INPUT PLEASE: What to do with Misc. forum?

[Sizemeister]

Based on the feedback I've gotten from some members and discussions with some of the other moderators, the misc. forum may need to either be re-defined or eliminated. I would like to open this up for discussion with anyone who wants to give feedback on this.

Basically, here's where we're at. We currently have two "off-topic" BS forums. Why? Well, when Thorne's Lab started, it was originally supposed to be the forum for sexual tips and relationship advice. Over the years the inertia of that forum has carried it into the realm of miscellaneous topics and wacky (but funny) BS. Recently, we opened a new PE Forums Sex Workshop forum to be what Thorne's Lab was intended. Given the popularity of TL and the new sex forum, where does that leave the Misc forum?

I can think of three option right now, and I'm open to more.

1. Redefine the Misc forum's description and/or title, and keep it around. For some reason, there are certain types of topics that show up in Misc that people aren't as willing to discuss in TL. Do we need to make Misc a current events or sports discussion or site questions or something similar?

What would you like to discuss here and not in Thorne's Lab?

2. Eliminate Misc. altogether, and merge it with TL. Some think that 2 BS forums is overkill. I would concur that our current setup may be overkill, with one forum "anything goes" and the other one has "stuff that doesn't fit elsewhere". Kind of redundant.

3. Leave it alone. It's fine.

I'm going to base what happens in part on what you guys think would make this board easier/more pleasurable to navigate and read, so your input is greatly appreciated.

Feel free to discuss ideas in this thread.

Thanks in advance!

Size

[pamdaga]

I do not like hyper-categorization. I feel that there should be no more than 5 or 6 different forums, one of which should be a "water-cooler" sort of general/misc forum.

Ideally, the general forum would have everything in it and the conversations would be copied (not moved), to the forum they belonged in for ease of searching. Better yet, a general forum would have mirrors of all threads in all forums linked to it. The idea is to have one big forum with everything and then the categorized ones as well. That's what I'd like anyhow.

The best option I can think of in response to this poll is to merge the misc forum with the general forum.

[mistered]

1- We have many people out there in the world that visit and lurk here. Those people are from and represent all walks of life. As a result of that, some folks benefit from the General Discussion forum format. Some benefit from the pariculars of the other forum formats.
Obviously in this context to combine Misc and Gen Disc together would be ignoring the guest base of people and there wishes. PE Forums is an entity that is set up and designed for all those out there to benefit from and in a free no strings attached way.
I think there are many people out there would would want Gen Dis to stay "clean" of side issues and other bs topics. To begin combining forums would take away from "their" being able to come into that forum and learn of PE and explore it's possibilities with out having to wade thru the other stuff.

2- Thorne's Lab has strayed off somewhat of it's original purpose and i believe that signifies (thru an evolutionary process) there was a need to do so.
There is something about those off the wall type of subjects that seem to me to be beneficial to certain segements of our inner community here. I liken Thorne's Lab here as i do sports and comedy there (the outside world), in the context that it is a stress reducer as well as a break from the mundaneness of always talking the redundancies of PE shop-talk in general.

3- Misc forum from what i perceive is a place to talk PE shop-talk "OFF-SUBJECT". It is a place to explore as well as share pe related subject matter with a twist. Currently, Misc forum only looks (on the outer surface) like it is out of place or confusing only due to mod inactivity in my opinon (so don't take that personal/i'm referencing a process and not a person). Many threads in misc could be elsewhere. I see misc as an excellent medium to explore, argue, debate and simply discuss the side issues of PE.
Misc would have been a better place for me, Guiri and Avocet to compare notes and differences in a free setting without worrying about staying within guide lines of staying on topic and w/o offending others on the side lines. Misc. is another section if properly contained that would also serve it's purpose.

4- Have you ever noticed when some one mentions something in a post and all of a sudden others are getting on the band wagon. It seems like at times some will join in to fit in whether they speak truthful things or just bs (it's all okay in the context of stirring dialog imo, so don't take me wrong). Well, in the same formay but, without the bs i wonder if that might happen in the subject of the changes (for the better) that have taken place on board lately. My warning to the admins is beware of getting caught up in a hype that could easily go further than what may be good for PE Forums and "al" involved. To many cooks can spoil the suop and too many changes too quickly could also potentially have a worsening effect. Stay balanced ad clear please. I'm not sure if i am comfortable with a few making hasty recommendations for the unseen masses that aso navigate and benefit from our forums here. Include them also, they may have very good reasons for not opting to join the membership rank and file where they too would have a voice in these matters.

I strongly disagree that the forums are too many and i am strongly against combining several into a fewer. Imo, that doesn't make sense in the context we all have needs at times to interact in different venues.

What ever is decided please keep in mind that the more areas we have for interaction the more interest we might solicit from the unseen masses in regards to their viewing pleasure as well as member sign-ons.

But what ever is decided, i promise to not pee in the moat. I might kinda spit in it once in a while though just to keep it from getting overly stagnate. :D

Misc is okay, but throw some of their bs over our way at Thorne's Place (where anything goes) and keep Misc in line with off-topic PE.
Just my 2-cents kinda way.

[avocet8]

I very seldom read either Misc or Thorne's because they so seldom have anything to do with my PE interest. Having two such forums seems like overkill to me.

[mistered]

If PE Forums was not of it's own identity and format, and just a clone of other PE sites it may have folded long ago and some other sites probably would not exist today! Tat is just my own opinion, but PE Forums is the Leader, the father and grandfather in many ways.

On a side note as an example and for clarification purposes:
One thing that has made America what she is today is diversity and adventurism.
If many of those folks who had wanted to close it's doors and live closed up and non-adventuring (such as some outlying communities even do to this day) had gotten their wishes we would not have the freedoms as well as the "intellect" today that we do have.
"Diversity" as well as "venturing out" improves and advances the intellect and thinking abilities of people and nations. And those same concepts apply even to the evolvement of any on line forum community such as PE Forum.

Hmmmm......

[WillB7]

Come on guys lets hear what you think, or at least vote, please.
Thanks.

[Sizemeister]

No one else has any opinion? I'm going to leave this up for a while, so feel free to give your opinions and ideas.

[badseed1977]

Turn it into a porn forum so we can have things to look at while we jelq. :)

[Charlie]

I would suggest that the Miscellaneous Forum be used to address/discuss what men fear worse than a small dick - Erectile Dysfunction.

[Charlie]

Couple of other ideas for use of Misc. Forum.
1. Low Hangers Forum - discussion and how-to info.
2. Foreskin stretching/growth
Both of these directly influence the appearance/perception of the size of a penis. I think either or both of these topics would be good additions to the PE Forums site.

[MechaBlue]

I see Thorne's Lab as being very 'off the wall'. Stepping out of reality is a common occurence there and the air is not really conducive to the discussion of important issues that don't really fit into the main categories. Miscellaneous is where people can bring up non-PE issues that are very important and serious (such as body image and relationship issues).

I guess the primary differenc, IMO, is that one of the forums doesn't require a tinfoil hat ;)

[Thorne]

Tinfoil hats?

You saying there's aliens trying to read your thoughts in one of these forums?

I don't get it.

Actually The Lab has strayed from what it was intended to be, but that's to be expected...no biggie.
I think the new sex workshop forum was a GREAT idea, that was partially what the Lab was going to be...
but now I don't see The Lab as "off the wall" or "leaving reality" at all, if anything it's become quite normal and ordinary.
Nowhere near the lunacy it used to be.
Just everyday kinda talk can go on in there and I think that's more reality based than talking about pulling dicks all day.
That kinda chit-chat doesnt go over too popular around water coolers.

That's the freedom of it...talk about what you want in there, no pressure, no rules (excluding pre-determined set-in-stone board rules, of course), etc.

But my vote is split on what to do with the Misc. forum.
I say either leave it as it is (unless you guys are running out of space or something and would have to merge it or delete it) or redefine this forum.

So I won't vote in the poll since I'm 50/50 on 2 of the choices.

[Thorne]

I must be the designated thread killer now because it seems everytime I post something or reply no one wants to be associated with that thread anymore.

But I had another suggestion on what to do with the Misc. forum.

Just change the title to 'Off Topic'.

Sometimes I'd like to talk about off topic things and none of the other forums really seem the place to talk about it.
I don't wanna go into GD and see a bunch of 'OT' posts or in the Sex Workshop or in The Lab.

So if anyone with the authority sees this, suggest changing the title to "Off Topic" to BA and see what he thinks of it.

[twatteaser]

Are we going to kill or merge this forum now? How long do we need to have the poll going for? Perhaps we should put this in the main member forum saying what we should do with it and get more viewer participation.

[AlexW]

I wouldnt change a thing. I love the news Twat brings here! Im against combining the forums but maybe we should rename this one. If its not broke, why fix it!