Re: Forums are now up at the Moon Design home page

From: Stewart <stu_stansfield_at_huaqZW-HuHq6aGkwbjjZ9wTiS8mcXZ4m3JR18JiEe2TjPszLfhfxj_9T8Doc->
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:58:38 -0000

I look forward to our new forumnal overlords. In fact, I think that--once the new forums are of a sufficient capability and aspect--World of Glorantha should be mothballed; all posting privileges should be removed and it should be retained as an open, public archive.

I know that this will be disagreeable to some. But most of them will also move over and start using the forums. Much like those who disliked the format of Yahoo!Groups and protested at the perceived injustices done to Graham stood true to their principles back in 2005.

(Meow.)

Those who refuse should be placed into re-education camps, or turned loose into the wild to be hunted for sport with water-pistols and BMXs. Commies.

Why do I say this? Contrariness, perhaps. Certainly a desire to focus Gloranthan discussions in a single venue. (The audience isn't in the rudest health it's been.)

But I also like to think it would eliminate a disagreeable element that's blighted all Gloranthan discussion lists on occasion.

The problem with Gloranthaphiles is in the name. They like the setting too much. That can have wonderful consequences, but also less than palatable ones. Posting 'YGWV' with trite abandon is all very well and good, but I'm not entirely convinced people actually believe the notion that variety of thought and exposition with regard to Glorantha is to be encouraged, defended and embraced.

People have ideas as to how Glorantha should be discussed. They want Glorantha to thrive; thus they want the message lists to reflect, in tone and content, conditions they think pertinent to that. There shouldn't be posts about this. We should be discussing things in this way, not that.

The form of mailing lists (and the web-based format of Yahoo!Groups) emphasises this problem. For those who read it via e-mail? You have to wade through stuff you don't like. (Hence all those sarcastic comments about pressing Pg Dn over the years on the Digest.) For those who read online? Those messages you're not interested in clutter up the front page. And the next page. And so on.

But forums? Hey. I can post "[D&D Glorantha] Grotaron-Nasobeme miscegenation: how to handle stats and level caps" to my heart's content, and you don't have to read the damned thing if you don't want to.

Bliss!

Oh, sure. Disagreeable topics may still clutter up the front page. But we wouldn't do that on purpose, would we?

(Would we?)

P.S. I can't believe I wrote the moderate post *there* and the immoderate post *here*. Sheesh.