Forum feels clogged

[lordofpi]

Greetings all. I haven't been around here in a very long time. I decided to stop by and see how things are getting on. All I can see for the first few pages are threads that are years old and hundreds of pages long.

I know repeatedly answering the same questions was annoying to some members back in the day, but the way things look now it would seem that the conversation as a whole has grown stale with no new threads. Am I perhaps missing something, or have things just gotten quiet due the vast numbers of stickies and recurring threads?

Sorry if I seem to just be complaining; it's great to see things still going, but I was just a little overwhelmed by how things look.

 

[tj100]

Agreed. I'm back after a somewhat long break, and it's astonishing. Almost every thread on page 1 is several hundred, if not several thousand, posts long.

How can 35,000 posts possibly appreciate Allen Edmonds?

It's a bit daunting.

 

[jrd617]

Aside from informational threads like WAYWN, Ask a Question and PSAs, many of the long threads you speak of are affiliate vendor threads.

 

[Svenn]

Yeah it seems like within the last year, the vast majority of this forum has just become vendor threads, ads, or just discussions by brand whores. The only non-commercial threads have mostly become irritating newb questions. Senior members don't start threads any more, much less specific or sincere inquiries about tailored clothing. When they do get asked, they're usually get ignored or only a few passing answers by those who are still around. I agree that funneling unique topics into massive threads only to be unsearchable and undiscoverable is really stupid. I think it's one of the reasons Vox and the others left. Where they went I'd like to know.

 

[Claghorn]

The only way this forum can be saved is if jrd posts a fit pic.

 

[AlexE]

I agree with lordofpi.

I do not think that it is necessarily a problem to have all the appreciation threads for brands ( I love the one for EG too) as well as affiliated vendors. However, the issue is that because of these monoliths with high-frequency postings, any new 'specialty threads' quickly are handed through to pages 3 and higher of the classic menswear forum meaning they are out of sight forever.

Maybe a solution would be to split the classic menswear forum into a 'brands and vendors' section and a 'style discussion' section?

 

[steveabdn]

I think the "Ask A Question Get An Answer" thread can do with a section to itself as well, each question being a new thread rather than one thread with over 25000 replies

 

[HRoi]

I think we should get this thread to 36000 posts

 

[TM79]

Eventually the well runs dry. Unless new stores and brands pop up, a lot of questions and other basic things can be found via forum search.

 

[dieworkwear]



However, the issue is that because of these monoliths with high-frequency postings, any new 'specialty threads' quickly are handed through to pages 3 and higher of the classic menswear forum meaning they are out of sight forever.

Maybe a solution would be to split the classic menswear forum into a 'brands and vendors' section and a 'style discussion' section?

Which section will Foo post in when he tries to buy something from a brand or vendor?

 

[RoyalPaJamas]



Eventually the well runs dry. Unless new stores and brands pop up, a lot of questions and other basic things can be found via forum search.

The problem with forum search given a single section containing all of the above-mentioned threads is that even somewhat detailed searches yield far too many results, often a single phrase buried within a thread with tens of thousands of posts. The search tool is, in my experience, generally worthless at this point.

I second the idea of splitting the Classic section into multiple sub-sections. For an example of such segmentation, see http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/index.php

 

[LA Guy]

This is something that, as a forum owner and administrator, I always think about. I do not think that segmentation of the forum is the answer, and that is off the table. Clothing are not cars, or consumer electronics, and is just not amenable to that type of segmentization. I like the mix of brand, vendor, and random, discussions. To me, that's what makes a forum fun. And enjoyable is what it is about. Yes, the forum should be informative, but a new reader or member who comes, ask a single question, and leave without ever seeing what else is on here, is a wasted opportunity. Segmentation really hurts discoverability in a forum. I want this place to be a vibrant community of people passionate about clothing, not (just) an information depot.

However, I hear your concerns, and they are mine too.

Here are some of the steps I propose, and I would love to get feedback, though, ultimately, j and I will make the final decision.

1) Big, ongoing threads like WAYWN will get an annual reboot, or even twice a year reboot. We've always done this, but on a not particularly organized schedule. With regular reboots, (and there will be links to the old threads, obviously), It's easier for people to follow the conversation. We get net users all the time, and a fit from 2005 doesn't need to be in the thread along with WAYWT pictures from 2013. Everything will just feel more fresh.

2) The "Ask a Question" threads are... a mess. I would like to split these off by topic, and also do a monthly reboot. This way, the topics and answers are fresh, and neither questions nor answers get lost. I'd also love volunteers who would do things as simple as pointing the users to @unbelragazzo 's starter's guide (which will be updated as well), or to answer, maybe once a day, a single new user question.

3) We used to break off threads when a secondary topic comes up. We've done this in Streetwear and Denim more, but I feel that there is enough rambling for us to do this here. Obviously, I cannot do this all myself, but it is something with which I can task the "Dubiously Honored" members. This way, interesting topics that come up as a result of another discussion is not lost, but gets a chance to grow.

How does these sound to you? Please keep in mind the hard guidelines, i.e. we will not break up the forum into more subforums, and the purpose of these proposed steps - to make the forum more vibrant for "power users" and more accessible for newbies, in mind. For this discussion, I'm going to keep it focused, and for that reason, I'm just going to delete any posts that are just general bitching and moaning, or posts going down roads I've already closed off. Through the years, we've already discussed additional subforums, etc..., and there is no need to rehash those ideas at this time.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Cheers,

Fok.

 

[Academic2]

It's nice to see such a quick response from the management.

My remarks are in regard to the "Classic Menswear" forum, since that's pretty much the only one I read.

All three of LA Guy's proposals seem quite reasonable to me.

I've only been here since the summer, so I have the perspective of a relative newcomer. As such, I would have found it useful if certain important threads were "pinned" to the top of the first page, and a pinned FAQ ("Read This Before Posting") was at the very top.

There is some truly impressive and detailed information available here, but it's not easy to find if you're new. That's a shame.

Cheers,

Ac

 

[tj100]

I would make two changes:

(1) somehow segregate (even if that means pinning to the top) the affiliate threads. I appreciate the affiliates, but they take up a lot of page 1 real estate (and have an incentive to keep themselves near the top).

(2) put a time bound on the really popular topics. The time should vary depending on popularity - I could see WAYWRN being rebooted as often as weekly.

 

[LA Guy]

The time bound (so, locking a thread, and referring to a new thread) is definitely something we've done in the past, and would be quite willing to schedule in the future.

It's always been against the ethos of our forum to segregate threads. Pinning is an interesting idea, but we actually dropped that idea. Our main reason was to reward activity. When a vendor thread is constantly on the first page, it's because the vendor is extremely popular. The recent "No Man Walks Alone" thread is a case in point. Style and fashion is artistic, but it is a product meant to be bought and sold, and it's natural for people to want to talk about what they got, what they'd like to get, etc...