So comments kind of blew up this past week – hello, 673-comment thread! In one of the recent giant threads Holly suggested that maybe it’s time for Man Boobz to start its own forum, or set up some kind of real-time chatroom or IRC channel. I’m thinking she may be right, but I’m not sure the best way to proceed.
Here, as I see it, are the best options:
Regular Friday and Saturday night “open threads,” plus “open threads” during the week when it makes sense – say, when a thread gets really really long and/or people start chanting “open thread! Open thread!” in the comments. (That could be the batsignal, as it were, for me to post an open thread.)
An actual forum. It looks as though setting up a free forum through something like Invision or proboards or some other free forum host would be pretty easy – though I’d love to hear from people with experience doing this before I proceed. Would you guys be interested in this? What would be the best host to go with? Would it make more sense to host the forum myself? (If so, I would definitely need help.) I sort of love the idea of a forum, but I wouldn’t want it to siphon off too much energy from comments on the blog itself. I’m torn, and any thoughts/advice you guys have would be greatly appreciated.
I’m thinking at the moment that the best idea would be to start with open threads and see how they work before setting up a forum. But if enough of you want a forum that might be the way to go.
As for the other ideas from Holly – a chatroom or IRC channel – I have to admit I have no idea what would be the best option here, assuming there are enough of you interested in this to make it work. I’ve got plenty of experience as a forum-user but I’ve never used IRC or really participated in more than a tiny bit of chat. Not sure what the best options are for a real-time chatroom, or for IRC, so … advice, please!
In any case, I’m psyched about the possibilities here and want to do whatever will best facilitate conversation amongst you guys. And if any of you want to volunteer your time and/or experience, let me know!
(The cartoon here is borrowed from the excellent Comically Vintage.)
Is “keeping things as they are” an option? 🙂
As a daily reader, mostly lurker, occasional commentor, I like the format. I like the free flow conversations. I would find a forum complicated and overwhelming. I think if this blog were not functioning as therapy for a few men, (a military fellow and a slave, specifically) the threads would be shorter. This is not a criticism as I find observing the evolution of these poor souls delightful. I see much hope of them losing hate and finding happiness. I like it the way it is and dont want it to change. So take that as a vote for open threads, I suppose.
I don’t want to screw with the dynamic of the discussion threads as they are now; if I open up the forums it will be something extra, not a replacement for discussion here.
I will definitely do some open/social threads on fri/sat. for those interested in that.
And I’ll keep thinking about forums.
I’m taking in all the different points of view here.
Another lurker here – I’m happy with either open threads or a forum. I lean more towards the open thread, because the therapy/hamster show mix was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the conspiracy/vampire thread. I don’t know much about forums, but if that’s the decision I’ll learn how to use them. 🙂
My six cents, I think forums would be fun but I’ll enjoy whatever you decide.
Another (mostly) lurker here. I vote forums, but wouldn’t mind open threads.
“Don’t do it! You have so much to live for!”
Forums are fun, but so are open threads.
I think starting with open threads first is a good idea.
I’ve thought of several books that could help MRAL with his social dysfunctions but haven’t posted them in the blog because they might just get lost in the shuffle. A forum could be just the place.
Perhaps this site could become a catalyst for mra’s, helping them out of their shells and into society.
Forum. Chatrooms and chats on subjects that generate a lot of arguments and strong emotions are far too easy a target if they don’t have active moderation pretty much all the time.
@Katz
I sent that picture to a friend of mine who is having love troubles. It made everything better!
Open threads. I would not follow you to another forum. Start out with one twice a week, increase as necessary. No more than one a day should be necessary.
Also, on the topic of, well, everything I would like to note that I am currently at a wedding of my fiance’s former roommate, who is shorter than his new wife. Happy people, awesome wedding, fire juggling 🙂
HAMSTER BOUQUET!!!
Actually, reading the arguments here, I’m going to change my vote to “open threads.” Forums that required registration wouldn’t attract MRAs and they’d also split our attentions.
I too vote for open threads – there aren’t that many of us and I think we would be split by the two venues. I also think there would be in jokes – which I enjoy when the jokes are made about previous threads but keeping track of the in jokes in two places? Not so much…
Whyt? Whyt smurfing ynjykes are you smurfing abyt?
Gah, I guess Open Threads would be for the best then…I mean, perhaps we can use an Open Thread as a chance to REALLY help folks like MRAL (maybe through an indirect way, like chatting in one open thread about how awful the new Smurfs movie is going to be)?
So awful.
I hang out in a couple of other blogs with an active community (mostly Making Light, but also Slacktivist).
I’d say an OT is fine but a forum isn’t the same as a comment thread sort of interaction.
Tanahesi Coates (on the Atlantic) does a pretty good (and regular) OT and that seem so to work in a very active comment culture.
For what it’s worth I like the idea of forums – the comments section here is getting waaaay long and it’s becoming difficult to have a conversation about the topic at hand.
That’s a good thing – though – it means there’s a lot of traffic and interest.
For the purpose of directing conversation to a certain extent – each blog post could link to its own thread on a forum. I participate on another blog that does that and it works well for those interested in discussing the blog topic.
I really don’t think a forum would siphon off people from commenting on the blog. Several sites I read actually do a blog/forum format, and having a forum doesn’t effect the commenting on the blog. But it’s more set up where the blog is the main thing and the forums are just an extension of that.
I wouldn’t mind if the MRAs don’t follow to the forum, because sometimes it is nice to discuss things without them. But really, don’t think that they won’t, because they will – and they’ll cause the same problems. (I’m not talking specifically MRAL or NWOslave, but I’m sure there will be MRAs who will join.) Moderation might be tougher, but I’ve never actually run a forum, so I don’t know.
And as for inside jokes, I have very little familiarity of RPGs, so most of that goes over my head. I just don’t get it, and it sounds like the type of thing that would take forever to explain to me without guaranteeing that I’ll actually remember it the next time a joke is made. My point is, I don’t think that there would be enough of inside jokes so as to make the comments section unreadable, as there are always topics that some people know more about than other people. And inside jokes can happen with comment threads, too. I just don’t think that’s a concern, but YMMV.
Happy Memorial Day everyone! =D
Super late to the party, but my vote is for open threads + forum. Why not test out two birds with one stone?
I’m with Carswell–the threads are just too lengthy right now. Open Threads don’t really solve this problem.
Carswell’s idea is the best. By the way, I talked to a bunch of judges last week and one of the funnier things they mentioned was that male judges handling family court show the state of the male judges’ marriages with the decisions they make. I forgot to ask them the other question.