What do YOU want this forum to be?

[SOCAdmin]

I would like this to be your forum, so let's discuss what you would like this forum to be.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I would like there to be a section for just every day life, where we can have threads that maybe do not fit into any defined category. I also like the diary/journal area.
We definitely like to talk about our gardens, pets, and food, so those are all good things to have. And the guys will want cars, tractors, etc.
Politics, America, weather were things we used a lot in the last forum.

I know you said that the refreshing uses up a lot , and I have been wondering about how that works in the games section, where people are posting 1-2 words in games in rapid succession, and it would use a lot of refreshing to keep up with that.

There are also the threads that are nothing except people posting pictures of a cup of coffee, a cute kitten, or a flower, and no discussion content in the whole thread.
Using your photo site might help that ? I would like to be able to post photos that re not my own, that fit in with the topic of a thread, but which I do not personally have a photo of.

 

[SOCAdmin]

This time around, I don't want it to be about me. I'm just a member here. I'll do the work and make decisions when they have to be made, but this is your forum, and I'm not concerned about SEO or any of that stuff. Of course, I have opinions and an idea of what I'd like, but I'd like to hear from you first... then I'll overrule you and do whatever the hell I want.

Okay, everything after the ellipsis is a joke.

 

[SOCAdmin]

Here's a link to the Internet Archive of the old forum that you can use if you need to refresh yourself on what we had before, just pick a date when it was working.

 

[Bobby Cole]

Possibly a subtopic about “healing and health throughout history”?
Instead of a generalized “health” topic where stuff can get congested, making a board that is almost a reference log depicting historical medical remedies from the past and even the present might actually be helpful to a lot of folks.
For instance:
Each thread would be about one particular aspect of healing such as an herb that has been used for a thousand years or an ancient procedure that was used to cure headaches or even the present findings in regard to creatine, DMSO, castor oil, etc.

I do realize that all one has to do is to ask Professor Bing or Google but to be able to discuss a procedure, herb, or whatever healing aspect is presented in it’s own thread and at length with other interested parties might be educational and fun.

 

[SOCAdmin]

Possibly a subtopic about “healing and health throughout history”?

That could be a subtopic to a more general health category.

 

[Tony Page]

I would like there to be a section for just every day life, where we can have threads that maybe do not fit into any defined category. I also like the diary/journal area.
We definitely like to talk about our gardens, pets, and food, so those are all good things to have. And the guys will want cars, tractors, etc.
Politics, America, weather were things we used a lot in the last forum.

I know you said that the refreshing uses up a lot , and I have been wondering about how that works in the games section, where people are posting 1-2 words in games in rapid succession, and it would use a lot of refreshing to keep up with that.

There are also the threads that are nothing except people posting pictures of a cup of coffee, a cute kitten, or a flower, and no discussion content in the whole thread.
Using your photo site might help that ? I would like to be able to post photos that re not my own, that fit in with the topic of a thread, but which I do not personally have a photo of.

I like your list of proposed topics especially gardening and pets.
Maybe something with science, technology, paranormal or since we're seniors nostalgia (remember when).

 

[Jacob Petersheim]

This is just random brain spew, not organized but....

I like the quick "blah blah" threads about current weather, new food discoveries, crap I bought, how I'm feeling. I like the idea that people can "check in" quickly so we know they're ok, not bummed out and lonely, etc. without feeling the need to write a whole blog post about things.

Media forums seem popular: song links, movie trailers, even mini-reviews.

"Good old days" stuff with old adverts and photos are nice, especially if a small personal story is posted with them.

A financial forum or section might be good. Most of us probably aren't "stock traders" but we all deal with retirement funding mechanisms and changes to them, taxes, expenses, housing, credit, and changes coming to the basic mechanics of money.

Whinging about relatives and neighbors and traffic is always good. Probably ought to include things like raccoons and stinkbugs in this category.

I don't share a ton of photos or cribbed pics from other sites. I presume there is quite an expense for storage of them anyway. Any pics I post I try hard to shrinkify and compress anyway.

Ok, for the moment my babble is done burbling.

 

[SOCAdmin]

I am still traveling but once I get to where I'm going, after the greetings and that sort of stuff, I'll start setting up some stuff. I'm still learning the new stuff and having to relearn some of the stuff that's there now.

 

[Beth Gallagher]

Personally I'd say just keep the topics general and not granular/specific. A lot of stuff seems to end up in a "Miscellaneous" section anyhow. I did enjoy the Diaries section of the old forum so I'd like to see that again.

 

[SOCAdmin]

To avoid the confusion of referring to Seniors Only Club 2.0 as a forum and then referring to the places containing the threads as forums, I will be referring to the forum website as a whole as a "board," from "bulletin board," which is where Internet forums came from.

Board: Seniors Only Club 2.0
Categories: Containers for forums within the board.
Forums: Contain the threads.
Threads: Discussion topics posted by members.
Posts: The actual discussions within the threads.

You guys can call them whatever you like and I'll figure it out. I'll probably forget from time to time and refer to the board as a forum, anyhow.

 

[SOCAdmin]

I think a category name that would be a good fit for the forums more than one of you have suggested would be "Lounge & Coffee Bar."

 

[SOCAdmin]

There are also the threads that are nothing except people posting pictures of a cup of coffee, a cute kitten, or a flower, and no discussion content in the whole thread.

If it's their cup of coffee, their kitten, or their flower, that's one thing, but if it's just something that someone else posted somewhere else on the Internet, it's less valuable.

 

[SOCAdmin]

We don't have to make everything different than the old forum so, for those of you who don't want to click on the link to view the Internet Archive version of the old forum, here are the categories and main forums (some of which had sub-forums):

Education & Entertainment
- Education & Learning
- Evolution of Language
- Gadgets & Tech Talk
- History & Geography
- Movies & Entertainment
- Philosophy & Psychology
- Reading & Writing
- Science & Nature
- Sports & Recreation
- How Do I?

Getting it Done
- Crops & Gardens
- Food & Drinks
- Hobbies & Crafts
- Home Improvement
- Photos & Video
- Self Employment
- Senior Employment
- Shopping & Sales

Hot Button Issues
- Conspiracies & Paranormal
- Dreams & Interpretations
- Energy & Fuel
- Faith & Religion
- In the News
- Politics & Government

I Remember When
- Jobs I Have Had
- People I have Known
- Places I have Lived
- Other Reminiscences

On the Lighter Side
- Games & Riddles
- Happy Talk
- Make Me Laugh
- Tall Tales & Fabrications

Ourselves & Others
- Family & Relationships
- Health & Wellness
- Holidays & Traditions
- Money & Finances
- Personal Diaries
- Pets & Critters
- Retirement & Leisure
- Travel & Vacation

Which of these should we re-create? Which can we maybe combine together?

 

[Tony Page]

We don't have to make everything different than the old forum so, for those of you who don't want to click on the link to view the Internet Archive version of the old forum, here are the categories and main forums (some of which had sub-forums):

Education & Entertainment
- Education & Learning
- Evolution of Language
- Gadgets & Tech Talk
- History & Geography
- Movies & Entertainment
- Philosophy & Psychology
- Reading & Writing
- Science & Nature
- Sports & Recreation
- How Do I?

Getting it Done
- Crops & Gardens
- Food & Drinks
- Hobbies & Crafts
- Home Improvement
- Photos & Video
- Self Employment
- Senior Employment
- Shopping & Sales

Hot Button Issues
- Conspiracies & Paranormal
- Dreams & Interpretations
- Energy & Fuel
- Faith & Religion
- In the News
- Politics & Government

I Remember When
- Jobs I Have Had
- People I have Known
- Places I have Lived
- Other Reminiscences

On the Lighter Side
- Games & Riddles
- Happy Talk
- Make Me Laugh
- Tall Tales & Fabrications

Ourselves & Others
- Family & Relationships
- Health & Wellness
- Holidays & Traditions
- Money & Finances
- Personal Diaries
- Pets & Critters
- Retirement & Leisure
- Travel & Vacation

Which of these should we re-create? Which can we maybe combine together?

If you're looking to reduce the amount of categories I believe you could combine "I remember when" and "getting it done" and put all the forums under those categories under "ourselves and others."

If you're looking to combine some forums, I think "senior employment" and "jobs I had" could be combined.
Depending how "politics and government" is being used it may be combined with "in the news."

I'm not sure this is the kind of thing you're looking for but there maybe others that can also be combined similarly.

 

[Beth Gallagher]

Not sure this fits here, but I'll toss it out anyhow. People may not agree, but maybe do away with the "popularity count badges" stuff this time. (Can't remember what it was called, but the number of "likes" or whatever.) Seems like some people got far too involved in that stuff and it served no real purpose. JMHO of course.

 

[Beth Gallagher]

Here are a few random thoughts.

Make "I Remember When" a general "Reminiscing" category under Ourselves and Others, removing these individual categories...
- Jobs I Have Had
- People I have Known
- Places I have Lived
- Other Reminiscences

Single "Employment" Section (combining senior employment and self employment.)

Is "How Do I" of much value?

Merge Politics into In the News

I typically look for the best fit category when posting a new thread, but when I check the forum I just go directly to "New Posts" to see what's new. I don't care which category the post is in.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

That looks good to me as well ! It groups things together that we often use together. The how do I was a good plan, but most people didn’t understand it, and we had to approve every single post that went there, so I am all for leaving that out this time.
I think that the awards just come with the Zenforo, so I do not know if Ken can make changes to that or not.
Often the news is political, but not always, but politics could be a sub-forum under news if it looks like we need to have it separated later on.

 

[SOCAdmin]

Not sure this fits here, but I'll toss it out anyhow. People may not agree, but maybe do away with the "popularity count badges" stuff this time. (Can't remember what it was called, but the number of "likes" or whatever.) Seems like some people got far too involved in that stuff and it served no real purpose. JMHO of course.

There is much to be said for that. Other people like it, though, so I don't know. I would also need to look and see what controls I have over that, since it's a default.

 

[Hedi Mitchell]

I would like for us to have my Roll Call thread. It served us well in checking in folks who are ill,or affected by weather issues, or just letting us know they haven't left forum but on vacation.