikes based on what you see on your screen.
Put in real-life relationships (TFP has many married, dating, related members as well as friendships in real life and yes, animosity) and it affects how one 'behaves', albeit text-based.
The mod/owner thing mentioned is brought up on occasion. While this is a forum and not a 'business', anything with people trying to run/control/moderate needs a chain of command. If it doesn't why are there admins/super mods/ mods? I will say, TFP runs quite well with very little mod interference-they've been used more as Dear Abby at some points or go-betweens for one-on-one conflicts-not sure that's a good idea, using anyone as a mediator. A mediator down the line, though, might not be a bad idea.
(hmm...there's an untapped business:forum-participant conflict mediator)
Everyone's going to offer up ideas, suggestions on how to make it 'better' but it won't get better if no one wants to work at what's wrong first.
Then when it gets better, it will be a place that people want to go to, not run like hell from. All the advertising in the world isn't gonna do squat if you don't live up to it.