This forum has turned out to be quite a success in spite of the arguments people have had in the past. People are taking more care with their words regarding their views and their opinions as well as the feelings of other members and I was wondering if when you are considering taking the forum down (since it is marked as temporary) if you would reconsider naming it something to the effect of "Current Events"?
There is a lot that goes on in world news besides America's current conflict that would find a decent audience and generate decent discussions as opposed to having them posted in GD...religion, politics (two touchy subjects) as well as global issues and local occurences (such as the NY plane crash this morning that I was going to make a post on but both Mark and Ryanamour beat me to LOL).
Just a suggestion from me but rather than sending you an e-mail, I am posting this here to ask others for their input as well.
Thanks!
:D

I agree with Moni. Would be nice to have a Serious Discussions Forum here!

Hi Moni! Hugs! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hi Mark! Hugs! :D

Hmmm...Serious Discussions AND Current Events!
I like the concept but am feeling right now that Serious Discussions on random subjects might bury current events in news, politics, religion and economies...topic-wise, you know? Old debates rehashed for the sake of posting a "Serious Discussion"?

What could it be named and how could we separate current events from general debates? Now you've got me thinking! Bad Mark! Bad! ;)

I mentioned Serious Discussion mostly because of the Forum at MH. Current Events would be fine though!

They are both equally important though!
What do we do?! :eek:
;) :D [img]smile.gif[/img]

Let someone else decide? :D

LOL! Good Idea!
I have to get back to school anyway. :D
Hey I posted pics of me & my son in GD...go check him out!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

I'll also agree that I'd like to see serious issues discussed in a separate forum permanently.

Well, I wasn't in favour of a separate forum initially, but I think this one works pretty well - if the discussion is too hot, we can retreat out of the 'kitchen' and have some fun in GD away from the debates, then come back calmer. So maybe a current affairs/serious discussion forum would work.

Who decides what goes in such a forum and what goes in GD? That would be my main objection. It has potential but might become a moderator's nightmare as well.

Not to mention that Z has always considered GD the place for any discussion (bar the war topic of course) and started many a good one there, himself. So in the long run, I guess we just need to see how he feels about it. He has made it quite clear that the War topic forum is temporary on several occasions, though. Hmmm.. considering the way the 'war' is going it could be temporary for a while. [img]smile.gif[/img]


Cloudy

[ 11-14-2001: Message edited by: Cloudbringer ]</p>

I prefer a united forum. It worked wonderfully in the past, and seperation only became necessary when war topics drowned out every other topic.

I've never been a fan of Mithril Halls seperation style. General conversation ends up happening in Serious discussions anyway. It's just another example of humans need to categorise and segment what should be freeflowing, interchanging and alive.

Look even at this forum. In some "serious" threads, chitchat occurs anyway.

Better to lump it all together in my humble opinion. [img]smile.gif[/img]

You do have a point, Yorick. I've noted several threads in this forum that technically belong in GD at the moment, so as I said before, it could become a moderator's nightmare keeping track.

Cloudy

My suggestion is to move all threads with any degree of seriousness to the Roleplaying forum to give Cloudy a chance to really flex those mod muscles.............*ducks*

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Moni:
... Ryanamour beat me... :D <hr></blockquote>

Moni my dear, I know that you love me very much but I told you before, I'm married! (check your spelling of my name and the word love in French!) [img]smile.gif[/img] Nonetheless, I swear I didn't beat you... that was Mark. :D

Good idea by the way! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Thank you all for your input.

Yorick and Cloudy,
I do see your points and I agree to some extent, but I feel that threads based on Current World Events might now and then cause conflict in GD the same way that the initial war threads did, not to mention that a lot of people who chat and play around in GD are probably not interested in threads along the lines of which I was thinking.

My idea was more along the lines of newsroom chat, not serious discussions as you should be able to discern from my reply to Skywalker..."Serious Discussions" is a title that leaves the door open to too many subjects and some of those, it would turn out, should be part of IW's General Discussion Forum. I meant continuing this forum for the sake of discussing political and religious events, economics, and basic world news that isn't really in the interest of General readers if you can understand.

I did not like MH's method of separating everything myself and this is not at all what I was proposing to Ziroc. Sorry you misunderstood!

To say that its "just another example of humans need to categorise and segment what should be freeflowing, interchanging and alive." is IMO really a bit harsh lol.
My idea was as I have explained, is not separating all conversation into different catagories, just giving a place to issues for more people alert and willing to converse on current world NEWS events.

Anyway, I hope I have made myself clear enough to the two of you and yes, it is up to Ziroc in the long run what will become of this forum.

(This thread is still open for more comments on the positive/negative aspects of the idea that anyone wants to include in a discussion for or against the idea. ;) )

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Ryanamur:


Moni my dear, I know that you love me very much but I told you before, I'm married! (check your spelling of my name and the word love in French!) [img]smile.gif[/img] Nonetheless, I swear I didn't beat you... that was Mark. :D

Good idea by the way! [img]smile.gif[/img] <hr></blockquote>

LOL! I just couldn't help myself...I get tired of editing typos LOL and that one was too good to fix. ;)
:D
*hugs*!

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Mouse:
My suggestion is to move all threads with any degree of seriousness to the Roleplaying forum to give Cloudy a chance to really flex those mod muscles.............*ducks*<hr></blockquote>

<font color="white">Hey Hey Hey!!!
I am there, too you know!
Do not curse my land of ecstacy...</font>

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Mouse:
My suggestion is to move all threads with any degree of seriousness to the Roleplaying forum to give Cloudy a chance to really flex those mod muscles.............*ducks*<hr></blockquote>

Mouse! ROTFL!!! *hides the mouse trap and lays the cheese out near the Roleplay forum* Nice mousie... goooood mousie.. just a little closer now.. hehe.. ;)

Larry, LOL, I don't think we need to worry too much, Z's not likely to put downed airlplanes in our Roleplay home! Well, I hope not, anyway!

Moni,

I think many folk in GD are interested in news events and would gladly discuss them there! This place was created for the WAR related items because they literally swamped GD at a few points and pushed all else off the front page, which did upset some folks, yes, but nobody said they don't want ANY current events in GD. At least not that I've heard til now. That is one of GD's initial reasons for existing. To be a place for discussion of daily life and events. Well, as you can see, I'd still have trouble with such a division if news/current events was the criteria for separation. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Ryanamur... LOL, I completely missed the spelling of your name that way... that's so funny! :D

Oh Mouse... come on over to Roleplay and jump into a thread! I see you as an excellent thief or jester or hmmm.. ever tried assasin?! LOL

Cloudy

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Cloudbringer:
Moni,

I think many folk in GD are interested in news events and would gladly discuss them there! This place was created for the WAR related items because they literally swamped GD at a few points and pushed all else off the front page, which did upset some folks, yes, but nobody said they don't want ANY current events in GD. At least not that I've heard til now. That is one of GD's initial reasons for existing. To be a place for discussion of daily life and events. Well, as you can see, I'd still have trouble with such a division if news/current events was the criteria for separation. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Cloudy<hr></blockquote>

I've seen threads such as I described get ignored in GD or receive negative comments from people who did not want to see them there.

Anyway, Ziroc has at least visited this forum to post here today and has either missed this thread or ignored it so your arguement with me is mute...it is his perogative to do what he pleases where ever and I was not trying to dictate anything, just making a suggestion as I have explained above.

I think a separate forum has merit because it will not allow interesting discussions to quickly disappear into the high volume of posts found in General Discussions. It doesn't take posts long to fall from the front page on GD.

Sorting the ideas won't be as easy as sorting Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, but it can be done, and we, as members, should "police" ourselves. We know when we are going off topic and yet find the new topic worthy of further discussion, so we can make a new post either here or GD.

Serious discussion doesn't mean not having fun with one another, it's just a different level of posting. I haven't seen many lengthy posts in GD on the level we see here :D (we need a smiley for long winded blow hards like me..lol)