Where Has It Been? Where Is It Now? Where Is It Going?

The great thing about this site was that everybody could have their say.
The discussions that sprung from whatever came to mind.
Now it seems that it all about MODERATION. I miss the LIGHT side to this site. Some cool, indeed NON prince things are snapped up and deleted, but it was what addictive to this site.
Other non-Prince things linger out there for no reason. Obnoxious, no fun prince threads.

I miss the GENERAL DISCUSSION.
LOTS.
And all the peeps I met here when the new version was installed. They seem to have given up on this site.

y bother...

Matt/Ben/Kevin, we need an update on what you're gonna do about the GD forum! In this case, silence is not golden!

this site is what it not use to be before it was before it got where it is now.

2the9s said:

better make it quick. this will be gone within the day...

2the9s said:

Thanks everybody for taking me up on my discussion idea.

Where has it been?

The old Org prided itself on being an alternative to "the Collective." It defiantly announced itself as an unnofficial fan community. Its main, though not sole, function was to provide a news service for fans interested in Prince and his music.

The old site was self-moderating to an extent, in the sense that the only option for posting (whether opinions, nonsense, commentary, info, etc.) was on the news threads. These threads (which were vetted by the moderators before they were posted) remained stationary: they couldn't be brought to the top; therefore arguments tended to wind down on their own more quickly. If discussion did continue, it was usually because it was one of interest, but it was up to the particpants to go back to that thread to keep the conversation alive. There was rarely a need to either close or delete a thread (although this did happen occasionally and for good reason.)

This design was good for some because it gave conversations/debates a natural form and life of their own. As new news appeared, people moved on.

This design was bad for some because, since there was no other place to discuss unrelated or closely related matters, the threads frequently became off-topic. The most common complaint from this quarter was the lack of a forum for off-topic "chit-chat."

Where is it now?

The site was completely overhauled. A General Forum was introduced with the imperative to "let our heads bop," which we did with unhindered swiftness. Toys such as avatars, signatures, and emoticons were provided and registered members were allowed to start topics on their own.

The General Discussion Forum is now locked and yet it remains visible. It has not been deleted and other areas of the site are being moderated as if there was a General Discussion forum available, when there is not. The only discernible reason for closing it (and this is a surmise) was because of complaints about lack of on-topic posts, nonsense threads, and abusive threads -- the same complaints, interestingly enough, that were voiced on the old site. Which begs the question, what would be a solution to this problem that the existence of a General Discussion Forum doesn't already provide?

But this turn of events also has to do with the designers' vision of the site, a vision that seems not to have come to fruition. I say this because the way that threads are deleted or closed suggests dissatisfaction with what is going on. It often seems pre-emptive. Unfortunately the designers' vision has not been made clear to us. And in fact it may not be clear to them at the moment. This whole debate should not be pitched as a battle between the posters and the moderators but rather seen as a design challenge. It is unreasonable, for instance, to ask people to change the way they post or coerce them through moderation when you have designed such a flexible site. And it is unreasonable of us to demand the moderators do something they are not willing or able to do. How can we talk about this without ill will?


Where is it going?

At the moment it seems to be going in the direction of more heavy-handed moderation, something that demands a lot of work on the part of the moderators and (the way it is being done) perplexes posters both new and old. It seems unlikely though that it will continue this way since it serves no useful purpose and seems to increase confusion and frustration on both sides of the screen.

Yes, the moderators could always fall back on the TOS to justify their decisions, just as we could always fall back on the notion of a fan "community" (which they proposed and encouraged through the new design) to justify our positions, but this seems to be getting us nowhere. The legal mumbojumbo of the TOS should not be a starting point for moderation but a fall back. The spirit of the law is as important as the letter of the law.

I am by no means suggesting that posters should not be mindful of the way they post. But I am suggesting that it is unrealistic to expect this.

I recall a thread not long before the GD was shut that praised the Org team and even suggested donations for all their hard work. I think that showed people's appreciation for what they had done.

Any other comments?

Any other comments?


I think that until the GD forum opens again, It's difficult to reach any conclusions about where the site is going. I think it will open soon, and only then will we be able to judge the site in relation to it's previous incarnation, (not the old org, but this one before the overhaul).

All I know is, I sure am doing my *actual* work now that I dont visit the org as much...I scan through all the "prince" threads and realize that they are variations of the same topics that have been discussed and debated for years and years on the internet...For me, nothing is worthy of my attention...


So unless the GD section comes back, i fear my time on this site is coming...

Discussion of views and ideas are wonderful. When you limit it to a narrow subject, the conversation soon fads away...

Yes ChandraSonic, you're absolutely right. And I didn't mean to proscribe any particular direction the site should take I was just trying to get a better perspective.

I agree Skeletonkee, there is only so much we can discuss in relation to one particular subject, especially when it has been discussed from almost every concievable angle. That's not to say that the topic is exhausted, it isn't but we can only discuss new issues as they happen, and at the moment things are slow.

thanks 9s great thread

I agree BEN, you got to do something.. Peeps are turning into animals, with their GD withdrawls. I see a P.org riot starting soon. I see it!

oceana said:

You see it where oceana? Did you read my post?

The simplest solution to this"We Want A General Discussion Forum" argument is this:

Those that are fiending for a GD Forum, go make your own on your own site.

You have been crying for weeks about the closing of GD, but have done nothing substantial about it. Ben has said it's going to reopen, he just hasn't said when. Do you think crying about it over and over is going to make him open it any sooner? It's probably pissing him off having all of these people telling him how to run his site, which by the way is free, does not subject us to pop-ups or junk e-mail.

My point is, if I go to a restaurant and they stop serving spaghetti, I go to a different restaurant or I go home and MAKE IT MYSELF!! I don't go to the restaurant everyday and bitch to the owner, especially if the food is FREE.

doeineffect said:

So if the GD does open, will you be leaving or bitching about the content?

Did you even read my post?

I miss being able to follow discussions that interest me - haven't been able to do that since the old Org b/c forums get cluttered up so fast w/ junk threads.

I say bring back GD w/ THREAD LIMITS - 2 per week for each user...

GREAT thread, 9s...

How many stars? ONLY 5!

YES WE READ THE POST!! Damn we are trying to help you out here!LOL, brotha, give us a chance![/i] Give peace a chance!!

oceana said:[quote]YES WE READ THE POST!! Damn we are trying to help you out here!LOL, brotha, give us a chance! Give peace a chance!!Oops I am geting confused with all this rioting going on..

who cares if we get the gd thing back...i just wanna know about prince...the people that post here get way too obsesed...

sexinthesummer said:

uhh...u just want to know about prince? yet the *other* people are the ones who are obsessed? help me better understand this?

doeineffect said:

I'm going to start Aaron.org. Who's coming?

Great post 2the9s!

I agree entirely.

Aaron said:

http://www.aaron.org <- Click

Hmm, interesting
[This message was edited Thu Jul 18 4:43:58 PDT 2002 by npgsmfc]

npgsmfc said:

See Aaron? Be careful what you wish for... Who knew you looked like Lib in religious garb?