What I got from Errol's post is that he's asking if we want for the main active soaps to each have a section where multiple topics about different aspects/questions about the soaps can be opened. Not just have one main discussion/spoiler topic each month. That's what I get, but maybe I'm reading it wrong. If that's what he is talking about, I'm all for it...

41 minutes ago, Spoon said:

I think what he is suggesting is like the soapcentral boards where they have a sub-board for every section. The threads in that section would be separate, specific topics. The problem with that is you have lots of dead threads.

For example, a gh board would have say a thread about willow and say another thread about favorite characters and so forth.

That's how I understand it too. Within the GH section there could be daily discussions, spoiler threads, and you could also start threads like "I love Emma and Gio!!!" and "Carly is a hypocrite!" but that doesn't feel organic to this board somehow.

I think this place tends to be super organized and archive-able, so that if I want to rewatch GH from the late 2000s or early 2010s, I could literally go into the archives and read the "live" discussion threads alongside, if I wanted. That's what I like about SON, that it is well organized with a lot of data, synopsis, and intelligent discussion of both classic and current soaps. Another example would be in 5 years, I can go back into the BTG BTS thread and re-read everything that happened as the show developed and watch it unfold as it did in real time - initial reactions, casting news, story nuggets dropped. With the new setup being proposed there would be probably be new threads for every announcement.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by BoldRestless

50 minutes ago, BoldRestless said:

That's how I understand it too. Within the GH section there could be daily discussions, spoiler threads, and you could also start threads like "I love Emma and Gio!!!" and "Carly is a hypocrite!" but that doesn't feel organic to this board somehow.

I think this place tends to be super organized and archive-able, so that if I want to rewatch GH from the late 2000s or early 2010s, I could literally go into the archives and read the "live" discussion threads alongside, if I wanted. That's what I like about SON, that it is well organized with a lot of data, synopsis, and intelligent discussion of both classic and current soaps. Another example would be in 5 years, I can go back into the BTG BTS thread and re-read everything that happened as the show developed and watch it unfold as it did in real time - initial reactions, casting news, story nuggets dropped. With the new setup being proposed there would be probably be new threads for every announcement.

😂😂😂

That's why I stopped posting on SOC. We already have a love-hate forum for that.

1 hour ago, Maxim said:

What I got from Errol's post is that he's asking if we want for the main active soaps to each have a section where multiple topics about different aspects/questions about the soaps can be opened. Not just have one main discussion/spoiler topic each month. That's what I get, but maybe I'm reading it wrong. If that's what he is talking about, I'm all for it...

Correct. My apologies for any confusion caused by my initial post (I wrote it when I was barely awake).

My proposal is to abandon the concept of threads for each soap currently still in production. Meaning, no more monthly spoiler and discussion threads for the current soaps, and instead create a show-specific forum, where people can talk about any topic they want about a particular show.

Currently, the Discuss the Soaps forum is a cluttered mess, with monthly discussion threads for five shows pinned, plus another five pinned for a set period of time for the episode counts. This means that at any given time, 10 posts are pinned, and the potential to create or expand conversations on other topics is lost because no one reads beyond page one of said forum, since all conversations are stuck in a thread somewhere.

For example, each week, Soapy has a new guest. Say you want to discuss the Susan Lucci episode, but the most recent comments are on the Peter Bergman episode since it was the most recently posted, your comment would appear out of date, or someone might have said the same thing earlier in the thread, but you didn't realize it because you didn't read an earlier post that was published pages earlier around the time the Susan Lucci episode was first released.

Another example. The B&B website revamp. Had @dragonflies posted exclusively in the B&B history, pictures thread, many posters wouldn't have heard about the revamp. That's not to say the post couldn't also be mentioned in the B&B history, pictures thread, but I think the point is made.

Using spoilers as another example. Tomorrow, the Luke Spencer dedication episode of General Hospital, which also honors Tony Geary, airs. The idea of the thread is that everything related to the special must be posted there. It doesn't always work because there are many aspects to it, including interviews with specific cast members, promos, and other media. The thread title wouldn't work for all that, especially if someone is looking for something specific related to the topic.

Overall, I'm looking to find ways to drive more discussions, significantly increase readership/registrations, and ensure the longevity of the community as it celebrates its 25th year. As it stands, it's not worth investing in without making any changes, since the ads people complain about don't even pay $15 a day, yet the upkeep costs have grown by leaps and bounds. For instance, besides hosting, I have to pay a monthly subscription so that people can embed posts from social media platforms, pay for the ability to use GIFs in posts, and pay for maintenance outside of hosting, among other rising costs.

To a certain extent, I think the Soap Central forums would be a good example of what I'm looking at.

As for the other forums, if there is more than one thread for something like Sisters, that shouldn't happen, and it also means we need to clean up the other forums to make things more organized.

27 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

😂😂😂

That's why I stopped posting on SOC. We already have a love-hate forum for that.

I'm not anticipating those types of posts appearing in a show-specific forum, and would certainly move such a topic to that forum for that purpose if necessary.