Okay, so here's the in-no-particular-order list that (Jess?) made:

Buffista Corp

Spoilage Lite: Buffy

I think we all pretty much agree that these can go.

Buffista Music 1: The Music (And Who Can Blame It) Swells

Buffista Movies 1: Go Monkey. Choose Monkey.

These topics can both be folded back into Natter easily enough. They both have active communities, though.

Previously 1: The Who Whating How With Huh?

I personally don't see any reason this can't be folded back into the Buffy and Angel topics. It's nice to have a place we can go specifically to bring up Stuff That Happened A While Ago, but I don't think it's necessary, nor does it seem to me (look! A disclaimer!) like this topic has a subcommunity that would want preservation.

The Quotable Buffy: She said that? When?

I really want to finish the deathmatches - so sue me. I suppose we could go to a poll-based system, the way we used to vote for thread titles, though. Admittedly that'd reduce the ability to do fun yelling.

Smallville 1: Clex!

Subcommunity that expects more activity in the future. Topicwise can go into Natter easily enough.

Literary Buffistas: Don't Speak Latin in Front of the Books

Subcommunity, could go to Natter topicwise.

The Minearverse: YExpirationDateMV

Could go to Natter topicwise, not really an active community since Wonderfalls hasn't started up.

Due South: Mountie Fetishists Anon!

Subcommunity, could go to Natter topicwise.

Spoilage Lite: Angel

I don't read this, so I can't comment. I personally - and I speak as someone who generally likes a spoilerfree policy for the main threads - would have no objection to making episode titles non-spoilery, but that's me.

The Quotable Firefly: Oh, my God, I am a hack...

Frankly, I think this can go. Actually, I think all the Quotables threads could go once we finish the deathmatches. There's no reason we can't just squee about fun quotes in the regular topics.

The Jossverse in Other Media

This has functionally become the comics topic, right? It seems to have a subcommunity, though again, the topic could go to Natter.

Farscape 1: Fetch the Comfy Chair

Subcommunity, topic could go to Natter.

F2F Planning

I think this could go for now and be reopened for next year's big F2F. Smaller-scale stuff could go to Natter easily enough. (Well, actually, I'd suspect it'd end up going to Bitches.)

Sang Sacre 1: It's a Blood, Blood, Blood, Blood World

I think this can go. It hasn't been used in a long time, has it?

LotR - The Two Towers: "Dude, Where's my Precious?"

RotK is going to get a lot of discussion when it comes out, so if we fold this into Movies - or even moreso if we dumped Movies and folded it all into Natter - some people would have to grit their teeth. I suspect closing the thread would reduce traffic on the topic to some extent.

Of those, the ones I'd personally mourn the loss of particularly are Due South, Farscape, and LotR, but I'd live. (Well, Quotables if we never finished the deathmatch.)

Anyway, just... thoughts. My POV. Throwing it out there.

I suppose we could go to a poll-based system, the way we used to vote for thread titles, though. Admittedly that'd reduce the ability to do fun yelling.

I think (and could be wrong) that when Hec did deathmatches a few years ago, he put up more than one pair at a time, which reduced the sheer volume of posts while still allowing for yelling. Am I hallucinating again?

4. Close and archive the Previously thread. A conccurrent discussion current season and syndications will be welcome in the Angel thread. Also leaving the Buffy thread to continue discussing all of Buffy.

Besides the point Jon's points about it, one of the reasons we separated the Previously threads from the main Buffy thread was so that UnAmericans could take part in the discussions of the old episodes. They won't be able to do that if it's folded into Angel.

...and my personal (disclaimer!) reaction to the proposed ballot (thank you so much for keeping up with this, Kat):

Yea on 1 through 4B. Nay on 5 because ita could kill me with her pinky finger and I don't think I want to make her mad (though wait! This is a secret ballot, right?) No preference on 6, because I'm really not clear whether it would help the resource issues or not. Yea on 7 through 11, though I take Plei's point on not opening a whole new topic and I'm obviously willing to defer to someone who actually reads there.

So basically I think it's a lovely ballot, Kat.

one of the reasons we separated the Previously threads from the main Buffy thread was so that UnAmericans could take part in the discussions of the old episodes.

Good point DX.

Katie - I rarely read Natter. I can't keep up with it. If all those subcommunities you suggest roll into Natter, I won't be able to participate in any of it. And it's all about me.

I'm really not clear whether it would help the resource issues or not.

Again, let's not worry about resource issues so much just yet. Let's see how much the coding changes help and then revisit the more draconian ideas. Let's focus on what makes sense for the board and its communities.

In that light, I'm
for: 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9.
against: 3, 4 and 11
not sure about: 5, 6 and 10.

Katie - I rarely read Natter. I can't keep up with it. If all those subcommunities you suggest roll into Natter, I won't be able to participate in any of it. And it's all about me.

Yeah, I know - I was just writing stuff out to see it on the page and understand it better. That's why I wanted to point out the ones that had active communities, because if we dumped those we'd lose people (like you). Trust me, I'm not making a proposal.

Wow, Kat, thank you for proposing this and following through the discussion, etc. I think that list looks good. What I like best is the idea that each item is voted on separately. It is quite possible that some, but not all, the items will pass. This way, each is viewed on its own.

As worded, I'm pro-everything, though I think Plei's point about WIPs in Bitchy Fic is a good one.

Yeah, if the rider of archiving/renaming BF is attached, I'm likely to vote no. Following something novel-length over five months is hard enough as it is, but other than that, I'm pretty much pro.