The past and the future of the Symposium

[b0Gia de Bodemloze]

Again: what purpose does the Symposium currently serve?

From the time i became citizen almost 3 months now, one - two times to post to the thread new members post there. And i ask why there isn't a thread like this in curia? Why we need a whole dead subforum for this.

[PikeStance]

You are only responding to one point amongst several. Not that it matters, but staff has recently removed two inactive forums from the top of the index. This is not about "resources", it's about centimetres on the forum index. The more dead centimetres that exist in plain site, the more inactive and ugly this site looks, especially to those from the outside looking in.

Ok, you can move the goal post... regardless of the measurement, it still less than 1% of the space. I was on this site for months before I even seen the "The Capital." It was nearly a year before I bothered to check it out. It is tuck way down the site, far beyond I cared to venture. I seriously doubt anyone cares much less bothered by a forum they cannot post in in the first place.

The definition of white elephant (according to Google): a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of.

Activity is down. It is NOT troublesome and it isn't useless. It is not being utilized at the moment.

Again: what purpose does the Symposium currently serve?

If you do not know yourself, then you probably shouldn't be suggesting its removal. It is a catchall place for anything outside the "Curia activity," which is probably why it is not a subforum of the Curia. Of course tis begs the question; if you think it should be removed because it is not currently being used, then what difference does it make what the purpose is? It all comes down to centimeters.

[Iskar]

Activity is down. It is NOT troublesome and it isn't useless. It is not being utilized at the moment.

If something is not being utilised then obviously it is currently use-less in the most undeniable sense of the word - it serves no use.

If you do not know yourself, then you probably shouldn't be suggesting its removal.

What is the argument here? Frunk's question is to those who would keep the Symposium to name a current use of it that would justify keeping it. If no satisfactory answer to this question is given then suggesting the removal is the single most sensible thing to do.

Spoiler for also: 

1/91 > 1/100 = 1%

[Veteraan]

Ok, you can move the goal post... regardless of the measurement, it still less than 1% of the space.(...)

Following this logic, we can skip removing anything from the forum Index, unless somebody who has the authority to do so decides to remove a large chunk in one go. Removing the two subforums as mentioned by Frunk earlier must also have been a useless exercise then, as they took only less than 2% of the forum space after all.

Spoiler for also: 

1/91 > 1/100 = 1%

Spoiler for more also: 

it's 1/89, the Administrative forum has 4 subforums, not 6 as per original "Pike count"
Edit: which may have included subforums not visible by default for all Citizens.

[Frunk]

Thanks for the response, Pike.

My opinion has not been changed, and I intend to proceed with a proposal.

@Vet: The question was from me, in the last post on page #2, as well as earlier in this post. I believe b0Gia was responding to/quoting it, as well. Also, Pike probably counted Content/other non-public forums which he may have access to in that section. Whatever the case, 1 is still more than 1% of 91.

[Veteraan]

Aha, that is a bit confusing. Nevertheless, I stand corrected and will edit my post to reflect that.

I will leave the 89 subforums remark though as I believe in the content of this discussion, it only matters how much can be seen by the great majority of the members. IIRC the non members can't see a few subforums also, which is a good thing as they have to deal with a slightly less daunting Forum index by default.

Edit: Checked that last part: For visitors I count 86 visible subforums.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

I've been kind-of following this latest discussion, but I'm not quite sure what the current majority opinion is, could someone fill a lazy turtle in?

[Veteraan]

I've been kind-of following this latest discussion, but I'm not quite sure what the current majority opinion is, could someone fill a lazy turtle in?

That sounds quite simple, but is actually a very difficult question to answer. I doubt anybody knows.

In the meanwhile, it seems that the Symposium's % of the total subforums keeps increasing.

[b0Gia de Bodemloze]

I've been kind-of following this latest discussion, but I'm not quite sure what the current majority opinion is, could someone fill a lazy turtle in?

Well as it seems now in the end we will eitherArchive it (most probably) or Make it a sub-forum of the CVRIA.

I don't see the options "Leave it where it is" and "Merge it with the Curia main" working right now.

[Frunk]

I'm in the same boat, Shank, and given that even my own opinion has changed since the inception of this thread and poll, that another quick poll might be worthwhile before a proposal is submitted.