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The Anointed One
Sloth's apprentice
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Registered: 02/04/11
Posts: 78
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
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Re: All About New Forum Requests... [Re: Phriend]
#523449 - 02/05/11 02:35 PM (14 years, 21 days ago) |
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Okay, so the general consensus seems to be that we do not have enough traffic to support very many specialty forums.
Quote:
geokills said This thread has been closed.
Reason: Please take a look at this. Frankly, we do not support the volume of traffic that would make such specialized single-interest forums a success at this time. The Smoke Lounge - which can easily encompass all of the topics you have suggested and more - is not even all that busy. So as our traffic increases, we can begin to add new special interest forums... but for now, I just don't see the need and in fact believe that it would dilute the community by spreading things out all too thin.
And I'm sure many of us can see this point. I can.
I'd say also that most agree that The Shroomery is a very popular site, compared to this one.
Why, though, is the shroomery super-popular, while its sister-site seems to be lacking those numbers....?
I'm sure we could come up with a bunch of valid reasons. However, I think a big part of this has to do with the limited range of topics discussed here, compared to there. A lot of people probably find shroomery through drug-related web searches. I'm sure much of this is to do with psychedelics and growing mushrooms, but I'm willing to bet A LOT of other drug searches end up there.
Now, in my research of drugs, I've visited TONS of forums on the topic. But I'm only a member of a few. Why is that?
Aside from not having unlimited time, quality membership and quality discussion are the things that attracted me to these forums. The shroomery, IMO, has the best sub-forums in the whole "scene" and that's why I go there.
I love the pub, in the shroomery. And it seems kind of like "the smoke lounge" is our equivalent. On the other hand, sometimes I see serious topics that are not taken as serious as they should be, (or more often, are never seen after a day or two, by those not posting) and so discussion lags or stalls, or doesn't happen in the first place. Whereas, if those same topics were addressed in a focus forum, where members went specifically to address those issues; more of these topics will be on a first page, possibly giving them a greater audience among the existing members.
I am more likely to click into another subforum or 5 than I am to click back 15 pages into the smoke lounge to find an interesting topic.
The other idea that I had, is that in a forum where there aren't a ton of members and a lot going on, that can sometimes cause the more quiet in the group to become more vocal.
And last, I have to say that I find it a little bit funny that some of the members seem to be pretty vocal about wanting more forums... and the mods seem pretty adamant on that decision (basing it on numbers)... and then after not listening to the membership, the mods wonder why there aren't members.
Come on...that's a little funny.
Anyway, I'm not an expert on the subject. Just my thoughts.
-------------------- "My one-of-a-kind-self gets stoned every day like Jesus did."
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The Anointed One
Sloth's apprentice
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Registered: 02/04/11
Posts: 78
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
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I also did want to point out that while the "we should talk about it in the Smoke Lounge" argument does have some validity--
The topics in the Smoke Lounge seem to be a mix of pot (or drug) related, and non-drug related topics.
At the very least it would seem cool to have a "general marijuana discussion" forum. This way we would have a place for focused intelligent cannabis discussion (that does not involve cultivation or cooking); while at the same time at least having one social, non-drug related, off-topic kind of forum.
-------------------- "My one-of-a-kind-self gets stoned every day like Jesus did."
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The Anointed One
Sloth's apprentice
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Registered: 02/04/11
Posts: 78
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Re: All About New Forum Requests... [Re: DungenessDank]
#523569 - 02/05/11 07:35 PM (14 years, 21 days ago) |
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Quote:
DungenessDank said: Hey listen pal, don't just come in here and start trying to shake things up. We strive to cultivate a unique atmosphere.
Don't get me wrong. I love the atmosphere. It's pretty chill here.
I just think my points are valid.
-------------------- "My one-of-a-kind-self gets stoned every day like Jesus did."
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The Anointed One
Sloth's apprentice
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Registered: 02/04/11
Posts: 78
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
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Quote:
FarBeyondDriven said: Yeah, this place is slowly growing. You figure out of all new members, some will post a few times then leave, some will just be idiots, and we'll get some good members too. Slowly, but surely, the site is growing I think. I like it the way it is myself. I do think that sports forum was a good add on. It'll be a little slow at first I think, with a small core of people posting in it, but it to, will grow.
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Yeah, but I think that in order to really grow we need to have stuff that NO other forums have. And even if we get attention and attract some people, if they see a really limited range of discussion going on here, they may not want to stick around. I know I've done that with forums. Anyone else?
I think more cannabis related forums (at least one as I mentioned) would be advantageous for this reason among others.
Also, I strongly advocate other non-cannabis/drug related forums. However, I will have nothing to ever contribute to sports, unless discussion of martial arts pops up (which I'll never see unless I search for it, or am directed there.) Not a fan, myself, and while cannabis seems to become more and more ubiquitous in all sectors of society, I've known tons of stoners who hate team sports. 
I'm not saying that makes it a bad idea or anything. I'm sure lots will use it. But how many people, for example, do you know who just don't like music. Or watching movies?
Music seems like a natural pairing with cannabis, so the tunetown subforum is neat. However, I posit that other forms of art and entertainment are almost as strongly tied.
We could, in theory, do something silly like make an "Art Under the Influence" kind of forum. You could dump tune-town into there, as its own little sub-forum (because I think it deserves it) and open a slightly wider discussion on arts and entertainment.
Or if you wanted to go even MORE wide-ranging, the main forum there could be something like "Popular Culture and Subculture."
Just some thoughts...
-------------------- "My one-of-a-kind-self gets stoned every day like Jesus did."
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The Anointed One
Sloth's apprentice
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Registered: 02/04/11
Posts: 78
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
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Re: All About New Forum Requests... [Re: FurrowedBrow]
#524864 - 02/08/11 05:34 PM (14 years, 18 days ago) |
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Quote:
FurrowedBrow said: Any other thoughts??
Yes. Lots of them.
I understand that we're not looking to build a shroomery clone. (Though I will say for the record, that the number of people who are into cannabis exclusively, and therefore might register here but not there, might actually justify something like that.) However, I think it's worth looking at what we are willing to mirror somewhat and where we need to be different. Otherwise, why not have just started a whole "marijuana cultivation" section on shroomery, if that is ALL we wanted to have...?
If we were to try staying away from ANY topics/forums/sub-forums that the shroomery has, then we might as well end this discussion now. Shroomery covers almost everything at this point.
On the other hand: As with all drugs in general, and as with psychedelics particularly, cannabis has influenced society and culture in a number of ways. As such it seems logical that we include discussion ABOUT society (and, of course, the connections between them.)
We could have a "human mind" kind of forum. "This is Your Mind on Cannabis," kind of thing. This could encompass topics ranging from psychology to spirituality and religion. These could be discussed in general and/or in regard to how they are connected to and affected by cannabis.
One point I want to highlight from this is that religious and spiritual belief/thought have, without doubt, been influenced by cannabis. As such, focused discussion on spirituality in SOME way is a good idea. I mean come on, CANNABIS IS A SACRAMENT FOR SOME.
Cannabis, quite obviously, also has an impact on HEALTH, PSYCHOLOGY, RELATIONSHIPS, and GOVERNMENT. I'm not proposing each of those as a forum, just saying that each seems like a valid, broad topic base, that can be addressed.
I think the politics of cannabis is worthy of being addressed. You could make a "Law, Activism, and Personal Freedom" kind of forum. (This would also squeeze the current "activism" bit into here, leaving "medical" with a forum all its own, which it kind of deserves. More on that later...) This could not only take on Activism and discussion of Government and Law, but could also include discussion of how to increase one's personal safety, which seems like a vital topic that's missing from the board.
(Alternately you could call that one something like "Law, Activism, and Safety," but we wouldn't want to sound like the shroomERY. :p )
I would say that the "Arts and Entertainment" kind of forum I mentioned before is also a major point, and probably one of the non-drug forums we need the most. I mean shit, sports is entertainment, and it gets its own sub-forum even though everything else other than music is left to general chat? I'd say that music, movies, books, poetry, painting, photography, drawing, etc, all owe more inspiration to cannabis than do the likes of football, baseball, etc. amirite?
I think it's way too early to warrant any kind of focused discussion forums on relationships or sexuality, even though I'd say both, especially relationships, are influenced by cannabis. Plus, the other site does have a focus for that one.
On the other hand, I think it would be cool to have an Advice and/or 'Noids Anonymous kind of forum. Anyone with non-pot questions or problems (or non-legal-safety, if we had that forum) could go there. I initially considered this because it could encompass some of the relationship/sex thing. I would vote on a "Help/Advice" forum. Though second to that I'd take an Anon forum. haha
I also do advocate the "Pharmacology and Chemistry of Cannabis" type forum that has been proposed. I do understand the argument that there are not a lot of members with professional-level knowledge in those areas, but I think that's a somewhat weak reason not to start it. ALTHOUGH...if my previous suggestions were implemented, you could squeeze this right in with Medicinal, and the focus would be more towards that, since Activism would already be In with the "Law, Activism, and Safety," type forum.
Did someone say, "If you build it, they will come?"
-------------------- "My one-of-a-kind-self gets stoned every day like Jesus did."
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