Anyone else not liking the forum changes? (answered)

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

scarf man said:

I'm with Sumatra, & Servo, the changes are imo not needed or welcome.

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Change is virtually never welcome. As human beings we resist it at every turn, so this type of response is to be expected. However, the hope is that over time the bulk of the membership will come to appreciate the overall goals we are striving for as those goals are directed at benefiting them.

scarf man said:

Art, if you want to change things so much, you might as well just start a new board.

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I'm sorry but that statement just makes no sense at all. The staff here love the RPF and are slowly working to improve it in a number of areas. What would be the benefit to the members here if we just created a new board... we have seen this done again and again, where some disenfranchised member has gone off and started their own splinter board which generally only serves to segregate the prop community. Our goal is to work to provide the best platform for fans of props and costumes possible. Does that mean there is going to be a little bit of shakeup in the beginning? Yes. Does that mean it may upset an isolated group? Possibly. However, we are confident that we are serving the bulk of the community and will continue to do so to the very best of our abilities.

scarf man said:

Change does not always equal growth, sometimes it just annoys the membership.

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Agreed and agreed. Change for the sake of change alone is really little more than a shot in the dark. Fortunately the updates we are enacting aren't being handled unilaterally nor are they simply change without purpose. I am sorry you are annoyed but hopefully, in time, even the few naysayers will see and approve of the overall direction we are moving in, even if they don't agree with each individual update.

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

I'm on the fence with this one.

I can understand why you made the changes, but I see no point for them. The rpf was fine the way it was by having the screen used props and the replica props in the same forum. It seemed to be working fine.

Also, what happens if a member wants to show off his whole collection that has original and replica props. Does it mean he has to post two seperate topics just to show off the one collection?

Also, this a replica prop forum not a screen used prop forum. I understand that you would like to include the screen used prop people which I myself is one of them, but I am sure there are other forums for us (screen used people) to participate in if we were so anal about only talking about screen used props. I believe by seperating the forums, it is only going to split the people up further. It seems like a form of segregation.

"Does that mean there is going to be a little bit of shakeup in the beginning? Yes. Does that mean it may upset an isolated group? Possibly. However, we are confident that we are serving the bulk of the community and will continue to do so to the very best of our abilities."

Imho, it seemed like the bulk of the community was okay with people posting screen used and replica prop items in the same forum. Plus, it only seemed like an "isolated group" of screen used prop owners were being anal about the replicas and screen used being in the same forum. So why are we splitting the forum to make that small isolated group happy?

Also, it seems the flow of traffic is a lot slower in the screen used forum. Sometimes 4-9 people, while the replica prop forum has 80 people. This section can be better utilized with a different topic.

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

Liking, not loving.
but I haven't completely played yet. Consider me an open mind . . .

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

Damn, never seen so many minor, sissy like complaints. Adapt. The owners of the board will not be be able to make each and everyone of you happy 100% of the time. Hey, if you are 20% unhappy with the changes, put your arm down, teacher's not going to call on you.

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

Frankly change is inevitable and I would challenge you to remember some of the big changes in the past when we went from ezboard or invision or even the move to the current board... with the RPF change is always happening and it is not simply for the sake of change, but to improve the overall member experience.

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

ER,

Thanks for your comments. Let me try to address them one at a time.

EvilRocketeer said:

The rpf was fine the way it was by having the screen used props and the replica props in the same forum. It seemed to be working fine.

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This argument could be made for a number of the forums that weren't originally on the RPF but have been added over the years.

Replica costumes worked fine in the prop forum. Why do we need a replica costume forum?

Studio scale models and general modeling were fine when they were together. Why did that need to be broken into two forums?

One of our goals is to create a core group of top level forums that 1) gain a lot of attention and activity and 2) quickly and clearly categorize the major elements of the prop community. We feel this was the first step in achieving those goals.

EvilRocketeer said:

Also, what happens if a member wants to show off his whole collection that has original and replica props. Does it mean he has to post two seperate topics just to show off the one collection?

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Not to be dismissive, but again, this concern could be made for many collections. What if my collection contains both costumes and props or props and models? Where do I post it? This isn't a new concern based on the addition of the Screen Used forum but an overriding concern for any collector with a diverse collection. We encourage members to post their collection where they feel it fits best. If they grossly miscalculate, we will be glad to move their post for them.

EvilRocketeer said:

Also, this a replica prop forum not a screen used prop forum. I understand that you would like to include the screen used prop people which I myself is one of them, but I am sure there are other forums for us (screen used people) to participate in if we were so anal about only talking about screen used props. I believe by seperating the forums, it is only going to split the people up further. It seems like a form of segregation.

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Couple of things to consider here. You are absolutely right, this IS a replica prop forum... but what are we replicating (for the most part)? Screen used props. Why wouldn't we want to welcome those who have the pieces many of our members are trying to replicate? Not only is it a chance to ogle "holy grails" but to potentially learn information from them!

Also, we see the hobby changing and where there were once (and still are to a degree) hardcore screen used only people and hardcore replica only people, now there are a lot more people who have both. The lines are blurring and while there are some awesome Screen Used only forums like the MPF to pander to the needs of the hardcore screen used enthusiasts, we are trying to provide a place for those crossovers and those who are just getting into the screen used field (although we certainly won't shun any of the hard core screen used people!). The screen used forum provides more of a venue for those members and may entice newer members to venture in to the screen used arena.

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on whether modeling vs studio scale models or props vs costumes is also segregating the community.

EvilRocketeer said:

So why are we splitting the forum to make that small isolated group happy?

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We aren't so much splitting up forums as we are making a new forum and providing new opportunities.

EvilRocketeer said:

Also, it seems the flow of traffic is a lot slower in the screen used forum. Sometimes 4-9 people, while the replica prop forum has 80 people. This section can be better utilized with a different topic.

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The Screen Used forum has been up for less than 24 hours... give it a chance... although I am interested to hear what other topics you feel would make a good top-level forum!

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

I am one of the people who is not especially fond of the changes. One of the things that I don't like is that it takes me much longer to find my way around - information is really scattered now, and I find the de-centralization annoying.

One of the things I object to most is the addition of the word "MOVIE" in front of the forum names. Many of the replica props and costumes done and discussed here are from TV shows or comic books or other sources - why use that "movie" tag? Why isn't "movie" tacked onto the front of the modeling forums? It seems an arbitrary choice, especially when the description of the forum below its title says props from TV shows, etc. I think that's a contradiction, and, like some of the other changes, is exclusionary rather than inclusive.

My two cents.

Rick

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

rickrickrick said:

One of the things I object to most is the addition of the word "MOVIE" in front of the forum names. Many of the replica props and costumes done and discussed here are from TV shows or comic books or other sources - why use that "movie" tag? Why isn't "movie" tacked onto the front of the modeling forums? It seems an arbitrary choice, especially when the description of the forum below its title says props from TV shows, etc. I think that's a contradiction, and, like some of the other changes, is exclusionary rather than inclusive.

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Rick,

You make a very valid point and I can understand how this could be confusing. Some of the forum names were tweaked for clarity, while others were tweaked for SEO purposes. The addition of "movie" was more for an SEO gain than for clarity and we feel pretty confident it won't dissuade members from posting other props in these forums. As with many things, we will be watching to see the effects small changes like this make and if they aren't gaining anything for the site, we will probably drop them in favor of more simple titles.

rickrickrick said:

One of the things that I don't like is that it takes me much longer to find my way around - information is really scattered now, and I find the de-centralization annoying

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Do you feel you are having difficulty finding your way around simply because the order of forums on the main page has been slightly revised and is new or because they are less organized? In what way do you feel things have been de-centralized?

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

I don't like the way my burger was prepared. Make me whole again!
:lol


In all seriousness, I'm still getting used to the changes. It was jarring at first, but I see why it was done and I will adapt. Hey, and if it doesn't work, it's not like you can't ever tweak things again, right?

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

moffeaton said:

Hey, and if it doesn't work, it's not like you can't ever tweak things again, right?

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Exactly. Nothing is set in stone and if something doesn't work, we will change it until it does.

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

I'm good with the changes thus far and appreciate the open communication.

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

I must confess, I don't like the new swear filter.

We're not even G rated anymore. We've gone to a whole new level. This community is comprised mainly of adults I believe, I don't see the harm in being able to say the A word or the S word. I don't recall if damn or hell are censored either but if they are I'd argue for those as well.

I'm not advocating free reign and dropping F bombs left and right, but I think we could relax the filtering a bit.

Can we bring it back up to PG and trust the membership not to abuse it and be mature?

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

Why can't we use the word F-A-R-T? Really? Are we in kindergarten? I am all about using a word filter on the typical 5 words, but F A R T and certain acronyms...Why?

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

Not the biggest problem in the world, but I don't like how the costume and prop forums are titled "Replica "Movie" Props" and "Replica "Movie" Costumes"

Not all costumes are from films and not all props are either. Why can't it be replica props and replica costumes? Simple enough and allows for props and costumes from films, tv, games, cartoons, etc.

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

http://www.therpf.com/showpost.php?p=1069672&postcount=68

Egon Spengler said:

Not the biggest problem in the world, but I don't like how the costume and prop forums are titled "Replica "Movie" Props" and "Replica "Movie" Costumes"

Not all costumes are from films and not all props are either. Why can't it be replica props and replica costumes? Simple enough and allows for props and costumes from films, tv, games, cartoons, etc.

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Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

But I don't even know what "SEO" means, let alone why it seems to have necessitated the addition of "movie" to the titles of a couple of forums.

I must be dumb...

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

SEO = Search Engine Optimization

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

WinstonWolf359 said:

But I don't even know what "SEO" means, let alone why it seems to have necessitated the addition of "movie" to the titles of a couple of forums.

I must be dumb...

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Nah... not dumb at all. As Montagar pointed out, SEO is Search Engine Optimization and considering the position of the forum titles hold on the forum home page, having them reflect the key terms a fan of props would search for is advantageous. You may notice that the description of the forum states items "from movies, television shows and other media" are valid topics within the forums so the title isn't limiting what can be discussed and from what we have seen since modifying the title, it hasn't stopped anyone from posting television props or props from other forms of media. While it hasn't been brought up yet, this is also the reason for the slight tweak to the modeling forums where one is "models" while the other is "modeling." It doesn't affect the content of the forum and 99.9% of the members don't even notice the slight difference, but can have a positive effect on SEO. In short, it helps the fans of props find us more easily.

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

"Search Engine Optimization" I figured it had something to do with that, I'm just not that familiar with it or its acronyms. Thanks for the info though!

In short, it helps the fans of props find us more easily.

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Only to be stymied by the narrow and randomly scheduled windows of opportunity to actually join.

Or is there another positive and greatly needed change coming soon as well?

Re: Anyone else not liking the forum changes?

ItsThatGuy said:

Why can't we use the word F-A-R-T? Really? Are we in kindergarten? I am all about using a word filter on the typical 5 words, but F A R T and certain acronyms...Why?

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Is ***** ****** still blocked? I didn't know we couldn't say **** either...:unsure

EDIT: Apparently ***** is cool again.

EDIT 2: Can't say c h i n k either? Mods, I really think this filter is going a bit too far in trying to be PC.