rather than quoting everything that i agree with from what originally was peterc's thread, it seems to me that ethan should re-sticky a thread about forum organization. IMO most of the current organizational constructs are either broken or on their way, be it:
-undersupported and essentially unutilized metas that newbies skim past, leading to RTFM clutter.
-lumping of support threads with general questions and the like, making answers hard to find and leading to even more RTFM clutter.
-lumping WM support threads with the aforementioned, leading to 'advertising' that some users find objectionable.
-WM/group buy/esentially non-profit/BM ambiguity, leading to everyone taking a piss.
-gmail craziness, which has actually been fixed nicely with the tech docs.
though the mess is mostly growth-based and essentially blameless, it's palpable and really needs attention. the [THREAD TYPE] convention hasn't and won't mitigate the "hey, first post, is there a psychic that knows where i botched my 1176 kit?" threads, because uninitiated users are oblivious to such things (much like the metas, and as always the search function :). leaving it as-is for the sake of comfort and continuity isn't going to help the forum adapt long-term, the growing pains from which are already evident. to reorganize, i propose:
-undersupported and essentially unutilized metas that newbies skim past, leading to RTFM clutter.
-lumping of support threads with general questions and the like, making answers hard to find and leading to even more RTFM clutter.
-lumping WM support threads with the aforementioned, leading to 'advertising' that some users find objectionable.
-WM/group buy/esentially non-profit/BM ambiguity, leading to everyone taking a piss.
-gmail craziness, which has actually been fixed nicely with the tech docs.
though the mess is mostly growth-based and essentially blameless, it's palpable and really needs attention. the [THREAD TYPE] convention hasn't and won't mitigate the "hey, first post, is there a psychic that knows where i botched my 1176 kit?" threads, because uninitiated users are oblivious to such things (much like the metas, and as always the search function :). leaving it as-is for the sake of comfort and continuity isn't going to help the forum adapt long-term, the growing pains from which are already evident. to reorganize, i propose:
Discussion- Drawing Board (as-is.)
- Studio A (as is.)
- Brewery (as is.)
- Projects In Progress/User Builds (for stuff that is in proto, not intended/sufficiently documented for a group project, or a completed project showcase not intended for support.)
- Commercial Gear Support (for questions/exploration of non-DIY items.)
- General DIY Projects/Support (official build docs/support threads for past and current established projects.)
- WM Projects/Support (exactly as it reads, an offshoot of the previous category to keep it all in one place. if you can buy the board in the WM, the help thread is here.)
- White Market (as is.)
- Grey Market (group buys on parts and 'essentially gratis' board runs.)
- Black Market (only for individual users offloading individual items.)
EDIT: looks like the marketplace is being addressed, beat ethan to the post by a matter of seconds. the rest is still valid IMO.
keeping things organized takes work, but without it the chatter is going to get unbearable and the tiffs will only continue. old users want new users to find stuff properly, new users apparently need better guidance through better structure. group buys have no designated place, some WM users feel the need to dictate such a place. studio a was a welcome addition but was just that: an addition. it didn't address the problems with the rest of the forum's structure.
if trusted users were given organizational privilege for moving past threads to new homes without necessarily wielding an almighty mod hammer, i'd be the first in line... assuming i'm 'trustworthy' material ;D. i'm not intending to ***** or undercut anyone's efforts here, ethan has already made a go at this and lord knows the guy works his ass off. it's just apparent from comments made by some of the forum's 'power users' (lol) in the 'SPIRIT' thread that there are still serious problems for which i'm proposing a solution. please discuss at your leisure.