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Making Sense of the Changed Forums Organization


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Don’t Get Lost: Tay’s Simple Guide to Recent Changes
 
Hail, citizen. Welcome back to the Fuwanovel Forums. If you haven’t logged in lately (read: in the last 12 hours), you’re probably surprised to see that the forums’ organization has changed. Fear not – this guide shall help you navigate these new waters. We’ll walk through them step-by-step and hopefully it’ll make sense. I’ll do my best not to waste your time. If you're in a hurry, at least read about changes 1, 3 and 4.
 
 
Change #1 – The FuwaChat
The forums’ shoutbox has gone live! Click on the “FuwaChat” tab in the left-hand toolbar to be taken to it (direct link). The shoutbox is an experiment, and it can be a little rough around the edges, but it’s pretty fun and I hope you give it a try. The rules can be found here
 
Change #2 – Two boards were moved
The Technical FAQ board was moved up into the VN section and the video game board, which used to be a sub-board inside General Discussion, was renamed “Gaming Talk” and is now a root board on the index page (in the Other Discussion category). 
 
Change #3 – The General Discussion and Games & Chatter boards were overhauled
Over the course of ~20 man-hours (but all within a ~2 hour period), a small team sorted through and reorganized the GD and G&C boards (praise and glory unto Flutterz, nohman, nosebleed, and myself). Many other mods are helping QA the work we did (there were bound to be mistakes). This QA process may continue for a little while, but most of the heavy lifting is done. All the GD and G&C posts were sorted into three new boards (GD, Lounge, Chatter), which you can read about below.
 
Change #4 -- The Chatter board (Coliseum) has a metagame
From time to time a secret organization called the “Bloody Senators” can choose to test the mettle of one or more threads in the Coliseum of Chatter. People who want the thread to survive will have to accomplish a task set by the Bloody Senators in a certain timeframe, else their beloved topic will be killed (essentially locked and stored away in the Necropolis board). The game isn’t meant to pick on threads or clean out the board, it’s meant to be fun. I encourage people to form guilds and do battle (to the death) in the chatter metagame. More info on this will be posted soon in the Arena of Death board (a sub-board of the Coliseum)
 
 
 
Making Sense of the GD Boards
There are now six boards in the “Other Discussion” category. Here’s a handy guide to tell you what kinds of posts go where. I’ve tried to give you a mental sentence for each board to help you intuitively tell where a post should go:
  • Anime/Manga Talk = “This thread is about anime, manga and/or light novels.”
  • General Discussion = “I want to have a legitimate conversation about X, and X doesn’t fit in any other board.” Threads in GD should have a solid topic and lead to discussion. (That is, strong in contrast to threads with a very specific weak topic, such focusing on a very specific single instance or incident, or jokes/games which result in rapid posting with little effort)
  • The Lounge = “This thread is meant to get to know each other, or relax, or have some fun, and it’s not meant to be chatter-y.” Should have a something to talk about (can’t be a random chat thread) and games, jokes, or favorites threads should require some effort (not just rapid posting with minor effort). Contests have the option of going here (contests with prizes can get a little wiggle room in deciding where to be posted) and non-superficial groups/clubs belong here, too.
  • Gaming Talk = “This thread is about a video game, being a gamer, the gaming industry, or something along those lines.”
  • The Coliseum of Chatter (and its sub-boards) = “What is the first word you would say if the avatar above you appeared in your bedroom tonight at 3AM? #RonPaul2012. Toaster! Party like it’s 1999. Rice!” This board is the new home of chattery topics which used to go in G&C.
Here’s a list of the sorts of topics that go into the coliseum:

  • Games that don’t require a lot of effort (high post rate, low effort)
  • Jokes (super inside jokes, outright jokes)
  • Threads which have been derailed into oblivion
  • Random chat topics: any topic that has no particular topic or its topic is to talk about a random thing that is not really a topic
  • Spam (joke or filler) or fluff posts
  • Threads about stuff. Like, literally stuff. (*cough* rice *cough*)
  • Topics with very specific weak topic: any topic that focuses on a very specific single instance or very specific single incident
  • Superficial groups or clubs
  • Note: Non-superficial groups can still be made in the coliseum or request to be moved there (why would you want to do that? Well, because in the minigame groups/clubs/guilds can fight (and kill) other groups/clubs/guilds)

 
 
 
A huge “Thank You” for everybody’s patience as we’ve struggled to get to this point. Lots of additional upgrades are coming (a revamped leadership system, feedback periods for things like the Board Moderator program, etc.). I’d like to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Thank you for making Fuwanovel what it is.
 
Tay
 
PS: Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions or tell me if something isn’t clear.
PPS: My original post about the GD overhaul has more details about the new boards if you’d like more information
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There's a purpose to the re-organisation, I'm just curious as to how this works out *heh*.

 

The Fuwachat is there because people were starting to treat the forums like chatboxes. Thus there is now a place for this sort of stuff.

 

The lounge is a forum dedicated to getting to know each other in a friendly environment because Fuwa likes to emphasise friendships. It's been separated from G&C because G&C has a very negative stigma associated to it due to a) how it originated b ) half the stuff that gets posted in there and c) it being treated like the dumping ground of the forums :P. Obviously this would detract from the Lounge's purpose and thus it's been separated.

 

G&C has been morphed into the Coliseum, which should be fun.

 

It would be good to see some more topics going in the Lounge actually. Were things separated too strictly? I don't know.

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Why, though? Seems like pointless overorganizing to me. Lounge especially looks entirely superseded by games and chatter.

Well, that's kinda hard to do as G&C has been dissolved : P. 

 

We spent a lot of time looking at the kinds of discussion people were having, polling about what people did/didn't like, and investigating ways to help people get to know each other. There were fairly logical demarcations between the personal/meaningful recreation posts and the wild-and-fun chatter-y posts. A lot of users were frustrated at their mixing (as chatter-y posts often buried more nuanced posts), and parsing them out like this makes everybody happy. 

 

tldr: G&C can't supersede the lounge since it's no longer there, there's a wide variety of preferences in how to build friendships and parsing out lounge vs chatter will do more good than harm, and no content is lost this way -- in fact, much more is legitimized this way.

 

 

 

It would be good to see some more topics going in the Lounge actually. Were things separated too strictly? I don't know.

 

That's probably true (we did have a lot of threads to go through). We'll 100% tweak the program as we go to make it as usable as possible. Like always -- we'll learn a lot even if it doesn't end up being the final solution.

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Double post but fuck the police. What is the point of the lounge? Seems unnecessary as General Discussion was just fine for that stuff. The community hub seemed like it was fine for what the lounge does now as well. 

 

General Discussion can be, it's an opinion thing. There's plenty of forums around that like to separate the serious discussions (like politics, technology... sports) from the bar room talk of "what happened to me today and why it sucks."

 

The Community Hub's problem is it currently isn't defined very well. Can you honestly tell me the specifics of what does and doesn't qualify for the Community Hub? Why some contests are in, and why some aren't?

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Still doesn't seem like it addresses the issue of the mods using chatter boards as a trash can.

But if there's no trash can everything gets poluted.

We're being environmental friendly!

More seriously this just kicked off, it's not being used as anything, as tay mentioned above this is an attempt to separate complete spam and funny posts with content/fluff, also with the metagame going on the coliseum gains some purpose to its existence and i think we should see how it goes personally. It's certainly better than nothing.

This was just the initial move, i also thought some threads could be in the lounge when i moved 200+ threads from G&C but i thought i'd clear the place out first and then filter it better (it'd help if people suggest which threads btw).

I believe this could become productive whenever the game starts going, it might turn out really good or really bad, we'll see i guess.

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I love you, Batman, but sometimes you drive me crazy. Your voice has regularly been one of the dozens of PMs/IMs I get each month saying, "GD and G&C is a mess. All the good stuff gets lost amid the chatter." : P

 

So, first of all, good points by everybody: I'd forgotten about contests and I've contradicted myself in the guidelines about where they go. Good point. We'll need to reexamine that. Also, you're right about the community hub. I'll add, however, that the community hub was created to fill a bunch of critical needs during the early restructuring. You're absolutely right that there's overlap and that we need to address it, but I think that's just a result of when the pieces were put into the puzzle.

 

All that said, I'm sure that I haven't been sufficiently clear about all of this stuff. I guess all I can ask is for your patience. I've tried to articulate to the community that this was going to be a process with rough patches. I'm still determined to get things shaped up by year's end. Compounding this, I'm sure, is the fact that I've got a lot going on behind the scenes that I haven't been able to frame right, articulate, or which I've simply forgotten to share. For example: The community hub and improvement boards are probably going to get merged a little and become focused on all the work being one in/on/and by Fuwanovel. The social aspects will in part transition to the lounge, GD, Chatter, etc. The boards will soon be more specialized. As with all the changes, they're fairly easily reversed if they prove unhelpful.

 

I really do appreciate constructive input, and I probably misread your posts to be more critical than they actually are. I'm a little tired from all the time I've put into Fuwa today and over the past few weeks and it rubbed me the wrong way. The last thing I want, however, is for the input (and push back) to stop coming. I find it helpful.

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We can't expect everything to be perfect in one day.

 

As Tay said, there will be rough patches during this process. He has also emphasized, many times, that no matter what this will be a learning experience. We should just be happy that things are finally happening around the community.

 

Anyway, here's my two cents. I was never clear on the exact purpose of the Community Hub. "The place for all things Fuwanovel" is rather vague. But I think that the lack of clarity there will turn out to be useful. I think that merging something with Community Hub (it seems like this will end up being the Improvement boards) will help give meaning to that rather unused board.

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I love you, Batman, but sometimes you drive me crazy. 

 

His Tsun nature is why everyone loves him XD. 

 

The community hub and improvement boards are probably going to get merged a little and become focused on all the work being one in/on/and by Fuwanovel. 

 

That will probably be better. It's a confusing forum.

 

I'm a little tired from all the time I've put into Fuwa today and over the past few weeks 

 

Don't overwork yourself Tay.

 

The boards will soon be more specialized. As with all the changes, they're fairly easily reversed if they prove unhelpful.

 

Just in case any of the proposed changes are unhelpful I should point out... that all of them were completely Tay's idea. Be gentle with your flaming peeps :3

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Just in case any of the proposed changes are unhelpful I should point out... that all of them were completely Tay's idea. Be gentle with your flaming peeps :3

: P Much < 3, Rooke. Really, though, I'm fine with push back. Marketplace of the best ideas, ja?

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Marketplace of the best ideas, ja?

 

Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on the criteria for picking these “best ideas.” A lot of people tend to think "polls" are the best system for picking the best idea, which usually results in plenty of "bad ideas" being implemented.

 

EDIT: Just in case anybody was wondering, my cynicism isn't feigned. It's all natural baby...

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Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on the criteria for picking these “best ideas.” A lot of people tend to think "polls" are the best system for picking the best idea, which usually results in plenty of "bad ideas" being implemented.

 

EDIT: Just in case anybody was wondering, my cynicism isn't feigned. It's all natural baby...

Indeed. The masses often don't know the first thing about what is actually best for everyone. Lets never poll on serious topics

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I haven't complained about it in a while. Mostly because I just sort of quit browsing anyway, but now it just seems a bit overly complicated. However, I'll bite my tongue and just keep doing my thing which is mostly nothing.

I think you called it like it is. No need to bite your tongue -- you're the voice Fuwanovel needs. Or deserves. Or however that quote goes.

 

EDIT: Just in case anybody was wondering, my cynicism isn't feigned. It's all natural baby...

If you got it, flaunt it.

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Indeed. The masses often don't know the first thing about what is actually best for everyone. Lets never poll on serious topics

 

You're assuming people vote depending on what Fuwa needs, which is wrong in my experience. I usually see people polling on what they want. An important difference.

 

People fine with the status quo don't poll as often as people who want change. So an incomplete picture is formed.

 

People don't vote with the vision of where Fuwa is headed in mind. There will always be one person with one vision directing where the organisation goes, poll results which may seem fine individually may have a negative impace when the vision is taken into consideration. Generally what happens when you only make decisions by polling is one giant mess... or nothing happening at all.

 

So I'd be fine with no polling on serious topics, even though you mentioned it sarcastically - I doubt they'd achieve much. A much more sensible solution is to pitch ideas at Tay and let him pick which ones most align with what he wants. 

 

If polls were a good way of deciding issues, countries would be democratic. Yet they aren't because democracies (or polling) are rubbish ways to run things. Even the most democratic country on the planet (America) is a Republic, not a democracy.

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For example: The community hub and improvement boards are probably going to get merged a little and become focused on all the work being done in/on/and by Fuwanovel. The social aspects will in part transition to the lounge, GD, Chatter, etc. The boards will soon be more specialized. As with all the changes, they're fairly easily reversed if they prove unhelpful.

I like this distinction. My vote goes for Fuwanovel Community having two types of forums: one for the 'work' aspect of Fuwanovel (Community Hub + Improvements Board), and another for the 'social' aspect Fuwanovel (Introduce Yourself + Lounge)

 

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HMMM. One last thing and then i'm done guys I promise xD

I would actually propose creating an entire new section for the fluff. Doesn't make sense to have chatter-y topics in an "(Other) Discussion" section. Downloads & Requests isn't really a discussion-y thing either, so that can be moved to the fluff section:

 

Other Discussion

  • Anime/Manga Talk
  • General Discussion
  • Gaming Talk

Misc. / Fluff / Chatter

  • Coliseum of Chatter
  • Downloads and Requests

    :shrug:
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Wouldn't Other / Misc kind of be redundant?

I think this is over kill.

 

Funny I'm the one managing the whole thing and i'm the only one who doesn't complain about all the boards I have to manage :P

Yea, I don't really see a problem with it either.  It seems more organized to me, which is a good thing. 

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i salute ur kurage

if i was new to this site, id honestly have no fking clue whether a thread should be in general discussion, lounge, or coliseum of chatter.

 

But enough of this. I don't really care for this as much as it may seem from my relentless onslaught of suggestions :heart: . I'm sure a majority of the users of this site could care less too. I'll stop pestering, but I'll leave it in Tiago's hands to pursue my grand wish: Lounge->Fuwacommmuntiy xD

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