Originally posted by NordlysGotcha! And by 5 minutes!
No, it isn't. The fact that it exists now doesn't necessarily mean it will exist in the future. It doesn't seem likely at this point, but to quote Russ: "The 'clubs' concept can go forward in any direction, adopted wholeheartedly, or be erased completely if it proves to have no merit. So please don't be too upset if this all gets canned in the future."?*
...[text shortened]... le will retreat mostly or entirely to private fora.
*: Oops, I am a bit slow today...
Originally posted by NordlysWithout a doubt, the community at large will suffer as more and more good posters retreat to their private fora, leaving the public forums a spam wasteland of "lolz. N1ce 1!" and "well said"s.
I agree with the concerns about fragmenting the community. The only thing I find potentially attractive about clubs are the private fora, but they are also what I think could hurt the community most.
For example, there is now a Football Fans club, which was partly formed for the private forum. But what is wrong with having football discussions in public? How do new people get involved in private conversations?
On the other hand, I can see why Russ wants to give us more functionality to be a self policing community, what with the way a couple of users have recently been inundating him with umpteen childish complaints on a daily basis. I'm sure Russ didn't expect to be sorting out schoolground arguments when he started the site, and it makes perfect sense for him to try to remove himself from them.
D
Originally posted by howitzerWe two have just as much right behind a keyboard as you think you do.
Can someone just move the keyboards _away_ from these two??!
It seems to me that the point of the Club system is to get like minded people together (like clans), give them a sense of identity - e.g. "We are Scots/Eskimos/Veterans/Hippies" - like clans. And then to expand on thus and strengthen it by choosing to focus on internal games and not endless ex ...[text shortened]... intless to be arguing over whether the club system should exist when it already does anyway?
You are not even in a Club from what I can see, and just because you think the Clans are best, doesn't make it so.
You don't seem to be well informed anyways, just decided you would get in the conversation. "The clubs have not been confirmed". It is only in the wait and see stage.
As far as never having to play Number 1 or myself, I really don't think either of us would lose much sleep over it.
Originally posted by RagnorakJust for your information. I for one sure wouldn't miss out on Football discussions, far as I am concerned you can keep them in private...LMAO...
Without a doubt, the community at large will suffer as more and more good posters retreat to their private fora, leaving the public forums a spam wasteland of "lolz. N1ce 1!" and "well said"s.
For example, there is now a Football Fans club, which was partly formed for the private forum. But what is wrong with having football discussions in public? How ...[text shortened]... rted the site, and it makes perfect sense for him to try to remove himself from them.
D
I agree that clubs can be viewed as a threat to the public forums, but that's only true if the public forums are perceived as an inferior product. If most people thought the public forums were better, then clubs would have a negligible impact on participation. So if the mere existence of clubs means good posters retreat to their private forums, then the general membership must have a pretty dim view of the public forums.
So maybe this discussion shouldn't be so much what's wrong with clubs as what's wrong with the public forums.
Personally, I think clubs are a worthwhile experiment. Their existence provides a mechanism for both like minded players and posters to form communities governed by their own rules and leaves it completely up to the membership how successful that concept will be. Russ has provided a technical solution and left the social/administrative aspect up to us. Dunno if it'll actually work, but I think it's worth trying out.
Originally posted by IchibanovI think you have hit the nail square on the head. "What is wrong with the public forums"?
[b]I agree that clubs can be viewed as a threat to the public forums, but that's only true if the public forums are perceived as an inferior product. If most people thought the public forums were better, then clubs would have a negligible impact on participation. So if the mere existence of clubs means good posters retreat to their private forums, then the ge ...[text shortened]... discussion shouldn't be so much what's wrong with clubs as what's wrong with the public forums.
It appears it is already broken, as we see the same names appear over and over again in the forums. When I first joined the site in 2006, I would look at the forums. I remember one of my first posts in site ideas, " To limit amount of games a subscriber could play". Granted not a great move.
Then to have the embarrassment and the ridicule from the so called established members attack me, with names like moron, idiot, etc., and "move along spanky", I still don't quite understand what that last one is suppose to mean. I argued back in forth with them, and alerted the moderator, on disgusting things said, that had to be removed, and when the moderator decided to remove it, after everyone got a good laugh over it, was indeed not a whole lot of fun for me.
I left the public forums for months, and I believe I didn't actually come back to them untill the Major incident that took place on the site, and the new "Club Idea". I noticed that not much has changed in the forums, a couple of new forum moderators, but the same old posters, plus a few additional ones who had joined the old group. WHY?
I think that the reason for this is because people are afraid to comment much in the forums for fear of attack, from the so called established subscribers on the site. This is another good reason I think the Clubs will be a good thing. We can kind of chose the type of Club we want to be in, by how it is being handled by the leader admins.
I am very impressed with "KENAN" and the way he has set up his club, even though I did have some misunderstanding over a few issues. I think he will do a great job as a "Club Leader", and keep it clean. "A place where everyone is welcome, and no one is put down or ridiculed, because they are not part of a certain group."
I know I have been rather long winded, and more so than usual. I just wanted to share with the RHP community, my view on why I think the Clubs will be good thing for the whole community.
Also I want to point out I am not making any accusations at any individuals or groups by name. Just my personal experience.
Originally posted by Very RustyYou do understand the phrase "For example", don't you?
Just for your information. I for one sure wouldn't miss out on Football discussions, far as I am concerned you can keep them in private...LMAO...
Anyway, troll this thread as much as you want. I'm sure Russ appreciates your "valuable" input. "Lulz!"
D
I don't see the problem but I'm new around here so perhaps 'change' isn't such an issue for me as it is for other more established users.
The introduction of clubs seems to reflect real life chess, where you play those in your club and have the option of playing other clubs.
I don't see how arguments about fragmenting a community are valid because users are free to use which ever feature of the web site is made available to them. That's like saying a town with two supermarkets will really destroy the community - the community still exists and it is not fragmented. To be fragmented, the community would have to be cut off from each other and that is not what is being proposed. What is being proposed is choice, structure and delegated responsibility, which should ease up the administration and encourage more subs. Clubs may make way for new payment plans and I would think that this is most viable where their members meet in real life.
(Having a big club might not be so great after all)
I think this is running into 3 cents, so I'll end it here.
