Are we stagnating now? What are the signs?

I'm not sure what the signs of stagnation would be or how to quantify that. However, I do know I value the critical discussion that has been generated by Book Club, and that rich, analytical bent has been in shorter supply around the threads.

That's what I meant when I said that it seems like this proposal is really about reshaping the board.

See, but the board changes shape over time anyway. We're just making a conscious choice in this instance about what shape we might want to try. I think it's a mistake to see this as anything other than us adding a new thread for discussing a new show. We have other non-ME shows that we discuss. It doesn't have to be us rewriting the Constitution. We're trying this out.

Lost in particular seems to have a wide appeal. I'm finding the white font overwhelming such that I have to skip hundreds of posts to get to any Natter discussion. And then when I catch up to the show, it doesn't seem possible to enter the discussion.

I don't threadsuck nor bookmark - that's just not how I use the threads or pariticipate here.

We're just making a conscious choice in this instance about what shape we might want to try.

Which is fine as long as everyone is being honest about it, but I get the feeling that some of us see this as a change and others are less comfortable with calling it that.

It doesn't have to be us rewriting the Constitution.

PS, you know how you hate it when folks use the term "psychosis" to refer to anything other than the DSMR definition? Well, I get nutty when people start using political metaphors to describe friggin' board culture. OF COURSE it's not like rewriting the Constitution because we aren't a government. I think we are all pretty much in agreement on that one, right?

I think threadsucking and bookmarking are workable solutions. Just keep in mind that incorporating those methods will also change board culture.

62 posts out of 500 would be 12.4%, wouldn't it?

Sure. Bring correct arithmetic into the discussion. Commie.

I'll go back to impressions. Scanning the latest Natter made me feel like it was mostly about a Lost episode that I missed.

When I finally get that episode, I will want to go back and threadsuck, to get what the cool kids were saying about the episode. This would be easier in a Lost thread.

Hey, George Jetson sprained-finger issue to one side.

I think threadsucking and bookmarking are workable solutions. Just keep in mind that incorporating those methods will also change board culture.

Wha? Those methods have always been available.

Which is fine as long as everyone is being honest about it, but I get the feeling that some of us see this as a change and others are less comfortable with calling it that.

Burrell, I swear I'm not being disingenous here -- why is this, in particular, a change?

We've always added new threads, though we put the brakes on when our board resources were taxed.

We've had threads for non-ME shows since "Smallville" premiered, and possibly before. This will be the first at this board, but this is also the first TV season without Buffy or Angel.

The polling is new, but I think it's a way to make the most people the most comfortable with the results. Whatever comes up through the polling will still need to be proposed and voted on; it's very possible we may end this with no new threads at all.

Maybe you still think it Feels Different, which I can't argue with. It feels different to me because it's my first proposal; I can't judge how it would feel to someone on the other side.

Threadsucking and bookmarking can help you read back over a conversation you missed (bookmarking requires you to know you missed it in the first place, of course, and when) but they're not especially conducive to continuing a conversation. And in any of our threads, whatever the topic, that back-and-forth that grows and meanders is a big part of our (my) enjoyment.

The main reason why it feels like a shift in board culture to me is that the logic behind the proposal is, this is the first season without any ME shows, so what other shows are out there that we want to discuss? I think that move slowly shifts us more towards a tv discussion board rather than a ME board. And I'm not saying that is a horrible thing that must be stopped, but I would like to see it at least acknowledged.

Fury is on Lost, so maybe we could pretend it is all about the Mustard Man.

Joke! That was a joke.

I don't know if I am ready to make a case for Lost having enough metatext and subtext to support the explorations that launched the board.

PS, you know how you hate it when folks use the term "psychosis" to refer to anything other than the DSMR definition? Well, I get nutty when people start using political metaphors to describe friggin' board culture. OF COURSE it's not like rewriting the Constitution because we aren't a government. I think we are all pretty much in agreement on that one, right?

I think the Constitution analogy is apt. You think this vote is about reshaping our culture, redefining ourselves, changing our mandate. I didn't think of it as a political metaphor, so much as "rewriting our charter."