Better Off Topic Sections

[Shawn Gossman]

Should niche forums add multiple non-niche boards to off topic area?

For example, if you have a forum about knitting, should you add an entire off topic category to include a general section, sports section, debate section, and others?

Do you think this would increase engagement on the forum or hurt the main niche sections?

 

[Cpvr]

I don’t think this is a good approach on a niche forum, you should keep your main niche areas the focus of your forum instead of adding more off topic sections.

However, I think it would be a good idea to add prefixes to the off topic forum itself instead of adding more forums.

 

[Tracy]

If you are going to do that, then why not just start a general chat and then have areas for hobbies, work, science, computers... ad nauseum.
If you are a niche, concentrate on your niche and then give your users a general area to talk about life that they may wish to.
The urge to do what you reference is a desire to try and draw more traffic. And once the off-topic BS starts drawing more traffic you loose the benefit of the niche, and probably a lot of those niche users that don't want to see that other stuff.

I have a meme I use regularly for when I see questions like this. But since the image embed won't allow it and uploading it would probably convert it from the GIF format... I won't use it.
Basically, it s a somewhat sarcastic meme about staying in your lane.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I'm in agreement with you all - keep the forum related to your niche.

I think a single Off Topic section usually is all you need. If you're a promotion forum, then a much broader off topic category could be helpful if services are credit system based.

 

[Heatman]

It's never really a good idea because I've seen it a lot of time with some niche forums where most of the discussions now switch to the off topic section more than the forum's main area. It can be a serious distraction in the forum.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

It's never really a good idea because I've seen it a lot of time with some niche forums where most of the discussions now switch to the off topic section more than the forum's main area. It can be a serious distraction in the forum.

That's what I've seen in my experience.

I've also seen a lot of forums that do that sell the database pretty quick. I'll typically avoid joining a forum like that because that's probably what they're going to do.

 

[Heatman]

That's what I've seen in my experience.

I've also seen a lot of forums that do that sell the database pretty quick. I'll typically avoid joining a forum like that because that's probably what they're going to do.

Bizdustry recently sold its database. If anyone ever told me the owner Alex was going to sell his database, I would never believe it. This is someone I knew that was trying to compete with FP.

 

[AllyHellkiller]

One of my niches is very dependent on government policies. As soon as anyone mentions a political administration policy the admins on that forums would start getting bent out of shape. When I get my forum up and running I want to create a political section for people and they can go at it. I might join in the melee ,but mostly sit back with pop corn and observe.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

One of my niches is very dependent on government policies. As soon as anyone mentions a political administration policy the admins on that forums would start getting bent out of shape. When I get my forum up and running I want to create a political section for people and they can go at it. I might join in the melee ,but mostly sit back with pop corn and observe.

If you let people go at it without restriction, you might find yourself doing a lot of moderation work LOL

Politics these days are so crazy especially on social media. People are so mean to each other.

 

[Heatman]

If you let people go at it without restriction, you might find yourself doing a lot of moderation work LOL

Politics these days are so crazy especially on social media. People are so mean to each other.

You're so right about how political discussion can get out of hand so bad. Personally, I try as much as possible to avoid getting involved with it especially in politics that doesn't concern me.

 

[AllyHellkiller]

If you let people go at it without restriction, you might find yourself doing a lot of moderation work LOL

Politics these days are so crazy especially on social media. People are so mean to each other.

As long as they are not posting anything that breaks the law I really don’t care.They will be instructed to have a thick skin. If they are gonna dish it they better be able to take it.

 

[Tracy]

Politics these days are so crazy especially on social media. People are so mean to each other.

That's one of the target goals of Ideology Central. Hopefully it will be a place to give folks the chance to at least read, if not actually participate, where communications with others is paramount. Everyone (not only in the US) needs to try to get back to the philosophy that we have to work together to get ahead, that pushing one sides belief(s) over another will never work well.

 

[Heatman]

As long as they are not posting anything that breaks the law I really don’t care.They will be instructed to have a thick skin. If they are gonna dish it they better be able to take it.

This is actually the problem with some people. They can't take what they give without wailing. I had an experience once. I can't remember the whole details now but I can recall being insulted. I told the guy he insulted me and should apologise but he told me that's not an insult. I said alright and told him to go back home and tell his mother and father exactly what he said to me and also go to his Imam in church and tell him the same thing.

The guy wanted to die because of what I said. He was calling out the whole group I insulted his parents and religion. I said to him, if you said what you told me wasn't an insult, how can he say that I insulted his parents and religion when I just told him to say the same thing to them?

 

[AllyHellkiller]

That's one of the target goals of Ideology Central. Hopefully it will be a place to give folks the chance to at least read, if not actually participate, where communications with others is paramount. Everyone (not only in the US) needs to try to get back to the philosophy that we have to work together to get ahead, that pushing one sides belief(s) over another will never work well.

Yes this!

 

[AllyHellkiller]

This is actually the problem with some people. They can't take what they give without wailing. I had an experience once. I can't remember the whole details now but I can recall being insulted. I told the guy he insulted me and should apologise but he told me that's not an insult. I said alright and told him to go back home and tell his mother and father exactly what he said to me and also go to his Imam in church and tell him the same thing.

The guy wanted to die because of what I said. He was calling out the whole group I insulted his parents and religion. I said to him, if you said what you told me wasn't an insult, how can he say that I insulted his parents and religion when I just told him to say the same thing to them?

That was the perfect response. My mom still has a bar of soap with my name on it. Words have consequences

 

[Heatman]

That was the perfect response. My mom still has a bar of soap with my name on it. Words have consequences

I don't like going to the extreme with people but when they over push for it, I will give them exactly some of their own medicine.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

That was the perfect response. My mom still has a bar of soap with my name on it. Words have consequences

Haha. My mom probably still has a picked switch for me just in case

 

[frm]

However, I think it would be a good idea to add prefixes to the off topic forum itself instead of adding more forums.

I would most definitely look into new prefixes before contemplating an off-topic sub-forum. It's one thing to have 100 threads with 5 different sub-topics (using prefixes) than 100 threads split across 5 sub-forums. You could probably reevaluate this when you have 1000 threads and 5 sub-topics (~200 threads each) or see which ones should have their own sub-forum. Either way, creating thread prefixes in its place still makes this possible.

 

[Tracy]

It's one thing to have 100 threads with 5 different sub-topics (using prefixes) than 100 threads split across 5 sub-forums.

I have to laugh at this. I had a certain Aussie try to tell me that it was better to have 100+ topic areas instead of having 15 or so with multiple prefixes in it. I don't know what her thoughts were... and I don't think she did either. Was over on the XF site back when I was not banned from there. I and a lot of other people ended up putting her on ignore since apparently the staff could not get her reigned in.
I think I'm up to several hundred prefixes now for the different areas/add-ons I use. Just for the link directory I have about 180 prefixes for it. I have enough that I use individual LESS templates for them.

 

[frm]

I have to laugh at this. I had a certain Aussie try to tell me that it was better to have 100+ topic areas instead of having 15 or so with multiple prefixes in it.

This is kind of absurd. Why have 100+ topics (forums) with 1 or 2 posts in each when you could have 5 forums with 20+ messages in each? One looks very unorganized, even though it's made in an attempt to organize. My philosophy is to build out, not build up and then fill in content.