Forums / Maintenance / Suggest Ideas

This is probably more of a personal point, but I've dealt with multiple instances where mods will get angered because of threads being in riff raff instead of jff and vice versa, and some of the time they even agree there isn't a real defining line between the two categories as well as with other categories. I do not as a user enjoy having to deal with not knowing what category to put a thread in, playing roulette with if I might get a warning for posting a topic in a section some argue is wrong while others could argue is right.

So, I propose a new section called Other, where regardless of what the topic is, the rules of riff raff will apply to the section, AND whatever is posted within this section will not be moved, though it can be deleted if it breaks even riff raff's rules. This section would be a catch-all solution for a topic that you are unsure where to place or feel transcends all available sections.

This section would give a safe haven for people to innovate new sections if enough people are posting a specific new category of thread consistently within this catch-all section. As-is with the current setup of not having Other, there isn't a real solid way to innovate new sections that better fit the user-base because even the user-base might be unsure of what they want unless they start noticing the same threads appearing in Other that follow a specific trend.

Additionally, I propose this section would have a feature where in the first post of the thread, the poster could type something like "SERIOUS DEBATE RULES" or "JFF RULES" or perhaps "SERIOUS DEBATE AND JFF RULES" so users can have their special hybrids/setups of rules for their topics that users can follow. Even more, one could make up their own rules for their specific thread. Breaking said made-up rules should result in a suspension at most, but this would lead the way for having very unique styles of games and threads that would be adhered to by posters within the threads of Other. This would also give the opportunity for users to naturally discover what the best rules for threads are and in time perhaps innovate how rules in other threads are formed and work.

In short, the Other section could give people absolute freedom to do any topic they want without worrying so much about what category of thread it falls under, give users expanded abilities they could have fun with with the special rules they can create within the boundaries of each of their individual threads (so long as they don't break riff raff rules), and give a natural breeding grounds of innovation for new sections/rules, since the current Suggest Ideas board is often a barren wasteland where weird ideas will be mocked since they cannot even be tested, whereas an Other section would give the opportunity to actively try out and experiment with new ideas safely in a free and fun environment.

What do you guys think?

We have one like that already. It's called Riff Raff.

I thought General was for stuff that fit no other category, and if Riff-Raff rules apply, why not just post it in Riff-Raff?

Well shit, you beat me to it.

In a nutshell, a "safe heaven" for those who doesn't understand how to use the forum.

/thread

An "Other" board is out of the question. But I appreciate you bringing up the topic of posting threads in the wrong board.
Users don't normally get in trouble for doing this unless it happens multiple times. Like Bob said, if you are unsure, post in Riff-Raff or JFF. If you're really unsure, just contact a mod after making the thread and ask them.
Epyc, I know you've gotten in trouble for mixing up forums in the past, and your threads were moved from General mainly because they didn't seem serious enough to be General threads. If you have a serious and well-defined topic that you want to be taken seriously, then feel free to post it in General. But otherwise, just stick with JFF. If you make a mistake in the future, I'll just PM you about it regularly.

JFF's description is literally "Come here for everything else that is meant to be just for fun!".

I'm personally against using RR as a dumping ground. It clogs the board with unfunny shit people couldn't be arsed to post in the correct board, which we then have to move. Half the stuff posted in RR sometimes is just JFF material.

I don't know who's giving warnings unless you're posting threads on the extremes when they should be at another extreme (I.e., posting a shitpost thread in Serious Debate or a site-related thread.) I haven't seen enough threads from you to merit a warning that would eventually lead to a suspension. If they did suspend you for that, someone else is going to come after them to unsuspend you.

The boards are just to help with organization and to help structure the tone of their threads. When you go into Riff-Raff, you don't go expecting decorum or go with thin skin. You don't go into General looking to derail a thread that could be more fun or interesting without making a post asking to do so. You don't discuss site stuff of one area of the site and then make it unfocused so that a lot of stuff is being discussed all at once.

But yeah, it's hard to gauge what thread should go in what board when the answer is somewhere between JFF and Riff-Raff.

For me, Riff-Raff barely has rules (outside of some adherence to site rules) when Just for Fun threads are just less structured regarding forum-specific rules. General isn't necessarily serious, but it needs to stay on-topic and follow forum rules fairly closely.

You can also come to me if you're afraid of getting heat. We can hash it out or I can talk about it with some other mods.

Now that we've thoroughly discussed the 'categorization' part of the thread, let's talk about the 'experimenting' part of this thread.

Suggest Ideas board is often a barren wasteland where weird ideas will be mocked since they cannot even be tested, whereas an Other section would give the opportunity to actively try out and experiment with new ideas safely in a free and fun environment.

As I see it, I still don't think there's a need for a space to experiment regarding ideas for threads.
 

• If you're trying to make a thread that has certain rules, then Forum Games works just fine for that. Once you set up the rules of the game, then the forum rules (and the nature of that board) isn't going to allow people to derail it.
• If you want something fun and loose but adheres to the forum rules, then JFF works just fine for that.
• If you want something to focus on a topic but doesn't need to be serious and particularly structured, then General works just fine for that.
• If you want something that doesn't need to be restricted by forum rules so much (but still needs to be held to site rules,) then Riff-Raff works well enough for that.

I'm trying to think of what's missing with regards to experimenting or creativity, but I think the current forum setup works pretty well:

• As soon as you want a set of rules that you create for a thread, then it almost immediately becomes a forum game.

If it's put in Forum Games, then you just have to make the rules clear. It can thrive (or die) with no serious consequence as long as it's a game and it's not asking anyone to break forum or site rules. There's nothing saying that you can't change the rules of the game on the fly, but if it's a participatory project, then I wouldn't be a butt and change it without getting buy-in from those who are playing/participating.

Since forum rules generally apply in Forum Games, then it's not going to be able to be derailed.

• If you desire the rules of a certain board, then just post it to that board.

That said, sure, if you put something that requires structure but allows for people to be a little more antagonistic, then no, the forums don't formally work for that. Riff-Raff is the closest, but in Riff-Raff, you're not going to get one (structure) without the other (adherence to forum rules.) For example, if you want a game that lets you post some suggestive material that would otherwise require spoilers, lets you be more unfriendly towards other users, or aims to do something like intentionally derail a thread to the point that Hitler is brought up…

…holy carp, that's not a bad idea…I gotta write that down…

…then

In those instances, I'd probably aim for Forum Games with a [NSFW] note and let a forum mod know what you're doing. If you something less structured but still has a focus, then General will probably work. You're still not allowed to freely derail threads in General, so if the point/focus is explicitly stated, then no one will be able to move away from your point/focus without starting another, separate thread.

That said, there have been Clear the Air threads as well as Sweeten the Air threads. Both of these flew (with moderation) in General just fine.

So ultimately, I do see a situation where a hybrid of rules and board traits could be useful, and I don't think they're necessarily rare instances. But I think if you stay out of Riff-Raff with said threads and aren't aiming to break site rules, then you can probably use Forum Games or General for stuff that needs to stay on-topic/focused and use Just for Fun for stuff that you'd like to be more organic in how it can develop (but still adheres to most forum rules.)

I don't think it's unique enough where the current forum and moderation setup isn't going to allow for it to happen at all.