I meant to post this sooner, but I kept putting it off. Sorry about that.
I've spoken to Queuenard on discord via DMs about it but, if this forum is going to be an alternative or a replacement to the Blockland Forums or is to be used
as the bases for another game like Blockland, there should some necessary boards to help facilitate any user that join our community.
The most pressing issue is that, while I do like the forums by all means, the front page is rather, well, lackluster. There isn't a whole lot to do around here once you log on and lurk around. So here is what I am proposing.
We should expand the forums
This can be done by creating new boards and sub board for each specific topic. Like one for modding, one for help, a general board for all Blockland (or whatever) related media. The forum already has the boards in question here, but I think they should be properly organized.
Of course, an off-topic board and sub-boards for other subjects such as video games, art, community/forum projects, music, tech... etc. would be a great addition to this forum. The reasoning is that our forum can easily be found on search engines due to more and more people wanting have discussions on here and it'll help increase forum population and overall, bring new users to try out and play Blockland.
Obviously, I think one thing we should not bring from the Blockland Forums is the drama board and this goes into something I want to speak about.
Rules and Proper Moderation
The biggest reason why Blockland's community is the way that it is, is simply due to the Blockland Forums and the general culture that was cultivated from Badspot's very laxed but at times, dictatorial moderation. Because of this, the Blockland Forums ended up becoming a notorious place for all users in question. Even becoming the base inspiration for the now infamous Kiwifarms.net website.
If we all wish to prevent this forum from essentially becoming another BLF. Well, actual moderation would be priority. Of course, rules are another thing that I'm sure this thread will have ideas and debates about so lemme ask, what rules are we looking to make and enforce but more importantly; what culture do we want to cultivate that warrant the rules that'll need to be enforced?
It should be obvious that we would want this forum to allow people to express their thoughts and opinion, this is a very common idea across the internet in various circles.
However, if people don't want politics, then just write a rule for no politics. There's a forum I have an account on that actually has this kind of rule there with the reasoning,
I assume, being that it doesn't fit with what the forum is actually about (ROMs, emulation, discussion of retro video games, etc.).
The greatest thing about this is that this forum isn't under the direct control of Badspot himself, so we have the power to moderate ourselves and cultivate a culture that's welcoming for both old and new users who want to get back into Blockland or for any users if for whatever reason this forum is to be a launch for another game entirely.
If someone's acting like an asshole, we can call them out on it and give them a warning, same with trolling if it gets too out of hand. Possibilities are endless here.
Closing Thoughts
When it comes to rules and moderation. The biggest reason why most forums fail or turn into /pol/satellites or whatever cesspool due to new users bringing in foreign (and often parasitic) cultures to said forums, is the failure to enact and enforce rules and I say this with experience as a former moderator of a forum that fell from grace due to its owner being too laxed when it came to community moderation and as a result, the forum's health tanked hard and I wasn't able to moderate as effectively since communications between me, the moderation team at the time, and the owner was far-between and extremely limited. It was frustrating.
I will be honest however, leaving that forum made me a bit of a wandering traveler looking for a new place to settle. So, I'm hoping to see this forum become another home for me to be active on, but as it is now, the forum needs to expand if we're to be a successful and growing forum. So, without further ado, I wish you all the best of luck. That's all.
I've spoken to Queuenard on discord via DMs about it but, if this forum is going to be an alternative or a replacement to the Blockland Forums or is to be used
as the bases for another game like Blockland, there should some necessary boards to help facilitate any user that join our community.
The most pressing issue is that, while I do like the forums by all means, the front page is rather, well, lackluster. There isn't a whole lot to do around here once you log on and lurk around. So here is what I am proposing.
We should expand the forums
This can be done by creating new boards and sub board for each specific topic. Like one for modding, one for help, a general board for all Blockland (or whatever) related media. The forum already has the boards in question here, but I think they should be properly organized.
Of course, an off-topic board and sub-boards for other subjects such as video games, art, community/forum projects, music, tech... etc. would be a great addition to this forum. The reasoning is that our forum can easily be found on search engines due to more and more people wanting have discussions on here and it'll help increase forum population and overall, bring new users to try out and play Blockland.
Obviously, I think one thing we should not bring from the Blockland Forums is the drama board and this goes into something I want to speak about.
Rules and Proper Moderation
The biggest reason why Blockland's community is the way that it is, is simply due to the Blockland Forums and the general culture that was cultivated from Badspot's very laxed but at times, dictatorial moderation. Because of this, the Blockland Forums ended up becoming a notorious place for all users in question. Even becoming the base inspiration for the now infamous Kiwifarms.net website.
If we all wish to prevent this forum from essentially becoming another BLF. Well, actual moderation would be priority. Of course, rules are another thing that I'm sure this thread will have ideas and debates about so lemme ask, what rules are we looking to make and enforce but more importantly; what culture do we want to cultivate that warrant the rules that'll need to be enforced?
It should be obvious that we would want this forum to allow people to express their thoughts and opinion, this is a very common idea across the internet in various circles.
However, if people don't want politics, then just write a rule for no politics. There's a forum I have an account on that actually has this kind of rule there with the reasoning,
I assume, being that it doesn't fit with what the forum is actually about (ROMs, emulation, discussion of retro video games, etc.).
The greatest thing about this is that this forum isn't under the direct control of Badspot himself, so we have the power to moderate ourselves and cultivate a culture that's welcoming for both old and new users who want to get back into Blockland or for any users if for whatever reason this forum is to be a launch for another game entirely.
If someone's acting like an asshole, we can call them out on it and give them a warning, same with trolling if it gets too out of hand. Possibilities are endless here.
Closing Thoughts
When it comes to rules and moderation. The biggest reason why most forums fail or turn into /pol/satellites or whatever cesspool due to new users bringing in foreign (and often parasitic) cultures to said forums, is the failure to enact and enforce rules and I say this with experience as a former moderator of a forum that fell from grace due to its owner being too laxed when it came to community moderation and as a result, the forum's health tanked hard and I wasn't able to moderate as effectively since communications between me, the moderation team at the time, and the owner was far-between and extremely limited. It was frustrating.
I will be honest however, leaving that forum made me a bit of a wandering traveler looking for a new place to settle. So, I'm hoping to see this forum become another home for me to be active on, but as it is now, the forum needs to expand if we're to be a successful and growing forum. So, without further ado, I wish you all the best of luck. That's all.
