Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
Well, here's the thing. We can all post & think & decide whatever...but in the end run, this is Charles' board, & Charles will do whatever Charles wishes to do. That's not a bad thing, just a fact. If we don't like it, we are free to leave. My statements about forum structure were proposals to the management for smoother operation. My real point was about how to get new blood.
Somone involved in this discussion has put together a proposal for a new board which I have only glanced over as of yet. (& it's not up to me to reveal them; they can do that themselves.) Mostly it seems good, although I am wary of some things. My concerns here have been that anyone who I would introduce to Flare would probably NOT be someone involved in the hardcore aspects of discussion (technology, timelines, etc.) & might be more interested in ideas & concepts. Also, while I know that they would have the thicker skin required to thrive here, I also know that they most likely would not want to have to persevere; it's a case of "Yes, I CAN take it, but why bother?" Dong ma?
-------------------- "The French have a saying: 'mise en place'—keep everything in its fucking place!"
Registered: Jun 2000
| IP: Logged
I get the idea people want there to bring the geek� for Galactica or Doctor Who or SG:1 up to the level that Flare has done so magnificently (??!) for Star Trek. And the fact of the matter is, I'm not sure that's going to happen. For one thing not everyone is watching the new shows. So the discussion isn't going to get to the ridiculous heights (depths? breadths?) right away. And probably not without some new material. I seem to recall some heated initial arguments over the Cylon network exploitation thing on Galactica. There's been some fun stuff for Firefly too (I should dig up my latest map). Perhaps the geek needs to stew a bit, which isn't to say a little newbie spice wouldn't be welcome (whatshisTjize posted that question about Earth: Final Conflict just the other day)
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
posted
I go away for a few years and everbody loses their minds.
You can't make people want to post or use new forum names in the hope that Flare will once again reach the fever pitch of the late 90's.
Also keep in mind that any change may involve a shite load of work for CC, so unless you're putting your hand up to cut some code.......
This place evolved organically, due to a group of people who were dedicated to talking about things (trek, political or other) that they cared about.
Flare will continue to survive should its members have something to say. So instead of worring about Forum names (etc etc) how about talking about the things you are really interested in or passionate about. Then people will come. If they are not interested, they won't. So be it.
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Wow. Daryus. There's a name I haven't seen in a while. I've gone back and revisited some of my early posts (and their associated threads), and I'm a little saddened by all the once-familiar names that I haven't seen in, like, forever. Mim, Snay, Hobbes... You guys are still around. Even grouchy ol' Ultra Magnus, although it seems he went through something of an identity crisis. Speaking of, whatever happened to Identity Crisis? Or Harry? Or Tora Ziyal? Or Psia'Meese? We've gotten a bit of a spate of new members recently, but most of them seem to just be lurking. But with the absence of those familiar names, it feels like a small town that's slowly dying.
I'm tempted to go back and resuscitate some of the old threads (and I'm talking 2001) that I was enjoying before they dried up. Maybe start some threads about wargaming or anime or paintball or being a goofy fan who makes costume and prop replicas. I know Balaam is interested in how I vacu-form armour...
I'll start my Jane's Guide thread as soon as I finish getting myself sorted out here.
And I never get tired of talking about the Battle of Wolf 359.
Now if only we could lure types like Todd Guenther or Greg Jein here... *heh*
--Jonah
-------------------- "That's what I like about these high school girls, I keep getting older, they stay the same age."
--David "Woody" Wooderson, Dazed and Confused
Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Daryus Aden: Flare will continue to survive should its members have something to say. So instead of worring about Forum names (etc etc) how about talking about the things you are really interested in or passionate about. Then people will come. If they are not interested, they won't. So be it.
Well said.
Also FawnDoo has a real point about how a bewbie should begin posting here to be welcomed- find an intresting thread, put some thought into what is being posted and then make your debut.
That may be some good advice for the sign-up page...
Really, It sounds like while there are things we can all do to amke flare better (Gallery!) only Shik is really concerned. Crazy Shik...when will you learn.
Plus, Sol wants my Hostess Fruit Pies.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged
WizArtist II
"How can you have a yellow alert in Spacedock? "
Member # 1425
posted
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: Also FawnDoo has a real point about how a bewbie should begin posting here to be welcomed- find an intresting thread, put some thought into what is being posted and then make your debut.
huh huh....huh huh...he said "Bewbie"....huh huh...huh huh
-------------------- There are 10 types of people in the world...those that understand Binary and those that don't.
Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged
posted
Jason has an affinity for using letters that are next to the correct letter.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
posted
Like LOA I've only ever really hung out in the lounge and occasionally the flame board. This place for me is like coming home - you kick your shoes off grab a glass of wine and catch up...well I actually check at work mainly these days but the feeling is the same.... The lowered post rate etc is ineviable with the lull in new episode production - same has happened with every Buffy / Angel site. Chat about other Sci-fi stuff is not going to get to the same level because frankly not everyone is as passionate about other sci-fi shows / books etc as they were about trek. However I post / read / come here because of the people that I know and am fond of. I like the banter (and the sexy men!)
-------------------- "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride"
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Jay the Obscure: Jason has an affinity for using letters that are next to the correct letter.
It's all part of a code revealing that Charles is related to Gene Roddenberry. I'd say more, but it would expose you to the dangers of albino Paramount lawyers....
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged
I'm a recovering forum admin myself -- I was an active admin at the Subspace Comms Network, along with Bernd, for a number of years but I eventually got burned out from all the constant, manic activity and the need to coddle various instances of jackassery. There's a very real reason for such concepts as "signal to noise ratio" and "quality over quantity" -- because the more people you get in a community, the more likely it is to grow even further. Then you're stuck with a lot of yahoos who think their RPG is the best thing since "The Man Trap" first aired.
Whenever I think of these kinds of issues, I generally get a mental image of a spectrum, with the Trek BBS (where I also was a moderator many many years ago) at the low end of the S/N ratio -- that is, a high percentage of crap among the gems, with the SCN somewhere in the middle, and with Flare at the very high end.
And I think there's a very simple explanation for that: tolerance, or the lack thereof. As several people have already stated, Flare isn't really intolerant of newbies in general, we're just very intolerant of crap and spam. As a result, we attract fewer newcomers to the community.
I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Considering all the various junk and crap out there, I've consistently come to Flare because I rely on it for stimulating (more or less... ha!) discussion. And it requires far less management on the part of the moderators, for sure. Even at the SCN, I was often spending so much time on various brushfires that, even if there wasn't some immediate crisis, I felt like I needed to take a break and avoided any general discussion. I couldn't be both a member and an admin. Here, the mods -- except Charles, of course -- are more like "first among equals" than admins. I like that sense of community.
Sure, we're arrogant at times. But it's sort of a deserved kind of arrogant, you know? We've got a great track record of material going back almost a decade now, and we've made some key contributions to the tapestry of Trek fandom. (Take the Wolf 359 thread, for instance.) So in some sense, we're kinda like an elite intellectual's club. One that may be past its prime, to be sure, but an elite club nonetheless. So I feel fully justified in viewing any newcomers with a little skepticism... not because they're automatically assumed to be "stupid until proven intelligent," but more of a "what do you have to contribute to our community?" kind of attitude.
So, though sometimes the rhetoric could be toned down, I have nothing wrong with the overall treatment of newcomers. I also don't feel that we need to do much (or anything) to try to actively attract any more members. However, I do have some concerns of the makeup of the forum. The simple fact is that a great deal of the material in Trek has been discussed over and over, so there's less of interest these days. I see Flare as being firmly on course for becoming a reproduction of that metaphorical Q Continuum -- that dusty old station on the side of a desert road. Flare could become a haven for a few old timers who still hang around because they've got nothing better to do, occasionally discussing both "The New" and "The Old," but rarely having anything interesting happen. I don't think that Flare is dying, but I do think that it's beginning to fade away.
As for what to do about that... well, it's mainly about attitude, I think. We can keep trying to pitch in and continue discussions and start new ones in various ways. Community projects would be awesome... Shik's idea of writing an original Federation Charter is something that I would absolutely LOVE to help with. (We tried it a while back, but that was a nonstarter because of... well, certain events.) Krenim tossed out his idea of a group-authored Series ? Technical Manual a long while back, which would be a kick-ass idea. Stuff like that to keep us active and fit, so to speak.
I'm definitely against any sort of "extreme makeover," not because it wouldn't stimulate anything, but because it wouldn't solve the issues. But I do believe that some tweaking could be in order. Mainly stuff in the line of fleshing out what we're already interested in -- general sci-fi, Trek starships, artwork, and so forth. Regrouping and reordering the various forums. I like the idea of a gallery. Making Flare Upload more integrated and/or accessible would be cool, too, though I realize the immense amount of code working that would require of Charles! Something to freshen up the place for existing membership, and maybe entice a few people who have some interesting things to contribute to our community.
I guess that about sums it up for the moment.
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
| IP: Logged
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic
