If YOU were responsible for SL's forums . . .

. . . what would YOU do?

What software would you use?
What categories of subforums would you create?
Who would you allow to post to those subforums?
What rules and restrictions would you impose on those subforums?
How would you moderate them?
What other suggestions would you offer?

Pep (Maybe it's not too late to offer opinions, as the original official "deadline" for changes being made here has come and gone.)

OpenVMS NOTES bbs

The fewer rules the better.

SL isn't rated PG. Why impose that restriction in the forums?

Open up the topics to include anything.

Moderate slander and threats of violence.

Let the rest settle itself out.

- any software that does the job well, in relation to the usage requirements.

- Any category/sub-forum that is needed/whished for, and compliments the goals of the forum. (Can be added/changed/removed on request by e.g. votes or changes in strategy)

- Depends strongly on the reason this subforum is in place. Is it for a certain use? or general use? (e.g. subforum with announcements, don't have write access for everyone, only authorized people)

- Again, it strongly depends (read above).

- Put in place some moderators with clear guidelines as to general usage/policing and specific usage/policing on some parts of the categories/subforums offered. (since alone you cannot moderate a gigantic forum that easily. Especially 24/7)

- Maybe a weekly vote, to see what the userbase needs/wants. Or an evalution thread, whishlist kind of thing.

Bring back General Discussion.

Wipe the moderator list except for Millie and Cybin and rebuild it.

Reinstate the special functions that allow URLs to work and stuff.

Update to the latest versionof vBulletin.

I'd sell it to the Chinese

I'm actually happy with it as it is.

Pep (except with a better range of standard smilies )

PS And more effective banishment of over-emotional posters who don't read other people's posts before commenting on them of course)

Did you mean you wanted to allow moderate amounts of slander and unlimited threats of violence?

Pep (Sounds like no change from the present regime, in practice)

Isn't that the current strategy?

Pep (Just taking longer than anticipated after the crash of 200

I would like to see a Mature area where you have to log in and turn on Mature Content to see it.

I would introduce a 'general discussion' forum.
I would be a bit stricter with moderation re drama and pictures of vomiting etc!
I would have a forum about MEE!

But generally the forums are prettymuch OK.

How would you prove you were mature?

Pep (Serious question actually)

I'd turn the BBcode back on.

I'd allow attachments.

I'd let you set the colors.

There'd be a general discussion forum with off-topics allowed.

And....finally....freebies for everyone! *snickers*

Re: setup, I'd use the format suggested by Isablan and Ray about a trillion years ago when Robin actually asked us how we'd like it set up. That went well.

And now Robin has joined SLU...go figure

It's either that or it will be "Bailed Out"

Allow people to create their own subforums that they want. If a subforum becomes unused for long enough close it down and archive it.

ROFL...yeah, that.

Well congress does need to consider all the unemployed pixels running around the grid.

Half of them probably ARE Congress...at least in the free sex areas.

Chaos.

Ooof, well I have managed, migrated, and Admin'd large forums like this before and it is a thankless job. This one needs an overhaul, a database purge and a new template. Get rid of that awful banner art. I don't know if I would necessarily change the engine, vBulletin is decent software. From the copyright line (2007) you can see that no one has gone into the page code for a while. The BBcode needs to be fixed or turned off.

I don't know the history of the moderating to critique any current or past moderators but, most likely, that needs some new input.

I hate to say it, but during the migrations/upgrade I would probably close the neverending thread, purely for technical reasons. The board's database was never intended to hold 3,362 page and constantly growing single thread. (But, amazingly the server seems to have no trouble with it!).

Then, everybody would hate me.

See, I told you it is a thankless job. I don't really blame LL for not dealing with it... I shudder just thinking about it.

cheapskates... at least with their own money.

Make it general discussion. And a modicum of respsect for the thread writer/poster. A ban on the refrain "if you think this is biching you should see other discussion sites". A stalled finger on th ekeyboard when you ask yourself "just WHO i steh person typing this post?". Some wit and humour. Even some allowance for four letter words - any one would think this world was a wooden-top land (bbc child prog. from 50s).
But open it up.
And dont trust posters whose tag mentions anything about "sarcasm". They ar ewolves in sheep's clothing.