Lately, I think it's swung much more toward the chitchat end of the spectrum,

How will more threads change that, though? Any transition's been smooth enough for me that I don't notice it, but natter's ebbed and flowed -- sometimes it's deep with body image issues or sport or politics, and sometimes it's a concerted effort to relieve Alibelle of her Vaughn delusions. An Alias thread or a TV thread or a movie thread or a sports thread or a film thread isn't going to change that, is it?

I don't know if the point is to change Natter, but to facilitate the other types of conversations.

I wondered this during the music discussions, because there seem to be a few fan fiction threads, etc., but since I don't visit them, I didn't bring it up.

FFRWE = Discussion only, no workshopping.

Bitchy Fic = active workshopping thread, Buffycentric.

PPO = not-so-much-active workshopping thread that once was hopping but has declined in recent months as the show has lost some fandom types. Also, our most active Smallville writers have gone dim.

I'd like to keep Bitchy Fic separate, but would be fine seeing PPO go polyfandom.

I'd like to keep Bitchy Fic separate, but would be fine seeing PPO go polyfandom.

Could that incorporate due South, too?

Please note, I'm not sure why I'm even concerned about having a lot of lightly-used threads, so if the people who participate like the status quo, and there's no real reason to change, don't bother.

Due South isn't workshopping, and is active enough. It's already pretty open season slashy.

Smallville has been more active lately. Back when Smallville was its own part of WX, we started Due South to keep Smallville talk on Smallville.

facilitate the other types of conversations.

But for this you need a lot of spread, don't you? For every topic people have felt "damn, I wish this hadn't been diluted by ita talking about krav"? Where do you stop? That's exactly my proliferation issue.

Someone (say, like me) who wants to talk with a number of people about a number of things, but will not be able to handle the increased volume with proliferation gets relegated to the natteriest of natter.

I don't see boundaries ... that's my thing.

What kinds of conversations are people missing in Natter, exactly? And why aren't the people who miss the deep conversations starting them up again? If the ratio of chitchat:Real Conversation has gotten too high, it's because the people who want more Real Conversations are waiting for the chit-chatters to start them, IMO. I don't think thread spread is the answer.

I also think that too many of the Real Topics on people's minds these days are too touchy and devisive to talk about much.

t clutches Due South topic close to bosom because it is nice just the way it is

What kinds of conversations are people missing in Natter, exactly? And why aren't the people who miss the deep conversations starting them up again?

With me, I feel like I try to start/continue deep or just semi-serious conversations with longer posts, but it often doesn't work. I'm not sure thread proliferation is the answer either. I guess I'm just going through one of those inevitable "I feel invisible" phases. (They are inevitable, right? I'm not the only one who sometimes feels invisible?) And I don't mean that anywhere near as whiny as it sounds. I think it's just another case of board growing pains, change we can't control, etc.

I also think that too many of the Real Topics on people's minds these days are too touchy and devisive to talk about much.

And while I can kinda understand that, I still really hate it.