*Note - as I reread this it will most likely be edited numerous times before finally being finished.. or at least progressing to the point where I can no longer add anything to it. Please be aware of the work in progress nature... Thank you.

===============
Did we ask to leave or were we kicked out?

It seems the differences between the two forums back on Napster.com have surfaced once again. But I don't believe the differences are based on ability in any field or in knowledge of current event, or for that matter any topic at hand. The base difference is in how one handles questions and the respect one shows to the people asking and answering them.

Having threads based around posting pictures is fun for many people, myself included. Threads based on one word storytelling is a wonderful creative process, reguardless of how the story flows. This threads along with others define a style and offer a release in many ways for the members of a forum. The question arises in the manor in which the other threads in the forum are treated along with the fun based ones.


Whose forum is it?

Do some people feel that their view of how the board should be is more right than someone else's view? I think in many ways we all feel different about how we view the board. While it is common for only a few to voice their opinion about subject due to the inequalities across our members in the ability of passing messages across in the typed english language many members place themselves in a second class status by parroting a "me too" ideal. A common "That's what I wanted to say but you said it better" approach. This tends to place a few people in the lead as far as defining the feel of the forum, instead of having a true people's community.


Where do we go from here?

This is a question I have seen asked on countless boards, and in countless other situations. Personally I don't have a hard and fast, easy answer. I have ideas in which I try to push through my writings which mostly involve the members of the process standing up and voicing their opinion. I am merely a member of the great unwashed masses, my voice adds to the chorus of sound calling out and giving tone to the sound of humanity. My calls for change do nothing without the response of others around me.


So...... what does your voice sound like?

Malk I moved your thread in here as the thread had produced some good points on the need to stay on topic
etc.

Also some suggestions were made re having separate forums to discuss relevant issues.

I originally intended for all subjects that were discussed at Napsterites to be primarily discussed in the Underground and then should a member feel a topic was worth storing , they could move them to the respective areas after the discussion was dealt with.

I do see your point about staying on topic, maybe that is the answer all along.

I think what is needed, is for you all to chew over what you would like to see and think thru all the ramifications (if any)

When you have a proposal put together for how we can run this, after discussion, we can implement it.


As for the thread of yours I moved in here....please feel free to move it anywhere you like.

I simply moved it into this forum after setting it up to get the ball rolling, it's easy for you to move it again.

At the bottom of your thread there is the Move feature which you, as a member, have had enabled for your use.

When you access it, you will see there are some options open to you re links and moving.

If you have any problems please ask..

I'll be following the threads and suggestions here closely :)

Gaz first off - no worries.

I know why you moved it and I understand the reasons you had. I may not have done the same, but that is what the discussion is about.

This is the essense of 90% of my posts on this board.
But to often people don't want to define what it is they want other than to complain when they dont get it.

So it's going to be either a constant headache for whoever is tasked with reading the minds of a group of people unwilling to discuss or a constant fight amonst a group of people unable or unwilling to hold a discussion on the topics that effect the forum.

When the thread was moved..i kinda felt like we had done something wrong...oh my god...its a serious thread you better move it...it doesnt belong here....everyone wont want to answer or view it...so lets move it to another forum...

I mean if someone doesnt want to post..why even read the thread?....and why post and say...i dont want to reply to this cause it might start something....give me a break...if you cant handle people giving another opinion..why are you on a forum with people that are different then you?...why not go to a forum that everyone has the same opinion you have?...but then..that would be just a little boring wouldnt it.

On a forum you are always going to have someone that likes to cause problems, but that is what makes everything interesting...and you always have the option of not answering a post you dont want to...whether its someone flaming you...or a post you dont want to answer....

Just my opinion...

HellBound

As of late I have found it increasingly difficult to find threads that are worthy of bumps. I like to bump thread that are either fun and exciting, people needing help and have not received any yet, or threads that are well thought or relating to current events. By me not finding too many of these threads it shows that a lot of people on the board see that opion oriented threads are not the threads that get a lot of replies. The humorous ones do. Now those threads are cool, but I find it refreshing to sometimes get threads that I have to think about and can post how I feel about the topic. I know of one user who makes threads that are thought provoking only to watch the thread only get about 1 or 2 replies containing 'content' and the rest are just 'good point *user*.'. This is real discouraging after you spend the itme looking up information and posting a well thought out post and having only 1 or 2 others share their viewpoint on the information. Now I'm just as guilty as everyone is about not always replying to well thought out threads, I'm just suggesting that we all work together on making this forum a little more 'thought provoking'. I know if this is the case...my job as bumper of threads would be a lot easier :)

that's just my opinion...;)

I can accept differing opinions, it's snotty remarks like that that piss me off. Just like I said.

edit...typo

One essential factor for message board dynamics is the plain number of posts and new threads that keeps flowing into it. A forum within a message board is like a resonation chamber with a limited capacity, determined by things like the size of the 'active area' (mostly the front page) and the general posting habits of the members (sticking into existing threads etc.). As long as the inflow of new posts and especially new threads does not reach this capacity the chamber can sustain a good number of very different vibrations which don't disturb each other but rather enrich the total vibrational state of the forum, keeping the board vibrant, versatile and interesting.

But when the popularity of the forum keeps increasing, the adverse effects of overloading start inevitably to show. The threads get blown too quickly out of the active area, leaving too little time for the ideas to form natural vibrations and resonances between the brains of the community. Instead of inspired collective vibrations there will be more and more forced bumping; instead of peaceful listening and reflecting on the ideas and themes presented there will be more and more shouting and shallow babbling etc. In short, the signal to noise ratio starts deteriorating. The rather personal nature of our average Underground posts adds to the problem: when N people say daily 'hi, how are you doing' to each other, it generates NxN chit-chat posts of no wider interest, making the active resonating area that more a narrow place for posts of some objective substance.

This development was clearly noticeable on the Nappy boards while their popularity kept continuously rising. The split to Speak Out and Software forums was inevitable simply because the channel capacity for a single forum was reached and exceeded. The fatal blow to the functionality of their boards was of course the horrible Slashdot implementation that prevented the use of thread 'hotness' as a cohesive force on the communication. That force taken away there was nothing to prevent the overloaded forums becoming black-hole-like singularities that suck all the energy fed into them without creating any sustained resonances whatsoever.

My feeling is that up till last few weeks The Underground has been handling the volume of our posting quite well. Lately, however, the signs of overcrowding have started to show, and instead of being a mutually enriching factor the very different energies of personal chit-chat and topic-oriented discussion have started to compete for the limited communication space and interfere with each other in a less fruitful way. After seeing and living through all the mistakes that Nappy did on their boards we can be wiser and experiment smoothly to find good ways to channel the increasing popularity of this board in a way that keeps everybody happy and prevents unnecessary frustration for different kinds of board members.

The broad idea of having The Underground as a chatroom-like forum and Software Forum as an on-topic discussion forum feels like a good approach to me at this stage. As a chatroom The Underground can handle a still good deal of more posting - many of the members probably even prefer to have it 'hot'... :D And as a relatively still place this Software Forum is all open for intelligent in-depth communication which - if it is to happen - will probably attract more intelligence into the forum in the course of time. We are here to experiment... so let's give it a go! :p

- tg ;)

Well, I've always wanted to be very vocal, but not being too tech-oriented, I seldom know what to say. I guess I feel like A^3 as far as looking for things worth a click and all. I've tried to learn what I could during the last nine months at Napster and Napsterites, but I'll be the first to say I have a long way to go. I think that's the deal with a lot of people. Sometimes one can only say, "good point, so-and-so," because everything one sees is new to him or her. I surely wouldn't want to be dismissed because of my lack of ability. However, until I have better Net access, some time and some training, well, I'll still say "good point, so-and-so" a lot. Only on occasion do I have anything really different to say. On the good side of that, however, is the fact that there are many fruitful minds here who do have the experience that they can use to enlighten. Unfortunately, I've refrained from true content posting somewhat recently, for some of the flames. Hopefully, that will subside. Also, I hope this works out as a sort of "resonance chamber," as TG puts it.

One thing: as for the description of this board (Software), perhaps it would be helpful to clarify or modify "High Content." High content can either be amount of content or intellectual caliber. In the latter, it being potentially interpreted that way in some ways may make posters at the Underground section feel not up to scratch. I surely wouldn't want anyone feeling that way. That was part of the fiasco over the Napster BB Software/Speak Out cleaning/clash. Speak Out was "the trash can." People that post only in the Underground section should not feel that way since that only breeds contempt amongst everyone. Perhaps just leaving it at technically-oriented posts would be better. But this is all just my schmiel. Take it or leave it.

Thinker points out a good problem -

In labeling the forum Software or having a "High Content" area it serves to scare away some people from posting.

High content in my opinion has never been about how much you know but more of how much effort you put into it. I don't run message boards - so in theroy I know absolutely nothing about this topic - but I have sat down and thought about the topic in it's reguard to myself and the others here and tried to form a well reasoned opinion about it.

That's all I ask of my fellow forum members in reguards to "High Content", but the title scares people - words have power.

So - assuming we get a few more people to poke their heads in here..... what is a possible alternative name?

Sorry guys, I hear you in your call for no 'I Agree' posts, nontheless, here I go...
 

Excellent points, all of em!!! :b: :J: :b:

Well put TankGirl, I see your very observant!

As Maze said too, I certainly didn't wish for there to be a "split" within the Napsterites, as such, however as always, there can be subtle changes.

Introducing new Forums to Post into, as you have explained above, is a valid concept.

As I have explained before, there is no problem with members moving their threads to areas that are more appropriate as the need arises, at any stage.

There is an option to leave a link from the Underground to whatever forum is established now and in the future, when you move your threads, if you wish to discuss them in the Underground first. (as was my first thoughts on this matter)

Reychal has also suggested a "serious topic" forum as well.

Again...we need to think about the ramifications of possibly "dividing" people that want to post a "serious type" thread and then "losing" those threads in a new forum should nobody check them out.

This may not be a problem however, as I feel that the people that mainly wish to discuss "on topic/content" type threads will be the ones moving those threads anyway, should you wish to post the thread in the Underground first..

In time, I'm sure that people will filter into the specific forum areas of their choice and could still view the main Underground Forum as the main starting point, if keeping the topics highly visible is a problem.

This may in time change as any new forum areas take on a life of their own.

It's really up to you guys how you want it to run this.

There is no problem with adding specific forums, all you need to do is agree amongst yourselves, how many forum areas you would like and what you want to call them.

So think about it and let's give it a try....if it doesn't work, we can always combine the threads back into the main Underground :)

Ok.....

Now MG - just like my teachers in school used to say:

"That's very good, now say it in your own words."


We've heard from Thinker, now I personally, want to hear from you. Please.

Well, I think (and again, just my opinion here) that this portion of the forum should be called the Underground, and the other side where all the jokes, getting to know you and fun' polls types of threads are, should be called something else... :spin:

Something that reflects the 'fun' a lot of people come here for, and a name that would make it evident that all such 'just for shits and giggles' threads should, whenever possible, be posted in there...Nothing other than Chit Chat for a name comes to mind, lol. Maybe the Chit Chat Club? lol :BL:

Good point Thinker,

Early days yet....I have removed that description, as we develop these Forums, you can recommend what description they fall into ....let me know :)

anything is possible ;)

Umm, my days of High School have long passed me by Malk...I have learned a few things...If I can't say anything better than somebody else has, and I wanna get across the same points, don't make myself look like a complete retard just paraphrasing another persons words.

When I have my own points to make that no one other than myself has made...You can be sure I'll make em...:D

I wouldn't be too worried about a split being developed as long as the positive and playful spirit of The Underground is being protected by appropriate moderation. Nappy allowed their Speak Out to turn into a trashcan by leaving it unmoderated and we are certainly wiser than that. As long as the haters are kept out and troublemakers in order I see no reason why The Underground would not serve as a common meeting place for the entire Napsterite community. Instead being a Speak Out -like trashcan or a 'second rate forum' it would be more like a marketplace or a Hyde Park where you can pop into anybody and speak to anybody/everybody as you are moved to. There is always a lot of chatting and laughter in a marketplace and you never know what is on sale on each day. But that does not prevent professors and workers enjoying it alike - that is the very reason that makes it interesting for everybody.

The Underground would be the natural place to post the newspapers and give the virus warnings and other announcements of direct importance to all forum members. Being noisy and crowded it would not be the place for in-depth discussions between larger groups of people but for that we would have the Software Forum. See it as an open discussion club if you wish. The only precondition for attending it would be the elementary self-discipline of staying roughly on topics and putting some thought into what is being said. This approach does not contain any social discrimination or mob/elite polarization - it simply acknowledges the two different modes of communication and the different energies associated with them.

- tg ;)

As for moderating techniques here, a lot goes on behind the scenes and the Underground is in fact closely "moderated" as such, it is however, a difficult task at times, given the very dynamics of the members that make it what it is, as you have indicated in your earlier post. ....But thats for another thread perhaps ;)

As for your comments above, I agree TG however, how would you suggest we deal with a topic that is Quite popular yet not in any way Software related...i.e religion/politics etc, should it come up?

Would you still see that as falling under the "Software Forum" area?

I think perhaps the sooner you get away from "Software" the better. Afterall, what software? This is not Napster software nor the Napster board, nor should we be imitating it ...in fact, we should know better.

If anything, I think the name Napsterites probably ought to come to mean all software (perhaps with a musical slant) and the peer to peer file sharing methods over the net of obtaining it which seems to be TankGirl's forte' anyway. I think we ought to set her up in here to write the Napsterites program that outperforms all the others lol! You can do it TG! :)This is an extremely good way of looking at it Tanked one! ;)

Straight up ...it should remain being called "The Underground". "Chit Chat Club" is right out! lol Thank God you were only kidding MG! Actually this place may not have to be too terribly specific in a name going by the content inside. People get a good idea of what its about by the general tone & atmosphere of whats in there. If one is "Underground" I suggest "Aboveground".

Or how about:

Lowbrow
Highbrow

Hahaha! lol ...just kidding. Or perhaps any name that might suggest a location or area like left wing right wing ect. Anyway, maybe ...I'm just talking off the top of my head, but you catch my drift. That's enough for this post. Schoomky's right, we're writing novels over here. lol

Here is another suggestion for forum names: General Discussion (Underground) and Specific Discussion (Software)

I agree with Maze: The Underground sounds cool and covers pretty much anything so there is no need to change it.

As for this forum, how about: From Peer To Peer. That would capture something of the community spirit and still not be limited exclusively to the idea of software but rather to the ideas of communication and sharing between equal individuals.

We could complement that with a more descriptive subtitle later on when the forum finds it more permanent form.

- tg ;)

And a good opinion, but that doesn't work here, Expressing my opinion is what got me banned, If you searched all my post under GladHeAteHer on this forum you would find I flamed two people, and they were the ones that brought it on. I am blunt, I don't want the run around, I want answers, so some think I come accross mean, but, if you stop and think about it I really don't.

Of course the Mods will say I was banned because I posted under the name Timophy. I never flamed under the name or even discussed what he did. People were offended and I was banned, I am still being oppressed by the mods here. No one here at my place of business or home can create a Nick to post at these forums, because the Mods won't let them.

Well you know what they say, if you stick your head out of the crowd you are going to get hit with a tomato.

History as taught us that when you go against the masses, they try to destroy you, ex. People thought the Bros. where crazy to try to fly, Bell with the phone, oh he is nuts, even when computers came on the market there was a great fear in the masses, anyway this is alot of blah...blah...blah...bottom line is people fear change, and radical thinking, even if for the good.

Some good name suggestions by all...

We'll go with From Peer to Peer and see if it fits the way it runs. :)

Now before you accuse me of flaming you, you are not the only person that said they didnt want to post to that thread...and I wasnt just talking about the attention span thread....

I still stand by MY OPINION...that there are two sides to an arguement...if you don't want to argue with someone...dont, if they wont leave you alone...ignore them or just dont read their post.

As as for my remark being snotty..that is your opinion..not mine...I was stating my view on the forum being split.

HellBound

Yes! From Peer to Peer works extremely well! I like it!

How about:

Peer to Peer Technology
File Transference/Software Development

I would leave off the "From" ...I mean, that's a given ...and is more concise and to the point. "Peer to Peer" implys intimacy, and "Technology" speaks for itself and sets the tone.

Another suggestion:

Peer to Peer
- sharing ideas and information
on 3rd millennium technology

I agree with Maze about dropping the 'From' away from the main title - Peer to Peer really sounds more concise and to the point. I wouldn't add 'Technology' into the main title though as that would create an impression of narrowly technology-oriented forum. Without any limiting definitions 'Peer to Peer' covers the whole idea of decentralized digital communication in its technical, social and experiential dimensions - what a wonderful and inspiring field for intelligent discussion! :p

The proposed subtitle is deliberately more tech-oriented to give the forum a broad technological bias and direction. The steady background of day-to-day software discussion should provide the forum with a healthy continuity and make it interesting enough to check on a regular basis. From that living and pulsating background could then arise the more inspiring threads that at times thrill our brain and widen our doors of perception. :D:S:

- tg ;)

Good suggestions all round.

I think just Peer to Peer sums the whole area up.

Do you think we need to clearly define the nature of why this area was put together in the first place in the header?

A big part of formating this area is to keep the off topic small talk out of the Threads.

In the main Underground area, the threads take on their own feel depending on peoples mood/opinion or interaction with other members despite the topic.

This area by it's very nature should be clearly defined as strictly for "on topic" discussion.

If this doesn't occur....we are going to have people jumping in offering off topic opinions, flaming and or changing the Topic as they would in the Underground and the whole purpose of the forum is lost.

Do you think under the title heading it should clearly state the "guidelines" for participating in Topics within this particular area?

I can always do an "announcement" in this forum, however these dont always get read by the casual "browser".

This area would need to be heavily moderated to even stop "off topic" digression anyway.

Perhaps it may call for a specific Moderator to look after this Forum too.

I'll let you think about it. :)

Isn't it amusing we need to request respect from the forum? :)

Yes guidelines would be a good idea - at least until the forum itself has aged a little. After some time the members should be able to be the guidelines themselves (I hope) and misdirected posts will be helped back on track or in the possiblity of flames, ingored outright.

lol amusing yes, but it's the nature of the dynamics in the people we have here.... like TG pointed out.. the Underground is a common area, noisey and bussling etc.

That's a great environment to have and I certainly wouldn't want to see that free opinion and diversity change.....It's what people do together and that's what makes it so much fun and diversified.

I dont think it's so much a "respect" issue, more that this area should be used, by it's very nature, as a "Committee room" to discuss specific points and topics and to stay on those topics.

Members who come in here should know full well that any off topic comments will be removed and or moderated and therefore not have cause tocry "censorship" for stating any off topic point.

This would also have to be fairly administered, so it will be a tough call to Moderate.

That is, if you wish to go that way. it's ur call :)

Weeeeeeeeee.... Tanked is so right... Peer to Peer pure & simple. Can ya see how TG & I are bouncing off each other till the right thing happens? I love it. Her subtitle seems perfect too. Now if we can get these preliminaries taken care of ...it's down to biz. TG...she stole me heart.:)

Nope... just had a good look at it as I came to this board ...still too intimadating ...& long.
"Sharing information on" is still a given... & sounds like the old nappy board...

issues? please... I don't want any more issues in my life ...drop it...Now that's the way it should be ...notice the The ...as if there is no other ...hehe

and the exclamation point will no doubt turn Esteeaz on. Just playing ...but that's the way to make it a little more inviting.

PS: I miss you Gaz... I know you have your hands full...

Yep! "The 3rd millennium technology!" sounds great! :D
It looks like we have it...

- tg ;)

well one of the ones less likely to comment to "content"posts this is my thoughts on some but not all topics........

1:When a thread starts for those with an attention span weather meant to or not it reads like"not for you idiot"
an open invitation for me to see if I have an attention span........

2:Although annoying to some of the threads I have started are just corny and stupid to get some activity going and chill a bit.

3:I really like to learn graphics and share them and although a differant content alot time thought ans effort goes into those posts/threads.

4:If separate title will mean "content" threads will be read more nly time will tell, I say yes because in a seperate space of it's own it will not get buried as the forum is building up great which was the goal.

5:"Content" posts do require more thought and reading and therefore I bypass some saying i will go back and check it out but by that time it is off the front page and I forget about it in this space this will not happen.

As for respect well to me that is a given one must give respect to recieve respect no matter what it is you are doing......because a face and voice is not attached to the words does not alter the fact that their is a human being behind these words not a machine:)

As is all to often a problem here - too much is being read into the parts I don't want people to and not enough being read into others. I take that as my fault being the one trying to pass on ideas in a written medium. I shall try harder to be more clear.

As for the now infamous Attention Span thread, it was so labeled due to that fact it was primarily a link to a much longer piece and a week old discussion that had taken (and was still ongoing) at another site. An attention span was needed to go there, read thru, and them report back your fellings and ideas - as it was many just posted off the 2 paragraphs of the opening I posted. There were a few very well done exceptions, as always.

And there is nothing wrong with those. The problem enters when someone takes a "non-corny" thread and decides to "chill" it a bit. Does that make sense?

Content = effort
No matter what the medium. Good luck on the graphics.
My fear is the large group of people won't visit the other wing of the foum to see them. The only people posting will be ones seeking out less fluff, and in so we lose a good group of people. But as for now it's the best solution we have.

Good point.
Respect can only be given once it is earned. :)

The words are just that words - once you have put them out in the world thru speech, writting, or posting the words are on their own. They must stand against hate, intolerence, and distrust. The words will be attacked, defended, and used for purposes other than which they were intended. The human behind the words must trust that they have choosen the correct group of words to define the ideas in which you are trying to reach a group of people with.


:)

Very good Malk but a small contradiction in one area.


quote
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As is all to often a problem here - too much is being read into the parts I don't want people to and not enough being read into others. I take that as my fault being the one trying to pass on ideas in a written medium. I shall try harder to be more clear.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The words are just that words - once you have put them out in the world thru speech, writting, or posting the words are on their own. They must stand against hate, intolerence, and distrust. The words will be attacked, defended, and used for purposes other than which they were intended. The human behind the words must trust that they have choosen the correct group of words to define the ideas in which you are trying to reach a group of people with.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think that it is hard to always put out words in certain matters to percieved as intended.

All to often words and thoughts thru words given to ten people to read not one will interpret them the same way.

But then again that is just my take on it ......bottom line you deserve to have your posts where you want them not where I want them and that is up to you where you put them:)

Somehow I managed to miss this when it was originally posted in the Underground forum. Shame on me, I suppose. :o

Ah yes, growing pains. This is a very good discussion and I am glad to see it happening.

I was briefly confused by "Peer to Peer" by itself, as I connected it with peer-to-peer file sharing software. Reading TG's post clarified it for me. I still like the title, the subtitle would help.

Nothing wrong with creating additional forum areas.

I want to make sure I understand the plan so far:

1. Create all threads in the Underground Forum.
2. Underground is the main discussion area for threads.
3. Move the threads to other forum areas as appropriate, at conclusion of discussion.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I think general guidelines for each area are a good idea.

This forum is an open experiment so these are just my personal views on how this could work best:

1. There is no need to post first on The Underground if the poster feels that his/her post fits better into Peer To Peer. This is not a 'storage area' for cooled down threads but rather an area dedicated to more focused on-topic discussion without the high-volume personal chit-chat pushing the active topics out from the front page. I myself will probably post my more 'serious' essays directly in here.

2. The main discussion area for each thread is naturally the forum on which it is posted. When the Napsterites learn what sort of material is being posted in here, they will learn to check also Peer to Peer now and then and take part in the discussion as they are moved to.

3. Moving threads between forums should not be a standard practice as it is always a slight distraction for those looking for the thread that has been moved (it is a good idea to leave a link for the thread to the original forum). But moving a thread can be useful, especially if one makes a substantial post first onto The Underground and then finds out that the post does not get the sort of attention it deserves. As we are still quite a small community, good threads should not need much bumping in Peer to Peer - even slow-pace discussion will keep them alive and visible as long as there is something to discuss about them.

- tg ;)

Thanks for the clarification, TG.

Confusion caused by moving posts from one forum to another was one of my concerns. For those threads that are moved, the link Gaz mentioned should do nicely.

I misread stuff the first time through - that's what I get for trying to read while half asleep.

I think Peer to Peer will be a good addition to the Forum.

Smilies and Sigs
 

Hi Guys

I like the idea of a seperate forum for SERIOUS topics with little or No flaming but I would suggest the limit of smilies and sigs to a minimum.

I use smilies and sigs when I am having FUN but if I am being serious I limit smilies and don't use a sig

Food for thought

JONNO

I just thought Id put my 2 ¢ in.
(even if it is mostly paraphrasing what has already been said(

I like the idea of a place where posts stay on topic.
I like it a bunch!

Im glad to see gaz's announcement at the top.

Yessir, I like it!

In fact...I would almost like to see that happen in the underground........(pipe dream...I know)
Really it is just common courtesy, if ya post under a topic started by someone else about apples........you shouldn't go talkin about oranges. {I have been guilty of posting off topic...but hey no-one is perfect!}
I know alot of ppl would disagree with that..(meaning in the underground)..but it would be nice.


One more thing
The other thing about this side of the forum....Hopefully it will be a bit less drama filled, If I wanted drama...Id go back to highschool....or watch soaps!
I think this will become a nifty place...The bread and butter of the fourm!---I don't mean that in a seperatist way, Just think it will be nice to get away from silly stupid name calling matches and the like!

I think it was and is a GREAT idea.

wow nice bump, i never seen this thread before.

:cool:

On the contrary you have some small scale dividing now. I personally do NOT go to the underground very often "less than once per month"
I don't have the time to keep up with it. And frankly for the most part I just don't care for it. When I first came here I used to check it and browse topics and come back to read up on the serious ones. Often times these threads moved faster than a person could find them. Sooo..... In the end I just don't visit there:was:
Yes there are good threads there I know it. But I simply don't like to sort through 2 pages of topics that have little or no interest to me


In short make a haven for the serious :ND: Moderate it well... cut off the off topic posters let the discussion continue and we all might learn something. There are a ton of very intelligent people here we all can learn something from that:tu: And if we really need to know who don't wear underwear we can go to the underground:help:

Hi AweSchucks! :W:

Over a year has passed since the discussions in this thread. I have been very pleased to see how Peer to Peer has gradually developed into an active topical forum and attracted a lot of interest and expertise around it. The signal-to-noise ratio here is excellent and you are certainly not the only member being mainly interested in topical discussions and leaving the underwear discussions and more personal chitchat for those that find pleasure in them. :CG: :BL:

All the topical forums - P2P, Byte Bits, The Music and Napsterites News - have their own regular readers. Being open to outsiders these informative forums serve also many non-members, and especially during the last few months there have been a lot of interested visitors - many of whom end up signing as members after a while. To some degree the membership has been splitting over different forums but as there is no antagonistic 'grouping' associated with it I consider it just natural and positive development. Some people come after content, some after company, some after both - and we try our best to serve them all. :)

As for your suggestion of creating a moderated 'haven for the serious' ( :edu: :HAC: ) it is definitely something to look at but the time might not yet be ripe for it. We are still quite a small community and there might simply be too few members to make a generic (political, philosophical, religious or whatever) 'serious' discussion forum lively and interesting enough.

- tg ;)

Hee Hee I was so busy reading I never even looked at the dates:RE:

Oh well:eek:

I would still like to see a serious general discussion forum.

i'm with you aweshucks!:tu: the reaction to this bump over the past few days has been fascinating. it's proving again how much a part of a board's self-identity the archive is. we have a pretty good idea where we are today but there's nothing like running the clock backwards to see how we got here. tg is right of course in that our numbers at present might have trouble supporting a monolithically topical and aggressively moderated forum, but that shouldn't stop anyone from proposing ideas. the time may not be that far into the future for something new. i’ve become increasingly concerned that technology alone isn't winning this fight against censorship and tryrany so i'm looking at new platforms to explore. perhaps Internet Communications, Politics and Law for instance, with regular guests from the EFF and other similar organizations, ties to groups in washington and LA and weekly public interviews in chat. it’s just an idea for now. it's a lot of dedication and work and it will probably require several people to handle the heavy lifting but the more i see these days the more i feel has to be done. but whatever happens this board will continue to evolve in ways we foresee and in other ways as well. like any living thing it grows and watching it, and helping it, is rewarding and fun.

- js.

id like to see a front end for the site ... instead of flash intro, maybe a listing of the top five topics in each of the public forums ...

thats only a wee niggle, tho ... the peer to peer forum is a very good resource, I seldom feel that i have anything decent to contribute :o

I like this idea, Naz

personally, I really like the way that SiXXguNNz has set up the 'front end' for Napsterites.ORG and I don't really see the two forums as being devisive or in competition....moreover I see them as being extensions of the other.

and as for
Please don't feel that way, Naz as I've seen some really good posts made by you in P2P and I think that you have A LOT to add.

Now also hello, TankGirl and Hello JackSpratts

I would like to see a forum area dedicated explicitly to flaming as that is what I enjoy. so how about a 'flamer's forum'?

just me views...thanks ;)

-butterfly_kisses

As far as i can work out hyperspace is the flaming forum...
would i be right there.....

i think it's a very good idea. only problem being i'm not sure if the naptitties membership here is large enough to be any political pressence for any country. after all the membership is low hundreds; which is pretty much nothing politically speaking. so it seems like a waste of time for now.

still i think it's a good idea... maybe a web site? then again the EFF web site already does the job any political website should do in terms of informing, petitions, and being a trustworthy source...

that is somewhat akin to professor stephen hawkin enjoying nascar driving

A front end for this site is a great idea!! With all the news info and new releases of clients it would be an easy stop to get updated. Rather than having to look through several forums the links would all be in one place and easy to find!
I like that fact that this thread got bumped and opened an old can of worms.
As for worring about the number of users to support another forum. That can be looked at in reverse as well. Maybe more will join when they see a good solid ON TOPIC forum without fear of flaming or a watered down thread where you have to read between the lines.
I know I would visit and post alot more if there was one, and I suspect that there may be a few more like me.....either here or lurking.
Fact of the matter you never now until you try:ND:

:o