Condensing the Board

[ElvenArcher]

The admins have been discussing condensing the forums here on TORC. Back in 1999, we had just a few forums, but in 2000 we had an explosion of growth in memberships and posts. So many people were posting that one would have to go through three or four pages to find just one day's new threads. This necessitated increasing the number of forums, and making them more specific. Now that the movies are well in the past, and many people have migrated to facebook and left the old lands of Message Boards, we find we have too many forums and too few posts. Discussion was inhibited in the past by not enough forums. Today it's the opposite. Discussion is inhibited by too many forums. We are a handful of people living in a house built for a thousand.

And so the admins are starting the work of condensing the board. Forums that have not had use in some time are being archived. They are not being deleted; you can still read them in the archive section. Discussion, however, will be limited to the remaining non archived forums.

While it is an easy decision to archive forums where no one has posted in years, it's more difficult to make the decision to archive forums where people still occasionally post. While the admins will make the final call, we do want to get input from the members.

Some forums may be merged. For example, we can condense the Tolkien Movie forums into one "Tolkien: Movies and Media," which would contain discussion of all the films and other productions, as well as Art. Movies (other) can become "Movies and Media: Other" This could also be merged with the Music forum, although that could also merge with "Talk."

Please let us know your feelings about merging and archiving the forums. If the board grows again, we can always add a new forum or dust off an archived forum.

[Calma]

I'm ok with the condensing.
Just as long as the board doesn't disappear all together.
I'm not on Facebook so this is my only connection to the old days.

Sorry I went into panic mode.
Ask heliona about that....

[ElvenArcher]

I wouldn't be happy if the board went away! We are hoping that making it smaller will make it easier for the board to thrive, even if with fewer people. If we archive anything people want to start using again we can easily un-archive it.

[oldtoby]

I think its a good idea

[Tookish_Traveler]

Merging is fine. Just so we all don't fall into the abyss...

[Ninui]

Well, just make it so that little miss computer dumb can still find her way around the place. That's all I'll ask.

[elora]

Possible to get a list of which forums will be archived and which will be condensed?

I ask because I'm time poor and recognise others are. A list will help me determine whether my input is relevant, and save my time and admins in typing/reading it should my input not be.

[IrisBrandybuck]

Good idea, elora.

My only thought, besides saying this is a good idea, is the Followers of Eru...I know we're not very active at all, but it is one place where about three or four people, when they stop to visit the boards, stop first.

Other than that...

[White Shadow]

The suggestion was to archive the following forums:

- Adoptions
- Virtual Tolkien Study Group
- Book News
- Movie News
- Movies - LotR (Fandom)
- The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (anything can be posted about in the general Games forum)
- Servants of the Secret Fire: Lord of the Rings Online Kinship
- The Green Dragon Inn
- Community News

And condense:

- Movies (Lotr), Movies (TH), Movies (Fandom) and Art into Tolkien: Movies and Other Media (including movie news)
- Movies and Media: Other (which can include Music)
- The three games forums can then be Games (Tolkien and more)

Keep
- Books: Tolkien (which can then include any new book news)
- Books: Other

I believe that's everything. I hope that makes sense, but please ask for clarification if it doesn't! Anything that is archived can always be unarchived if anyone wants to post on them again (such as the Study Group forum).

Iris, there's no plans to do anything with the Alliances forum - the only ones that were planned for archiving were either forums that hadn't been posted in in some time, or where the topics could be merged into one general forum due to not a great deal of activity but still some posts.

[IrisBrandybuck]

[ElvenArcher]

We are very open to suggestions if anyone wants to make a case for condensing or archiving a particular forum. And remember we can reopen an archived board or make a new one if there is a need.

[SilverScribe]

I'm sorry I'm one of the thousands who disappeared into the attic or the basement . . . or was it that open root cellar door that I stumbled into?

A smaller house sounds like a good solution. Cozy is preferable to "closed" . . .

[Bilbo25]

I am inclined to agree with Silver Scribe condensing the board and archiving inactive threads is preferable to complete closure. By the By I fell into a deep pit in Angmar

[erinhue]

One word about The Prancing Pony I know the forum has been very still for some time and condensing sounds like a grand idea. I just want to ask that the current Mithril Knights threads down there not be closed or archived. We move slow I know but we are still alive and kicking or at least twitching. I feel a resurgence in the wind so please don't shut us down. Think we are the last living thread in the forum that oughta count for something

[Melwa]

I'm one of those who's drifted to other social media places like Facebook, but I'd be sad to see this place close altogether. I still check in when I need a breath of clean fandom air and friendly faces. Condensing does seem like a good idea, especially as archived forums can always be revived.

[White Shadow]

One word about The Prancing Pony I know the forum has been very still for some time and condensing sounds like a grand idea. I just want to ask that the current Mithril Knights threads down there not be closed or archived. We move slow I know but we are still alive and kicking or at least twitching. I feel a resurgence in the wind so please don't shut us down. Think we are the last living thread in the forum that oughta count for something

The Prancing Pony won't be shut down, don't worry, Hue.

[erinhue]

Thank ya muchly

[ElvenArcher]

A number of areas are being merged, but no posts are being lost. I've just merged all the Tolkien Movies forums into one, but all threads were saved. As long as there is activity on a forum, it will either remain or be merged with another forum but without the loss of posts. If there is objection to a merge, we'll certainly review it and can always add a forum back. We had many forums with very few posts, as the world has changed since we boomed in the last year of the last millennia. We are hoping the merge/condensing will make it easier to have our discussions. That's the goal.
I'm considering archiving "Art" and new art posts can be put in Media. Art was always a special place to me, and I'd like to see the Artists specific threads of the past not be lost on page 18 of Movies. However, newer posts on Art can be placed in Media. Does that sound acceptable? We won't act without both mod and member consultation.