There are often large swathes of conversation that are uninteresting to some of the people who post in that thread, much like every thread. It works out OK.

I agree that skipping past what doesn't interest is the way to go. I don't think it always works out OK, though. That's why I prefer the dedicated thread idea. I'd still do the Book Club wherever it ends up, assuming it does, except that I wouldn't want to have to white font, as someone above suggested we might have to, if it ended up in Literary. That is, I don't see that the need to white font is a given, but if it is, then ... blech.

re: anti-proliferation.

Is there anything that can be closed?

I have no strenuous arguments to make wrt board load at the moment, because we currently have reduced traffic. I just want to make sure it's not disregarded entirely.

I'm against it until we figure out what is going on with the backend stuff and resolve since our time on a dedicated server is not destined to be forever.

Also, against it because in the myriad fora in which I participate, I haven't really been fortunate to see a really good model of how it works in one thread on a general interest board. That is, outside of TT's folder that had individual threads for individual books, or Readerville's, which I follow and was much like TT with the individual threads for individual books.

I haven't really been fortunate to see a really good model of how it works in one thread on a general interest board.

I think the idea is that one book will be chosen at a time.

Oops, sorry. Not being clear.

The single thread, one-book-at-a-time threads I've been a part of or have seen at various different fora haven't worked because it's hard to wrangle all participants, the time overlaps inevitable (if you say 1 book per month, there's a thing that happens that defies all logic and screws up the time) and then conversation piddles and dies out or overlaps and then dies out.

Eventually people get bored/pissed/aggravated and stop participating, in part because with a large group it's hard to come to a series of books that most people are interested in. The social imperative to read and participate, esp. in books you don't give a shit about, is less in an on line world than a meatspace one because it's easier just to opt out by lurking, where in a meatspace world, I find I'm more willing to read books I don't like (yes, you, Alexander Hamilton Bio) because the social compact I've made is such that if I go for months on end without showing up, they kick me out.

So, the result is that after a time people stop participating, or repurpose the thread into something akin to literary junior.

a time people stop participating, or repurpose the thread into something akin to literary junior.

At which point we close the thread. I would rather give it a shot than say "It's never worked anywhere else."

I think it's worth a try. If the discussions don't work for whatever reason, we can close the thread.

A couple of questions, then.

Do we want to open the thread on a trial basis? Say, six months or a year?

Also, how would books be chosen? Calli had some great ideas in the Literary thread on this point.

Also, ita -- how are we doing on board resources? Are we close enough to the limit that we really shouldn't even be having this conversation?

At which point we close the thread. I would rather give it a shot than say "It's never worked anywhere else."

Sure. Since we are so good at closing threads that have small yet vocal groups that hold them near and dear.

A better question might be, how many people are actually going to participate?