Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself? [Threadbanned users in 1st post]

riddles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993722#Comment_121993722

I would have saw it as a place to have a level of discourse on topics. But in the last year or so free and open discussion is not really possible and I wouldn’t post much and only have a vague level of engagement with the site as a result. It’s a pity really.

Big Bag of Chips

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993763#Comment_121993763

I don't believe that! I don't believe it's simply a bad habit. I just find it very difficult to understand why someone would continue to spend so much time on a website that's so awful.

There are ways of breaking the habit. So I don't believe for a second that very prolific posters are here out of habit.

There is some "reward" to posting here. There's some payback for your time. If there wasn't it would be very very easy to avoid.

I think your answer above is a bit lazy to be honest. Can you not think of 1 thing you enjoy?

ShamoBuc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993722#Comment_121993722

Sports in general, TV and Films, Motors and a few others would be where I post mostly. I actually don't mind Modding as it isn't too much hassle generally.

There can be alot of negativity as you say, but that is sometimes down to a poster who you cannot win with anyway - just like real life - keyboard warriors are everywhere, but the majority just get on with it.

Ezeoul

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993813#Comment_121993813

I'm sorry you don't like my answer, but it's the truth.

I ask myself all the time why I'm still here, and habit is the only reason I can come up with.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993722#Comment_121993722

It probably falls into a few categories for most posters, with some overlap between discussion and keeping track of things you are interested in e.g. I'd imaging Sports and Current Affairs ticks that boxes for a lot of posters. There is also the 'useful' so the technical forums. And the 'diversion'. And there's probably overlap there across those categories for hobby type interests.

So just throwing this out there…

Useful:

Bargain alerts does what it says on the tin. And the 'technical' type forums useful for asking a question about a car, or appliance or whatever. Similarly Consumer Issues in case you end up in similar situation you can get good advice \ forewarning. If the forum for your local area is active, can be useful for knowledge.

Interested Party:

For Current Affairs, threads can be a good way to keep up with latest developments but also explanations behind those developments. You get a range of inputs than often go deeper than just what you get from a news article. When it gets to the point though where it forms into two camps debating one side versus the other, rather than updating on latest developments, I tend to disengage unless especially invested in the subject matter or think my posts are bringing something to the table not being said by others. Some posters thrive on that to-and-fro though.

Diversion:

For specific interests, say TV, Film, Cycling, Music, Gigs, the forums are good ways to keep up with latest news. And if you're watching something at same pace discussing it can be half the fun.

For After Hours, some threads can be genuinely amusing but I think less so than before. The You Laugh You Lose type photos are entertaining. This AH thread is boards at its best… not many places you could you ask such a random question and be helped out by strangers in your quest.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058275564/beer-ad-from-the-early-90s-help-a-girl-out

Big Bag of Chips

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993859#Comment_121993859

That's a little depressing.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993501#Comment_121993501

Next time I’ll ask in Help Desk so. Bizarre that wasn’t mentioned at the time by anyone.

The DRP I opened was moved to feedback or help deak, I think. Then a load of posters piled in arguing each side of it. I had to beg to get it closed, because it looked like I was opening a thread to attack one particular admin. It was all very strange and left a sour taste in my mouth.

After 15 years of being a mod, I questioned if I wanted to do it anymore. But if i don’t, no one is left to mod the fitness forum.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993722#Comment_121993722

I’m contractually obligated to stay here, forever and ever and ever and ever…

I even got a plaque put up.

honestly though I have very little to complain about generally. Vanilla is complete toss but otherwise it’s a grand time. I would say my favourite thread is Wherer’s in AH, Grem and the rest of the gang are great bunch.

Shan Doras

Boards badly needs to prepare for the future by slimming down. A lot of dead forms need to go, After hours and Current affairs/IMHO should be merged into an new "General Discussion" forum. The covid forum should be deleted

Big Bag of Chips

For those who have posted positives, is there anything you feel that can be done to boost those positives? Boost the forums you post in?

We've had over 900 posts of the negatives. We've heard the complaints and they will be addressed. We now want to concentrate on the positives.

So any suggestions that people feel might improve the Boards.ie experience. Positive things than can be implemented.

We know about the trolls and inconsistent moderation. So let's suggest something new..

nachouser

I only recently discovered the "bad parking" thread in the Motors forum, it's worth a follow if you haven't already seen it. Some very amusing posters on there.

Also, the "what did you have for breakfast" thread if you like arguing about whether or not toast should come pre-buttered with your breakfast. The jury is still out on that one.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993953#Comment_121993953

There are 'with chat' and 'without chat' variations of the bad parking thread, so you might need to clarify which one you're talking about.

Patrick Mahomes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993722#Comment_121993722

I think the post just above this one is right and the poster has the right idea. Boards has become very bloated with sub forums that no uses anymore for its current user base. So many dead sub forums that could be blended into main forums. I think that would/could help a lot

Boards could do with going back to basics a bit, Boards has always been helpful that is what brought lurkers in to post and maybe it would help out a bit.

Regards,

p.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993722#Comment_121993722

There's plenty of good posters, some very funny posters, plenty of great threads - some informative, some funny, most of the mods, cmods and admins are sound in the fora I frequent.

I think it's just the nature of Feedback that we all concentrate on the negatives as the positives don't need review.

nachouser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993978#Comment_121993978

With chat:-) I found it to be a very funny thread.

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993722#Comment_121993722

For me, there’s definitely a habit there. But I wouldn’t say that it’s the only thing. There are some forums that I genuinely enjoy posting in, there’s others that I would love only for some low-level trolling (which I blamed on me closing my previous account, although I don’t keep track of that stuff nowadays), and there’s other topics that I must avoid as I don’t handle confrontation very well.

Big Bag of Chips

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993985#Comment_121993985

But can we get some suggestions of things we can do to boost the good sides? We know about the issues with trolls and moderators. I suppose what I'm looking for is what positives can be built on. What can we do to promote the funny, helpful side etc. As mentioned above there's so much more to the site than just CA, AH and soccer.

Is there something particular forums or mods can do (without mentioning trolls and power trips!) to boost activity?

There are good suggestions about streamlining forums. There are lots of dead forums that make navigation difficult so cleaning those up into an 'Archive' area would be worth exploring.

Maybe make more use of the Facebook/Twitter accounts for promoting the site and particular threads? (Stay on top of the social media cranks who will jump straight to complaining too!!)

Anything else?

Vote4Squirrels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994011#Comment_121994011

Maybe have an “posters choice” - one day a week the Moderators choose a poster and they get to suggest a topic they want to discuss.

Say 25 “thank yous” and it’s there for a day?

Patrick Mahomes

Trying to find a way of bringing back post of the day and thread of the day and pinning them to the front page. Post of the day usually brought me to forums I wouldn’t normally frequent and I would end up reading and view more of those.

Then using the Twitter account to link those posts or threads.

Regards,

P.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993952#Comment_121993952

There are almost too many positives to list. Discussions on hobbies from gardening to shooting to angling, sailing and board games. To get so many topics on one site is a huge bonus. Interests as diverse as motoring, fitness, music, sport and nature studies all under one roof. Then there's all the very useful advise to be found on topics like finance, consumer issues, DIY and parenting. It's a great resource.

You'll always find more traffic on a thread looking at negatives but the relatively few individuals posting here doesn't really compare to the numbers posting across the myriad of forums and threads elsewhere on the site.

The one thing to improve usage, or encourage new users, is perhaps to tidy up the number of forums and sub forums. It can be difficult at times to find a topic among the plethora available at present.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994011#Comment_121994011

Let threads naturally evolve without a Mod instruction to get back on topic.

If someone finds a topic offensive and reports posts to beat the band they should be told to stop reading it and let everyone else get on with it. Put a note in the OP to let posters know to engage with the topic or leave.

Merging forums would definitely help, but good luck getting a consensus on what should go where. 😄

Bring back the AH wokeism thread (please refer to my second suggestion). I could guess the posters who reported posts there like it was a full-time job, and I'd guess very few were actually genuinely bothered.

Vote4Squirrels

Sorry to go on the negative again but when you have a perfectly valid post removed with no warning or message - you do start to wonder about motives!

tom23

Give a pardon to all banned users on threads. A purge anarchy without the anarchy! 😎

z80CPU

What I DO like about boards.

. The accurate opinion about RTE Radio 1 and Newstalk 106: Car crash radio.

. The opinion of Fine Gaels performance at the present time

More lighthearted threads like " Say something from the past wihtout context!

What I do NOT like

The coverage of the Israel Palestine war is acrimonious: a sh|tshow with no middle ground heard out.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994094#Comment_121994094

Wokeism of the day as it evolved wasn't really wokeism of the day anymore though… it became a contentious discussion thread for the rare 'wokeism' that was actually posted. In your scenario above, that is what would happen again. Either it becomes an echo chamber or it becomes a battleground.

So perhaps it could be a link dump thread, not to opinion pieces but something like 'dispatches from the culture wars (was wokeism of the day)' … so news articles highlighting absurd wokeism, or absurd counter-wokeism, as people see it. But without discussion. Similar to the political satire pictures thread.

Just have some limited rules like no re-posting and no spamming so someone doesn't flood it with lots of posts at same time.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994145#Comment_121994145

But some of us enjoyed it, I don't criticise threads or fora I've no interest in.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994145#Comment_121994145

A thread like that one would have been better served in the “Current Affairs” forum. Some users just want to turn “After Hours” into a place for attacking trans people.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994011#Comment_121994011

please get more mods in food forum chips. It’s a fab spot but can be ruined a bit by silly arguments and whatnot I find.

I think if it was possible maybe we could do like a monthly recipe (take something someone posted in the forum and throw it on the front page or something?) idk something like that could be fun. 😎

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994150#Comment_121994150

I imagine the people criticising it or reporting it or whatever had an interest in the subject too, but coming at it from a different angle. If opinions can be expressed then so will counter opinions. So unless you want an echo chamber thats what you will get cos thats how it evolved last time too.

I enjoyed it at the start when it was actually about reporting absurd 'wokeisms' from the media. Then it just became a to and fro, and given the contentious topic... posts get heated. Mods get busy. After Hours is supposed to be more light hearted.

So keep the thread as a place for posters to reference the absurdity of the extremes of the culture war. But no opinion or commentary. Similar to the political satire pictures thread.

You should still get your quota of wokeisms of the day to read.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994094#Comment_121994094

no.
jk, I’ll talk to the guys about it and see what they say Legend.

Edit: posted in AH mod forum I will come back here with any updates