Structure of the Bash - Please Read Then Vote

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Should each Bash activity have it's own forum?

  • Yes

    Votes: 76 71.7%
  • No

    Votes: 30 28.3%

  • Total voters
    106

mbroberg

IAP Activities Manager, Emeritus
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
5,954
Location
Columbus, OH
PLEASE READ THIS POST PRIOR TO VOTING.

One of the comments I heard about this year's Birthday Bash was that the atmosphere was much more subdued this year than in previous years. There wasn't as much "banter" between members this year. There are several things that MIGHT have contributed to this. They will all be explored individually in future polls. One of those things that MIGHT have contributed to the subdued atmosphere was the separating of all the contests into their own individual forum. The idea behind that decision was to make things easier for the members to find. In the past only the Trivia had its own forum. All the other activities had one or more threads intermixed in the main Birthday Bash Forum.

Think of it this way:

In the past the events all took place in the huge ballroom. Participants had to wander the floor searching for the event they wanted to find. It was crowded and noisy. Contest announcements (post titles) were easy to see and more people were stopping at each booth to see what was going on and perhaps leave a comment or two.

This year all the events were assigned their own room. The events were easier to find but only a small number of people were in each room at one time. Some party goers never entered some of the rooms. They just walked down the hall to their pre-determined destination. They didn't see the announcements on the doors of the individual events (post titles) so they never got curious about what was inside and entered.

OK, maybe it's not the best analogy, but I tried! :tongue: Anyway, please give it some thought and cast a vote. Next year's Bash will be influenced by the results of these polls. This poll will remain open indefinitely.
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

JohnGreco

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
740
Location
Sewell, NJ 08080
I usually browse the forums based on New Posts, so in a sense when you click that you are in a huge ballroom. All of the new posts since you were on the site last show up in a list regardless of what section they are posted in.

I suppose it may be possible for people to not get that sense of one big party if they are going to individual forum sections, but maybe encouraging use of the New Posts feature could help alleviate that while still maintaining a sense of order thread-wise?
 

Ed McDonnell

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
2,294
Location
Melbourne, FL
I liked being able to zero in on the particular part of the bash I was really interested in by going directly to that forum. The number of activities in the Bash was a bit overwhelming for me and I wouldn't want to always have to fight my way through the crowded ballroom. But I found myself wishing we had a "New Bash Posts" button at the top that worked like "New Posts", but would only show bash posts, which would make it easier to keep up with everything going on without having to visit a large number of forums to see if anything was new.

Ed
 

jttheclockman

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
19,082
Location
NJ, USA.
I liked the different forums because I only like to visit what interests me. I have no interest for certain things so why should we have to wade through it.

I think what everyone is forgetting about this banter thing is we lost many of the older people from last year. Just go back and look at the members who participated last year and try to find them here this year. There are a ton newbies just getting the taste of the bash so you did not have that exchange like the past years. I don't think this will ever change again. Different times. :)
 

BSea

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
4,628
Location
Little Rock, Arkansas
I liked being able to zero in on the particular part of the bash I was really interested in by going directly to that forum. The number of activities in the Bash was a bit overwhelming for me and I wouldn't want to always have to fight my way through the crowded ballroom. But I found myself wishing we had a "New Bash Posts" button at the top that worked like "New Posts", but would only show bash posts, which would make it easier to keep up with everything going on without having to visit a large number of forums to see if anything was new.

Ed
This says it all. The best of both worlds IMHO. It may not be technically possible to have a "New Bash Posts" button, it may depend on the forum software. But it's still a nice idea.
 

mredburn

IAP Activities Manager
Staff member
Joined
Jul 5, 2009
Messages
8,752
Location
Fort Myers FL
Or along with the forum its own box on the front page with the newest threads. Like the classified section has. Seperating the Bash threads from the general threads. Those that dont want to be bothered with the bash can choose not to enter those threads. Those that are interested in the bash threads can pursue those that interest them.
 

mredburn

IAP Activities Manager
Staff member
Joined
Jul 5, 2009
Messages
8,752
Location
Fort Myers FL
No the Bash threads are mixed in with the general threads on the front page. In my scenario they would be in a seperate box. The links to the forums are in a box on the front page though.
 

Dale Lynch

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
1,819
Location
Hastings,NE
Ok, I get it.

I like it the way it is,for me it was very easy to sort through,very clean.Last year was so cluttered with threads here,there and everywhere in between.Made it difficult.
 

markgum

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2008
Messages
3,825
Location
Keenesburg, CO
great analogy. I liked having things broken in to separate contests. Much easier to find the new stuff posted. The open forum type is great for a 'banter' forum and everyone gets involved in the discussions.
have to ponder a while longer on which is better.
 

Karl_99

Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2012
Messages
1,672
Location
Winfield, PA
Hi! This was my first Bash and I liked the separate forums for the different activities. I participated in many of the activities such as the Daily Trivia, Wood ID and the Almost Daily Puzzle. Through many of these activities, I had fun and learned a lot about the IAP site and many of the people here. Since I don't know a lot of people, I was reluctant to jump into a lot of the "banter". One thing that made things challenging is that many of you refer to each other by your first name, but often that does not match your member ID so it gets confusing as to who is who. Overall, I had fun and learned a lot.
 

Coysquibbly

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
149
Location
Calgary, Alberta
I liked the way things were set up. I enjoyed being able to zero in on what interested me. And when I had time, I was able to visit other areas. I do believe I did vote in all forums.

Perhaps there was just as much banter, and it wasn't noticed as much because members were visiting only forums that they were interested in. I am new so I have nothing to really compare it to.

I do know that Having been a forum member for five years, this was the first bash that I have participated in and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait until next year. Congrats and Thank You to all of those that volunteered your time and resources to make this happen.

Kevin
 

hunter-27

Passed Away Aug 14, 2013
In Memoriam
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
4,608
Location
Chadron, Ne, USA.
I liked the way things were set up. I enjoyed being able to zero in on what interested me. And when I had time, I was able to visit other areas. I do believe I did vote in all forums.

Perhaps there was just as much banter, and it wasn't noticed as much because members were visiting only forums that they were interested in. I am new so I have nothing to really compare it to.

I do know that Having been a forum member for five years, this was the first bash that I have participated in and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait until next year. Congrats and Thank You to all of those that volunteered your time and resources to make this happen.

Kevin
Very good point. I received plenty of banter, it just took place via PM's. I think some things should only be said that way, it leaves less chance of accidental hurt feelings.
 

76winger

Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Messages
2,784
Location
Lebanon Indiana
I think a lot of people were getting used to a new method of holding the bash this is year (I know I was) and may need a year or two of doing it this new way before they grow accustomed to it.

I personally felt a little lost finding new discussion threads on the home page because they kept getting pushed off the most recent list before I had a chance to see them. And I usually don't go out but to a select few individual forums, so I miss a lot of things if I don't see them on the front page. To work around this Mike's idea of a separate box for the bash would be good, or alternatively: Double the number of recent threads during the bash so things show up longer and don't get pushed off so fast.

I think that's 2 cents worth so now I'll go back up and vote. :)
 
Last edited:

mredburn

IAP Activities Manager
Staff member
Joined
Jul 5, 2009
Messages
8,752
Location
Fort Myers FL
Another alternative is to click on the "quick links" tab close to the Private Messages near the welcome box in the upper right hand corner. Then the "Todays Posts" This will give you all the latest thread postings back and including the ones that havent updated since your last visit.
 
Last edited:

Sylvanite

Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2006
Messages
3,090
Location
Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA.
Ok, I'll be the contrarian. I voted "no". I played in at least a dozen different contests this year, and when I wanted to check on them I was constantly navigating between forums. That was a bit annoying, especially during the first half of the bash when each contest forum only had one thread. Also, there were a couple of interesting bash threads that were posted in non-bash forums. Whenever I wanted to consult them, I had to search.

More generally, I feel that it may have made the contests more insular. If someone visited one bash forum, he may have missed the grander scale of the bash. I normally view IAP activity via "Quick Links"->"Today's Posts" and "Search"->"Find Threads I've Joined" (to catch posts I overlooked before). Even so, I missed some of the bash action.

Perhaps we could have one overall bash forum, but prefix each thread with the contest name. That way, they'd be easier to differentiate so those interested in a single contest could still follow them.
 

Smitty37

Passed Away Mar 29, 2018
In Memoriam
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
12,823
Location
Milford, Delaware 19963
I thought it was a pain having to go find the forums for each contest...I missed a few of the early puzzles because of that and I think I missed some trivia also.
I think every thing for the bash should be under one header somewhere. Then perhaps pick your favorites.
 

hunter-27

Passed Away Aug 14, 2013
In Memoriam
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
4,608
Location
Chadron, Ne, USA.

Smitty37

Passed Away Mar 29, 2018
In Memoriam
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
12,823
Location
Milford, Delaware 19963
I thought it was a pain having to go find the forums for each contest...I missed a few of the early puzzles because of that and I think I missed some trivia also.
I think every thing for the bash should be under one header somewhere. Then perhaps pick your favorites.
I think it was just exactly that. :wink: http://www.penturners.org/forum/#a-9th-birthday-bash


I see that now --- but to see it I had to call up forums and when I do that I had each of the individual forums listed and it appeared as a header.
 

NewLondon88

Local Chapter Leader
Joined
May 15, 2008
Messages
5,077
Location
Claremont NH
I had a terrible time trying to get anywhere. Page loads took so long that
they usually timed out. Seems ok now
 

Mazzywv

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
Messages
96
I like the idea of separate forums for the bash. I wonder if the donation drawing might be a bit more exciting if maybe they would do one drawing per day during the bash to keep folks coming back to see who won? just a thought...
 

jeff

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 5, 2003
Messages
8,970
Location
Westlake, OH, USA.
Or along with the forum its own box on the front page with the newest threads. Like the classified section has. Seperating the Bash threads from the general threads. Those that dont want to be bothered with the bash can choose not to enter those threads. Those that are interested in the bash threads can pursue those that interest them.

That's easy to do. I actually considered that, but by the time it occurred to me, we were well into the month.
 

jeff

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 5, 2003
Messages
8,970
Location
Westlake, OH, USA.
I had a terrible time trying to get anywhere. Page loads took so long that
they usually timed out. Seems ok now

Sorry you had issues. I didn't get any reports of slow page loads and there were no server issues I can recall. Timeouts are often due to overloaded or misconfigured routers between you and the host.
 

Smitty37

Passed Away Mar 29, 2018
In Memoriam
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
12,823
Location
Milford, Delaware 19963
I thought it was a pain having to go find the forums for each contest...I missed a few of the early puzzles because of that and I think I missed some trivia also.
I think every thing for the bash should be under one header somewhere. Then perhaps pick your favorites.
I think it was just exactly that. :wink: http://www.penturners.org/forum/#a-9th-birthday-bash


I see that now --- but to see it I had to call up forums and when I do that I had each of the individual forums listed and it appeared as a header.
There was no place dedicated to "general bash chat" just the individual forums. Nothing where someone could say to everybody "I just sent my entry to...." and things like that, they could only be said in the specific forums.
 

mbroberg

IAP Activities Manager, Emeritus
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
5,954
Location
Columbus, OH
Right up on top there was "Bash Announcements and General Discussion"


I thought it was a pain having to go find the forums for each contest...I missed a few of the early puzzles because of that and I think I missed some trivia also.
I think every thing for the bash should be under one header somewhere. Then perhaps pick your favorites.
I think it was just exactly that. :wink: http://www.penturners.org/forum/#a-9th-birthday-bash


I see that now --- but to see it I had to call up forums and when I do that I had each of the individual forums listed and it appeared as a header.
There was no place dedicated to "general bash chat" just the individual forums. Nothing where someone could say to everybody "I just sent my entry to...." and things like that, they could only be said in the specific forums.
 

Smitty37

Passed Away Mar 29, 2018
In Memoriam
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
12,823
Location
Milford, Delaware 19963
That was the hooker - Bash Announcements and General Discussiion. I took that to mean general discussion about bash announcements, not a place for me to go pick on my buds about what they were doing..
Right up on top there was "Bash Announcements and General Discussion"


I thought it was a pain having to go find the forums for each contest...I missed a few of the early puzzles because of that and I think I missed some trivia also.
I think every thing for the bash should be under one header somewhere. Then perhaps pick your favorites.
I think it was just exactly that. :wink: http://www.penturners.org/forum/#a-9th-birthday-bash


I see that now --- but to see it I had to call up forums and when I do that I had each of the individual forums listed and it appeared as a header.
There was no place dedicated to "general bash chat" just the individual forums. Nothing where someone could say to everybody "I just sent my entry to...." and things like that, they could only be said in the specific forums.
 

Hendu3270

Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
919
Location
Pearland, Texas
I thought each contest having its own forum worked well. There ended up being enough threads in the end that if they were grouped into one forum you'd have to "hunt" for what you were looking for. Not that it would take long to find, but I'm just saying :biggrin:
 

NewLondon88

Local Chapter Leader
Joined
May 15, 2008
Messages
5,077
Location
Claremont NH
Sorry you had issues. I didn't get any reports of slow page loads and there were no server issues I can recall. Timeouts are often due to overloaded or misconfigured routers between you and the host.

Could well be.. I got in OK for the first few days, but not much after
that. Could have been the time of day for all I know. But I didn't have
a problem with other traffic that I remember.
 

mbroberg

IAP Activities Manager, Emeritus
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
5,954
Location
Columbus, OH
This poll was posted on 3/5/13. As of 3/10/13 @ 7:30pm EST 102 people have voted in this poll. The poll is getting additional votes each day but they are slowing down. I want everyone to have the opportunity to provide a vote in this poll before I close it. If you have not done so yet, why not take a second and cast a vote?
 

mbroberg

IAP Activities Manager, Emeritus
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
5,954
Location
Columbus, OH
Well folks, we are going to wrap this one up. 71.7% of the members who voted in this poll like each Birthday Bash event to have it's own "room". Next year I'll ask Jeff to put "New Bash Posts" or something similar on the front page. Thank you to the 106 members who took the time to vote in this poll.
 
Top Bottom