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Post by gyro on Mar 1, 2009 20:05:47 GMT
another option at the time that when you click on it, it lists all the threads you've contributed to recently, regardless of location ?
I've seen it on another forum somewhere, and it's handy. Partciularly for here as there are so many branches.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2009 20:07:27 GMT
Just click on your own name and you will see them.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2009 20:09:10 GMT
Errr... perhaps I replied too hastily. If you click on your own name, you get a list of your most recent posts (and you can make the list longer if you want).
Posts to which you have actually contributed may be harder to find.
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Post by bazfaz on Mar 1, 2009 20:13:00 GMT
I agree about the number of branches. After a month's experience is it time to cull/amalgamate some?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2009 20:19:28 GMT
I don't know why some people want to shrink their options. Actually, I do have an extremely negative idea on why they might want to do that.
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Post by gyro on Mar 1, 2009 20:21:54 GMT
What's that ?
I don't understand, for example, why there are two branches for food. But at least it's nice to see you two guys so open minded ....
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Post by gyro on Mar 1, 2009 20:22:45 GMT
Sorry, make that THREE branches related to food. That's ridica-lic-alis .
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Post by bazfaz on Mar 1, 2009 20:24:19 GMT
There are so many, they have fancy titles, even before I was on antibiotics I was dismayed.
Of course I get round the problem by not looking at most. Pity.
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Post by gyro on Mar 1, 2009 20:28:04 GMT
Yeah, same here Baz. I'm still not used to the titles, and find it very difficult to remember which branches I've used and want to check etc. etc.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 1, 2009 20:29:54 GMT
The whole point of Any Port is that it's a new forum with new opportunities to expand and expound on a variety of subjects. Its main focus is not chat.
All forums are successful only because of the content put on them by their members. Forums that close in upon themselves are fun for those who enjoy the intimacy thus engendered. However, those forums are not attractive to people not already part of the friendship circle.
Ports are places where people come and go and sometimes settle down for good. Any Port wants to provide a place for any internet traveler to feel assured of finding quality content. Maintaining a level of variety and quality insures that the Port will keep growing with members invested in enhancing those levels.
The many boards provide more opportunity for users to pinpoint themes of interest and to prevent any one board from becoming so much of a comfort zone to a few users that other users feel excluded.
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Post by gyro on Mar 1, 2009 20:33:54 GMT
What is the 'main focus' of this place then ?
Reducing the number of options does not necessarily mean 'closing in upon themself' at all. I Would have though reducing confusion, annoyance, ambiguity, and general unnecessary clutter would be a better thing for new and existing members alike. For a newbie, I think it's more intimidating or bewildering than many forums, trying to get to grips with where you want to go, or what you want to find, etc etc.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2009 20:36:53 GMT
So, then you would say that the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree is a completely ridiculous and unsuccessful forum due to allowing too many options?
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Post by gyro on Mar 1, 2009 20:41:17 GMT
At what point did I use any terms akin to 'completely ridiculous' and 'unsuccessful' ?
Try to be more open minded and less knee jerk. If suggestions or objective criticisms are unwelcome, then it'd be a good idea to have a notice somewhere on the site to tell posters this, to avoid any delusions of this being a two-way communication thing.
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Post by onlymark on Mar 1, 2009 20:45:00 GMT
But it only has one food branch.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2009 20:46:12 GMT
Discussion of new ideas is always encouraged. However, requesting the elimination of something that does not interest you, with no apparent regard for what other members might think of these branches, is perhaps not the most productive way to go about such matters.
It is interesting that you request others to be open minded.
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Post by onlymark on Mar 1, 2009 20:52:08 GMT
Bugger. I'm just if to bed. I wish I could stay up and watch this.
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Post by gyro on Mar 1, 2009 21:10:50 GMT
K, I'm only expressing my opinion, obviously. The point of posting this it to see what others think and like and prefer, and not just to get an irritated and condescending response from yourself.
I'm sure you think I'm just trying to be deliberately antagonistic or obstreporous, but I'm not. I'm making what I consider to be a valid point, but if you can't deal with that obviously I can't really do much to change that. The general tone of this forum is one of intelligence and freedom and acceptance of expression. You're not really displaying any of those qualities in your irascible reactions in this thread.
I'm also still unclear on what exactly the anti-chat stance means.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 1, 2009 21:13:43 GMT
May I suggest that those of you having trouble with "too many" boards change your method of looking at the forum, at least temporarily?
Instead of immediately going to "last 80 posts" or to your Profile to check on threads where you've posted, trying looking at the main page as a whole. Then, resisting the temptation to click on new posts, start clicking open each board one by one.
Do this even on boards that don't interest you, just to get a feel for the forum as a whole. Also, seeing the list of threads posted on a given board might give you ideas for OPs, or prompt you to respond to a thread you'd not noticed before.
You may continue to feel that Any Port has too many boards for your taste, but at least you should gain insight into why it's set up the way it is.
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Post by gyro on Mar 1, 2009 21:16:09 GMT
Thank you Bix, for at least making a reasonable and informative response.
I don't often have the time to go through each board in that fashion, and don't operate in that way, but thanks anyway.
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Post by Jazz on Mar 1, 2009 22:19:41 GMT
I am happy with the structure and feeling of AnyPort. It's relatively obvious when you look at the home page what each port contains. There is an explanation under each heading. I like the diversity and that it isn't just a chat site. The forum is just under a month old and developing in each area. Some are naturally growing more quickly than others, but all have potential. Most important...there are areas provided which can grow.
My approach varies varies depending on time and my mood. If I have time, I prefer to look at the home page and then scan within each division. Or, I may just go to my favorite areas, Neon Lights, World Travel and Dockside Dining. 80 recent posts is my least preferred approach, (everything is out of context), but it is fast.
I loved to see the creation of Neon Lights with its specific areas of music, movies, books and the arts, Maritime Museum. Too many forums I've visited simply lump them all together and call it 'culture'. We each have our own idea of a perfect forum. I confess that I still can't grasp the difference between Free Trade Zone and Waterfront Park. It doesn't matter, I just scan both.
Gyro,
To see all the threads you've contributed to recently, go to your Profile. As is, it will show you the last 10 posts. Simply change that number to 30? 100?, whatever, and you will see them, beginning with your most recent.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 2, 2009 4:23:08 GMT
Thanks, Jazz ~~ it's good to know that the Any Port gestalt is not only "gettable" but enjoyable.
Gyro, I realize you have time constraints & wouldn't want to access each board each & every time the way I suggested. Also, having participated in some of the same forums as you, I understand your initial reaction to the layout of this one. Still, as a person involved in the development of Any Port, I remain convinced that this format will quickly become comfortable even to people "trained" in a different forum style.
Remember, everyone who posts here is helping to build Any Port. A couple of boards have already been added to the Port since it opened, to address needs created & identified by members. Jazz appreciates that giving the different arts their own spaces allows more scope to explore them. I truly believe that those of you who presently feel the Port has too many boards will come to appreciate all of them in time.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2009 6:16:21 GMT
What perplexes me is the reaction of wanting fewer boards -- and gyro was not the only person to say this. I don't have time for a lot of things, but I would never dream of asking that my city have fewer markets, fewer museums, fewer shops, etc., just because I don't have time to visit all of them.
I want my options to be as vast as possible. On another forum on which I have been known to participate, it appears that everybody has regrouped on about 4 boards and they have converted it to a chat site.
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Post by gyro on Mar 2, 2009 13:07:15 GMT
What is this definition of 'chat' that seems to have popped up so often ?
What is wrong with 'chat' on here ?; It all sounds a bit snobby at the moment without further explanation/justification.
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Post by tillystar on Mar 2, 2009 14:00:43 GMT
I think we need a branch dedicated to potatoes.
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Post by onlymark on Mar 2, 2009 14:21:05 GMT
I wouldn't mind a whole web site. I'm sure there are some.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2009 14:35:15 GMT
What I consider to be 'chat' is when I login,go to a thread that I want to post on, I go to it and there are 10 or more posts back and forth among folks that know one another,references to other posters from days gone by and in some instances referring to people by a previous handle. I love the idea of fraternizing but it does make for someone new feel excluded at times. In one instance I posted a question germain to the thread,it was smack in the middle of some unrelated chat and completely ignored. There are umpteen opportunities that arise when I want and could respond to some of Bixa's posts because of our long term friendship but I consciously refrain becuse I don't think it courteous. Usually I will PM when I feel I have to respond to something we personally know about.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2009 14:46:08 GMT
That is exactly the problem, casimira, not to mention the fact that some people sometimes think they are entertaining us with their remarks when it is not the case. It is fine to chat in a pub, because the words float away into nothingness as soon as they are spoken, but here they remain long after the mood of the moment has been lost.
There are some very intelligent people here who can make great posts with substance, but at other times they leave one line statements that are totally devoid of meaning. The problem in terms of new posters is that it is always easier to read a short post -- so all of the 'bad' posts are read and remembered, and when that same poster makes a longer more interesting post, it is skipped just because of the author's name.
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Post by palesa on Mar 2, 2009 15:03:12 GMT
I understand what you are saying K2, but the truth is, people post as they post. I am a chatter, I do not have a ton of intelligent travel or food posts to make, that is not going to change, so if people like me (who chat a lot) are made to feel unwelcome (I am not feeling unwelcome) then you are going to get people leaving and it does take all types to keep a forum going.
As for newbies, some will jump in and some will lurk for ages, the content is not going to make a difference to that, what will is people's response to them when they first post.
And as a final note we can't pretend we don't know each other, yes some stuff is better off as a PM, but we do know each other and that WILL be clear to newbies.
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Post by bazfaz on Mar 2, 2009 16:02:46 GMT
May I make a modest suggestion: that the first two branches are amalgamated. I think I have a mental block about them. I can't see a real need for two. In fact I can't detect significant differences. But maybe I'm just pumped full of antibiotics. My brain will grasp things better when it has been flushed by wine.
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Post by spindrift on Mar 2, 2009 16:28:02 GMT
I,also, find it difficult to distinguish between the first two branches (one line statement here, oh dear).
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