Okay, yeah I am confused because I thought we were trying to cut down on places where duplicate conversations might happen.

We are! Right now, people do/can talk about old episodes of Angel in Buffy, Angel, Bitches, UnAm, Natter and Previously.

The proposal is suggesting that rather than expand the definition of Previously to make it an old-episode-of-Angel-thread, we eliminate the thread. That doesn't add a thread. It takes it away.

I am saying we already have 6 threads in which Angel is fair game, and at least 2-3 are safe for UnAms, and so a Previously for Angel is unnecessary.

A conversation is much richer if it happens all in one place. A happy place where Americans and Unamericans can hold hands and sing the joys of their reruns. A conversation spread over six threads? NSM.

We are! Right now, people do/can talk about old episodes of Angel in Buffy, Angel, Bitches, UnAm, Natter and Previously.

Cindy, I've read all your posts on this and I understand your point, but I respectfully disagree. To say that there are six threads to discuss Angel previouslies so let's get rid of one of them is unfair.

First of all the Angel thread is NAFDA discussion of all things Angel so it leaves out UnAmericans as well as people who are new to Angel and have decided to catch up in syndication before going into the Angel thread to discuss current episodes. That leaves us with five threads.

The Buffy thread is a thread for discussion of Buffy. It is not a previously on Angel thread, it was never meant to be that thread, and if there's one thread on this board that I don't want multipurposed it's the Buffy thread. That leaves four threads.

Natter and Bitches are for nattering. Your argument that previously on Angel discussion should go on there can be made for every NonNAFDA thread on this board, and would be equally inapplicable. Two threads left.

UnAmericans as the new previously on Angel thread? I don't spend any time in UnAmericans but my understanding was that it's become a subcommunity for nattering similar to Bitches. Is it fair to multipurpose that thread for previouslies?

If you want to avoid repetitive conversation we we could technically have three threads on this board: NAFDA, Non-NAFDA, and Spoilers. There's such a thing as over-streamlining, and if previously got over 3000 posts in the first 3 months of Buffy syndication I think that we need to give the thread a chance to exist for the beginning of Angel syndication.

Now there are threads that can obviously go - Buffy Spoilers/Spoilage Lite, Buffy Quotables (after deathmatch), Firefly Spoilers/Quotables - and some that can probably go - F2F (open as needed), Buffista Corp.

But I don't see why we're slashing any thread we can. If nobody posts in it, it doesn't use resources, and if people post in it, then by definition it's a useful thread. Heck, the Minear thread has gotten barely any posts past the initial new thread smell posts, and nobody's suggesting we get rid of that one. Because it makes us feel good that we have a Minear thread. And it makes us feel good that we have UnAm, and Bitches, and Natter, and Buffy and Angel, and we don't want to repurpose those threads. So we need the Previously.

Heck, the Minear thread has gotten barely any posts past the initial new thread smell posts, and nobody's suggesting we get rid of that one.

I suggested it, and Jessica agreed, IIRC.

I'm all for removing threads that don't get much play. Every. Little. Bit. HELPS. Better to chop from the bottom, up, and find that the five threads we killed and 8 we consolidated made such an improvement that we don't have to have a discussion about killing a core thread.

Monique "Voting Discussion: We're Screwing In Light Bulbs AIFG!" Aug 21, 2003 1:06:01 pm PDT

Edited to fix the link.

This is the explanation of why we are talking about getting rid of a thread. Also, there is a great freeway analogy that Kristen made which I can't find.

But if we leave every thread that has some posts open then we end up closing nothing. The idea is to clean up and consolidate. By all means, we can close the Minnear thread. I haven't proposed it because I don't see another thread that serves a similar function. I proposed the threads I have because those, to me, seem able to be consolidated or rolled in elsewhere. People disagree which is fine and Of The Good and it means that maybe there will be enough votes against closing Previously that it will stay open.

A conversation is much richer if it happens all in one place. A happy place where Americans and Unamericans can hold hands and sing the joys of their reruns. A conversation spread over six threads? NSM.

It has NEVER happened all in one place. NEVER. There are always discussions of old (seasons and seasons) old episodes in the show threads. Always. This 'all one place' claim is an illusion. It has always been spread. Previously was a great idea that sorta caught on, and since we can have these conversations in other safe places, it is an unnecessary one.

Cindy, I've read all your posts on this and I understand your point, but I respectfully disagree. To say that there are six threads to discuss Angel previouslies so let's get rid of one of them is unfair.

First of all the Angel thread is NAFDA discussion of all things Angel so it leaves out UnAmericans as well as people who are new to Angel and have decided to catch up in syndication before going into the Angel thread to discuss current episodes. That leaves us with five threads.

Wolfram, don't obfuscate. I have clearly stated the UnAm safe threads, time and time again and noted that there are 2-3 UnAm safe, with six possible (not all UnAm safe) overall.

Please. If you're going to argue with me, please be fair.

It is unsafe for UnAmericans in UnAmerican? Will it be unsafe for UnAmericans in the BtVS thread? Will Natter suddenly become unsafe?

Will it be unsafe for UnAmericans in the BtVS thread? Will Natter suddenly become unsafe?

Why would we talk about Angel episodes (not occasional crossovers, but Angel the entire Series except for this season) in Buffy? Why would we in Natter? Those aren't the places for for that conversation.

Why would we talk about Angel episodes (not occasional crossovers, but Angel the entire Series except for this season) in Buffy? Why would we in Natter? Those aren't the places for for that conversation.

Because there seems to be a great desire to talk all together (which is really nice, I don't mean that sarcastically) in a place that is safe for UnAmericans, and for some reason, everyone's eyes glaze over when I mention the UnAmerican thread, so I am pointing out two other threads that are also UnAm safe, where nobody would get stomped if they started talking about AYNoHYEB?

Honestly, I don't understand why it can't happen in UnAm. I understand UnAm is no longer merely a show thread, but it's one of it's purposes, and by definition, will be safe for everyone as long as "everyone" is defined as those who get episodes by the time Australia gets them.

This need to talk safely about old Angel can be fulfilled in threads other than Previously. In a time where we're trying to cut back, that we would rather repurpose previously to include "Angel" in it's definition, than cut it and use one of the other available threads says to me people aren't willing to cut back.

Honestly, I don't understand why it can't happen in UnAm.

Speaking only for myself, I would feel weird using the UnAm thread to talk about an episode that was aired in the USA the day before. Sure, the UnAms have seen it, and they could and probably would join in the discussion, but I'd still feel like I and my fellow Americans were hijacking the thread to suit our American needs.