An artifical attempt to declare, install, and maintain a core for the sake of stability is doomed to failure. See: Europe, 1800-1950.

I'd like to point out that we have a lot of topic threads. Go us. However, our topic threads don't stop, delay, or mitigate the issues that go hand in hand with the sheer size of the place and amount of traffic. It's like how adding more lanes to a freeway doesn't really solve congestion.

Without the topic-specific threads (or with fewer of them) it's more likely that I'll spend the bulk of my time in a particular subcommunity, and my linkages to people whose primary relationship is with another one will wither. There, I think, is where David's factions come in - not subcommunities so much as separate communities.

As Jesse is saying, this is already true. There are people in Firefly and Minearverse (and Music, and Fic, etc etc) who I have never met. Just because these are "topic" threads doesn't mean they aren't the kind of subcommunity that Hec is calling a "faction." These are threads with their own flavor, their own people, their own rhythms. There are places on this board where I would not be comfortable just jumping in, and I've been a Buffista since TT. In terms of subcommunities and board splinterization, I don't see a difference between general threads and topical ones. My objection to individual non-ME show threads is that there would have to be lots of them, thus leading to more splinterization than would the creation of one subcommunity of "TVistas."

Also, I hate the word "faction." It makes it sound like we're having a civil war.

Since we are talking about community changes, does the name Buffistas even still apply?

I feel that splintering is pretty much inevitable as a community grows. In the case of this board, it started a long time ago and has simply become more pronounced over time. I think that trying to turn the tide or stem the flow or whatever isn't going to do anything but drive everyone insane.

As to what our common ground is, I always thought it was that we were Buffistas. Do we need more than that?

As to what our common ground is, I always thought it was that we were Buffistas. Do we need more than that?

I think the idea of what it means to be Buffista becomes much blurrier without BtVS and with subcommunities that become insular.

I don't think it's a serious problem now - I think the discussion is worthwhile because I'd like the board structure to foster interaction horizontally, across sub-communities. That's not the same as creating an articial core, it's designing the boards to serve the community better. It seems less like Europe 1800, than Baron Hausmann (for better or ill) re-making the grid of Paris. It's just virtual urban planning.

I'd like the board structure to foster interaction horizontally, across sub-communities

Which hasn't yet worked. Why should it work now?

Even when it kinda worked, it was because there was an obvious structure, that grew up with us.

You try and put one on from the outside, and you're going to whack people on the shins.

yeah, I'm not sure how we get people interacting more if that is not what they want to do. There is nothing keeping people from entering other threads, after a while, we just don't, we find what we like and we stay there. Some of the new people start in place then poke here and there trying everything on.

And being a part of this community at this point I don't think has anything to do with BtVS.

And thank god for that.

And being a part of this community at this point I don't think has anything to do with BtVS.

And thank god for that.

Errrr....why would being a part of this community because of BtVS be a bad thing?

I'm with Hec on this being an important dicussion to have, though I am a little afraid that I may be one of those people that isn't known. Regardless, it makes sense to me that the structure of the board should be in line with the board's purpose, and that it would be helpful to know what that purpose is. It would help guide decisions like do we need these new threads.

Though I have nothing helpful to say on said purpose. I'm not sure he needs to be pinned down into a nice little blurb or mission statement, necessarily, but I do think the discussion needs to happen.