I've noticed a lot of these threads lately: "The sky is falling! See this article I've linked/embedded proves it!" "Any interest in my super sweet _____?" "Check out this project that this cool guy finished" "Which _____ should I buy?" "What is your dream _____?" "My _____ broke/is broken, help!" Yeah, I know every new thread can't be expected to provide original content but (in my opinion) a lot of these threads seem pretty far removed from (my interpretation of) the site's mission and they're cluttering up the forums by obscuring original content threads. What does this mean? I dunno. Perhaps these "relatively on-topic" threads should have their own forum? Perhaps we should start a AG renaissance? Perhaps I'm a jerk for posting this?
I don't think posts like those have reached critical proportions yet. They seem largely positioned in the general gaming/off topic/japan threads & aren't cluttering the more serious forums. For the most part I get more entertainment than irritation from most of these posts. Sure, they're not 'core', but at least the site is alive & isn't suffering the slow 1-post a week death of some boards. I'm actually glad that the site & it's users are tolerant of 'my xxxxx is broken - help!' posts, as they've helped me out a few times!
Some sort of quality meter would be awesome though, especially if it is community moderated. For example, the ability to "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" a thread would be a great way for the community at large to say "this is a very useful thread/post" or "this is a poor thread/post." As limey mentioned, the "fix-it help" posts can be quite useful. Now add in a quality measurement and it becomes easier to see who the really knowledgable/helpful posters are. -hl718
Well, there is that 'Rate Thread' option at the top-right? I've only ever noticed it used for a relative few select threads, though...
eheheheheh you can already rate topics and users done a few times, but not useful if lots of people don't do the same...
I agree with Limey (partly because I know I am probably under threat of extinction lol). No need to name and other sites that struggle to attract any posts at all, but we all know of sites where there is little or no community. It can happen for a number of reasons, but when it does it must be depressing for those who set the site up! Luckily most of the topics you have mentioned are confined to the 'off-topic' section. What you don't want happening however is AG to become elitest and inaccessible. The only way to keep new interest from those (like me) who have little experience is to allow discussion. As people become more comfortable and accepted in the community, they get more involved. There is absolutely nothing stopping people posting in-depth, technical or more on-topic posts (as you suggest). AG is a lot better than some sites, which is why this total noob stuck with it whilst giving up or totally ignoring other sites. There are a few posters on ALL sites who post verbal cardboard however and these are the people who should be stopped in their tracks and ba................... <User banner for verbal cardboard> ;-)
Verbal cardboard I like that phrase. Anyway on topic, I think this is a transitional period really as the hardware of last generation has been talked to death and a lot of new members wouldnt want to drag up old topics too much. The current generation is hindered by NDA`s, tight lips and lack of knowledge. As long as the topics stay in their relevant places it shouldnt really be a problem, it is nice to have a community atmosphere discussing all manner of topics. However more technical and focused discussion on the obscurities of the gaming world will be much welcomed by everyone. People have to be posting these threads in the first place, maybe its time for people to showcase and discuss their prized items for all to see. The user submitted articles thread could be the kick in the pants you`re after if the members can come up with interesting and informative pieces. Has their been a steady decline in the content of posts over the years, i`m guessing there has.
Well, I want AG to be at least mostly about rare/obscure, and just because a board is content-driven doesn't make it elitist. If a board is inaccessible to someone, it's THEIR job to make it accessible, they can't expect everyone to hold their hand AND be their friend, since that's not a two sided relationship. Yes there is! Some of the best AG members are only lurkers because the forum can't be taken seriously, especially regarding development. There are a lot of talented homebrewers/hackers/sceners out there, but in order for them to invest their time in AG, they need some reSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMcation. Threads like these don't help: "how can I make my debug play retail" "what is this dev item I outbid you on?" "help me fix my broken devkit" "here are some illegal files for you to collect" Nonono, I completely ignored the off-topic forum when posting this, all examples were gathered from the rare/general/dev/etc sections. This is not true, there are so many things that could be spoken about past consoles but aren't. If people would only compile rare/obscure data about retail it would be a good use of a post. Also the current generation CAN be talked about a lot more than it is, it just isn't because clean-room hackers don't choose to talk here, instead they choose *WAREZ* boards, which is sad since AG, with less of the illegalness, could be a better outlet. But in my opinion they don't because there are currently no relevant places for these threads. More of my views: I check this website probably 10 times a day (which is my own problem, I know) and constantly click on each forum to see what new posts appear. Most of the time I'm pretty disappointed because the new posts are just lazy. It's sort of okay to be lazy when replying to a thread, but when starting one? I donk't think so, but I'm not the judge of quality on the forum, we all are. Final points: -Personally, I feel that less is more regarding threads. Just because a board gets slow shouldn't make everyone post just anything to break the awkward silence. -If people feel the urge to be a journalist, they could at least write their own posts. -I think it would be a very good idea for borrowed-content threads to have their own forum since AG isn't everyone's private blog. -I think we should have a designated help forum since it's aggravating for practically every post to be asking or posing a question for the poster's personal benefit.
To be neat and tidy... I find it hard to say (because I feel the number of subforums bas ballooned a bit out of proportion) but I think at the very least a Console Support Forum (like the Computer Support Forum) could actually be useful to remove the overabundance of those posts from regular view but still provide access to the useful information they contain. ~Krelian
One thing that stands out about this board is it's general wilingness to help/guide/nudge noobs in the right direction without squishing them at the first attempt. When I transitioned from lurker to poster, I tried to do the research & not ask stupid questions, but when you're a noob, it's hard to know whats stupid sometimes. That's not to justify some of the obviously lazy posts, mind you, but I'm grateful for the general level of tolerance. Remember that for the majority of users on a board like this, their initial posts will be questions, simply because of the s-p-e-c-a-i-l-i-s-e-d topic of interest & the fact that here is one of the few places where such info appears to be gathered. As long as this stuff stays largely in the off-topic/general gaming/japan areas, I'd generally be satisfied. Here's one thing that might help - let's populate & point to the wiki more. I suspect that a lot of the 'my xxxx is broken' type posts get irritating through repetition, so having some of the more frequent issues/solutions/info in there would probably help noob & experienced user alike. Stuff like Parris' TOOL guide are definitely wiki-worthy, IMO. And let's use the thread rating more, too!
I agree it was a stretch for me to say they have been talked to death, It came coupled with the comment that many new members might not want to drag up older topics (clearly this isn`t the case as the site is ballooning). More comparisons of beta/debug/review/preview versions of games to retail would be great to see and if the differences were abundant they would probably also make the data more valuable for the owner. There are probably a lot of discs in collectors hands that havent been documented which is a shame. We all like to see screenshots of game data that was cut during development.
I feel everything is fine. The general gaming forum is filled with what some of you are complaining because that's what the forum is for... general gaming. I kinda see it as a filing system. If a new member who has tons of info about stuff even the seasoned member here doesn't know, but posts it in the wrong forum, we really shouldn't scold them for not paying that much attention. A mod can simply move it to the forum that is more appropriate for it. Obscure Gaming forum is like the catchall for a lot of the rare topics. Mostly games, not hardware. Of course, with every new person there is always a chance an old thread topic will spring up or a new topic will be created, especially if an older one is deep within the pages. Comparing now to what the place was like when AG switched from EZboards, a lot has changed. This current format and organization of forums is pretty good. Don't forget that there is a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo that is holding back a lot of information these lurkers and members carry. There's NDAs, gag-orders, injuctions, etc. keeping a lot of people back. There's nothing we can do about it.
I'm not complaining that general gaming is filled with general gaming etc, I'm complaining that it's filled with non-content. Practically all the content on the board is contained within responses to threads, not the initial post itself. From my experiences on other (granted more technical) boards, this isn't normal. That's a horrible (and overused) excuse! The types of people I mentioned are not even in the game industry with little exception. There is plenty of interesting, RIGHTEOUS information, clean-roomed by individuals which in the scheme of things are even better than the industry's. There's also nothing stopping those in the industry from contributing all they know about things unrelated to their jobs. Let's face it, some of the lurkers lurk because they don't see the forum as a respectable place to settle or they don't feel their endeavors would interest or be appreciated/recipr0cated* by the members here. *note: there's an autoreplace on cipr'o'
I think you could probably sum it up like this: This website isn't your personal blog. There are the topics that are somewhat interesting (say, assembler's illusions thread) but then there are others that pretty much fit what calpis is talking about. People not posting much? I don't post a lot because I don't know any original knowledge. Then there are those that have some useful, interesting tidbits but probably don't share because it would be washed away in the flood of... stuff. Thread ratings? Doesn't stop people who talk just to hear themselves talk *cough*Barc0de*cough* (j/k).
While some people post topics that seem, well, void of redeeming qualities, we must remember that this forum was founded with the goals of avoiding the elitism, snobbery, and unfriendliness found in other forums. One of the worst sins we have is the unwarranted flaming of new users. I set up distinct forums to keep such casual discussion to a specific area. Namely, general gaming and off topic. The other forums generally have a certain expected quailty to posts. While we do get some lackluster threads sometimes, I think that people come here because we know so much, and are so helpful. To all of the sudden lose our tolerace would be a great disservice. We honestly don't have that much post volume, and we could stand to have more quality posts. If you feel like posting, and are worried your thoughts will be discarded, ELABORATE. If you value your idea, you will flesh it out. Remember, off topic and general gaming are basically dumping grounds. We made the areas because people can't resist posting gaming news that wa all knew about three days prior. Be more open and more friendly. It's not hard. It's always easier to complain about problems than it is to fix them. If you want to see more quality posts, post some yourself and lead by example.
I do beleive there are some less interesting threads and i myself have probably stared a boring thread like my xxx is broken or whatever. I know this forum is geared towards rare, obscure and the less known gaming items but beleive that general gaming and off topic sections useful becuase it gives members a chance to post what they want and have a friendly disccussion when they might not post elsewhere because of lack of knowlege in rare and obscure things or what not.
