One reason being that many shows have ended or will be ending seasons soon.

This right here is our biggest problem now, I think -- we picked a horrible time to try and figure out what our show thread needs are. Yes, we have the last sweeps of the season coming up, but that's only four or five weeks and then everything will calm down a lot.

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Are you saying you will only consider one giant tv thread for this experiment?

No, the proposal was thread or threads. I'm leaning toward threads, today.

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No, the proposal was thread or threads. I'm leaning toward threads, today.

Ah, okay. My whitefont opinion will vary depending on what the thread is. For a small bucket or single show I'm inclined to go blackfont.

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This right here is our biggest problem now, I think -- we picked a horrible time to try and figure out what our show thread needs are. Yes, we have the last sweeps of the season coming up, but that's only four or five weeks and then everything will calm down a lot.

So we should drop it and do nothing 'til Fall? I'm actually fine with that. I'm fine with bucket threads. I'm fine with singular threads. I'm fine with no change at all.

I hope we get past thinking there is only one way to make it work (i.e. only Natter for non-"Us" TV; or only dedicated threads; or only bucket threads; or only white font; or only black font). I'm seeing so little willingness to compromise -- even during the fling-things-at-the-wall stage -- that I'm already more than willing to pull the proposal.

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No, the proposal was thread or threads. I'm leaning toward threads, today.

The key element will be which threads, and/or which subjects. As noted by Sean, it looks like the timing for the experiment is sub-optimal, considering potentially insufficient grist.

I may have to give Boxed Set another try. Every time I've tried it in the past, it has given me hives, even though I watch many of those shows. I always seemed to getting spoiled for something I was slightly behind on, or the discussion was mostly about something I wasn't watching or summat. Maybe a dedicated BSG thread in January would help me the most (just postulating), as that's the show I'm likely to be keenest to blather about.

I read and chime in on Premium, and I kinda of like that it is fairly focused and low-trafficish. I'm not sure it would helped by adding a bunch of shows. I don't get F/X (nor HBO for that matter) up here, but I do get and follow some of the shows in broadcast time, like Rescue Me. With Deadwood, Rome and Sopranos all ended/ending, I'm not sure whither Premium, but I guess we'll see if HBO et al can follow on.

I get the desire for bucketing to generate community, but the elements (which shows) of the bucket are vital, and they evolve and change, not just through use/conversation, which I consider good (although some might not), but also through mechanisms like network decisions (sob). I guess I value a good focused discussion about a show I'm obsessiing over, more than I value potential cross-pollenation. I think I'd rather pick up the cross-pollenation in the more general threads like Natter, and would prefer to take my chances with the focused threads for things that have really caught the community's fancy. But I guess that means we need to be more activist as a group in starting up and shutting down threads.

Which means I think I've talked my way around to Hec's position. Good job, David!

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Am I going to shushed to the door and told that they are discussing it in TVish threads?

Yes, you will. This happened recently with some whitefont Rome discussion in Natter.

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So we should drop it and do nothing 'til Fall?

I think we can still work on figuring out the type of thread that works. We just shouldn't count on getting a definitive answer on what particular shows generate discussion.

My sample list for Action Adventure included Traveler to help fill in for the shows that are at the end of the season. I'm not tied to this (I have no idea if this show will be one we're interested in or not), but I think for an experimental thread we will need to consider scheduling in this way.

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The key element will be which threads, and/or which subjects. As noted by Sean, it looks like the timing for the experiment is sub-optimal, considering potentially insufficient grist.

I actually disagree. I think it's optimal, because we have a few weeks when there's guaranteed to be good TV on, during which we can judge without getting attached to the temporary threads.

The purpose isn't to establish these threads. The purpose is to see what people actually do talk about, once they get the chance to talk about it, and what shows might go together, and what people's white font needs are (that is, if the experiment proves bucket threads are one of the things we'd like).

Yes, you will. This happened recently with some whitefont Rome discussion in Natter.

Were people shushing, or were they trying to be helpful and direct people to the Rome convo? I don't always keep up with Natter (and skim over conversations of shows I don't watch, and I don't watch Rome), but I can't remember anyone nannying TV talk out of Natter.

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From Natter Five-O from two different posters:

Rome talk goes in Premium Boxed Set!

As does the Tudor talk.

ETA: I didn't necessarily have a problem with this, but I wanted to address the fact that you are pushed to other threads (that are grouped) to discuss specific shows.

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So we should drop it and do nothing 'til Fall?

I don't know. I don't think so myself, for this reason alone:

I hope we get past thinking there is only one way to make it work [snip] I'm seeing so little willingness to compromise -- even during the fling-things-at-the-wall stage -- that I'm already more than willing to pull the proposal.

I don't think you should pull the proposal. Except....

Actually, I think this is the main way our democracy is "faux" to the limited extend I think it is faux. Because we forced a time limit on discussion, it cuts short our ability to try and find consensus.

Yes, consensus is bullshit if only a few people are involved in the consensus, or if those not in consensus don't ever speak up, but we've become so allergic to "bullshit" consensus it's like we've stopped believing real consensus even exists, and don't even bother to try and find consensus any more.

Frankly, on this subject more than any other, I think we need to try and come to some sort of consensus, or it's doomed to forever being a contentious topic and having it come up over and over and over again.

Now we're on a clock, and any real consensus is unlikely at best.

(And tangentially, this is a problem I see in real life politics too. Hell, if we democratically elect a viscious dictator who orders up death squads for all the people who disagree with him, it doesn't make his election any less democratic)

But back to the point, I (as I often have in the past) really wish we weren't now limited to four days of discussion, especially since the whole purpose of this is experimental/fling stuff at the walls. I'd rather try to build some sort of consensus and/or compromise about this subject, instead of giving the largest bloc of voters the power of fiat.

And yes, I understand that it would be a long, painful process that may ultimately be unsuccessful, and I understand that it is for that reason we instituted the four day limit. And yes, I also understand that's probably asking for more heartache for little to no fruit, but I still think it's worth a shot (and an activity we should be encouraging in people, rather than discouraging).

Maybe instead of test threads for which single show/bucket threads we need, what we should propose is a symposium thread to try and find what/where the common grounds are, and what solutions really would work best, at least for a testing period. Then we save the actually test thread creation for the fall, when it will be more informative.

Or maybe not. I'm sure six or seven people will be along shortly to point out all the ways in which this post is supremely stupid.

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