i ahve a feeling i'm getting ignored.

it's not a good feeling.

i would like it to stop now.

I think two issues are the general community's obsession with post count and attention. I've often considered in my mind the idea of removing post count from user info displays and profiles. I think the idea would be highly controversial, but I think removing any indication of a user's post count status might help reduce spam and nonsense posting. Let's be honest—many people post simply to increase post count. I say let's remove it entirely.

The other issue is attention. A lot of people post crap just to get their name out there. As cB grows, it becomes harder and harder to gain notice, so people resort to tacky strategies: posting excessively, picking fights, spamming, and so forth. I think this goes back to cB's focus on superlatives: So many members are trying to be the best or most prolific member, and the only way to do that is to drown out everyone else.

Nate, in the beginning, you noted that one solution might be to form another, smaller community. I used to be opposed to that idea, but lately I've been feeling it's not a bad thing. I belong to several other forums and several IRC-based communities. Some of them are so small that they're barely active, and that's no fun. The ones that are the most fun are the ones that have enough members that you can expect to see a few dozen new posts a day, but few enough that you can, in essence, keep up with the personal details of each member, or at least the most active ones; and be sure that the new posts are interesting, insightful, and engaging. I feel those have the most sense of community.

Some members might see users like Dani and I talk about the IRC channel a lot. The IRC channel is often times dead; mostly it's just populated by Dani and I, or more likely just Dani, or in some cases just me. But when there are a few people in there—two or four or six or eight—it's a lot of fun. I think Dani and others would agree we have some really interesting discussions. Sure, it's small, but it's small enough to be personal, and that's what makes it interesting.

So maybe your suggestion, which seemed to be more of a "Plan B" sort of idea, isn't such a bad idea at all. Forming a smaller, more personal community with like-minded members (such as what happened with Hitherston, and I know I'm probably putting my neck out there by even suggesting the founders had the right idea) isn't a bad idea if it means forging more personal connections—and it also doesn't mean abandoning cB entirely. You may have been on to a really good idea by posting that suggestion.

and the feeling keeps continuing.

i propose a split of different sorts.

split cB into houses.

i shall, of course, be in the black house.

each house would have thier own lounge. maybe other stuff can come later, but the main point is for smaller communities within the whole.

yea, i say get rid of post counts. Keep those little blue boxes though.

I'm paying attention you Justin. Can I be in the black house? NO THE CHOCOLATE HOUSE!

And yes, Hitherston did have the right idea. The competition did bring us together. *is not crossing a line is not crossing*

^

haha. you're the best.

mm.

and we could use a myers-briggs test to put you in a house with people you'd get along with.

so cool!

we could Dr. Phil the newbies!

"Dr. Phil the newbies", haha.
Love that. Although I'm not sure that'd keep them around for long.

No aversion to such an idea.



I would have to agree that this attention obsession is definately a huge problem. We have to trash this middle school popularity contest mentality.



Although I don't believe I explicitly suggested the creation of an entirely new community, I am not in any way opposed to it. An experiment of sorts would actually be a welcomed thing on this side. Sounds like we could all form something great.

That would keep the newbies away.

..and inevitably this thread is turning into a spam topic.

i hate that feeling.

..I think that'd be just a tad difficult, seeing as how a great deal of our members are IN middle school.

me want attention now!!

well, actually, just more opinions abotu my idea?

seperate houses, each have a private forum, a bit of competition between them.

seperate member groups, even.

How would you distribute them? How would one be sure someone would not skip to another group? Would people be able to switch groups?

^

you're not funny anymore. you can stop.

^x3 I honestly like that idea, but it's too much work, we have 398465239845629 members.

I would suggest an age limit. But, I think I know how impossible that would be.
Either way, I think an age limit could actually help.

not that many active ones though.

cut the active ones up, have a "feral" group, and anyone alive in the feral group can get put in a new one if they wake up.


the thing about an age limit is, if people lie and say they're older, they'll usually act a bit older.

We have one. 13+. People don't follow it.
I don't think we should move it up, though. I joined when I was 13...

I say let's do it. And if other people don't like I'm doing it anyways. I'm in the Chocolate house. Justin, you're the God of Chocolate, you're the head.

lalallalala
seon ho complains about spam and then spams

but chocolate melts! didn't willy wonka warn you?

I agree, and people like Tina are 13 and still mature enough to still positively contribute. =]

Opps.
Somehow though, the surface evidence doesn't seem to suggest any such limit.

I actually wouldn't hate seeing it moved up though.
Even if it was for just a single year.



Alright. I take it back.
No concerns over an age limit.
How about a maturity limit, now how impossible is that?!

Pshhhh, then you drink it, but fine, IM IN YOUR HOUSE THOUGH!