"General" forums on webboards otherwise devoted to other topics

Factual Questions
1

Why do people post so much in these places? For example, I hang out at the
Subsim Radio Room (devoted to submarine sims of all models). The subboard
with the most posts is for SH3. The second most? You guessed it their General
Forum.

You’ll almost invariably see the same thing wherever you go. For me the only reason
I go to a board is for information on the game/product/ideas being discussed there.
If I wanted to discuss politics I’d go to a political board, and not hash things out in
a general forum. Now I do post in there once in a great while, but not usually as a
matter of due course.

Now the SDMB is organized along completely different lines, since we field topics of
just about every conceivable kind, so here doesn’t count. So what purpose do
these general forums (non SDMB) serve?

2

They increase the relevancy of the dedicated forums by providing a place for off topic stuff to live.

3

People spend so much time at their board that when they have an OT question, instead of finding a new board, registering etc…, they can start by asking their online friends. At least that’s my take on it.

4

Look at how many people post at MPSIMS here, which is pretty much our “general” board.

5

I think it’s interesting to discuss general topics with people that share your same interests (cars, motorcycles, C++, whatever.) The Straight Dope message board is unusual in that the whole board is general topics, it’s a “board about nothing”. :smiley:

6

Nothing much to add, except I’ve noticed the same thing there, and stay well clear of the General forum. There’s too much ignorance in there for my tastes.

But waves to a fellow subsimmer and SH3 player. :cool:

7

World of Warcraft has a “General” forum, but the topics are restricted to questions/opinions about that game or game related material only.

There are also a bunch of sub forums for specific topics, such as player-vs-player strategy discussions.

If you want to bash President Bush, you have to do that in the “off topic” forum.

8

I completely disagree. The Straight Dope is a board about everything. (But I can see where the confusion arises).

9

No, it’s about nothing. For instance - what did I do today? I got up and went to work. That’s a topic.

10

How is that a topic?

Well, uh, maybe something happens on the way to work.

No, no, no. Nothing happens.

Well, something happens.

Well, why am I reading it?

Because it’s on The Internet.

11

On an urban planning board I run – damn, third time I’ve referenced it this week – the off-topic subforum has about two-thirds of all the posts. I call it the glue that holds the board together; it’s something that really allows people to get to know each other, and thus build friendships, community and a loyal userbase. It also gets regulars visiting the site during off-hours and weekends; it becomes something that’s fun, not just a professional resource. The quality of discussion in the off-topic area is at about the same level of the SDMB. It’s even attracted some non-planners to the site. Since I added the off-topic subforum in 2001, forum usage and membership jumped.

The problem with an off-topic board? The “blueshirts” (very serious planner’s planners), “plannerati” (very prominent “celebrity” planners) and academics see threads like “Judge an owner by the car”, “The Antichrist as a pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist” and a 900 post “Neverending Beer Thread”, and think that the site isn’t “serious.” They tend to stick to dry listservs that seldom see an emoticon among the messages. I could keep the off-topic area and the “not serious” among some because of its presence, or I could get rid of it and earn some respect, but lose a LOT of traffic and a great community in the process.