How do you all feel about combined clubs like I did with BK and Harman?

[Lex]

Well, I'm curious. Since I don't think I want HTG to become like at least one forum I know of that has a good 3-4 pages of forums on 1 page. I don't like that. I think it's to difficult to navigate.

We need to maintain a workable size. Agree?

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[Burke Strickland]

I agree that having page after page of forum listings is a bit much. I hate it when I have to scroll through screen after screen of forum section names and have to kind of guess where anything of interest might show up. So I generally prefer fewer, rather than more, discrete divisions. I like having a general A/V discussion area, a more focused Audio area and a few others devoted to special interests such as HTPCs, electronic gadgets, and DIY (all separate topics).

I think our experience has been that very few product lines generate the constant questioning and enthusiastic posting by enough memebers to sustain a specialized forum long term. So broader, generalized equipment topic areas such as "pre/pros and power amps" or "anything NOT made by Rotel" :>) might be more appropriate than a long list of fragmented, specialized brand/product-specific areas that get one or two posts to "get them started" and then have no activity for half a year.

On the other hand, once a section is established, I don't think it should just "disappear" or be renamed or shuffled somewhere else on the list without a lot of advance warning and discussion. It takes a while to build up awareness that a place even exists and a lot of effort to get people to start posting, so the last thing we want to do is pull the rug out from under an area that is showing reasonably frequent signs of life. OTOH, if we start up a lot of new sections hoping that "if you build it, they will come", but no one ever shows up, eventually it makes sense to wield the scythe (after fair warning) and trim the list down to a more manageable number.

Bottom line -- Certain specialized topics that really "take off" warrant their own areas and should be maintained separately from the more generalized areas. But generally, fewer areas with broader coverage are better until heavy traffic literally bursts the sections at the seams and more specialized areas become a necessity.

My $0.02 for today. :>)

Burke

[John Holmes]

I think Burke has detailed the very essence of what "Any" forum should be, regardless of it's theme. I agree with him.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[David Meek]

Lex, combined forums are fine by me. Once they "take off" then split them out.




David - HTGuide flunky
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[RedStep]

I agree with David...But, I don't understand why B&K forum didn't take off...We had several interested in the start, and then it petered out. I'm going to find something to say to every B&K post, hell, I know I've got to do my part. Mabe we need to market better :LOL:




RedStep
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