Interface

Is it just me or is the interface (i.e. forum format) somewhat clunky. I appreciate the set up to combat flooding but I really find this a chore to chew my way through compared to most other MA forums.

Does anyone else feel the same way or is it just me?

Just wondering.....

What do you find clunky about it? I very rarely peruse other forums and almost never post anywhere but here so I'm at a loss as to what you mean.

'chew' your way through? To navigate quickly, I just hit 'active topics' and it gives most recent threads in the past day, or so.

Or, 'who's online', if I want to see what is active now for topics, or PM someone.

Or do you mean something other than navigating?

Well I find the huge number of very old apparently dead threads rather overwhelming. What are your cull criteria ?

Also what is the organising priniciple behind the order of thread topics - is it the most recently posted on nearest the top, and you just have a lot of stickies at the top, or is it something else ?

I post on a forum on a completely different topic, non-fundamentalist Christian board, and they put certian topics like abortion and homosexuality into a separate 'dead horses' section of the board. People can still post on them if they want to, but if people starting getting to those topics they are directed to take it up on the relevant dead horses thread. It stops the boards getting cluttered with the same old arguments - typical of christian boards - again and again. I wonder if it might work here, for certain recurring topics on which there is little shift - such as arguments about which style is best.

I know people aren't supposed to get into those kind of arguments here - but they do, you can see it emerging on Crablord's sparring thread on Martial Arts talk. It might the admins job easier, giving folks a place to vent so it doesn't come up elsewhere. I am sure you are familiar with other topics that come up regularly and just go round and round in circles.

Anyway, just my two-penny worth - feel free to ignore it - as I am sure you will if you want to

[ETA They also do a rather neat rule summary 10Cs - Hell being the board where you can rant and sort out your personal differences, again makes it easier to stop rows derailing threads on the main part of the boards.]

I like the idea...lets start with a 'dead horse site suggestion' area. lol j/k

I really do like the idea. but there is one logistical problem. lets say a separate area is created called 'common topics' or something. do ALL common topics go there reguardless of which area they come from? for example, a common topic that comes up in the karate forum is vertical vs horizontal punch. does that get mixed in the common area which also has 'defending against the shoot' or common questions about 'chi energy'?

after a while, it becomes harder to find in a search since now you have to sift thru both areas in order to find threads on 'karate punches' for example.

not saying it's a bad idea, and you say it works well in the forum you are in...but imagine if the religeous forum you are in included ALL religions. then one common area might not make as much sense.

I hear what you're saying, I think it works if you restrict it to a small number of topics. The choice on the other board is basically about a group of topics that clog the boards otherwise, and generate more heat than light. (Rather than just being topics that come up a lot.)