Reversing the slow decline of SD.NET

[Raw Shark]

I had a chance to meet a wonderful friend thanks to this place, chat via private messages like it was old school pen pals stuff, and also meet him face-to-face across the pond back in 2016.

I actually did also meet a great person here, once. We talked off-board and just hit it off. I'm about 90% straight, but it is what it is. Hopped a fence I never thought I would, there. He's a good person and I recommend him to anybody.

[Raw Shark]

In Response to a PM: Yes, I am talking about who you think. He's great; what happened between us was my fault.

[Oberleutnant]

I had a chance to meet a wonderful friend thanks to this place, chat via private messages like it was old school pen pals stuff, and also meet him face-to-face across the pond back in 2016.

I actually did also meet a great person here, once. We talked off-board and just hit it off. I'm about 90% straight, but it is what it is. Hopped a fence I never thought I would, there. He's a good person and I recommend him to anybody.

To clarify, I meant my heart platonically but what you wrote is also wonderful. It would be great to have a recap of how many friendships, relationships and improved lives this board has made over the course of two decades.

[Raw Shark]

To clarify, I meant my heart platonically but what you wrote is also wonderful. It would be great to have a recap of how many friendships, relationships and improved lives this board has made over the course of two decades.

I'm on pretty good terms with almost all of my exes. I just choose awesome people, I guess. Even if I fuck it up, we're still able to say happy birthday and stuff like that.

[Saurencaerthai]

Ignoring the cultural aspects of the board's past, there's the matter of the medium. As platforms like Facebook, Reddit, and Discord rose to prominence, a lot of communities migrated. I can think of BBS's for several disparate subjects, and their current traffic is a distant shadow of their past. So for the question of new blood, I feel like you'd have be able to answer the question: "Why should I join a BBS, when we have communities on other preferred platforms?"

[Raw Shark]

Ignoring the cultural aspects of the board's past, there's the matter of the medium. As platforms like Facebook, Reddit, and Discord rose to prominence, a lot of communities migrated. I can think of BBS's for several disparate subjects, and their current traffic is a distant shadow of their past. So for the question of new blood, I feel like you'd have be able to answer the question: "Why should I join a BBS, when we have communities on other preferred platforms?"

Because you want to? I, for one, have zero fucks to give about recruiting Gen Z to our thing. I'm okay with things staggering along and dying when they get old because I'm a realist. Not because I hold the kids in contempt, but because they will choose their own medium. If you feel like what you have to say is better expressed on TikTok, I'm not stopping you.

[bobalot]

I did run this proposal by Dalton and he said to run it by Mike.

I ran it past Mike on Facebook messenger. He said it sounds reasonable.

So.... if people want, we could go ahead.

[Solauren]

As I leave for work in about 15 minutes, I'll let this stew in the back of my head all day, and post any ideas I come up with later.

[LadyTevar]

I did run this proposal by Dalton and he said to run it by Mike.

I ran it past Mike on Facebook messenger. He said it sounds reasonable.

So.... if people want, we could go ahead.

Then Mike can come back and implement it.

[Broomstick]

I'm sorry - I'm not exactly clear on what was proposed. The idea one page one?

(No, I'm not here as often as I used to be - I believe that's a symptom of the problem, isn't it?)

[Crazedwraith]

Inviting back a bunch of trolls is not going to help. Even if they want to come there isn't enough non-trolls still here to cope with them. You end up with an entirely different board populated by different people.

Pretty much everyone in the thread's pointed out. There's not really a consensus here I can see to do it. (Obviously if Mike wants to he can whatever anyone thinks which has always been the case)

[Solauren]

I now happen to agree that 'Release the Trolls' is probably a bad idea.
(Maybe if the board was going to shut down in a few months, and it was a 'let's burn Rome down on the way out' routine)

Also, until Mike PUBLICALY backs any idea (at the minimum), if not get additional active Moderator and Admin staff, the status quo is going to remain.

No. My suggestion now would be this
#1 - Banning being put to a vote. That is what occurred pre-senate.
In the days of bots, however, unless there was a way to prevent bots from voting (i.e a separate subforum anyone can view, but you need to be a member of to post or vote in. No idea if that's even feasible), that's risky.

#2 - As many inactive members need to be contacted, to see why they 'left', and what could be done to lure them back.
#3 - #2 needs to be gone over, and decisions made at the Administrative level on what to do, if anything. (That's Mike and Dalton).
#4 - If anything needs to be done, it needs to be by Mike/Dalton.

And that still may not reverse things.

[Gandalf]

Inviting back a bunch of trolls is not going to help. Even if they want to come there isn't enough non-trolls still here to cope with them. You end up with an entirely different board populated by different people.

Yeah, is is there a list of people who should come back under this idea, even as a proof of concept?

[bilateralrope]

Inviting back a bunch of trolls is not going to help. Even if they want to come there isn't enough non-trolls still here to cope with them. You end up with an entirely different board populated by different people.

Yeah, is is there a list of people who should come back under this idea, even as a proof of concept?

I'd be tempted to message every banned user who managed a minimum number of posts and/or minimum time between their first post and ban. Then pick from whoever responds within a week.

But I also think that watching this idea crash and burn could be entertaining, so my suggestion might not be a good one.

[Ralin]

I imagine many of them would find it pretty fucking weird and more than a little uncomfortable to be reached out to that way.

[LadyTevar]

As one of the few Moderators left, I am going to plainly state I am against inviting back those who have been banned. They were banned for good reasons.

Now, if you want a LIST of those banned, go look in HOS. There were GOODBYE ASSHOLE posts for nearly all those we banned.

[Solauren]

As one of the few Moderators left, I am going to plainly state I am against inviting back those who have been banned. They were banned for good reasons.

Now, if you want a LIST of those banned, go look in HOS. There were GOODBYE ASSHOLE posts for nearly all those we banned.

I'd also like to point out, I've now stated I rethought it and I'm not in favor of it anymore.

[ray245]

https://discord.com/invite/eBggHPT

Discord link is still up and exist for anyone who do want to join.

[bilateralrope]

As one of the few Moderators left, I am going to plainly state I am against inviting back those who have been banned. They were banned for good reasons.

Now, if you want a LIST of those banned, go look in HOS. There were GOODBYE ASSHOLE posts for nearly all those we banned.

Yes, that's a big problem with this idea.

[Ralin]

Just skimming down Parting Shots for the past decade I see dared the admins to ban him, raging transphobe, transphobe and troll, dared the admins to ban him, crazy racist, mocked a sexual assault victim and told us to all get shot by a spree shooter, dishonest Turkish government defender (not really familiar with that subject)...yeah pretty much the only person I can see who should conceivably be let back in is Archinist, who was a good contributer to the forums and frequently posted interesting content I greatly enjoyed.

[LadyTevar]

https://discord.com/invite/eBggHPT

Discord link is still up and exist for anyone who do want to join.

Now, the Discord is a LOT MORE ACTIVE than this board, I can attest to leaving Discord for an hour or two and coming back to 300 posts. Not always on a topic I'm interested in, but still a lot of good discussion from folk that used to post here on the forum.

[Solauren]

Having visited the Discord, you know what i saw? All the heavy posters were there on that user list. The 'core' of what SD.NET was.

WITHOUT THE CRAP.

Night and Day difference, and active.

[Crazedwraith]

Cool. So go there then? Problem solved.

[LadyTevar]

Cool. So go there then? Problem solved.

AcePace is doing a great job moderating the Discord, imho.

[Batman]

I don't like the unstructured nature of Discord.(Not that there's anything 'Wrong' with Discord, I just don't think it works very well for what we had HERE.)

And bringing back Archinist? Seriously? There's a 'reason' that guy triggered the coining of the phrase 'dumber than Broomstick's parrots'. How is bringing THAT guy of all people back supposed to be an improvement?