AN OPEN FORUM ON A CLOSING FORUM

In about a month, according to Community Development VP Robin Linden, the most active (and argumentative) Forums on the official Second Life site will be closed down, as a start to doing away with the message boards altogether. 

Should New World Notes take up some of that slack?  One way I could do that is by creating regular entries for discussing specific SL-related topics in the Comments section; another way is with open entries, where the conversation can go wherever it pleases.  In either case, I'd be highlighting the best excerpts of the subsequent conversation on this blog's front page, as a way of publicizing resident opinion.  (Quotes will also be featured in that OpinMind widget I just installed in the right column.)

Depending, of course, on how much interest there is.   So: entries to take comments on specific issues?  Or weekly entries for open conversation?  Or both? 

Comments

[Celebrity Trollop]

Hamlet,

I am glad the forums are closing -- yes, I know it is self-serving of me to say that but I honestly believe that the forums are sucking the oxygen away from better, unmoderated 3rd party resources.

Drama llamas can already get their fill on 3rd party forum sites. And no doubt there will be ways aside from my blog, PXP, Second Style, or what have you to inform residents about new products for sale.

All that being said though, I think you could use your hit powers for good by (once the forums close) permanently linking (and maintaining links) to external sites that "replace" forum functions.

And open threads might be interesting every once in a while. Maybe try one next week as an experiment, especially at SLCC where you can "face-to-face" promote the idea.

[Hamlet Au]

> Maybe try one next week as an experiment,
> especially at SLCC where you can "face-to-face" > promote the idea

That's a totally great idea, thanks. I think I'll create one for people to post links to their SLCC pics and Flickr streams and YouTube vidjos, and highlighting my favorites as they arrive.

[T_S_Kimball]

FYI.

The OpenMind widget is not displaying anything, other than processing. From their faq, it should have something by now...

As for forums and weblogs, though I cater to a different connection/group than most (and in turn do not mention much about SL on a regular basis), would you consider letting up on your blogroll requirements in certain cases?

--TSK

[Gauisus Speculaas]

Hey, Hamlet,

I'd like to see an in-world forum sim, or is there already something like that? The world, itself, is a kind of forum only the discussions in which one participates aren't archived. Maybe a sim that's a giant bulletin board with sections of topical message threads, yeah, and a tropical one, too, yeah... One could visit this Discussion Sim and proceed to the outbuilding of choice, click on a board and scroll through comment threads, posting when the need or the urge arises. The more in-world the better, I always say, though my RL bosses don't necessarily agree:)

[csven]

I never quite understood why the external forums were available. It's good to hear they'll be shutting them down. As for a replacement, I've long considered Gauisus' suggestion of an inworld forum to be the logical option.

You could have a topic on a primboard and people could activate a chat recorder and speak their mind. Pipe that through to where ever you want (though you'll probably want to screen it, eh?).