36 replies to this topic

[sentient]

Proposal: Lock the small talk and chit chat thread


Reason: It encourages cliques, and slows down (immensely) the number of new threads created and general forum activity. The forum has stagnated quite badly from what I can see in the short time I've been back. No new topics means there will be a general lack of interest from everyone except the 10 people who consistently engage with each other in that thread. Also, there is a shoutbox for chat now so the need that used to exist for such a thread does not exist anymore.


Benefit: More new threads means people will check EC more frequently. Forum activity will increase. Yes, there will be stupid threads but part of the fun of a forum is making fun of shitty threads.

[Steve]

You have a valid point with the shoutbox feature.

[TerrierChad]

Although this is a valid point there are members who don't like using the shoutbox but use small talk instead.

[Bimp]

Totally agree. I'd also suggest an 'unmoderated' section (that would of course still be moderated to a certain extent) where posts don't count and people can post whatever the hell they want.

[Smashing!]

Although this is a valid point there are members who don't like using the shoutbox but use small talk instead.

*raises hand* Yeap I'm one of them.

The small talk and chit chat thread encourages people to post things that they might not even make a thread for since a lot are just the equivalent of a facebook status update. Then again we do have "What's on your mind" in our profiles but I guess people want others to actually SEE how they feel. I think if small talk and chit chat disappeared people just wouldn't express what's on their mind as openly.

[finality]

Totally agree. I'd also suggest an 'unmoderated' section (that would of course still be moderated to a certain extent) where posts don't count and people can post whatever the hell they want.

you mean like the shoutbox?


I actually don't think the small talk and chit chat thread is to blame here sentient. Anything I see in there is really not enough for a thread of its own. As I see it the issue of inactivity runs much deeper. If that thread were locked I know I personally would just not make the kind of shitty posts I make in there...for better or worse.

Also, a lot of the time when I go into the shoutbox it's completely dead. I'm not going to post in there if there's nobody in there (or if some stupid cybering crap is going on or something) so I'll go to small talk.

I'm not actually too bothered about it either way, I don't use that thread a lot, I'm just givin' the other side of the argument

[Occasional_Desire]

I'd rather the thread stayed, I can imagine a mass of threads that consist of how somebody has had a long day and they feel like shit.
I see it more as a 'status' thread to be honest, a place to post something that doesn't particularly belong anywhere.

[sentient]

I think a large part of people wanting the thread to stay is because they simply can't imagine an EC without it.

It adds no value now that there are other features such as profile status changes, a shoutbox, and at least 2 other notable 'what's going through your head right now' threads. It is almost purely sentimental now. Which would be fine if it wasn't actively affecting how the forum functions.

At this point, the thread is fairly parasitical because every new thought or joke that anyone has automatically just gets put into that thread and is derailed in a few posts by another new thought or joke. Nothing is given space to grow. And people who don't feel like being (or can't be) a part of the cliquey back-and-forth that goes on in that thread miss out on being a part of the forum because yes, it is the most active portion of this community.

And the reason that it is active is because it's easy. There's no effort or thought that needs to go into it whatsoever. It's like eating junk food all the time because even making yourself a sandwich would take too much effort. Ultimately, it's your hair, skin, and weight that suffers. (For the unwashed masses: In this metaphor, the hair, skin, and weight is EC as a whole.)

Unpopular as it may be, calling it a day with Small Talk may be one of the best things done for this forum. There will be an adjustment period, of course, but after that, there will at least be the opportunity for more (and hopefully better) content without everyone jumping to an automatic response of 'this could've just been posted in small talk, didn't need a new thread, etc!'


And you know what? If it really doesn't work out after, say, a 3 month trial, just start a new small talk thread or reopen this one.

[Hyena.]

I was going to type a huge thing about why bother, we're changing a load of other things, it's only a small thing, the shoutbox is shitty, judgement calls like these shouldn't be made by people who left the site for a year and have now come back for a few weeks, etc. etc. but then I had the thought that I genuinely do not give a shit about keeping it or not. I'm neutral and my vote will fall with the majority. If it's a stalemate, I'll vote to keep it; ripping on people is quick and easy in there. Otherwise, I don't use it that often.

I do think we should have some sort of facebook/twitter-like thread, though, just somewhere we can post small snippets that don't fit anywhere else and don't require a thread all to itself.

[sentient]

Let's be very clear here: I'm not making any 'call'. This is a suggestion only. It's the same concern I raised when the thread was first started. Now that I've been on a hiatus and have come back, I am seeing that some of my concerns have come to light, so I am bringing it up once again.

I think it could help. And it's not something that's irreversible, so I don't see the harm in giving it a shot. And mods and admins have bent over backwards to try and up participation in the community since I was an admin - we tried everything - contests, polls, events, more moderation, less moderation etc etc, and I'm sure they're doing the same now. Everything was given a shot, except this.

I've made my pitch, now it's upto mods and admins to decide or for EC to decide or however it's being done these days.

[Reflection]

Let us gather around the slain corpse of the beast AKA Small Talk and Chit Chat and rejoice, for this is the heralding of a golden age.

That is to say, I agree that Small Talk and Chit Chat is keeping us down, man, like The Man.

That said, the inane circle jerking is bound to migrate elsewhere. "Unspoken Words" is a good candidate, as are "How are you feeling" and pretty much anything in the games section.

But hey, if you kill Small Talk and Chit Chat, nobody could say you didn't try to save the innocent virgin that is EC from being raped.

And pillaged.

[finality]

everything hasn't been given a shot just yet - moving away from emo is what's really necessary. nobody's searching emo anymore, it's dead. so fewer members are signing up. and more are leaving because it's embarrassing to be on an emo website.

[Fizz]

everything hasn't been given a shot just yet - moving away from emo is what's really necessary. nobody's searching emo anymore, it's dead. so fewer members are signing up. and more are leaving because it's embarrassing to be on an emo website.

Indie-corner
hipster-corner

[sentient]

everything hasn't been given a shot just yet - moving away from emo is what's really necessary. nobody's searching emo anymore, it's dead. so fewer members are signing up. and more are leaving because it's embarrassing to be on an emo website.

also a valid point.

[Anne-Marie]

Personally, I would like it to stay. I love that thread, even when I'm not posting but reading what everyone else is doing.


With the shoutbox, I feel like I can't really join in to other people's conversations. I also don't like it that a lot of newbies tend to spend all their time in the shoutbox, which leaves the forum even emptier.

[Occasional_Desire]

I'd rather keep the thread, and get rid of the shoutbox. That's ruining post activity more than anything else. When a new members joins that is the first thing they see, so they spend the majority of their time in there. I think the thread is more useful, and as it currently stands that IS the Facebook/Twitter like thread, why would we need a new one to replace it?

[Lavinia]

I quite like the small talk topic, it's the off topic/catch up thread really and I don't really know about the clique thing, if you're on a site for a while you're obviously going to form friendships. But I do think that a lot of the members on here talk to new people who join ec too, they don't just ignore them.

I wish we could get rid of the shoutbox, it's so cringey to read at times and I honestly think that's what is taking away conversation from the actual forum. Although as finality has pointed out, once the direction of the forum changes it could work out for the better.

[Forzare!]

Reason: It encourages cliques, and slows down (immensely) the number of new threads created and general forum activity. The forum has stagnated quite badly from what I can see in the short time I've been back. No new topics means there will be a general lack of interest from everyone except the 10 people who consistently engage with each other in that thread. Also, there is a shoutbox for chat now so the need that used to exist for such a thread does not exist anymore.

I disagree with this really, in the past i'd have completely agreed but in regards the last few months, not so much. There isn't reeeeeally any cliquey posting that I can see, people just post and reply. I'd agree if it was like 3/4 people consistently having conversations without including anyone else but it isn't really like that at all now.

At this point, the thread is fairly parasitical because every new thought or joke that anyone has automatically just gets put into that thread and is derailed in a few posts by another new thought or joke. Nothing is given space to grow. And people who don't feel like being (or can't be) a part of the cliquey back-and-forth that goes on in that thread miss out on being a part of the forum because yes, it is the most active portion of this community.

And the reason that it is active is because it's easy. There's no effort or thought that needs to go into it whatsoever. It's like eating junk food all the time because even making yourself a sandwich would take too much effort. Ultimately, it's your hair, skin, and weight that suffers. (For the unwashed masses: In this metaphor, the hair, skin, and weight is EC as a whole.)

And you know what? If it really doesn't work out after, say, a 3 month trial, just start a new small talk thread or reopen this one.

I just don't really agree with what you're saying here. The small talk thread =/= shoutbox, the posts in there are almost entirely different. If I want to post something that others can reply to, i'll post in the small talk thread. It's more permanent (ofc) and can generate more of a discussion where as anything in the shoutbox is temporary and if no-one's on at the time then it's pretty much ignored. The shoutbox is usually full of terrible discussions about Black Veil Brides or cutting unless someone intervenes. I'm not sure an offtopic thread can really be de-railed either. Its whole purpose IS to be a junk thread where people can post whatever they want and if a discussion grows from it, then cool, that's how a number of threads have started in the past. If not, nothing has been lost. If people don't post whatever they do in small talk they aren't really likely to post it anywhere else, so taking small talk away won't actually do all that much. People just wouldn't bother saying that sort of thing anywhere, a large majority of the older members simply don't LIKE using the shoutbox and the chit chat means they can still integrate in the forum as a whole. I find it nice to have a consistently active thread with no real focus. If members think of a big enough issue it tends to get it's own thread. I just really can't see closing it accomplishing anything near what you've got visions of.

However if push came to shove I do agree that locking it to experiment would be fine as we can just unlock it anyway.

[LionJess]

I don't particularly have a strong emotional attachment to the small talk thread, but I entirely agree with this (and the various way it's been re-phrased throughout this thread):

I do think we should have some sort of facebook/twitter-like thread, though, just somewhere we can post small snippets that don't fit anywhere else and don't require a thread all to itself.

The thing about the small talk/random chat style threads that is nice is that it's good to see what people have been up to. I don't tend to check or use the shoutbox that often myself, and if members that come back for a while post in it, I might not see it because by that time more people have posted. If old members come back and pop in, or even just daily updates on peoples lives (yeah I care how Hyena was with someone elses girlfriend or just how much Algernon drank last night, SO WHAT )

I do agree that people tend to rely on it a bit toooo much but that's purely down to peoples lazyness in posting in other areas on the site, and you can't really blame a thread for that. Unfortunately, it's just the way things have been going. Hopefully things will pick up when we change the site around a little, but ultimately it has to be the members who make the effort to actually post. If they post, there's more shit to read and reply to on the forum. If they don't, there isn't and it's a kinda vicious circle because they then complain about there being nothing "new"

[Occasional_Desire]

I don't particularly have a strong emotional attachment to the small talk thread, but I entirely agree with this:

I do think we should have some sort of facebook/twitter-like thread, though, just somewhere we can post small snippets that don't fit anywhere else and don't require a thread all to itself.

:::

as it currently stands that IS the Facebook/Twitter like thread, why would we need a new one to replace it?

At least that's how I see it.

From the comments agreeing we do need a status thread I'm beginning to think I'm seeing this differently.