Post by Alyrenee on Mar 20, 2006 14:50:02 GMT -5
Usually i avoid this sort of cluttered discourse...but here goes:
I agree with a great deal of Willfan's post. I am losing the love for buffy figs. I still like making customs...still love the show and all things whedon. The new figures being released aren't really doing it for me though. But I think i will always enjoy the customs. I like seeing others and making them myself. I feel like that could be the most vibrant part of this board but it has definitely taken a weird turn. I miss the challenges and contests. I haven't done much recently...working on some commissions and stuff..but I lack focus when there is not a goal. Things are getting cluttered too. In all the areas on the board. I feel like there is one to many sticky threads everywhere...and that people often clutter things by starting a new thread for everything instead of combining them into one. I think the changes to the Marketplace section have been great but there is room for more.
Here are my suggestions:
1) Mods to create a Faq thread to be stickied at the top of every forum to combine things a little more. I.e. in the customs section...there could be a faq that combined the guide for posting, guide for critiques, and the customizing for dummy threads.
2) No more For Sale posts in the Customs section...I feel strongly that this area should be only for creating customs and such. Forsale post should only be in the marketplace section! Or create a subsection to announce customs for sale...or taking commissions etc....
3) Potentially subdivide the customs sections into a q/a or advice section...and a show and tell/feedback section. That way more customs show up on a page...and the threads about how to remove hair and 'what should i customize next' go into a seperate area. This works on another board I frequent...
4) Have a monthly Challenge in the customs section. If the mods don't have time to do it...i am sure there are several of us that would be willing to do this for you. This is something not for prizes....or if anything a random participation prize. I am talking about a .. "April Challenge: make a season 7 Dawn!" something like that...its encouraging for new customizers who won't feel pressured to compete with the old crusty stalwart customizers...and fun for the crustys too .
5) In the Marketplace...create a subboard for Looking For posts to help get that a little cleaner.
6) In the marketplace...one for sale thread per person.. marked delete when its over. Just update it when you need to make changes.
7) Only one "bump" allowed per day in any for sale/looking for thread as well as the custom thread.
8) in marketplace, change the For Sale to FS or For Trade to FT and looking for to WTB (wanted to buy) or WTT (wanted to trade)...takes up less space and leaves more room in the title to describe items for sale
9) Consider expanding the board to more topics...with future whedon projects coming...we might want to consider other ways to stay vital and active. (i.e. Goners and Wonder Woman...Spike Movie?)
Another forum I frequent that started around collectibles has totally banned off-topic posts alltogether. That would mean no more personal posts or threads about ex boyfriends or the next OC episode. I think that is a little extreme...but I can see where it keeps the community more focused and a little less tense. There is definitely less drama. I know I would prefer less drama here. Its gets pretty freaking ridiculous at times. Like I have not checked the board this weekend since I was in dress rehearsal and evidently alot of stuff went down. And really it all amounts to a load of crap. There are so many more important things to get upset about in the world. We all come here because we, initially, shared a common love for all things plastically buffy (as in pvc images of buffy characters)...and of course other interests came with it...and of course that means other personalities came with it...and not all of those personalities are going to mix well.
I prefer to keep my own dramas a little more private. Others like to blog about their breakfast and everything else in their day...and then argue about how lame someone else's breakfast was (i hope you get my anology...think buffy's cookie dough speech). I am more of a 'keep your breakfast to yourself' type... Often times the only reason I go to the free for all section of the board is to check on the forums swaps (which could also have their very own section i feel and encourage different types of swaps...i.e. craft swaps, greeting cards swpas, custom swaps, fan fiction swaps...totally wide open).
I am not one for censorship...but there is a contingent of internet users out there that have no shame...computers give anonymity to the users...they can say more and do more than they ever would in public. And you just cannot have that...anarchy is no good for a community. i think this has bled into the board recently. banners have been tawdry..posts just wrong. I think people need to exercise some judgment. What would Buffy Do? Or What would Joss Do? or really...what would a reasonable rational human being do...keep it vaguely clean folks...i don't come here to see tits and ass...i come to talk about the whedonverse, geeky entertainment in general, look at action figures, and create customs...also to be apart of a wonderful community of (mostly) like-minded intelligent individuals!
why can't we all just get along?
I agree with a great deal of Willfan's post. I am losing the love for buffy figs. I still like making customs...still love the show and all things whedon. The new figures being released aren't really doing it for me though. But I think i will always enjoy the customs. I like seeing others and making them myself. I feel like that could be the most vibrant part of this board but it has definitely taken a weird turn. I miss the challenges and contests. I haven't done much recently...working on some commissions and stuff..but I lack focus when there is not a goal. Things are getting cluttered too. In all the areas on the board. I feel like there is one to many sticky threads everywhere...and that people often clutter things by starting a new thread for everything instead of combining them into one. I think the changes to the Marketplace section have been great but there is room for more.
Here are my suggestions:
1) Mods to create a Faq thread to be stickied at the top of every forum to combine things a little more. I.e. in the customs section...there could be a faq that combined the guide for posting, guide for critiques, and the customizing for dummy threads.
2) No more For Sale posts in the Customs section...I feel strongly that this area should be only for creating customs and such. Forsale post should only be in the marketplace section! Or create a subsection to announce customs for sale...or taking commissions etc....
3) Potentially subdivide the customs sections into a q/a or advice section...and a show and tell/feedback section. That way more customs show up on a page...and the threads about how to remove hair and 'what should i customize next' go into a seperate area. This works on another board I frequent...
4) Have a monthly Challenge in the customs section. If the mods don't have time to do it...i am sure there are several of us that would be willing to do this for you. This is something not for prizes....or if anything a random participation prize. I am talking about a .. "April Challenge: make a season 7 Dawn!" something like that...its encouraging for new customizers who won't feel pressured to compete with the old crusty stalwart customizers...and fun for the crustys too .
5) In the Marketplace...create a subboard for Looking For posts to help get that a little cleaner.
6) In the marketplace...one for sale thread per person.. marked delete when its over. Just update it when you need to make changes.
7) Only one "bump" allowed per day in any for sale/looking for thread as well as the custom thread.
8) in marketplace, change the For Sale to FS or For Trade to FT and looking for to WTB (wanted to buy) or WTT (wanted to trade)...takes up less space and leaves more room in the title to describe items for sale
9) Consider expanding the board to more topics...with future whedon projects coming...we might want to consider other ways to stay vital and active. (i.e. Goners and Wonder Woman...Spike Movie?)
Another forum I frequent that started around collectibles has totally banned off-topic posts alltogether. That would mean no more personal posts or threads about ex boyfriends or the next OC episode. I think that is a little extreme...but I can see where it keeps the community more focused and a little less tense. There is definitely less drama. I know I would prefer less drama here. Its gets pretty freaking ridiculous at times. Like I have not checked the board this weekend since I was in dress rehearsal and evidently alot of stuff went down. And really it all amounts to a load of crap. There are so many more important things to get upset about in the world. We all come here because we, initially, shared a common love for all things plastically buffy (as in pvc images of buffy characters)...and of course other interests came with it...and of course that means other personalities came with it...and not all of those personalities are going to mix well.
I prefer to keep my own dramas a little more private. Others like to blog about their breakfast and everything else in their day...and then argue about how lame someone else's breakfast was (i hope you get my anology...think buffy's cookie dough speech). I am more of a 'keep your breakfast to yourself' type... Often times the only reason I go to the free for all section of the board is to check on the forums swaps (which could also have their very own section i feel and encourage different types of swaps...i.e. craft swaps, greeting cards swpas, custom swaps, fan fiction swaps...totally wide open).
I am not one for censorship...but there is a contingent of internet users out there that have no shame...computers give anonymity to the users...they can say more and do more than they ever would in public. And you just cannot have that...anarchy is no good for a community. i think this has bled into the board recently. banners have been tawdry..posts just wrong. I think people need to exercise some judgment. What would Buffy Do? Or What would Joss Do? or really...what would a reasonable rational human being do...keep it vaguely clean folks...i don't come here to see tits and ass...i come to talk about the whedonverse, geeky entertainment in general, look at action figures, and create customs...also to be apart of a wonderful community of (mostly) like-minded intelligent individuals!
why can't we all just get along?