In Forum: Site Feedback and Support
By User: Battler
If BetaArchive is so strictly a beta site, why do we bother having a forum for computer hardware? Or for games? Or offtopic? Or the "About You, Me and Everything Inbetween" forum? Or the Jokes forum? I've seen the "sorry, we can't discuss that here - betas only" argument used more and more around here and I just don't agree that this is the sort of attitude we should be striving towards. Instead of making BetaArchive a fun and inviting site with a primary focus on betas, it's begun to have a more sort of a "no general discussion allowed - period!" attitude to it.
In my opinion, BetaArchive should be a professional site, also a bit fun, but primarily professional. Also, the fun part should be moderated as well. I've seen threads which are just childish and IMHO, they should be cut off.
My opinion? We should do what OSBA, WinBeta, WinJade, MSBetas, iexBeta, Geekshed, and every other beta forum I've ever been apart of - we should make this a fun place to chat. About betas, yes, but not only about betas. These other forums and topics and discussions are how we get to know each other. They're how we bond. How communities come together. By discouraging this sort of discussion, what message is that sending users? That doesn't give BA the fun feeling I used to have about it.
I think comparing BetaArchive with any other forum is irrelevant, though I could just as well nominate forums such as WordReference Forums or Encyclopedia Titanica - Titanic Forum and Community, where I'm a member of, and where the vast majority of the discussion is on-topic, yet people still have fun going there. So if BetaArchive takes any forum as an example, it should take those two, IMHO. But I still stand by the reasoning that BetaArchive should develop independently, not according to how some other forum is run.
Correct, and in my opinion (again), a stable community is one that can feel comfortable discussing both on-topic and slightly off-topic discussions without fear of "zomg is my topic on-topic enough to post in the off-topic forum?!" As finkmaclinux pointed out, so many off-topic threads have been closed in fear of sounding pointless (even though some are legitimately entertaining and worthwhile, to me) that it's just not really fun or worth it anymore to even post in those sections. Why even bother having the offtopic forum and the jokes forum in particular if we're going to discourage their use?
Actually, from what I've observed, a lot of the off-topic threads that were closed, were inappropriate. "SuperTools and Caterpillar in a Cup", and the pony stuff, just to name two examples. That kind of stuff is what there has been a crackdown on. You can have mature off-topic discussion, and make mature jokes that don't involve ages-old memes repeated to the infinite just because it's "cool". Ask yourself, do we really need that kind of stuff on this forum? Will that kind of stuff actually attract any serious Beta collectors?
When a new person comes here and considers registering, they're going to read threads posted on the forum and get an impression of the forum based on that. It is in my opinion all the members' responsibility to present the forum to anyone who casually ends up here as a mature and professional place where mature and professional discussion on Betas and Abandonware is possible.
I have yet to see many user suggestions implemented in any way. Would love to be proven wrong though as BetaArchive is the primary beta forum on the net, and has been my "home" for years.
BetaArchive is not a democratic republic, it's an Internet forum where the Administrators, in this case Andy and mrpijey, have the highest authority and the right to decide whether or not to consider or implement any given user suggestion.
If BetaArchive is so strictly a beta site, why do we bother having a forum for computer hardware?
> maybe posts on how to get certain betas to work with certain hardware?
Or for games?
> Beta games?
Or offtopic? Or the "About You, Me and Everything Inbetween" forum?
> point being, to break the seriousness I guess...
Or the Jokes forum?
> there you may have a point
I've seen the "sorry, we can't discuss that here - betas only" argument used more and more around here and I just don't agree that this is the sort of attitude we should be striving towards. Instead of making BetaArchive a fun and inviting site with a primary focus on betas, it's begun to have a more sort of a "no general discussion allowed - period!" attitude to it.
> This makes no sense, who said betas were fun? Sure it's interesting as hell to test old betas and get them running again to see what a peticular product or OS looked like at that point, but fun?..
My opinion? We should do what OSBA, WinBeta, WinJade, MSBetas, iexBeta, Geekshed, and every other beta forum I've ever been apart of - we should make this a fun place to chat.
> IRC.
About betas, yes, but not only about betas. These other forums and topics and discussions are how we get to know each other. They're how we bond. How communities come together. By discouraging this sort of discussion, what message is that sending users? That doesn't give BA the fun feeling I used to have about it.
> IRC?
I will add one thing. For someone who enjoys collecting and testing Betas and Abandonware, Betas and Abandonware themselves will be fun. I, for example, find them fun enough to keep coming here because of that alone.
Apart from that, Jecag nailed everything head-on, but I'll add again that the Jokes forum should be used for mature jokes, not endless spreading of meme's based on people's past mistakes spread to the infinite just because it's become the "cool" thing to do.