Request: Bring back clubs perhaps with some changes.

[Darkleoco]

In the original closing clubs thread it was suggested to make a public request in support of clubs so here we are. TPU is my favorite tech-related community and as such seeing a decision like the removal of clubs that fall outside of the realm of tech is rather baffling. Finding good communities to participate in is hard and harder still is creating a good community where people want to interact outside of the main subject matter. Sharing interests with like-minded people is one of the reasons I came to TPU and I imagine it is the same for many other members. What makes this community great is that it lives beyond technology, the community genuinely cares about helping others and will go out of their way to do so in many cases. The community is what makes TPU what it is so why hamper the ability to interact with others who share interests outside of technology, clubs do not hurt anyone and they provide a way to socialize with other members in what is in many cases a relaxing and positive atmosphere. The argument has been made that this is what general nonsense is for but with it being moved off-site it is effectively dead and far less accessible to new members who may not even know it exists. I believe that the response to closing clubs that "do not meet the guidelines" seems to signal that it may be time to re-examine those guidelines and grow the community aspect of TPU which is where I believe the site already flourishes compared to others in the same style. If clubs could be separated from the forums and not count toward post count or trending topics then what would the harm be in allowing TPU to be a place for techies to socialize without it only being confined to technology.

Edit: Also to the mods I have seen it said that there is still discussion being had about the issue, perhaps this could be a place to interact with the community and to show that at least people are being heard even if that doesn't influence the overall decision.

Please refrain from actively attempting to derail this thread, if you have anything to contribute for or against this proposal please go ahead but this is not the place for jokes about the clubs that were removed or why it shouldn't matter what we want.

Edit: TL/DR Allow clubs unrelated to technology as I feel it enriches the community but keep them out of post counts, the activity feed and maybe appoint someone to keep them in order?

 

[stinger608]

I totally agree @Darkleoco !

I find it so interesting to read some of the club threads. There have been many things I didn't know and learned about and I have always had a huge strive for learning new things.

The beer thread, for example; I learned about types of beers that I had no idea existed!

With TPU having members from all walks of life, I find it very interesting in reading threads in many many of the clubs that have been created that didn't have anything to do with technology.

 

[JATownes]

I was not an active member of any of the clubs, but perused them rather often. I started coming here many moons ago for tech advice and to show off my rig to people who actually knew what it was. Over the years I have gotten to know the personalities of a lot of the "regulars" around here, and the clubs just seemed to enhance that. I got to know what other people were interested in other than tech, and even picked up a couple of extra hobbies along the way (Digital Photo Club, I'm looking at you). GN doesn't have the same "feel" as TPU, and honestly I never end up visiting it. I agree that the clubs should not go toward post count or in the trending topics (though that is how I found a couple of them), but I think they should be allowed, with conditions.

I first came for the tech reviews and assistance with issues, but I stayed and made it my home on the web because of the community. That community is made up of individuals who have unique personalities that have interests that include things other than tech. I see no reason to not allow a separate, but included area to allow the friendships that are born here to blossom and continue to grow. That is fundamentally what makes a community great, the friendships. I love this place, and understand things need to change and be revised on occasion, but I think taking the extraneous social aspect from the longtime users, as well as new members, is not a change or revision that needed to be made. Maybe just cleaned up a little and users notified of some modified rules in relation to the club area.

The long and short of it is this: I don't like Facebook...this place is my Facebook. Other's I'm sure feel the same way.

Just something to consider.

JAT

Edit: Grammar.

 

[alucasa]

So, it begins.

 

[Norton]

The long and short of it is this: I don't like Facebook...this place is my Facebook. Other's I'm sure feel the same way.

+1

Suggestion: Any formation of a "club" should be tech related (at least a little bit), be submitted for pre-approval, and the thread OP should be responsible for keeping the thread on topic (subject to some penalty if they don't)

 

[sneekypeet]

+1

Suggestion: Any formation of a "club" should be tech related (at least a little bit), be submitted for pre-approval, and the thread OP should be responsible for keeping the thread on topic (subject to some penalty if they don't)

Not so sure about being subjected to a penalty per say, but I do like the angle of the rest of this idea.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I wholeheartedly approve of this thread and the manner in which it is being conducted so far.

OP wants to have a serious discussion and suggestions, so please help him keep it on track.

 

[FR@NK]

Allow clubs unrelated to technology as I feel it enriches the community but keep them out of post counts, the activity feed and maybe appoint someone to keep them in order?

We already have this, its called: http://www.generalnonsense.net/

I did like the craft beer club but I agree it belonged on GN.

We need to keep the "Tech" in TPU.

 

[Darkleoco]

We already have this, its called: http://www.generalnonsense.net/

I did like the craft beer club but I agree it belonged on GN.

We need to keep the "Tech" in TPU.

We do indeed have it however it is far separated from TPU, I wouldn't call it easily accessible and most of all it is dead and provides no opportunity for new members to easily locate it. Clubs could even fall under GN but I wholeheartedly believe either bringing GN back under the main forums or integrating it better with TPU could improve the whole situation.

 

[Solaris17]

In the original closing clubs thread it was suggested to make a public request in support of clubs so here we are. TPU is my favorite tech-related community and as such seeing a decision like the removal of clubs that fall outside of the realm of tech is rather baffling. Finding good communities to participate in is hard and harder still is creating a good community where people want to interact outside of the main subject matter. Sharing interests with like-minded people is one of the reasons I came to TPU and I imagine it is the same for many other members. What makes this community great is that it lives beyond technology, the community genuinely cares about helping others and will go out of their way to do so in many cases. The community is what makes TPU what it is so why hamper the ability to interact with others who share interests outside of technology, clubs do not hurt anyone and they provide a way to socialize with other members in what is in many cases a relaxing and positive atmosphere. The argument has been made that this is what general nonsense is for but with it being moved off-site it is effectively dead and far less accessible to new members who may not even know it exists. I believe that the response to closing clubs that "do not meet the guidelines" seems to signal that it may be time to re-examine those guidelines and grow the community aspect of TPU which is where I believe the site already flourishes compared to others in the same style. If clubs could be separated from the forums and not count toward post count or trending topics then what would the harm be in allowing TPU to be a place for techies to socialize without it only being confined to technology.

Edit: Also to the mods I have seen it said that there is still discussion being had about the issue, perhaps this could be a place to interact with the community and to show that at least people are being heard even if that doesn't influence the overall decision.

Please refrain from actively attempting to derail this thread, if you have anything to contribute for or against this proposal please go ahead but this is not the place for jokes about the clubs that were removed or why it shouldn't matter what we want.

Edit: TL/DR Allow clubs unrelated to technology as I feel it enriches the community but keep them out of post counts, the activity feed and maybe appoint someone to keep them in order?

Well said! Am I correct in understanding that you also think that the "atmosphere" of TPU is such that while you personally think its a great place to be for technology, you also feel you can benefit from it more by conversing with like minded people about things that are not technically related but just as enriching?

 

[FR@NK]

integrating it better with TPU could improve the whole situation.

This I agree with.

I think it would be better if GN had a main page with links to news from TPU and NPU and maybe more editorial stuff that currently gets posted as "news". My main issue with off topic stuff that gets posted on the TPU forums is that serious tech questions posts get pushed off the main page so quickly that they never get the exposure to the community.

 

[Solaris17]

This I agree with.

I think it would be better if GN had a main page with links to news from TPU and NPU and maybe more editorial stuff that currently gets posted as "news". My main issue with off topic stuff that gets posted on the TPU forums is that serious tech questions posts get pushed off the main page so quickly that they never get the exposure to the community.

I agree I think one of the reasons it was moved was

- Its hard to police

- it interferes with the sites model.

Assuming for a moment that either or both of those things are true. How would you go about changing how the content is delivered if they were to re-encorporate GN or a sub forum like it?

 

[Darkleoco]

Well said! Am I correct in understanding that you also think that the "atmosphere" of TPU is such that while you personally think its a great place to be for technology, you also feel you can benefit from it more by conversing with like minded people about things that are not technically related but just as enriching?

Essentially yes, I was very excited to see that beer thread as I am very close to Asheville NC which has some of the best craft beer around. Besides that though just finding like-minded people can be so difficult depending where you are located and how much free time you have. Most people on TPU already have at least one thing in common and exploring more of them is always nice and can give some insight into what members like to do in their spare time outside of technology.

 

[Solaris17]

Essentially yes, I was very excited to see that beer thread as I am very close to Asheville NC which has some of the best craft beer around. Besides that though just finding like-minded people can be so difficult depending where you are located and how much free time you have. Most people on TPU already have at least one thing in common and exploring more of them is always nice and can give some insight into what members like to do in their spare time outside of technology.

But your not saying that these kind of topics should be even equal in regards to content hosted on this site right? Maybe a happy medium of some kind could be employed to keep TPU driven and rooted in technology but allow casual topics to crop up.

How do you think something like that could be accomplished?

 

[Darkleoco]

But your not saying that these kind of topics should be even equal in regards to content hosted on this site right? Maybe a happy medium of some kind could be employed to keep TPU driven and rooted in technology but allow casual topics to crop up.

How do you think something like that could be accomplished?

I feel that putting them in their own section within the site but more integrated than the current incarnation of GN is would be nice. They definitely shouldn't clog up the news feed but I feel that if a topic comes up that facilitates a significant amount of interest then it should be allowed to continue in such a way that it doesn't over-shadow the technology focus for those who come solely for that. Perhaps we could have some kind of an opt-in feature to have these separate topics show up in our own news feed.

 

[Solaris17]

Perhaps we could have some kind of an opt-in feature to have these separate topics show up in our own news feed.

So maybe off topic threads are pre-appended even automatically with "GN" for the sake of clarity and a check box in the user CP could maybe control whether it shows up in the topic box at the top of the forum?

 

[Darkleoco]

So maybe off topic threads are pre-appended even automatically with "GN" for the sake of clarity and a check box in the user CP could maybe control whether it shows up in the topic box at the top of the forum?

Something to that is exactly what I had in mind, you articulated it much better though!

 

[Solaris17]

Something to that is exactly what I had in mind, you articulated it much better though!

Now within the realm of possability lets for the sake of argument say that no amount of java and php skill can get xenforo to do that, how do we tackle that problem? What is a happy medium?

 

[MrGenius]

I find the label "General Nonsense" insulting to my intelligence. What is that meant to convey? As if anything and everything not 100% PC tech related is somehow automatically nonsense? WTF? That's dumb. Give it a new name and I might consider checking it out or posting something there. GN is stupid. And apparently its unpopularity speaks to that being true.

 

[Darkleoco]

Now within the realm of possability lets for the sake of argument say that no amount of java and php skill can get xenforo to do that, how do we tackle that problem? What is a happy medium?

At that point maybe we could add simply add a tab at the top for GN right up there with TechPowerUp, Forums and members? If possible to integrate it though without an immense amount of work I feel that would be the most elegant solution to make the people who want it happy while not annoying those who are uninterested.

 

[Solaris17]

At that point maybe we could add simply add a tab at the top for GN right up there with TechPowerUp, Forums and members? If possible to integrate it though without an immense amount of work I feel that would be the most elegant solution to make the people who want it happy while not annoying those who are uninterested.

So you would still want something like that even if GN was re-integrated with the forums as they are now? Just to raise awareness? Or do you think it just wouldn't be visible enough to get traction?

 

[Darkleoco]

So you would still want something like that even if GN was re-integrated with the forums as they are now? Just to raise awareness? Or do you think it just wouldn't be visible enough to get traction?

I don't believe it would be necessary if it was re-integrated but if it ends up staying separate I think adding it to the top and making it feel more like a seamless part of TPU could help it have enough visibility to make it separate but potentially functional far more than it is currently.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

What about a "request a club" process, nice and simple, just PM a mod for consent. Rules to be laid out in post #1. After that it is just the usual report button if people arent happy.

e.g

Dear Mod

i would like to start a club regarding nicotine vaping. the purpose of the club is ..............

1
2
4





On a personal level---- as a hardcore fag smoker i had no interest in vape club, i visited it once and consequently its' content and tone was never an issue for me.

 

[P4-630]

If clubs could be separated from the forums and not count toward post count or trending topics

As example like the Phone & Tablet section:
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/forums/phones-tablets.85/

It is there but it doesn't show up in the "Recent discussions", yet you get a notification yourself when someone replied to your thread.

 

[Vayra86]

+1

Suggestion: Any formation of a "club" should be tech related (at least a little bit), be submitted for pre-approval, and the thread OP should be responsible for keeping the thread on topic (subject to some penalty if they don't)

This, I fully agree on, although 'tech related' doesn't need to apply IMO. If these clubs have their own 'club section' they can be non-tech related, if they're tech related, they should be part of the TPU topics that fit with the club.

For those who can read the language and want to see club management done right, check out the forums @ Tweakers.net. Every topic owner there that wants to keep a topic going, does it with dedication and the mods only need to support it from time to time. It works like a charm. And it has literally a club on any- and everything.

They're real serious about that business and been going strong, that community has so much value its unreal.

I feel that if you want a tight community, and one that suits people from all walks of life, don't stick to tech only, but let tech be the entry pass to the community. Tech's just a base to build on, let people get to know each other better through other subjects and the community will be stronger as a result. And if the club subject doesn't fit you for whatever reason, just stay away from it.