RFD: Focus Forum and Drug Discussion groupings

TheLoveBandit

Indefinite break from BL - contact other admin
Joined
Feb 22, 2000
Messages
38,986
FOCUS FORUMS
- Drug FAQ
- ED
- CD
- SD
- PD
- OD

DRUG DISCUSSION
- Drug Studies
- - Concluded Studies
- DITM
- - Front Page
- BDD
- - Drug Testing Q&A
- ADD
- TDS
- TR
- DC

Yes, this would be where we re-hash the 'OD split' or whatever, but I've listed FF and DD together as all those forums kinda mesh with one another and I'd like to see us rethink, or at least re-evaluate, how we are with ALL of this content. Why do we have those two groupings? Should they be all under one umbrella, or shuffled a bit to move the likes of BDD and DFAQ closer? Obviously, part of the discussion is the eventual wiki effort and how that might mesh with DFAQ, but with that eventual timeframe it might be more accurate to look at the forums as they are now and how we can best manage the content.


If we get into any kinda OD split-merge-shuffle, should SD fall into that mix, considering the light traffic it generates (word is it was split from there originally due to being drowned out, but if we're doing anything along hte lines of STIMS-OPIATES-WHATEVER, it may leave more visibility for the SD content in the general OD umbrella, perhaps with more relevant info moved to a FAQ?). Perhaps DC should migrate out of 'serious' forums and over to more 'community' forums? Any ideas on how to improve visibility and use of DS? I know there is a recent thread in TPH addressing this, but now is an opportunity to do more than simply rewrite the guidelines and content description - and use it to generate more funds for our donation (still needed, btw).

Should TR and PD be moved closer together? Or merged? Should DITM be more utilized somehow? Should TDS be moved elsewhere, or given more prominence? Should BDD be re-evaluated to absorb or release any particular content (static or active)? I'm just throwing an assload of ideas out, some of whcih may stink and belong 'in-ass', but the idea is to generate suggestions and discussion.
 
Related reading (closed to funnel discussion here):

suggestion for spliting OD section

Why isn't there an Opium/Opiate/Opioid Forum?

Alcohol Forum? - Split from Heads Up thread

I got an idea that i think might be good

board organization suggestion [split OD]

General Suggestions for Bluelight

...note, I only went back about a year and half, and I expect you lot to read every word ;) Actually, if you can't be bothered to understand some of the reasons provided historically (easily gleaned from reading those links) of why we are where we are, you'll get little credit or hardly be listened to should you try to voice a suggestion - simple fact. However, that said, we're opening the floor for discussion, and if there is a 'why not' question, why not ask it?
 
Fucking hell....you would think with all the back and forth on any kinda of tinkering with OD we'd at least get the usuals to crawl out and be heard on what we could do to make it more user friendly (including leaving it alone). :\

I suppose, LiLc notwithstanding, that no opinion is a blessing to do whatever we wish going forward. Heh, hope you guys liked the interpol color scheme :)
 
1. promote BDD to the focus forums, above OD so people will maybe make their basic threads there instead.

2. reopen the Drug Testing forum. i believe i have made my feelings on this issue abundantly clear already. ;)

3. i think everything else is fine the way it is.
 
I also think that the Drug Testing Forum should be re-opened and that OD should be left alone.
 
I think OD should be left alone, but I'm with felix on promoting BDD for use above OD. I look at OD more so for more advanced users, and I look at BDD for users, particularly new users (even to the board) to partake in discussion regarding whatever their DOC are.
 
TheLoveBandit said:
I suppose, LiLc notwithstanding, that no opinion is a blessing to do whatever we wish going forward. Heh, hope you guys liked the interpol color scheme :)

*raises eyebrows*

if that interpol color scheme ever comes back i will fling poop like a crazed monkey.


In all seriousness though you could split OD into 5 sub-catagories

Opiates
Amphetamines
Alcohol
Reasearch chemicals
Benzos

that makes alot more sense to me.

any other questions can be asked in basic drug discussion, am i not right?
 
Last edited:
oops i forgot benzos, so that makes 5 sub forums instead.

then just about every section of drugs is taken care of on this board and grouped into the right place so that it's easier for users to decide where to post.

Rouge Robot said:
and what about users who would use more than one of those at one time?

Basic drug discussion ?
 
Basic Drug Discussion isn't really suited to handle a lot of the threads that are posted in Other Drugs.
 
^ Then those "other" threads could fall into drug culture or one of the other focus forums.
 
Drug-specific questions don't belong in Drug Culture. If we were to split of Other Drugs it'd be difficult to figure out where polydrug questions did belong.
 
LilC - i think you should read post #2 and the links contained therein, so we don't end up rehashing the same old arguments yet again. :)

and lurking moar in OD and DC wouldn't go amiss either, it seems as if you don't really understand what they're all about.
 
Something has to be done about Other Drugs. The vast majority of threads are completely idiotic and it just seems to be getting worse as the days pass by. A great deal of Bluelighters that regularly visit OD are getting fed up with this and the fact that no one is willing to do anything about it when we complain to various admins. Someone is going to end up dying because he or she couldn't find information that could save his or her life. All suggestions that have been made have just been ignored and that's just bullshit. Other Drugs is being raped by idiots that have no idea what they are talking about and give horrible advice.
 
^ I could step in and help it out. I have the time, dedication, and knowledge. (Three very important pieces to the puzzle.)
 
Can you link to some examples of unsafe advice that wasn't countered in OD recently?
 
wiggi said:
Something has to be done about Other Drugs. The vast majority of threads are completely idiotic and it just seems to be getting worse as the days pass by. A great deal of Bluelighters that regularly visit OD are getting fed up with this and the fact that no one is willing to do anything about it when we complain to various admins. Someone is going to end up dying because he or she couldn't find information that could save his or her life. All suggestions that have been made have just been ignored and that's just bullshit. Other Drugs is being raped by idiots that have no idea what they are talking about and give horrible advice.


I'm sorry, but your statement doesn't hold water. I'm not going to say OD is perfect, or that it can't be improved, but your statement isn't correct. As much as we value member input and try to keep the site running for the sharing of information amongst users, let's take a look at what's actually been stated, shall we?

RFD for things regarding DD and FF forum groupings (including OD) .... um yeah....read it again and show me this "All suggestions that have been made have just been ignored and that's just bullshit"

Let's take that focus back to THIS thread, since this is the one you replied to back in June
wiggi said:
I say restrict newer members from posting in OD and only allow them to post in BDD.
Promptly responded to, by an admin, only days later
Infinite Jest said:
Worth consideration, but often a new poster may be a very experienced user. I wouldn't want to lose out on that knowledge, or make them feel like a noob, just because they hadn't spent long posting here.

Will think about it, though. Thanks :)


The only other OD reference in THIS thread was
Flexistentialist said:
^ Shitty replies are best dealt with by a clear argument of the facts. The majority opinion is not always right. In fact, often on Bluelight (and unfortunately Other Drugs suffers from this) the truth claims of a post are judged on the popularity of the person posting and not on the facts.
Immediately followed by an OD mod's response
GenericMind said:
I read 90% of the posts in Other Drugs and I don't observe that happening. Can you give some examples?


...to which no examples have been provided, in here or elsewhere (unless they were PM'd to the mods or REPORTed to the staff in general).

I will point out two further things on decrying that OD is mismanaged. First, OD is one of the more well represented forums in getting response here in SUPPORT, with an openness to discuss and address member concerns when examples and facts can be presented. It's not like the staff are ignoring the forum or the member comments, there just isn't more to work with beyond 'I am not happy'.

Second, and I don't know how much of this is visible to you members, but the mods (GM in particular) have been trying to change the way they handle their forum content over the past few months. In their forum mod thread (visible to only them and the sr. staff) they have been trying to get consistency on how they handle threads that are borderline (or lower) with the OD standard. Behind the scenes there have discussions with the mods of other forums to help draw the line on what gets flat out closed, vs moved to other forums (HL, BDD, ADD, TDS, etc). You wouldn't see threads that get deleted, but you might see ones that are closed with a reason given. You might not see PM's sent to members who post incorrectly and have their post edited, closed, or moved - the time and effort the mods put into improving the contributions from members still learning the internet and our forum alignments. There's effort being made, it might not be as quick as you like, or to the standard you might hold the forum, but it's not like the mods are sitting in their spots just abusing power, editing threads for their own entertainment, and saying "Boy, we sure fucked with our regulars today, didn't we? Let's go grab a beer!"



The site generally relies on the forum mods to run the forum as they see best, with oversight by sr. staff to ensure it fits within our general scope and to watch for any mods who get out of control. But in general, we trust their judgement, since they generally come from the pool of forum members, and thereby have a feel for the forum. That, plus their history of showing good judgement in tune with the site goals, leads us to trusting them, but we remain engaged in their mod threads to help ensure a team of mods operate together, not as individuals, and thereby provide consistency within the forum and across the board.

As I said, the OD mods are very well represented in SUPPORT and are open to such discussions - to the point of having asked repeatedly for your help in improving the place. They have to balance the 'old skool' forum members with the continual influx of new members, so their perspective might not perfectly match your view, but they are trying to achieve the best 'happy medium' for the members while adhering to the site goals. I think, if you spoke to them directly, you'd get a reasonable response that might help you either get the action you seek, or you'd at least understand why they don't' see it your way. Likewise, if you raise such an issue via REPORT or by citing examples in here (preferably in the appropriate thread), you'd get a well reasoned response. But to simply say "It sucks and nobody listens" tells me you only see it from your perspective, and you aren't listening when we ask for you to help us with examples or facts......not just your opinion.

Trust me, we all want to improve the place, OD mods included, otherwise we wouldn't have posted these requests for member feedback. But to do so we need to all see what the entire situation is and understand what the possibilities are, and which ones make sense to employ. As ever, the site rides on member contributions, both in ideas and in handling 'idiotic threads' and 'people dying from not finding the information they need'.
 
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