In the “PAY TO POST?!?!” Thread on page 2, the mighty Lynn Bodoni said,
I would suggest that MPSIMS, The BBQ pit, IMHO and now Cafe Society could easily be dispensed with. This website has the avowed purpose of “Fighting Ignorance”. It seems to me that the social posting portion of this board does not meet that end. I say that it could do this very well with the remaining forums.
IF the extrainious fluff forums are causing bandwidth issues, then perhaps they should be severed, like amputating an arm to save the body.
It would hurt like crazy, but it would preserve the essence of what this board is for.
Beyond TubaDiva’s declaration, there is another purpose to the lighter forums. They keep that sort of thing from invading the other forums. People are going to flirt, play word games and rant no matter what we do…creating forums for that sort of thing helps keeps it from clogging up the other forums.
Take the Pit, for example. In pre-pit times, flame wars would erupt in GQ. Flame wars are the bane of any messege board because they are long, tedious, create bad feelings and are very distracting. It isn’t productive just to ban flaming- sometimes people really do need to be called out. The best solution was to create a place for this kind of post- where people can air their complaints without getting in trouble with the understanding that the pit is the only place where that is allowed. It keeps people happy, keeps the other forums readable and contributes to the richness of this board.
Every forum was designed as a solution to a problem. If you get rid of them those problems come back.
Well, I think we should get rid of all the forums except ATMB. Then at last Tuba would come into her own, the unchallenged Queen of the Straight Dope Message Board.
Look at the actual number of posts being talked about. You’re not talking about cutting off an arm to save the body; you’re considering cutting off an entire body to save one finger. Like it or not, the extraneous fluff forums account for 99% of the use on this board.
Well the fluff as some call it, is actually quite important in a way that may seem trivial to you but is very life-enhancing to others.
It is pretty high-quality fluff.
It has been influential in boosting my understanding of a host of issues that I would have been excluded from because of my geographical location, age, history, and sexual preference. I am certain I am more tolerant and better informed because of the fluff.
I’ve also found the fluff-manufacturers to be sensitively supportive when I recently shared a painful moment. I had no one I could talk to but the computer. And the responses that I had lifted my spirits and strengthened me.
I love GQ, I find the comments on columns usually irritating because they’re often naive (that is, from people who haven’t learned yet about Google and it’s wonders) and I have no idea how anyone ever manages to survive the pomposity of Great debates.
Sad fact is, thoes ARE my favorite forums. I rarely wander into GQ or GD, I can’t remember the last time I was in Comments on Cecil’s Columns or Staff Reports.
However.
If the “bottom line” is so important to the Reader, which publishes a FREE newspaper, then perhaps the Reader needs to look at what is causing the cash outflow.
This site exisits to supliment the Straight Dope site, which in turn exists to bring attention to the Chicago Reader itself. It is a tool for advertising. It is NOT a social club. (Although it has become one.)
Here is a hypothetical situation. Let’s say that the Reader begins to lose money due to increased publishing costs. So much so that they are forced to begin charging for subscriptions. Would it? It’s readership would plummit, and it’s that readership that looks at the ads that provide revenue. With fewer readers, fewer advertisers would want to spend money on ads, which would mean higher subscription rates untill…
In any case, if I ran the Reader, I would be looking hard at cutting the “fat” on this website, or doing something that would make people more likely to subscribe to the Reader…
