Apolonia had brought up several weeks back about making a separate forum for meetups and get-togethers and such. At the time, I wasn't sure whether people would remember to check it, and that particularly during the winter months, when we didn't travel as much, that it'd get forgotten and then come spring, people would forget to check it again.

In addition, you know I used to do a lot of work in software usability and such... well tests have shown that the part of a web page that's not in the user's initial view, or the first page, isn't always used as much. So taking BookObsessed as an example, the forums we see without having to scroll down get the most use and visability. Some people don't even realize the others exist! :lol: Thus my hesitancy to move the stuff to a new forum where people might not find it's way to it...

Today, Kel brought up that the pinned topics in Chit Chat are getting kind of long, so I unpinned the "We Have a New Name" post. And now figured I'd revisit the idea of a separate forum for meetups and gatherings and solicit opinions.


So the questions I'm posing to y'all:

- Do you want a new forum for meetups and gatherings?
- Do you think it'll be an issue for people to remember to check this forum if it's not on the first page without having to scroll down?
- What about long periods of inactivity, say during the Winter months, would our Aussie friends down under have cause to use it instead and keep it fairly active year round?
- Basically what do you think? Should we do it, or keep discussion of such things in Chit Chat?


I've also got an idea about if we do go with it, keeping a single pinned topic in chit chat with a list of the various gatherings and dates, and links to the relevant discussion threads in the meetups forum. So this would be my idea on how to work around people not seeing it.

Please stop pinning things at the top of chit chat. :lol:

I think that the people who care will remember to check the forum. Plus, meetups get mentioned other places, so then people will know to go look for them. And if we think someone might want to come who hasn't checked in... they'll get PMed, I'm sure.

This sounds like a good way to deal with it - I do agree the pinned section is getting rather long :lol:

I agree

Me too!


Funnily enough, I saw this thread because I scrolled down...then later saw it in the pinned threads. :giggle:

I don't care, whatever everybody else wants to do is fine. I say go ahead and make the forum. It may sit there collecting dust some months but times like now be used a lot.

I like the pinned topic. Since I can't always see what I haven't read...I miss a lot of threads! Unless someone is nice enough to point me at it.

I love the idea of getting the pinned topics in Chit Chat down in size :bananadance: Where it gets put does matter to me as I look at everything or at least try to :lol:

I don't mind :lol:

I'd prefer the new forum than a bazillion pinned topics.

I like the idea of a new forum, I have a feeling meetings are going to happen more frequently. Plus there is a lot of different threads involved with just one meet-up. It would be nice for them to be in one place.

Thanks for all the input everyone! :thumbsup:

I went ahead and created a new forum titled Meetups & Get Togethers. As I was setting it up, I realized it belonged in the Discussion category anyway, so it's not down near the bottom of the Index page as I was originally thinking it would be.

However, because I know how oblivious some of us can be at times, :rolleyes: I wasn't sure whether everyone would notice the new forum right away so I added a single pinned topic with the info to the top of Chit Chat so that people going there to look for the Columbus discussion wouldn't be totally lost. :wacko: (Especially since that's coming up soon and the Moved: topic links are no longer pinned once you move the original topics.)

I'm not really sure if we'll need to keep that pinned topic in Chit Chat up-to-date. At first I was thinking it'd be a good idea assuming the forum were down near the bottom and wasn't as visible. But I believe it'll get enough visibility where it is, and a single pinned topic at the top of Meetups & Get Togethers listing all the upcoming events is sufficient. :D

I would love to have this forum.

There is already a meetings and get-togethers DOC! Right under Chit-chat and book talk. :giggle:

Yeah... the DOC was just a little late to the party on this one! :rofl:

okay I found it - thanks!