Do we need more forums?

[vtac]

I really hope I don't come off as a negative nancy dude, because this is a great idea. I'm just a bit too skeptical most times.

No, I agree, there's not much room for new forums so discussion on their warrant is needed.

I think those "what vape should I buy" threads are already redundant, in addition to being out of place, but is it enough of a problem to justify a new forum?



Just did a quick count of the threads that fit that description, only about 15 or so. Not really a huge problem I guess.

 

[hazy]

I like the idea of a newbie forum. The best forums have a high "signal-to-noise" ratio. By keeping newbie questions out of the main discussions, quality can be preserved. This will increasingly become an issue as the site becomes more popular. As for the idea of "babysitting" etc, I don't see this as a problem. Nobody is under any obligation to respond, and many of us are happy to help regardless of how "lazy" a question may appear to be.

I saw the "Sell your vape" thread that max created. I don't think this is an adequate solution in the long run. Actually, I think it will end up being a mess that will create more work for the mods. It is better to have individual threads so that forum members can discuss the item in question. This would also be true for vendors who will need to answer the inevitable questions about their products. Also, it is much easier to see what is wanted/for sale by looking at a list of thread topics, rather than searching through a single thread.

 

[partially veiled]

Very good points Hazy, and I agree on all counts. Especially about the "for sale" section...I was actually thinking the same thing...

To be clear though, I didn't really mean babysitting in that sense. Poor choice of words I suppose. I don't mind at all helping out people in need, I am just concerned about fostering laziness. But I really am all for, like I said...why not give it a trial period? If it doesn't work, then we can dialogue about how to change it for the better, or whether we want to keep it at all, or whatever. It'd be nice to hear more people's opinion first though.

 

[vtac]

I saw the "Sell your vape" thread that max created. I don't think this is an adequate solution in the long run. Actually, I think it will end up being a mess that will create more work for the mods. It is better to have individual threads so that forum members can discuss the item in question.

Not sure I agree with you here. The design of the current seller thread is specifically to simplify the process and eliminate the need for mod intervention. The seller could edit their post to add in any more info that has been requested of them through emails from prospective buyers.

Also, it is much easier to see what is wanted/for sale by looking at a list of thread topics, rather than searching through a single thread.

Current format seems like it'd make it pretty easy to see what's for sale. "Want to buy" posts are probably not going to be a factor for a while, same for vendors selling products.

The best forums have a high "signal-to-noise" ratio.

I most definitely agree with you on this one. Our rules were written with this in mind, it's a bitch to police though. That's one of the things I think more forums *might* help with-- keep the chit chat out of serious discussion.



Hey this is pretty good discussion.

 

[partially veiled]

The sellers thread is a toughie. I understand what Hazy is saying and I do sort of feel the same way, but maybe it's a misguided feeling...this ISN'T a commercial forum (I'm still amazed by the lack of ads--let me say it wouldn't stop me from coming here if we ever needed to get ad space, but I am truly appreciative of the fact that it hasn't come to that...), so we don't really want to go too deep down that path. By keeping most of the noise off of our forums and directing it to the sellers e-mail, that actually does help streamline things...and keep it uncluttered at the same time. I may be wrong, but I really can't see this feature being utilized abundantly at this point. And even if it does take off, well if it's sellers only, and it's only one post per item...then how can it get cleaner than that? I guess it's really not too different than browsing a sub menu that has the different headings of what's for sale (ie. each item getting its own sub-forum). So it's probably fine as is.

The newbie thing, however, will undoubtedly become a larger and larger issue as we grow, so it's something we should most certainly be thinking about. I stand by my comment that I'd like to see more FC locals chiming in on this one...it is presumably the locals who will be the ones answering the majority of the questions, so really it should be of interest to us. Actually, when I think about it, that forum may actually bring MORE traffic to FC... Who knows? More traffic is always good though...as long as it doesn't become a free for all.

 

[vtac]

Just to clarify, I don't think anyone has a problem helping newbies (everyone loves to add their 2 cents in those threads ), we all want to spread the vapor.

To me the issue is those "what should I buy threads" just don't fit in with the more serious model specific discussion and that's usually where they get posted. It's not even the fault of the thread starter either, none of our 3 forums are a great fit for those threads.

 

[hazy]

The design of the current seller thread is specifically to simplify the process and eliminate the need for mod intervention. The seller could edit their post to add in any more info that has been requested of them through emails from prospective buyers.

Maybe I misunderstood, but according to max's instructions it appears that the mods would need to police the age of posts, and discard "old" items. As individual topics, such action is not necessary. It can also be interesting or educational to peruse old threads (on a side note, I disagree with the inclusion of the "AVB" forum, even though I find it a clever and amusing use of terminology).

I think it is important that questions about an item can be publicly discussed in a thread, rather than being sent by email unknown to other members. Isn't that what a forum is all about?

"Want to buy" posts are probably not going to be a factor for a while, same for vendors selling products.

Might as well get the structure set up now; it doesn't cost anything.

 

[Acolyte of Zinglon]

Maybe I misunderstood, but according to max's instructions it appears that the mods would need to police the age of posts, and discard "old" items. As individual topics, such action is not necessary. It can also be interesting or educational to peruse old threads (on a side note, I disagree with the inclusion of the "AVB" forum, even though I find it a clever and amusing use of terminology).

coming from a person who has been on several forums where the age of the post is gospel (one in particular where the mods would throw the books at you if you brought back a thread that was any more than a month old), i love the fact that on fc you can bump a really old thread back up and get a conversation going again and nobody will give you any grief about it as long as its on topic and youre not spamming

i also disagree with the abv section, i think its taking things from theother forums and just mixing it together, creating a bit more of a headache as there is now a fourth forum to look in for info and you dont know whether an old thread is in the original forum or if it was moved to abv

the newbie forum is a good idea though, i wouldnt mind sharing my knowlege with those that are less experiences, as long as we dont spoonfeed all the information to them i dont think it would necessarily promote laziness

 

[Progress]

AoZ - the newbie forum is a good idea though, i wouldnt mind sharing my knowlege with those that are less experiences, as long as we dont spoonfeed all the information to them i dont think it would necessarily promote laziness

I like the direction of this, but would tend to split by interest in objective and informative posts versus interest in fun and entertaining posts (newbies and some that have 400+ posts can both lean towards either polar opposite)

I support not deleting any posts ever (unless storage space becomes an issue), but keeping the forum organized somehow to keep all the info fairly accessible as it grows. This is a difficult task, but as members get more involved with FC I am sure some combustion fuckers will have an interest in helping you (Vtac) maintain FC as it grows (pro-bono committee with Chairman, CEO, Founder...Vtac )

IMO, the forum should strive to meet the needs/interest of those who hang out in this 'beautiful house' Vtac has 'built'. I know this suggestion is vague, but (from what I see) this means having an area to chat/post/pics/tell stories/link to cool shit/etc., an area for factual information/objective reviews/scientific vaporization issues/technology development & safety/etc. Plus, making new areas as the forum grows and participation patterns suggest they would make new areas (maybe a group will develop who wishes to have a forum on how to fuck combustion without vaporization--edibles, alternative treatments, etc.)

 

[youdontknowme]

I think a newbie subforum would make a great addition

In my opinion, the best run forums have mods that do a couple things politely:
- merge or close threads that are very similar to avoid repetitive sources of information
- keep specific threads that have a specific topics on topic (in the PD thread there are people asking about what grinder to get, etc). having good thread names is key so that people can tell whether or not they should read them.

you just need a little tact, thats all

 

[Hennessy1414]

you just need a little tact, thats all

vtac

ahahhaha

 

[Acolyte of Zinglon]

you just need a little tact, thats all

vtac

ahahhaha

trust me, the mods here are very nice compared to what other forums would have done

 

[youdontknowme]

Yeah the way I had originally written that post made it sound like I wasn't even talking about the word 'tact' and instead meant vtact himself "all you need is tact" I think is was I put lol.

And yeah AofZ, i've been on other forums... they are power tripping. must be fun

Watch how I go off topic in this post... ironic, no? <waits for banhammer>

 

[SpiralArchitect]

So whats the verdict, or is the judge and jury still out?

 

[vtac]

"Want to buy" posts are probably not going to be a factor for a while, same for vendors selling products.

Might as well get the structure set up now; it doesn't cost anything.

Just not warranted right now, imo. There's only 1 for sale post.

Deleting 'sold' posts from time to time would be a lot less work than trying to police an entire forum of buying and selling. I think that would be a clusterfuck in comparison. The current setup leaves it all between buyer and seller. I do agree it's not entirely desirable to delete sold posts. Perhaps instead of doing that, we could just start a new thread every so often. But again, this is all conjecture... there's one thing for sale right now.

coming from a person who has been on several forums where the age of the post is gospel (one in particular where the mods would throw the books at you if you brought back a thread that was any more than a month old), i love the fact that on fc you can bump a really old thread back up and get a conversation going again and nobody will give you any grief about it as long as its on topic and youre not spamming

i also disagree with the abv section, i think its taking things from theother forums and just mixing it together, creating a bit more of a headache as there is now a fourth forum to look in for info and you dont know whether an old thread is in the original forum or if it was moved to abv

Well, there are some instances where a thread is better left un-bumped, especially considering we only have 3 main forums. That's kind of the idea with the ABV section. It's still kind of in a trial period though.

Some good points from both sides on the newbie section. Personally, I'm not really convinced either way yet.

 

[hazy]

Although I'll disagree that individual 'for sale' threads would involve more work for mods, this is actually a side issue. The most important aspect of my proposal is the ability for members to discuss an advertised item. Surely this is obvious? This is how it is done in all the other forums I'm involved with.

There being only one item for sale at the moment is not a valid argument given that the thread only recently came into existence. "Build it and they will come."

 

[Progress]

Vtac - Just not warranted right now, imo. There's only 1 for sale post.

IMO you can't force a thread to develop (just because 'for sale' is open, it doesn't mean that everyone is going to start selling, right?). It may still 'potentiate' down the road (if topics begin to take over a thread, maybe they could evolve into their own threads--Evolution, now that's what I call progress). Just my (you know I'm like the rest of you, so take it with a grain of salt ).

Also, I vote on keeping this conversation topic going. I feel like I can even already see a slight difference in the participation of us combustion fuckers, fuckers (jk...I just had to say it )

 

[youdontknowme]

my vague advice here is, "avoid early optimization"

just because there is the potential many "for sale" posts (or any type of post) down the road even though it isnt an now issue doesn't necessitate the creation of a more complex yet more robust system to handle them in the status quo.

the extra infrastructure can be developed when the need arises, for now do the simplest thing that works. it doesnt take long to set it up, we have very attentive mods, and is probably fairly painless on their end.

what i do like is keeping the buyer's messages out of it. not that ive gotten any . on other forums it becomes a complete bitch to tell whats going on with price haggling and questions and multiple listings and price reductions for items listed previously occurring pages later in the thread. the way it is now is tried and true, like classifieds or craigslist.

 

[vtac]

The most important aspect of my proposal is the ability for members to discuss an advertised item. Surely this is obvious?

Maybe I'm oblivious.

Looking at the sole item for sale, imo, the seller has done a pretty good job at listing the important info in his post.

 

[youdontknowme]

and a little vent, too: (doesnt really apply to this meta-thread, eg. thread about other threads lol)

a better, more easily maintainable alternative to derailing a thread (though im not saying the tangential material isnt some combination of informative, interesting, funny, etc) would be to think of your comment, set it up in a new thread with a relevant title, then post back in the existing thread with a simple link to the new one. both discussions may then proceed simultaneously but independent of each other. like if a newb comes wanting an answer so a simple question but two vets derail the thread in a war of sorts over the best way to vape hash oil. take it somewhere else.

the seller has done a pretty good job at listing the important info

thanks
i feel kinda lonely there and its awkward with everyone talking about my one lone post. but i say give it time, there arent enough people here yet who want to part with their vapes, thats why we are here.... we love 'em!

 

[hazy]

just because there is the potential many "for sale" posts (or any type of post) down the road even though it isnt an now issue doesn't necessitate the creation of a more complex yet more robust system to handle them in the status quo.

More complex? Hmm I would have thought the opposite. More robust? Definitely.

Interesting that you don't like to see buyer interaction. Maybe it's just a matter of taste, but I feel that it's important to see the various queries and responses about an item. Ebay also does this.

Group buys are a great way of getting special deals, and these require plenty of member participation.

I feel that not having a buy/sell section inhibits possibilities.

vtac, one example is not a proof. I guess you're really not interested in the idea. That's ok.

 

[vtac]

vtac, one example is not a proof. I guess you're really not interested in the idea. That's ok.

Well, what we're doing here is openly discussing ideas, no need to concede.

 

[Hennessy1414]

well if someone listed something for sale and it didnt have proper info...then yes...post away some question so EVERYONE can know whats up...not mindless "HEY that looks COOL" posts....i think thats what people are afraid of...

 

[youdontknowme]

I feel that it's important to see the various queries and responses about an item.

Personally, if I was asked a good question, I'd edit the listing to clarify or update after the fact.

The possibility of group buys is interesting, and ties in to one thing I would like to see more of: vendor/manufacturer participation. I think this is what WeedTracker was going for on their forum, thus the profile tags. Pay a visit to see what I mean. P.S. eBay does plenty of things wrong imo.

 

[vtac]

and ties in to one thing I would like to see more of: vendor/manufacturer participation.

Most manufacturers will never post here, many dislike the open nature of forums.

Tom and the PD are rare exceptions.