And I would probably add that this board is definitely a little more insular than others. On a place like reddit you are only as good as your last post, but around here there can be a lot more "my opinion is worth more than yours bc of my post numbers", which can be intimidating and tiresome for newer users
New topics are down because there are posters on here that will ream your ass out for daring to start a new thread when there is already a thread that is somewhat related. It's off-putting and reeks of exclusivity. At least that's how I took it/take it, and I'm guessing others have felt the same way. The merging of threads also discourages new topics, which I guess is the point, but 1/2 of the posts of the long threads become inside conversations between posters for multiple pages. I don't see the harm in allowing new topics/threads. It keeps a board moving.
Just my $.02.
Thanks. I did not realize the thread merging and the thread splitting were that off-putting. I guess there's mixed thoughts about it. I think the advantage of message boards is the ability to have conversations on different subjects that go on over time, so that's usually the intent behind when I split or merge topics. As long as the page views keep on going up, the drop in new topics I think is not so much a problem.
I think the number of new members and posts are maybe a better indicator of how we are doing, whether the conversations are lively, and whether we are getting too insular. I also try to get a feel for members who leave / get po'd / feel chased off. Hard to get a stat on that.
I don't know what to do about the perception that its just a bunch of folks who know each other exchanging inside jokes. I can understand that one could get a feeling that, say, the 10,000 post members more or less can get a longer leash and get away with stuff that others don't. I'll completely admit that I'm reluctant to step in if a post is in style that folks are used to over a number of years. That's probably not fair, and I've been called on that. Truth is, I get worn down a bit, can't keep up, don't like removing or editing posts, etc... I take racist / sexist / bigoted comments more seriously than a couple of old posters throwing shots at each other. In that situation, I'll usually break it off into a separate thread, PM, or post a "knock it off."
We might have gone through all of last year with no more than 5 instances of a muting or banning of a member,and at least one was the Cubs troll who spammed the board after game 5. I can maybe check the moderating info to confirm that, but we really don't do that much aggressive moderating. Some of that is probably due to members who maintain a tone here. Does that make things insular? maybe.
