The forums are stagnating - what should be done about it?

[makingmusic476]

Machina said:

1) is also linked to a lot of other problems - the decline of the feeling of community, the current sales situation, attrition of older members, and a whole host of other things. We've discussed this so many times before (I even remember an old thread on the staff forums you took part in MM, that must've been... what, 2 years ago now?) and continue to discuss it amongst ourselves on staff, but there are no easy solutions and a lot of it is organic and just the nature of online communities.

2) is easier though. I agree with your suggestion to reduce and simplify the number of boards, it's my personal preference now too. But I don't see it making much (any?) difference tbh.

I also agree with people who say they feel the sites have been too fragmented ever since Connect came into existence and that there's just too much stuff, the site's not simplified enough (that's partly why I think gaf is so successful, even though I don't use it myself), and there are too many clicks needed to get where you want. But that raises issues of fundamental redesign which is problematic for a lot of reasons, including the fact that fundamental redesigns have the effect of alienating our existing user base - people don't like major change, even when it's clearly an improvement.

That was actually a thread I created!  And I did mention it in the OP.  ^^

And I can see changes to #2 making quite a bit of difference.  Even if it won't spur new site visitors to view the forums, it will at least help in retaining older users.  New visitors often don't make it to the forums because, as you said, the website is too fragmented, but that same issue affects the forums themselves, and it's partly why certain members (I can rattle off a list if necessary lol) have left.

And I wouldn't say site redesigns will always alienate our current userbase.  VGChartz 3.0 was met with almost universal hatred, but gamrConnect 2.0 was met with mostly praise.  So long as the changes don't come off as arbitrary or downright bad, things should go over well.

Shorty11857 said:
I agree these forums aren't what they once were. I remember I used to come on here check every forum but now there's just not enough activity, I just go to Hot Topics and see if anything interesting is happening

I really think the forum should take some ideas from neogaf, one thing I'd like to see more of is "official" threads for games. I remember when FFXIII launched we had one and it was pretty active. Is there any policy on here for them or can people just make them?

I really think things like that would help increase discussion because not every small thing is worth starting a new thread for

We actually have had plenty of official threads for games over the years.  The issue is that they're usually created months in advance of the release of a game, and get ignored or forgotten in favor of new threads containing new news about the game in question.

Gaf handles this very well.  Prior to the release of a game, new news gets new threads.  Official threads are only created one week before the release of a game, and that thread is used to discuss the game from there on out.  If an official thread is made prior to one week before a game's release date, it'll be locked.  This system works quite nicely.

Of course, once a thread has gotten on in years, it's perfectly fine to start making new threads about the game again, which is when "Late to the Party" threads start to pop up.

Though now that we have the ability to edit thread titles, official threads made well before the release of a game can work rather well.  For example, M.U.G.E.N.'s PlayStation Vita thread, which gets a title change whenever new news comes to light.

TadpoleJackson said:

As someone that used to post on this site a lot from a different account, then made this one just to troll. I can tell you why I no longer post here on a regular basis.

The forums are boring. Besides a few members(rolstoppable, trasharm, Barozi, Dgc, etc etc) all the good ones have left. And VGC has gone from a huge concentration of Sony fanboys to an almost complete population of them. The threads have slowed down a lot too.. and most of them are filled with trolls.

 

I also think the site needs tighter moderation...

I agree with this to a degree.  I think in regards to flaming and whatnot, the current team is doing rather well.

However, I do think the mod team needs to start cracking down on topics that aren't thread worthy.   A thread like this doesn't necessarily break any rules, but on gaf it would've been locked, both for its absurdity and so that other, better threads can get more attention.

To quote gaf's member etiquette and inappropriate posts sections:

Don't make garbage threads
If you are posting a discussion topic, think about whether the subject has merit. Topics which exist only to ask a yes/no question with no room for actual discussion, or topics which exist only to encourage subsequent replies consisting of lists or rankings are generally discouraged.

If you're reading a HUGE rumour ("Nintendo going third party") from some random Blog you've never heard of, use some common sense. If you don't believe the rumour yourself, don't post it. Posting something obviously crazy and calling it a rumour is not a defence.

I also think moderators should do something about posters who can't type legibly.  The purpose of a forum is to facilitate discussion between its members.  Using barely understandable shorthand is directly in conflict with this idea.  In my opinion, if you can't make a post without using crap like "yrs" in place of "years", or if what you're trying to say is simply impossible to understand, you shouldn't be allowed to continue participating in a discussion.

I understand and respect those who do not natively speak English yet attempt to participate in discussion as best they can, and if anything they should be applauded for doing their best to learn new languages, but when you have someone from the US or UK who's using texting shorthand in their posts, it just shows they're not taking this seriously, and they should be removed from the site.

I think tackling these two areas helps clear out a lot of the riff-raff, so to speak.  Though neither is really an issue at the moment, given the low number of active posters these days, but they have been issues in the past.

I also like gaf's "don't be a dick" guideline:

Be polite, please
In general when posting in threads, don't be a dick. Be respectful of other fellow members, and learn to argue against the points in a discussion without making it personal or insulting the other party. Present your points well and others will respect your opinion more. Using proper grammar and avoiding typos will also make it easier for others to understand your message.

That covers when people are just being assholes, but aren't directly insulting anyone.

Really, gaf doesn't have too many specific rules.  Mostly guidelines, and Evilore entrusts his mods to determine when people have become a hindrance to good discussion, and thus should be removed from the site.  Subsequently, he holds a very high standard for his moderators, each of which could probably make a good community manager in their own right.  Though he does have a much larger pool from which to select said moderators.