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[husqvarna]

Normative had a good idea that I thought I'd post here.  Apologies if this has already been done or if the mods have been PM'ed about it.

"One thing I've noticed is that there are so many threads bundled into the broad tent of the Meet and Greet Cafe, and those threads are updated so quickly that it's become increasingly difficult for me to notice and locate threads in the genre that interest me. Particularly so as holidays draw to a close and work takes up more time.

I don't know if the Mods and we, for that matter, are in favour of creating a further subsection of the Cafe, so that we can choose between Meet and Greet, but I think it could be helpful. Those who are looking for entertainment can go to Meet and Greet, containing the Golf Club and everything else. Those who are looking for something more intellectually stimulating can go to The Study, where things will probably move more slowly, but where discussions will not go under in the overall din of chattering, drinking and cowbells.

If forumites wished to think of The Study as having floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, reading lamps, and some leather chairs suitable for provoking intellectual and enlightened thought, so be it, but the discussions could at least have a claim to be the most important thing.

I think the divisions work well in the Careers section. An additional category  could work here too."

[moderator]

Hvernon, Normative,

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll talk it over with the other moderators.

Best wishes,

Moderator

[yellowtractor]

Hvernon, Normative,

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll talk it over with the other moderators.

Best wishes,

Moderator

There is more than one moderator?

Are you all called "Moderator"?

[concordancia]

Can't be, I distinctly recall that somebody's stars are SHINY, rather than these stripy blue ones.

[science_expat]

There is more than one moderator?

Are you all called "Moderator"?

We used to call them the "ModSquad" when the new forum was just beginning.

[moderator]

There are multiple moderators and administrators. The administrators are the technical experts of the forums.

[normative_]

I'd like to thank HVernon for seconding the idea and to thank the Moderators for considering it. It seems to generate no antipathy from the forumites so far, in contrast to other ideas. I think that's because it orients posters rather than requests them to follow rules. Speaking for myself, I would use it to focus on more substantive discussions, and limit the time that I spend distracted by chatter (including my own chatter, I admit). I think that would benefit the 'core business' of the forums and minimise the danger that people with something to contribute will start to drift off the website.

[husqvarna]

It's also somewhat of a compromise with the idea that came up a few days ago about having discipline specific forums.  I imagine that "The Study", focusing on more intellectual conversations, will naturally create a number of discipline specific threads without the need to create any entirely discipline specific subsections, and it will group them more appropriately.

[invinoveritas]

I 'third' the motion.

Great suggestion normative!

[normative_]

Thanks!

[husqvarna]

Hvernon, Normative,

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll talk it over with the other moderators.

Best wishes,

Moderator

Hey mods,

How did the chat go?

[moderator]

Hvernon,

We're still discussing the idea and hoping to hear from more forumites.

Best wishes,

The Moderators

[bibliothecula]

I've been thinking about this and I like the idea quite a lot. I often don't post long, serious messages because the discussion moves so quickly from the serious to the frivolous. Not that I mind the frivolous--it's just that a place for dedicated intellectual discussion would be welcome as well.

[husqvarna]

Thanks bibliothecula!

Please, don't be shy if you like our idea. (but stay quiet if you object to it!)  The mods need more comments!  Vote early and often!

As I've said before, creating another subsection will not detract from anything on the forums... it will only add a helpful division for those who find it helpful.  At most it will provide a brief moment of angst for one who is deciding where to post a thread.

[anthroid]

I love this idea.  There are some very serious discussions going on in Meet and Greet that would be better served in a more quiet and contemplative "space" such as hvernon and normative are suggesting.  I would hope it would be a snark-minimized area.  Can we get it going?  Certainly I would participate.