Discussion page, reoccurring topics, & forum maintenance

[ChiefPointThief]

The "discussion" page should be just that. Topics open for discussion. There isn't much to discuss with general question threads and there should be a dedicated section for those.
How do I see the ranking list for a game? Do I get this with premium membership? How do I disable the notification bell? These type of topics get a reply or two and bury actual discussion threads further back.

There should be something done to combat reoccurring topics. Adding a "help or general questions" section may help some.

The top reoccurring topics should have a dedicated thread pinned to the top of the discussion page.
Elo when someone gets kicked - There are countless of these threads. There doesn't need to be a new one every time someone new gets frustrated about getting cheated out of elo.
Dice are rigged - Every time there is more 2s rolled than normal in Catan there doesn't need to be a new one of these threads.
Table etiquette, connection issues, elo swings in arena etc.

There should be some sort of forum maintenance. For instance, on the front page now there are a few threads asking for new games. There is already a dedicated section for new game wish list. There are several "general question threads" that got there answer and there's nothing else to "discuss" and there are several reoccurring topics (connection issues, elo when player kicked, table etiquette) that should be moved to the last thread that talked about the same exact thing.

Thoughts?

[Hervor]

I think a "help and general questions" subforum is a great idea. And maybe a "venting my frustrations" forum for all the rigged dice and unfair player behavior threads.
However, my expectations are low that we would see less of these posts on the main discussion forum, since so many threads that belong in an existing subforum (looking at you Ark Nova and Catan players) still get posted in Discussions.

[ChiefPointThief]

However, my expectations are low that we would see less of these posts on the main discussion forum, since so many threads that belong in an existing subforum (looking at you Ark Nova and Catan players) still get posted in Discussions.

Currently the discussion page is the first and most viewed section. I think that the help section should be above the discussion section so people aren't inclined to post in the wrong forum. Also in case they do this is why I mentioned there should be some sort of forum maintenance to put post in their correct location.

[Strode]

My perception with online forums is that pinned posts don't do much to reduce the number of recurring threads. People don't read them, often because the list of recurring threads (or whatever) becomes long. So if they do it, they need to show some self-discipline as to what to add.

And it's not like these forums get much use anyway. Without these discussions you want moderated, there's probably be 1-2 new threads a day.

[mikkashar]

Some of those questions & answers could be usefully added to the FAQs. Making the FAQ's more complete and detailed would be nice.

Gently steering people to check the FAQs before posting a question in whatever forum they stumble into first (or the general messages channel) is a tricky bit of UI design. There's already a FAQ link in the page footer; would it be used more if it were in the page header?

Questions that aren't covered in existing documentation (for the site or specific games) can spawn useful discussion, even if it's only about how to document whatever-it-is effectively, or whether a change is deliberate or a bug or whatnot.

Adding a Help forum above the Discussion forum might catch some of the questions that currently land in Discussion, but if that forum isn't being monitored and responded to by staff (or possibly official volunteers on Help duty, but that's a whole 'nother discussion), I suspect it would result in (more) people asking questions and then being upset that they didn't get a prompt, correct, official answer. There are some delightful, helpful, non-staff people on the forums who answer questions, and I appreciate their work, but it is work, and should not be expected of them.

[Meeplelowda]

There are some delightful, helpful, non-staff people on the forums who answer questions, and I appreciate their work, but it is work, and should not be expected of them.

Just as the bulk of the development work is volunteer work, so is a good portion of what could be considered customer support. It's a tradeoff between this system and a much higher monthly subscription.

[ChiefPointThief]

My perception with online forums is that pinned posts don't do much to reduce the number of recurring threads. People don't read them, often because the list of recurring threads (or whatever) becomes long. So if they do it, they need to show some self-discipline as to what to add.

And it's not like these forums get much use anyway. Without these discussions you want moderated, there's probably be 1-2 new threads a day.

An issue now is that tons of information gets lost and is never seen again. If I start a "dice is rigged" thread right now I may get a laughing emoji, someone telling me that's how dice work in real life, & someone complaining about there being another one of these threads. Now if someone searches this subject they may come across this recent thread which doesn't supply much information on the topic. Meanwhile I've seen older threads on the same subject that have extensive details about why there isn't validity to such claims. If all of the information on a particular topic was in one place the forum would be much better. It would be easier to get a consensus on how the player base feels about particular topics and it would be easier to search and get information on things.

It is about quality not quantity. Having fewer threads isn't a bad thing. Look at the elo update thread. Still at the top of the announcement page and it isn't even pinned because users can't post in announcements. Now imagine if there were 100 additional threads on that same topic in the span of a year. Another reason why this is good because depending on the amount of feedback bga can then look at the information in totality and gauge if it is something they should consider or not (although based off the elo thread w/ 2.5 million views it doesn't appear they are willing to budge based off player's input )

[Strode]

My perception with online forums is that pinned posts don't do much to reduce the number of recurring threads. People don't read them, often because the list of recurring threads (or whatever) becomes long. So if they do it, they need to show some self-discipline as to what to add.

And it's not like these forums get much use anyway. Without these discussions you want moderated, there's probably be 1-2 new threads a day.

It is about quality not quantity. Having fewer threads isn't a bad thing. Look at the elo update thread. Still at the top of the announcement page and it isn't even pinned because users can't post in announcements. Now imagine if there were 100 additional threads on that same topic in the span of a year. Another reason why this is good because depending on the amount of feedback bga can then look at the information in totality and gauge if it is something they should consider or not (although based off the elo thread w/ 2.5 million views it doesn't appear they are willing to budge based off player's input )

I think you are a bit naive (sorry) to think the presence of a sticky Q&A is going to reduce the quantity. People who complain about rigged dice aren't looking for answers, they're looking to vent. The people who post individual game posts here aren't even reading all the forum titles.

And then there's the point that forums aren't just about information, they're about conversation. BGG's General Gaming (the closest equivalent to BGA's Discussions) has very little new in it. If it didn't, there would be little conversation there, which would be worse. Some newbie shows up, they don't just want to read an FAQ, they want to participate in a discussion.

[ChiefPointThief]

My perception with online forums is that pinned posts don't do much to reduce the number of recurring threads. People don't read them, often because the list of recurring threads (or whatever) becomes long. So if they do it, they need to show some self-discipline as to what to add.

And it's not like these forums get much use anyway. Without these discussions you want moderated, there's probably be 1-2 new threads a day.

It is about quality not quantity. Having fewer threads isn't a bad thing. Look at the elo update thread. Still at the top of the announcement page and it isn't even pinned because users can't post in announcements. Now imagine if there were 100 additional threads on that same topic in the span of a year. Another reason why this is good because depending on the amount of feedback bga can then look at the information in totality and gauge if it is something they should consider or not (although based off the elo thread w/ 2.5 million views it doesn't appear they are willing to budge based off player's input )

I think you are a bit naive (sorry) to think the presence of a sticky Q&A is going to reduce the quantity. People who complain about rigged dice aren't looking for answers, they're looking to vent. The people who post individual game posts here aren't even reading all the forum titles.

And then there's the point that forums aren't just about information, they're about conversation. BGG's General Gaming (the closest equivalent to BGA's Discussions) has very little new in it. If it didn't, there would be little conversation there, which would be worse. Some newbie shows up, they don't just want to read an FAQ, they want to participate in a discussion.

I am aware that people may still make threads about a popular topic even if it is pinned. What I am suggesting is that there should be some forum maintenance. In other words, threads about common topics should eventually be moved to a dedicated thread on that topic. This way the information posted on the forum about specific popular topics are in one location rather than bits and pieces scattered all over the place. Like you mentioned there isn't that much traffic here so I assuming it wouldn't take much work to accomplish this.

It shouldn't reduce conversation at all. If anything it should increase it. Any topic I'm interested in I've probably commented in and receive notifications for any post in that thread because it interest me. I am sure many other posters do the same. So the newbie would get active eyes and potentially the eyes of anyone who has ever shown interest in the topic.

[Jellby]

If all of the information on a particular topic was in one place the forum would be much better.

It does not need to be in the forum. It could be a wiki page (you're free to create one if you want).

People don't read old threads in the forum. People don't read old posts in long threads. People don't read FAQs. People don't read wikis... At least, people who post recurringly don't, those who do find their answers and we never hear from them

What I am suggesting is that there should be some forum maintenance.

Yeah, well... I'm afraid that won't happen. You can report posts that you consider off-topic, though.