Simon: You are my beautiful sister. River: I threw up on your bed. Simon: Yep. Definitely my sister.

'War Stories'


Bureaucracy 3: Oh, so now you want to be part of the SOLUTION?  

A thread to discuss naming threads, board policy, new thread suggestions, and anything else that has to do with board administration and maintenance. Guaranteed to include lively debate and polls. Natter discouraged, but not deleted.

Current Stompy Feet: ita, Jon B, DXMachina, P.M. Marcontell, Liese S., amych


brenda m - Apr 10, 2007 11:39:52 am PDT #9000 of 10001
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there

What I was proposing was step one, to see what shows generate good discussion. Once we had that data, would could go from there to see what shows deserved their own threads/if any shows would work better in a bucket with other shows/if we should make no change.

If that's a proposal, I'll second.


esse - Apr 10, 2007 11:42:14 am PDT #9001 of 10001
S to the A -- using they/them pronouns!

I can't, either -- not in the long run. What I was proposing was step one, to see what shows generate good discussion. Once we had that data, would could go from there to see what shows deserved their own threads/if any shows would work better in a bucket with other shows/if we should make no change.

Cindy, I do see what you're saying. The problem that I have with a general drama thread is that I don't see it serving the needs of the community very well, overall or as a determining point for future threads. Largely, because I think we will spend the rest of April figuring out how to use it, and then only a handful of shows might get higher posting volumes than others; and then, maybe we'll create single show threads, or a couple of bucket threads based on whatever discussion takes place there. But I don't see it as a good determination of what we want to talk about because I think it's limiting in its grandness. I really do think we need to tread down the more difficult road of the golilocks thread. I think it will result in threads better suited to us overall than whatever data we receive from a general drama thread--because I think drama is way too broad.

Did Heros spin off (as a thread) from Boxed Set? If so, I like that as a model, and I think it's what Cindy is talking about promoting in the future.

It did. But the difference I see there is that Boxed Set has been around for a long while and has already established itself as a place where we can determine, roughly, what shows would work on their own by post count. Whereas a drama thread is too broad, with too many shows that could possibly go in there, and with not enough focus to actually give us good data.


esse - Apr 10, 2007 11:43:15 am PDT #9002 of 10001
S to the A -- using they/them pronouns!

I agree with this. Perhaps we could start suggesting various ideas of threads and see what happens with the consensus?

I did that up-thread. But it seems to have blipped, mostly.


Steph L. - Apr 10, 2007 11:43:17 am PDT #9003 of 10001
Unusually and exceedingly peculiar and altogether quite impossible to describe

I think ND was serious with this proposal: NoiseDesign "Bureaucracy 3: Oh, so now you want to be part of the SOLUTION?" Apr 10, 2007 1:06:38 pm PDT

ND, if you weren't, please correct me.


Hayden - Apr 10, 2007 11:56:42 am PDT #9004 of 10001
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."

Cindy's proposed a pilot tv bucket to run through the end of May. I don't remember whether it is intended for drama or general TV.

SA and a few others seem to be proposing a) adding FX dramas to Premium Blend and b) setting up a few pilot buckets - procedural drama, reality tv, comedy, maybe a few others - to see how they work.

The blackfont issue is a wildcard and should probably be handled within the same voting period.

What are we missing?


sj - Apr 10, 2007 12:04:27 pm PDT #9005 of 10001
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

What I was proposing was step one, to see what shows generate good discussion. Once we had that data, would could go from there to see what shows deserved their own threads/if any shows would work better in a bucket with other shows/if we should make no change.

I'll third this.


aurelia - Apr 10, 2007 12:06:51 pm PDT #9006 of 10001
All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story. Tell me a story.

Whatever we end up having on a ballot, should we also have a question about whether or not to continue Firefly beyond the current thread.


Topic!Cindy - Apr 10, 2007 12:14:34 pm PDT #9007 of 10001
What is even happening?

Did Heros spin off (as a thread) from Boxed Set?
Yes.
If so, I like that as a model, and I think it's what Cindy is talking about promoting in the future.
I do, too and it is mostly what I mean.

I get it, a lot, but I think I'm posting in freaking whitefont this week.

Hee. I feel you, my alabaster sister.

OKAY. I see brenda and sj are already on board, but I see there's still some concerns and some confusion, so I'm going to try putting it all another way.

PROPOSAL put forth for General Consensus:

I propose we study our TV habits to see what else we like to post about, besides the stuff we already post about. To that end, I propose we open either one temporary TV thread, or three temporary TV threads, without a vote and agree ahead of time to shut them after May is done.

I want to do this by general consensus though, and not a vote, because it's a short-term, temporary experiment.

I prefer one thread with no categories, but if most Buffistas who chime in think three threads sounds like a better way to do discovery than one thread, then I propose we follow bon bon's general idea from a couple of days ago and make the following temporary threads:

1. Drama: All Dramas that don't currently have a thread home on b.org

2. Comedy

3. Unscripted: shows like Survivor, TAR, AI, cooking shows, home make over shows, people make over shows, Dancing With Some Semi-Famous Shows, etc.

Please don't think of these threads as trials-of-themselves, so much as a chance for discovery. We may close them down and never open them again. We may decide we don't want to change anything. We may decide we want to change everything. We'll just use them with an open mind through the end of May, and see where we end up.

The only real purpose is to see which shows (if any) generate discussion and which shows (if any) go together in any kind of clear-bright-line way, and which shows (if any) seem like dedicated thread material, and which shows aren't worth talking about, and what kind of categories we need in practice (rather than theory).

Out of consideration for those who are behind on their TV viewing, discussion of new episodes during the discovery period would be in white font for one week after the U.S. airing. Show titles should be provided at the top of a post, in black font.

The threads would open today, and close on June 1, 2007.

In June, we'll talk about what worked, what didn't, where the clear bright lines are, what's the best way to handle the I'm-behind-and-don't-want-to-be-spoiled issues, which shows actually generate worthwhile discussion and how to handle all this without stressing out the board, fracturing the community, or harming our culture (not all change is harmful. They say.).

And maybe a proposal/proposals will grow out of that. Maybe not. It's just an experiment.


Jon B. - Apr 10, 2007 12:18:45 pm PDT #9008 of 10001
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

I am very much against opening ANY threads, temporary or not, by "consensus". There's a reason we devoted much blood, sweat and tears into setting up our current voting system. Consensuses (consensi?) here are by their nature "bullshit".

And now I have to leave work, so I won't be able to check in for an hour or so.


esse - Apr 10, 2007 12:21:34 pm PDT #9009 of 10001
S to the A -- using they/them pronouns!

I also think it should be voted on. And I have a problem with this:

discussion of new episodes during the discovery period would be in white fonted for one week after the U.S. airing.

Because I think it's unreasonable to wait a week for blackfont. When it airs, or what's the point?