Regional Forums? [Merged]

[Timothy]

I've been hanging around MacRumors for years now, but I find myself posting less and less. Why? The major threads tend to fill up way too quickly, and there is so much repetitive posting, that the discussions seem to lose my interest.

Here's a thought; why not regionalize MacRumors? Split us into groups, so that we can maintain some sense of community, we can slow the rate of posting on the big threads, and feel as though we can participate on some manageable level.

Anyway, just an idea. I think MacRumors has grown too large.

[stoid]

Originally Posted by Timothy

I think MacRumors has grown too large.

Don't go visit spyMac then.

I personally don't post in the 'big' threads too often, but that's the fun part about these discussions, just getting to read what other people think, and react to those thoughts in your own way. If macRumors split up into regions, you'd miss out on ideas that you might otherwise see. That's what the different sub-forums are for. Not to go off-topic, but it would be nice to have a forum for foreign languages that could be all in German or French or Spanish or Chinese or whatever for our overseas friends.

[PlaceofDis]

nice name Timothy, i like it because we share it LoL, but i totally understand where you are comming from, i go on posting spurts because there is a lot of repetition and once a thread reaches a certain size there really isnt that much more you can say about the topic, unless of course the topic has essentially changed, ect, but Stoid is right that we would be losing somethings too....i feel like this place is crowded sometimes, other times i feel like the only one here.....

[kettle]

You mean macrumours.co.uk?

[baby duck monge]

Originally Posted by PlaceofDis

there is a lot of repetition and once a thread reaches a certain size there really isnt that much more you can say about the topic, unless of course the topic has essentially changed

this may be true, but i think there is another reason that these long threads get incredibly repetitive: people don't bother reading what has already been posted (this is particularly bad when the post begins by telling you that they have not read the other posts and what they are going to say/ask will probably be repeating someone else's post. and it is.), or they just want to make a "me too" post. if people would take the time to read threads before posting, and would think about their post before making it, threads would be a lot shorter and would probably cover more ground.

just my thoughts about it, anyway.

[MacFan26]

Yeah, I don't often post in the really long threads either, I always figure that someone has already said what I was going to post. But it is good to have one MacRumors, it's great to hear from so many different people!

[Mav451]

I think repetitive posts is just an inherent disadvantage on multiple paged threads...its not just here. Take a look at other forums. I don't think there's one easy solution, I mean most forums already have the "No one-word response, please read the entire thread" tip at the beginning.

I think it'd be nice if 10 page threads, for example, at least let you select like the pages in 3-4 page intervals. Usually I see 1,2,3 Last, which forces you to use multiple clicks just to get to page 5 or 6. Maybe 1-3, 4-7, 8-10 or something like that would make it easier. I dunno.

[stoid]

Originally Posted by Mav451

I think repetitive posts is just an inherent disadvantage on multiple paged threads...its not just here. Take a look at other forums. I don't think there's one easy solution, I mean most forums already have the "No one-word response, please read the entire thread" tip at the beginning.

I think it'd be nice if 10 page threads, for example, at least let you select like the pages in 3-4 page intervals. Usually I see 1,2,3 Last, which forces you to use multiple clicks just to get to page 5 or 6. Maybe 1-3, 4-7, 8-10 or something like that would make it easier. I dunno.

you can change the number of posts displayed per page in your User CP somewhere

[brhmac]

Sounds like a good idea.

[Timothy]

I'd suggest making the various regional versions available to be seen; that way you could still read the aggregate total 1000 posts relating to the latest rumor of new powerbooks, but you'd have a "home" version with a population size that is much more manageable.

There was a time on MacRumors when you could know many of the posters, you knew their experience with the issues, and you knew the point of view they were speaking from. As the community has grown exponentially, this aspect has been lost.

It's not my forum, so I can't dictate what happens, but I am confident that if something like regionalizing the forum could happen, that it would accelerate the growth of MacRumors even more. The great comments will always surface; Arn can call attention to anything that provides meaningful information. But, at the pace we are going, it seems to me that MacRumors is just becoming overwhelming without providing a matching level of valuable content.

[JamesDPS]

I think there's too much repetition in threads, but that's the price we pay to hear opinions from all over, without which we would be losing out. Maybe if we could see more posts more easily?


sorry couldn't resist....


No seriously, I kind of like the large scope of macrumors -- even with as many users as there are, here, I end up in conversations with the same people all the time, and it's good to have as wide a range of views as possible -- I kind of like the idea of multiple languages but the only down side is then that people who would normally be posting in French or German (just examples) might not post in the same posts as people in the U.S., and it's definitely valuable to get the opinions of people in other countries, especially in the political forums.

[Chappers]

We've all been regionalized by Apple, lets not start doing it ourselves.

[Diatribe]

I'm kind of ambivalent regarding this matter. I do like the many opinions we get this way but it seems the bigger you grow the more you have 2 problems:
1. repetitive posting(when are the pb g5s coming?, which bluetooth mouse should I get?) I mean come on SEARCH before you post. At least most of the time. Please?
2. Short answers from newbies who want the fast post count and less answers from the people which you would like to have some from because they don't feel like going through a 1000+ posts thread or answering the same old questions over and over again. Or your thread gets lost after a day because there are 30+ new threads about the same stuff.

There are more shortcomings but these are the ones I dislike the most. Anyhow I am against regionalization just because I love multicultural/-national forums. If we start to separate now in different regions then I could talk to my neighbor about my new pb too.

We could open some kind of avatar club where only people with 'tars could post... damn i would be excluded I guess... bad idea

<edit: typos - I shouldn't be writing when I'm tired >

[bennetsaysargh]

i don't like to post in big threads like when there's an apple announcement, but i don't think we should regionalize. sure there are many threads about "bluetooth mouse, any good?" and the like, but still, it's a good community.

[virividox]

sometimes i just look at forums to read what certain people say and dont post at all, if we were regionalized i would have the ability to do that to the same extent in the past.

then again maybe to stop multiple postings we could have sticky threads that cover topics that always crop up

like ram, what mice are good, comparisons of the ibook and powerbook etc

but then the best part of this forum i believe is not just the mac related stuff, cuz after a while that gets boring, but the current events and other topics and photography. if we couldnt access that area fully then it would be a shame.

[j26]

I think it might be a good idea to have regional forums for the international users on macrumors. It would be handy for these users to have somewhere to ask country specific questions without having hunderds of bemused Americans point to US solutions which may be of no use to us.

Obviously most issues people have are common to everyone and should go on the main boards, but say I want to ask about the Irish iTunes Store, or an Irish rebate offer, it's of no interest to US posters, and a waste of bandwith to have on the general boards.

The regions I'd suggest are;
* Ireland/UK
* Continental Europe
* Southern Americas
* Asia
* Australia/New Zealand
* Africa
But obviously these could be altered.

Anyone else think this is a good idea??

[spicyapple]

No. We can have a Paddyland sub-forum where you can be the only member to post there.

[tobefirst]

And where's the North American forum? Don't we get our own? (:

For the record: I don't think it's necessary. I honestly don't see this being an issue all that often, and when it is, it is usually pointed out quickly and set on the right track.

[Blue Velvet]

No. All it takes is to put the country of relevance in the post title and maybe emphasised in the first paragraph.

Why duplicate identical forums across continents? If I have a query, I hope the best-qualified person might help, not the geographically-closest.

Forum proliferation: go with the Steve, don't add features you could withdraw later.*






*Except for Firewire on iPods. But that doesn't count, does it hmmm?

[j26]

Ye have the whole thing at the moment, quit whining!!

Originally Posted by tobefirst

And where's the North American forum? Don't we get our own? (:

[tobefirst]

Originally Posted by j26

Ye have the whole thing at the moment, quit whining!!

Not good enough. (:

[j26]

Originally Posted by tobefirst

Not good enough. (:

Okay, a US/Canada region then!

[Applespider]

Let's not.

Even if you just made them subforums in Community, I think the site would lose something. Part of what makes MR fun is the variety of news and events that international users share - and if everyone was encouraged to stay within their little section, it would really detract from the richness of opinion we currently see.

If it's something relating to a non-US country, stick the name in the subject.

[xsedrinam]

Regionalism is as regionalism does and thinks. The idea is over-quill since each poster tends to reflect their on regionalism. There are those who seem proud to dismiss U.S. posters as trivialites with one, broad stroke. There are also those who are proud to have sinned against Europe. Shouldn't make any difference since there are always exceptions to the generalizations. Stay the coarse.....course.

[j26]

Originally Posted by spicyapple

No. We can have a Paddyland sub-forum where you can be the only member to post there.

Oooh, King of my own domain!!