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Veteran
Posts: 214
| The 'trick' is:
- make it easy to find what you want
- avoid too many forums...
- ... some of which become almost moribund
- ... and it can make it hard to know where to post something
- try to avoid having one or two forums that get too busy...
- ...because then they fill with chatter and things then get hard to find in them
It's actually harder to arrange than you might think, especially the last couple, forums have a tendency to evolve a life of their own, sometimes unpredictably.
Here are some examples to focus your minds:
http://www.transitionforest.org.uk/forum/
http://forum.transition-llambed.org.uk/
http://creativeliving.10.forumer.com/index.php
It's probably worth having categories for the bigger TBI sub-groups lke food, energy, ? Arts / Crafts / Skills. These will likely need several forums each, eg. food could have forums for: Grow North, HFC, Community Gardens, Growing Guide, community markets and local food outlets... and a general forum for things that don't fit into them, plus maybe a 'food information resources' forum.
Then we'll need a general category for things like:
- Announcements, events, publicity
- general chit-chat
- problems / questions re using website and forums
- discussions (deeper than chit-chat)
...and these would be forums within the general category
Then we may want a category for all other specific forums that don't fit into the other categories eg. Transport
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| Been looking at those examples of forums I mentioned above. They all seem to have too many sub-forums, over 20 in all cases. Though most of the Creative Living sub-forums have a decent number of posts the other 2 have sub-forums with 0 to few in.
Also been checking out this TBI forum administrative functions, when you delete a forum its posts vanish so it looks like we would have to manually move posts into other forums before we deleted a forum (this should be relatively straightforward, though). So, probably better to start with too few forums and add more as required rather than start with too many.
We can create private forums that only a specified list of users can access and can even make their existence invisible to other users. Can also create forums which can be seen and read but not posted in by normal users.
Changing the titles and descriptions of forums is easy once they are active, as is moving them between categories and changing the order of forums within a category.
Administrators can make threads 'sticky' = they stay at the top of a forum, appropriate for 'read me first' type stuff. Threads can be 'frozen' to stop any future posts to them, can be useful if things get a bit inflamed.
There are various options for email notification of posts but I've not explored those. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| It would be good if:
1. Other TBI members and food group users comment on whether we should go with that (I know we need descriptions for some) or have you some tweaks you'd like?
2. Members of the other groups suggest what forum(s) they would like, would they like them grouped together in a separate category for their group or, if there are only one or two forums for their group, shall we combine in the General category or another category?
3. Everyone suggests what forums we have in the General category. This is going to need most discussion and honing so please contribute your ideas, however wacky 
Only one person other than me (I have a doppleganger, Hadron, which is a 'normal' user that I use for testing some things) and the Plexus admnistrator has posted so far. Please have a go, even just to test it works for you - I can clean up any mess. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| It is the reality you currently see here.
Now YOU need to respond. How does it seem? What have I missed? What ideas and thoughts do YOU have that might improve things.
The mechanics of doing it didn't take more than an hour or so, the thinking took longer. Don't waste your fingers on thanks and praise, I / we want constructive ideas and criticism on improving the schema my demented mind has conjured.
And they are wanted FAST!
I propose a deadline of noon Saturday March 27th for fast track changes to these forums.
Until then changes you suggest that seem reasonable / have consensus support within 24 hours if any contention is apparent, will be implemented.
Thereafter a committee structure will be interposed 
We'll also need another couple of administrators to organise and administer these forums, and probably about 3 moderators to police them.
Administrators have god-lke powers in forum context, they must be trusted not to destroy the forum world, act in the interests of the forum and TBI, have a modicum of computer savvy, and be immune from making errors!!!
Moderators have powers to stop other forum users from misbehaving too much. On active forums with frisky users it can be a very fun role, if the forum is staid and quiet it can be a bit of a yawn. I'd like our forums to have some frisky moments, hope our users are up for that. Moderators, above all, determine the style of forum behavior and the job offers plenty of scope for evolving your way of controlling rebellious individuals and herds. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 275
| To my simple mind, it looks as if the structure at present already has too many forums, both in the "General" and "Food" bits. I'd favour starting with fewer forums, and expanding if it becomes necessary, rather than starting with too many and then having a cull. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| Possibly so. I can think of ways to pare a couple and maybe more but it would be better if the rest of you come up with suggestions rather than my warped mind do all the thinking.
Could you, Martin, come up with the forums for the Energy group please? Would one suffice or do you desire more? Do you want a private energy group committee room? | |
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| By combining the 2 general discussion forums to one and by combining 5 food group forums into two.
Also moved any private rooms into a separate category at bottom of forum list.
Note that I haven't properly restricted entry to the private rooms yet, intend to do once most TBI folks have registered here because it will save a lot of effort, so please DON'T POST ANYTHING SENSITIVE IN THE PRIVATE ROOMS JUST YET.
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Veteran
Posts: 275
| I’ve suggested to the energy group that the forums for the group should be:
Saving energy;
Generating energy;
Energy Group business.
I can’t say there’s been a ringing endorsement of this, but no-one’s disagreed, and Anne agreed, so I reckon we should go ahead on that basis and see how things work out.
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How shall we structure these new TBI forums?