Renewed call for consolidating forums

[Registered Dude]

it would be a big shakeup for the site, but I don't think the number of forums and subforums is justifiable for this community, within Your Blue Room, specifically.

So many conversations are dead - untouched.. people like me are to blame. I dont want to dig 6 layers down to participate in a conversation.. I stick to one or two boards that are consistently updated with replies and new posts.

Imagine Your Blue Room as such:

General U2 Discussion:
Consolidate Everything You Know Is Wrong, It's a Musical Journey, Where the Album has No Name, Peelin off those dollar bills and Every Artist Is A Cannibal, Every Poet Is A Thief

PLEBA:
Consolidate Band Meetings and Sightings and PLEBA. Rename it BAGEL for a laugh

Musician Talk:
Self explanatory. Consolidate Three Chords and the Truth and Even Better than the Real Thing

Tour Central:
As is.. perfect - when tours get going, this is one area where all the subforums are alive.

Why all the changes?
The community is near death.. It's not 2001 anymore. I used to lurk here under a dif name. Place was kicking! Last 3-4 years, not so much.. I can't believe that there are THAT many new fans joining this community, even with the new album coming out. (I could be wrong - this is just a guess)

Consider:
- new album talk: posters are chastised for starting new threads outside the main one, so why do we need a whole forum? all you need is a dedicated thread
- lyric discussion: there are currently two threads with a total of 10 posts. It's dead, Jim. It's silly that if I want to talk about Heartland, I'd have to choose between EYKIW and It's a Musical Journey. What if I want to talk about the lyrics and that killer outro?
- moderating: would it not be easier to oversee just one or two forums, rather than 5?

My .02

Thanks for the consideration

 

[jeevey]

 

[mikal]

Agreed 100%

Sent from my Nexus 5 using U2 Interference mobile app

 

[Registered Dude]

Woohoo! 2 for 2


Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk

 

[Pearl]

Musician Talk:


Why all the changes?
The community is near death.. It's not 2001 anymore. I used to lurk here under a dif name. Place was kicking! Last 3-4 years, not so much.. I can't believe that there are THAT many new fans joining this community, even with the new album coming out. (I could be wrong - this is just a guess)

I think this site is on decline because U2 is not as big of a deal anymore. They're no longer the biggest band in the world, even if their next CD will be incredible. I know some here blame social media, but I'm active on other forums, and they are kicking like the old days of Interference. Sadly, U2 is losing relevancy.

But anyway, I think closing or consolidating forums is a good idea. I think the United Colours forum is pointless. I'm sure there are crickets chirping there now.

 

[Registered Dude]

a shake up might be good for breathing life into the place..

anyway - who makes these kinds of decisions? used to be that Elvis fella, right?

 

[Spun2U]

I would have to agree with you Reg Dude!

I've been a longtime member from the early days, and I have always thought this place could go on a diet. Sometimes less is more, and if you trimmed down the forums and focused everyone on fewer forums and shake the place up it could garner new interest from those who are on the sidelines lurking.

Just a thought.

BTW, Anyway to have a secondary theme option? I for one am sick of the blue. I know some love it, and it can stay as the default theme, but having an option on the theme would go along way in getting people back into this place.

 

[MrPryck2U]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Interference is just fine the way it is.


Pearl, your comment about U2's "relevancy" made me laugh. That's like a super duper U2/Interference cliché. We've had heaps of threads on that very word, but you had to go there. Shame on you!



Spun2U, you've been here for 12 years and you've got less than 400 posts. Guess you're still lurking on the sidelines.


Reggie Dude, when U2 finally releases their new album and goes on tour, this place will be rocking like it's 2005 all over again.

 

[bono_212]

I call that into question. I know people said the place would blow up again like usual when NLOTH came out, but I didn't really see that happen, imo.

 

[MrPryck2U]

You probably would have to ask the moderators about that. I was half joking about the 2005 part. For the most part, this place is always rocking. Most users online ever here happened on 6/24/2011 during the last tour. Coincidence? Nope. When U2 is active, U2 fans come here.

 

[mobvok]

In our grand 2011 heyday when Interference set the user record, how many threads in Cannibal // Thief had posts made that year? I think there's about 12. Twelve! There are a whopping seven threads that have had posts made within the last year. When fans showed up during the 360 user rush they skipped a lot of forums, something you'd predict if the forum design over categorizes everything and suppresses discussion in a self-fulfilling cycle of "not posting there because no one else is posting there".

If some of these forums didn't already exist, no one would think the topics were discussed enough to deserve their own forum. It's total status quo bias.

Peeling off those Dollar Bills is essentially a two thread forum- U2 360 boxscore, and U2 Chart/Sales statistics. Making a sticky thread in EYKIW serves just about exactly the same function. And as Registered Dude points out, it's completely cryptic why Three Chords and EBTTRT are different forums.

Even if we were to assume that this was the perfect forum layout at some point in the past, it strains belief to think it is still ideal despite years passing. Communities change, and the structure should reflect that.

 

[jeevey]

. If there isn't enough conversation, this splintering hurts and suppresses discussion when people start recognizing almost no one will read their thoughts.

There are seven threads in Cannibal // Thief that have had posts made within the last year. Peeling off those Dollar Bills is essentially a two thread forum- U2 360 boxscore, and U2 Chart/Sales statistics. Making a sticky thread in EYKIW serves just about exactly the same function. And as Registered Dude points out, it's completely cryptic why Three Chords and EBTTRT are different forums.

Yes. I posted a question about what's happening to Principle employees after the LN buyout in Dollar Bills and got zero responses, but it's hard to believe that not a single other person on this site has thoughts about it.

 

[Galeongirl]

I'm okay with most of the layout, but as the poster above state, some forum parts really don't get many visitors, so would be better off being merged.


edit: lol peeling off... I didn't even recall we had that part. I still have half the forum on hide I think.

 

[mobvok]

Let me pick on Cannibal a little bit more to make the point-in that forum's history, there have only been 6 threads to ever make 100 posts or more. 5 of the 6 haven't been commented in for at least 7 years, and the 6th thread, about Bono In Conversation, only has two posts in it since 2005.

....To be fair to Dollar Bills, looking at its most commented threads actually shows it livens up with Week 15 / Week 18 / etc. sales discussion threads when U2 is, well, selling things. I'd nestle it inside EYKIW alongside the new album forum instead of burying it in the front.

Yes. I posted a question about what's happening to Principle employees after the LN buyout in Dollar Bills and got zero responses, but it's hard to believe that not a single other person on this site has thoughts about it.

Yup. If you wanted to talk about it you pretty much had to talk in the EYKIW thread.

 

[Sicy]

I agree with some of your suggestions but not all of them. Some of the forums could definitely be consolidated but I feel it's necessary to have eykiw, wtahnn, and a couple others of your blue room separated. When I have time I'll take a further look/assessment and talk to the people in charge.

I've said before I think in this new age of social media most stick to Facebook Twitter etc rather than forums. Before Facebook interference was a lot busier and of course when U2 is actually doing something it gets a lot busier.

 

[mobvok]

Thanks, Sicy!

 

[Pearl]

Pearl, your comment about U2's "relevancy" made me laugh. That's like a super duper U2/Interference cliché. We've had heaps of threads on that very word, but you had to go there. Shame on you!

It may be a cliché, but I think there's truth to it. U2 just isn't on a lot of people's radar right now.

I just doubt that social media is the reason for Interference's decline. It may to some degree, but like I said, I'm active on other forums, and they are busy. But maybe its because those forums have different purposes.

I'm OK with the layout, and I'm not sure if changing the color would help or not. What else would we say besides "blue crack"?

 

[Registered Dude]

I agree with some of your suggestions but not all of them. Some of the forums could definitely be consolidated but I feel it's necessary to have eykiw, wtahnn, and a couple others of your blue room separated. When I have time I'll take a further look/assessment and talk to the people in charge.

Thanks.. my suggestions were just that, suggestions. I know you folks have a better sense of how the forum could best be structured. looking forward to the possibility of change and some new life around here.

 

[Sicy]

Gonna be working on this in the next few days. What do you guys think about the sub forums displaying? I honestly dont know why we didn't have it like this from day 1. Much easier to get to where you want to go. They may put in columns like this http://www.airforums.com/forums/ when the graphic guy can get to it.

 

[Galeongirl]

This is very convenient! I just noticed it, gets you through to the right subforum much faster.

 

[Registered Dude]

Gonna be working on this in the next few days. What do you guys think about the sub forums displaying? I honestly dont know why we didn't have it like this from day 1. Much easier to get to where you want to go. They may put in columns like this Airstream Forums - Powered by vBulletin when the graphic guy can get to it.

RE: the subforums displaying.. that's a nice touch!

 

[Pearl]

RE: the subforums displaying.. that's a nice touch!

I agree!

 

[Galeongirl]

I like how it shows what subforum has the new posts.

 

[Sicy]

Ok made a few changes, merged a couple of forums and moved some forums as sub forums to Lemonade Stand/EYKIW.

Merged --> Discotheque/Interference Gatherings
Merged --> Three Cords and the Truth/Even Better than the real thing??

Moved as subforum to Lemonade Stand --> Viva el Feedback. Vive le Feedback. Langes lebendes Feedback
Moved as subforums to EYKIW --> It's A Musical Journey, Every Artist Is A Cannibal, Every Poet Is A Thief, Peeling off those Dollar Bills

When speaking to the higher powers, they dont want to completely delete forums or threads because then it lowers our google ranking or something (having less content) so some of the forums I wanted to delete are going to have to stay. Hope this is better for some of you.


Also, thoughts on the Tour Forums Archives.. we are thinking of adding a new category under Your Blue Room for U2 Live Performances (like when they are on Letterman or other random performances) with the Tour Forums in this category as well.

 

[Popmartijn]

A good start.

 

[corianderstem]

Nice, thanks!

 

[Galeongirl]

Looks good

 

[cobl04]

 

[Registered Dude]

Thanks for you work.

 

[bono_212]

So you tried to get rid of Mr. Pussy's did you?