Multiple Categories in the Forums

[Guest]

I have suggested that more categories be added to the forums to allow more organization of our discussions.  All the existing threads in the \"Ameraucana Marketplace\" would then be sorted into the new categories so users could find relevant information more quickly.  I would leave Ameraucan Marketplace as the \"For Sale / To Purchase\" category where users would post \"looking to buy and sell\" threads.

Personally, I use forums for not just topic disussions, but as a knowledgebase where information can be found quickly when needed.  Having to look through hundreds and even thousands of threads makes for a daunting task.  

For example, a user has a heating question for chicks.  They come to the forum and run a quick search for \"heat\" (and several other keywords) and don\'t find what they are looking for.  Just a couple of months ago, they saw a great discussion that had exactly what they needed, but can\'t find it again.  Now, they are faced with going through each topic one by one until they run across it again.

In this scenario, their pile of threads they have to go through one by one can be significantly reduced if they were categorized  and the discussions contained in each category were limited to subjects falling within that category.

What are your thoughts?

[John]

When I started the ABC Forum it was going to be just for a few purposes so that it wouldn\'t compete with the ABC Sharing Place which was started by ABC members.  The Sharing Place is an MSN message board and they have rules that don\'t allow buying and selling on their boards.  The ABC Forum is a Mercury Board and doesn\'t have those restrictions.  Originally we had about three categories, like the Market Place for buying & selling, a Club Notes section for club news, meet info and such and I think some other category.  Some folks started having discussions anyway.  The Forum was hacked and went down.  Rita and Vicky were managing the Sharing Place and both said they welcomed the Forum and didn\'t see it as competition or a conflict of interest so with their blessings I brought the Forum back with just one category open for any Ameraucana related stuff.
The Forum has grown quite a bit in the last year or so and we now have several members that post on a regular basis.
It may be time to do as Wes suggests and come up with some categories.  This Forum is paid for by the ABC, but whether you are a dues paying member or not if you use the Forum I would like to know what your suggestions are.
Leave it as is or add categories?  If we add categories how many and what subjects should we use?

[Suz]

When this forum first started, I expected there to be other categories as in most other forums.  However, as time went on, I haven\'t missed other categories.  ABC Shareing Place has several categories, but since I am really interested in all of the discussions there (because they are mostly about Ameraucanas or at least from Ameraucana people) I always click on \"View all Messages\" rather than one of the forum categories.

I can see the point of being able to search for old discussions better, but many of the discussions get off-topic from the actual name of the topic--which is okay, too, it just happens with any good discussion on a forum or in real person-to-person communication.  So I don\'t know whether categorizing the topics would really help with that or not.  The \"search\" feature has worked pretty well for me, so far, for wanting to find something that I\'d read earlier.

I\'m pretty happy with the way it is, but I wouldn\'t have an objection to categorizing the topics as long as an option like \"View all topics\" was available, too.

Susie

[Guest]

John,
  You titled this forum the official forum of the ABC.  There are little message boards all over the place for different breeds....that\'s fine....But, if this is the official club forum, maybe it should be enlarged to encompass different aspects.
  When I want reliable information, I come here....I don\'t go to some message board...no matter who runs it.  I refer everyone to this web-site.

Angela

Oh, and just a thought....  Wouldn\'t it be lovely to have a breeder list available to the public so that they can find the varieties for which they are looking?

[Guest]

One of the traits of a good message board which has many categories is a group of moderators and administrators that move topics and discussions to where they need to be (under the proper category) and keep discussions from straying from the original post.  

If more than two or three posts are entered \"off-topic\" then the thread is split into two separate discussion threads, each one containing the relevant parts.

Then, you don\'t have the problem of a post that encompasses a dozen different thoughts and seems to be jumping with no clear relationship and natural progression of discussion.

[John]

maybe it should be enlarged to encompass different aspects

Do you have something more in mind than just adding headings or Categories to post under?

move topics and discussions to where they need to be...if more than two or three posts are entered \"off-topic\" then the thread is split

Good points.  
There have only been a few times that I have gone to any forums other than the Sharing Place and this one so I don\'t know how they are handled.  I have split a few topics that got off track over the past year and just figured out what Locking and Pinning do a week or so ago.  I am trying to set back from overseeing the Forum and Website more and more since others have volunteered to help out.
 

[Guest]

John,

Here is a suggestion for what to do, remember it is worth what you\'ve paid for it. Anywho, go to www.reloadbench.com then check the bulletin board.

Greg

[Guest]

Here are a couple of forums that I frequent with with monster user bases and gargantuan post and thread counts:

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/
http://forum.ev1servers.net/

I work in the telecommunications industry and I have my own software and webhosting business as well.  I manage the machines that host websites.  I have installed and administered phpBB, vbulletin, ikonboard,  ubb, and many other bulletin board systems.

This stuff is what I do for a living.  

maybe it should be enlarged to encompass different aspects

Do you have something more in mind than just adding headings or Categories to post under?

I regards to Angela\'s post that John quoted, I have tons of ideas beyond just enlarging the forums and categorizing them.   Here are just a few ideas that could be implemented for the site:

1)  A \"members only\" section.  A place where paid membership users get access to within the site.

2)  An email mailing list

3)  Interactive Photo Galleries

4)  Realtime chat rooms

5)  Live news feeds

6)  Classifieds

7)  Vendor, breeder, and subscriber directories.

 Interactive Event calendars

9)  Ecommerce / Shopping Cart

10)  Paid vendor advertisements (ad space ... In some cases, it makes sense but I don\'t always like the obnoxious ones that are distracting and other times, I just want a totaly ad free site).

But back to the topic at hand, the forum itself can be expanded to handle more than just chicken discussions.  Spinoffs of the byproducts, like garden fertilizer and the other more bizarre alternative uses of chicken manure such as jewelry, paint, yard ornaments, and such.

We can even have discussions of the obvious benefits that a crowing rooster has on noise pollution...if one rooster will do then why not have 47???

There are endless possibilites in the HowTo guides such as getting back at an annoying neighbor by tying a rooster under their bedroom window or my alltime favorite, the notorious \"present\" left at their doorstep.

Come on people!  Use your imagination, let the juices flow, stretch out those creative bones and lets make this site one to be envied!!!!

[Guest]

I agree in principle with Wesley -- I also understand John\'s position re ABC Sharing Place (of which I and many others are also members).

Certainly, we don\'t want to duplicate efforts. Is everyone from ABC Sharing Place here? If so...perhaps merging the Sharing Place flock to here and adding the Sharing Place Admins to our Admins, then defuncting Sharing Place -- and expanding this board\'s capability as Wesley suggests would be something to consider. I hope I\'m not hurting anyone\'s feelings in suggesting this, but if everyone here is on both boards, I do think it\'s worthwhile to at least consider bringing everyone here -- kind of like tearing down two smaller coops and building one big one.

Right now, there is a lot of breed-specific as well as general poultry knowledge all buried in posts. Suppose I wanted to find out all about Wheatens -- or all about Silvers -- or how to build a brooder box without voiding my homeowner\'s insurance policy -- that knowledge is here, but you\'d have to dig deep to find it. More than simply categorizing the messages, I\'d like to see a knowledge base -- and I would be willing to pay a fee to access one.

I would love to see a breeder\'s list here. Someone wants Ameraucanas, comes here -- finds a breeder; the chicken farmer gets Ameraucanas and the breeder earns income. I found my source/breeder/mentor right here on this board -- but by digging through the posts -- and finding that nugget.

The ABC site is an excellent place to be -- perhaps this discussion will make it even better.

[John]

adding the Sharing Place Admins to our Admins,

FYI, Rita and Vicky were invited to be administrators on this Forum when it started.  They both thanked me for the offer but declined.  They felt there is plenty of room for two Ameraucana forums.  I then asked for volunteers and Susie and Laura stepped forward.  
It should be noted that Rita suggested that the club start a message board several years ago.  I didn\'t even know such things existed at the time and don\'t think many others at that meeting did either.  Anyway the club didn\'t act on her proposal so she started the Sharing Place.  

I would love to see a breeder\'s list here.

That is something I\'ve wanted for years also.  It should be brought up at the annual meeting for discussion and referred to the Board of Directors for a vote if there is support.

[Guest]

Well, in that case, this board and Sharing Place could actually complement one another -- by each one offering and focusing on some aspect that the other does not. Since a number of us partake on both boards -- both boards operating in coordination can only be a good thing....it would expand the audience and promote greater interest in the breed.

The objective is to promote knowledge of Ameraucanas; varieties within breed; strains within varieties; crosses; as well as unite buyers and sellers of hatching eggs, day-olds, and mature Ameraucana, straight run or sexed; and to announce shows.

[Guest]

I too would like to see topic categories and a breeder\'s list.  I think a member\'s section is a good idea in theory, but I\'m not clear what that section would encompass.  and the idea of a knowledge base or \'library\' of specific info is fab!  but not everyone on this board also goes to the Sharing Place, so I don\'t think the \'stuff\' or topics or what have you should be parcelled out between the two.  this is the Official Club site- people shouldn\'t have to go to an additional site to find info.  times change, clubs and boards grow.  there is no reason to think that 2 boards couldn\'t get along just fine, with plenty of traffic to go around.

but if nothing else, definitely add topic headings please!

[Guest]

Did this discussion ever come to a point where we had enough concensus to decide in favor of or against adding more categories to this forum?

[Guest]

Bumping this thread back to the top.

I see 5 votes in favor of adding categories to the forums and zero against in just the few people that responded.

[Guest]

Hi all,
John, if there were to be any changes made to the web site\'s formatting I would agree to adding a \"General\" discussion section. That way the \"Market Place\" section could be used as the \"for sale / wanted\" section it was intended as. A breeder\'s section would be nice but quite honestly we all pretty much know each other here on the forum and as members, we get a really nice listing of all the other folks in our club who have birds. To me that would be encouragement enough for people to want to join the club, they get a free breeder\'s listing along with their membership, lol. Since the \'Market Place\' gives a more or less current listing of what people actually have available it seems redundant to list ameraucana breeders directly on the site.

I would like to point out a few things regarding \"members only\" discussion sections and chat rooms. In my experience they tend to be a turn off to potential new members and can certainly put a damper on lively discussions. Non members and members alike can benefit a great deal from each other. On the sites and forums I\'ve managed over the years I\'ve found daily maintenance to be a \"killer of joy\" something akin to the \"discussion police\", lol. It\'s perfectly natural for discussions to meander and change. If you start pulling parts and pieces of a discussion and relocating them to another thread or area you\'ll soon find that the original meanings begin to change and the context can become vastly different than the authors intended.

Just to sum up my thoughts on what I feel would be realistic and \'manageable\';
Discussion forums~
   General Discussions
   Marketplace Discussions

Periodically updated pages (suggestion for addition to the front page) ~
   Monthly or Quarterly \'paid\' advertisements

Regards,
Dan Demarest
Auxvasse, MO