Restructuring?

[Kitty279]

Lately I was wondering if it is still practical to have all these sub-sections for every author, seeing as the stories have been gone for so long? The few new comments in the old review threads tend to go mostly unnoticed, I fear. Due to the current structure, the threads don't get bumped up into the area where we usually hang out, so I wonder if anyone even notices the new replies.

So, I was pondering if it would be better to just stuff all these old threads into a new sub-section titled "Old comment threads" or something like that and remove the author sub-sections? If necessary, the author's name can be added to the thread title to better keep track of whose story that was. It would shorten the index page and make it easier to see new posts there.

What do you all think? Good idea? Stupid idea? Comments and opinions would be much appreciated.

[Miss Wings]

I think it's a good idea. It's only taking up valuable space.

[Miss Wings]

Plus maybe we can create space for Polls such as Story ideas or something like we see on FF.Net.

[ayrine]

It's good idea I think too, you are right I wouldn't know if there is a new review if I just scrolled along the page like I usually do.

[Kitty279]

@miss Wings, I am always open for new ideas, and if we actually do some restructuring, then we always can add some other stuff if people want them. I won't start changing everything right now, but wanted to start a discussion what would make sense and be practical or necessary.

ayrine, when you are logged in, you can see the new posts while scrolling down slowly enough. But somehow I doubt that most of us even look at them. I know I only do sporadically, myself, mostly I just go straight to the bottom because I want to check who's online or something like that. Mostly, there is a comment every few weeks, and admittedly, most just ask the author to send the story. But sometimes there are others who ask for help because they can't find the story, and it would be easier to answer these if I'd see them in the first place

[Miss Wings]

Oh yes this is all just ideas.

Story ideas (Character names, plots, one shots)
HP news (Films, more books, interesting FB pages)
Fan Fic news (Purges, site updates, site not working, alternative reading sites ect)
Creative (Designs , Poems, websites, photography ect)

[physicssquid]

It does sound like a good idea to restructure, and I like the idea of separate sections too.

[Kitty279]

When I did read your suggestions, Wingsy, my mind already started to sort through the existing threads and move them to the new sections That could bring some more order into the many threads in General and HP.

[Miss Wings]

Exactly. Maybe we can create different sections named HP Theories & Queries, General, News, Creative and then put smaller sections into them.

Story ideas (Can go in Creative with Designs , Poems, websites, photography ect)

HP news (Can go in News)

Fan Fic news (Can go in News)

What's in the HP section can be made into the Theories & Queries bit.

General can be another version of Pet Peeves maybe? I normally post horrendous stories to be avoided there so maybe we can do separate? Grammar, spelling, bashing, avoiding?

Advice can go in General and now I'm out of ideas.

[Kitty279]

You have had more ideas than we all together already Hm, and the character discussions could go into the theories bit, too.
Will have to think a bit about it, and I'm going to wait at least a week to see what others think, but it sounds like it would be worth a try to do something along that line. Sounds like I might have much more work to do than expected when I suggested to remove all these subsections

[Miss Wings]

Oops my bad

[Kitty279]

No problem, as long as it serves to make the board more clearly arranged, I don't mind the work, it might just take me a bit to do everything. Tomorrow it's back to work, my vacation is over, and I don't even want to think about what is waiting for me in my office. Besides, if I start rearranging stuff, then I can do it properly.

[Miss Wings]

I guess it's all the forums that I'm on. The best one has to be the family history one that I'm on.

[Kitty279]

You know, I should probably tidy up my own forum, too, but I keep thinking it's no use, as we are all world champions in getting off topic anyway Besides, we are so few there that I am too lazy to do anything. But it's true, the more forums you know, the better you see what is possible or useful.

[Miss Wings]

www.familytreeforum.com/forum.php If you fancy a gander for ideas. You may not see it all though due to privacy & an account needed.

[Kitty279]

Thanks, will have a look later!

[unbeastly]

Love the new layout, it makes everything easier to find.

[Kitty279]

Thank you I'm still working on sorting through all these threads (never realised how many there are until I started this!), so there might be some more changes. Any suggestions for improvements are welcome, of course - does this structure make sense? What else do we need? Should some boards rather become subboards?

[ayrine]

Thanks for all your work.
I like it better this way, it's simpler to use and old threads reappear, it's fun.

[Kitty279]

Glad you like it

Initially I had meant to only cut the main page by removing the subsections left over from when the stories were still posted there. Then Miss Wings got me thinking, and you see what the result is ... Still need to go over most of the General discussion, but the HP board at least is done. Though that has to wait, if the 'move' button wasn't virtual, I'd have worn it out already Need a break after spending most of the weekend with that.

Though I am already wondering if I should somehow split up the fanfiction board further. Maybe a subboard for the numerous 'can someone tell me which fic that was' or 'where can I find this fic now' threads? That's the only one that looks logical right now, and I suspect I'm going to find more of that. Any opinions?

And there are still a lot of general HP discussions, but right now I don't have any idea how to reduce that further by splitting it into subboards.

In any case, I wanted to get some more system into the discussions, and I am glad it seems to work. And seeing the old threads reactivated is an additional bonus

[ayrine]

Well, the fanfictions mailing list should be apart, it would be easier to find them.
And course the "where to find this fic now".
Also the "author talk" could be an idea, where authors could announce news about their fics, even more now that they are regularly deleted.
That all I can think of now. Good luck for the rest

[Kitty279]

Hm ... these mailing lists are a problem in my eyes, because in most story comment threads people ask to get them mailed already, and in most cases I have no idea if the author even reads them, never mind sends the stories out. So that is raising hopes that might never be fulfilled. And I'm tired of the ones asking everyone to send them stories, mostly without even signing up and participating here. I have sent out so many, often even had to pay extra afterwards because I got over the limit on data for my mail account, and in most cases didn't even get a 'thank you'. So, I am more tempted to lock them than to make them easier accessible ...

But thanks for the feedback, I'll think about how to include it and what else would be possible/useful.

[eskimoRock]

Just got back on for the first time, and I have to say.., I love the changes!