Do you guys think it's time to create some more forums?

Any thoughts pro/con?

Any thoughts about how many different forums?

If so, what headings?

From earlier threads and conversations and random thoughts, here are a few possibilities to start


Labor

Socialist Theory

Agriculture

Race

Culture

Sports ;)

Activism

Current Events - News & Analysis

Whatcha all think?

I would say that the goal is to support the excellent work already being done and to encourage more of the same. I hesitate to post articles about labor unions and about farming because I don't want to further bury all of the great work by others in the main forum. We need some way to keep new stuff at top, and at the same time not bury everything so that people miss it.

The others don't much care, Megan, which is fine. We can work it out here and they can monitor the discussion or ignore it as they see fit.

I would say that the goal is to support the excellent work already being done and to encourage more of the same. I hesitate to post articles about labor unions and about farming because I don't want to further bury all of the great work by others in the main forum. We need some way to keep new stuff at top, and at the same time not bury everything so that people miss it.

The others don't much care, Megan, which is fine. We can work it out here and they can monitor the discussion or ignore it as they see fit.

I really don't care except let's not have a forum for "Socialist Theory". Don't need no more ghettos...
.

I really don't care except let's not have a forum for "Socialist Theory". Don't need no more ghettos...
.

Important point. Socialism is not the thing under the microscope that we are studying, it is the microscope for looking at everything.

Liberalism, libertarianism, assholes, on the other hand are some of the subjects that are under the microscope.

I agree - no ghettos. Or dungeons, or any mechanisms that end up compartmentalizing what needs to be a very wide angle lens. If that makes sense.

I suppose some structure is necessary, but if we need forums I'd like to see things like Mike mentioned (Assholes, Libertarianism, etc) and maybe stuff like Resources, International, Dispatches, What The Fuck, etc. LOL - I'm not very creative but I think the more unexpected, the more interesting.

And for people like me I think a Historical Perspective (or something) forum would be excellent. I'm so far behind most of you in learning about world political events and how they relate to where we are today, I spend most of my time here reading things that send me off on the web searching to learn more. Which is fine. Maybe just some direction would be helpful.

I remember at PI, Usul was posting great stuff about Latin America, but it was stuck down in a ghetto and ignored.

Maybe we can come up with a system to have both - start threads in a general forum, but have them refer to another section for more in-depth discussion? People want to be heard, they want to get feedback and conversations, they want to be able to find things. How can things be structured to serve all three?

the more unexpected, the more interesting

You know what else is a problem? The names for the forums and the choice as to what should have a forum has a controlling effect over the discussion. Probably the last thing we want is predictable forum titles that pander to what people think they already know. That is what I was trying to break out of on that other thread (http://www.populistindependent.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=449&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=forums&start=0) with this:

The Current Conditions

Things are really fucked up I - for each of us - personal stories of individuals being crushed and don't give me any patronizing they made the wrong choices bullshit about that.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]
Things are really fucked up II - for all of us - stories about actions of the ruling class to exploit whole classes of people and don't give me any "yeah but at least we are doing something and little by little we are making progress" bullshit.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]
Things are really fucked up III - politics - the ruling class puts its final solution political game into full overdrive, with virtually no political opposition. Voting Republicans out of office is not a solution.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]
Things are really fucked up IV - the opposition - modern liberals, the house Negroes to the slave masters of the ruling class, do yeoman duty propping up the working class victims and holding their arms behind their backs so the ruling class can deliver a knockout blow. They do this in exchange for lucre and flattery.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]
Things are really fucked up V - suburbia - nerve center for the global empire, the promised shining city on the hill, the monument to class warfare, racism, greed, isolation, waste, alientation, and the destruction of all human culture. It isn't a postal address, it is a mentality. Home to the corporate boardroom, the investing class, the court jesters, the non-profit organizations, and the "we" that the ruling class, whether "liberal" and "conservative," says it is protecting.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]

The Battleground

Labor - fanning the few remaining feeble embers of working class resistance and organizing.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]
Agriculture - first you gotta get them off of the farm, then herd them into slums, fit them for their worker bee chains, and tell them about all that you are doing for them to make their lives better, and that when things aren't working for them it is their fault. Destroy rural cooperative self-reliant agricultural communities - the bedrock foundation of all culture and in all places until here and now -and you can control the world. Control food, land, people, resources, culture - that about handles it I think.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]
Politics - Lackeys do their master's bidding day in and day out, and sell all of us down the river. The working class (all of us even you auto) have no voice or representation - worse yet, we are enticed and deluded into supporting our own destruction "for our own good."
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]
Culture - Everything is for sale on that giant slave auction block we call "life," including your soul. Human beings are valued and ranked solely on their wealth. Things are only deemed good for either their usefulness in turning a buck, or in amusing ourselves in the most simple-minded and degrading ways. If you can turn a buck by amusing people, you are elevated to the status of a god. Vicious anti-intellectualism, destruction of art and artists, and the uprooting and elimination of all culture are rigidly promoted at all levels. I know, I know - "but I kinda like South Park." Cotton candy laced with soma presented as though it were benign and would sustain you. Yum.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]

History

The history of struggle of the working class - organizing, resisting, rebelling. The leaders and ideas, what happened and why ad how. What applies to the current struggle.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]
The rise and development of American corporate capitalism - it isn't human nature, it isn't inevitable, it isn't the last chapter. It is very modern and it is unique.
[/*:m:20m2x3pp]

I didn't mean to isolate socialism in general when I mentioned a 'socialist theory' forum. I understand that the whole point of this place is that we are looking at things from a socialist perspective.

I imagined it more like a study group sort of thing for people (like me) who may need to review basic concepts of socialism, development of socialist thought, different socialist 'thinkers', that kinda thing.

I imagine, as with most discussion forums, the majority of conversation will happen in a GD kind of forum.

I do understand what you guys are saying about the 'dungeon' effect. We definitely need to consider that...

I guess the difference is trying not to isolate any 'issue' or area of discussion, while creating a space in which writers/posters can go in-depth on topics that may otherwise get buried in the main forum.

I'm also thinking that we can start off with just a few other forums and then create more as we see a need develop, within reason (so we don't end up with 50 different ones).

I didn't mean to isolate socialism in general when I mentioned a 'socialist theory' forum. I understand that the whole point of this place is that we are looking at things from a socialist perspective.

I imagined it more like a study group sort of thing for people (like me) who may need to review basic concepts of socialism, development of socialist thought, different socialist 'thinkers', that kinda thing.

I imagine, as with most discussion forums, the majority of conversation will happen in a GD kind of forum.

I do understand what you guys are saying about the 'dungeon' effect. We definitely need to consider that...

I guess the difference is trying not to isolate any 'issue' or area of discussion, while creating a space in which writers/posters can go in-depth on topics that may otherwise get buried in the main forum.

I'm also thinking that we can start off with just a few other forums and then create more as we see a need develop, within reason (so we don't end up with 50 different ones).

If "reviewing" "different 'socialist' thinkers" means Zizek, that would be the Asshole Gallery...

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/Antiks1/Wtf.jpg

http://www.seefido.com/assets/images/frisbee.JPG

http://k53.pbase.com/u10/slug/large/2105624.293.10.jpg

http://www.seefido.com/assets/images/frisbee.JPG

Is that Elizabeth Kucinich there? You know, Dennis does look pretty short when you see him right next to her like that.

[quote="chlamor"]http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/Antiks1/Wtf.jpg [/guote]


Can we include nad wacking here??

OK, without objection, I am going to make forums for:

Labor/organizing news and issues

Racism/immigration

Agriculture/food

Energy/public transportation

Tech/computer help

Any other ideas?

We can keep posting in the "general" forum as always, but mature threads can be moved into these new forums and also articles can be posted in the new forums. This will keep more stuff "on top" and make them easier to find. It will also give more places for new members to jump in.

OK, without objection, I am going to make forums for:

Labor/organizing news and issues

Racism/immigration

Agriculture/food

Energy/public transportation

Tech/computer help

Any other ideas?

We can keep posting in the "general" forum as always, but mature threads can be moved into these new forums and also articles can be posted in the new forums. This will keep more stuff "on top" and make them easier to find. It will also give more places for new members to jump in.

I -do- want some content for THEORY despite what ghetto-spectre sez.

Not an objection, but a quibble: Do ya wanna wait until after the migration? Could it be less error prone to do so?

Also please let me know within three or four days if I need to buy this domain again because we are in a time crunch; I don't want it to go away and we not have the new site running...

r

OK, without objection, I am going to make forums for:

Labor/organizing news and issues

Racism/immigration

Agriculture/food

Energy/public transportation

Tech/computer help

Any other ideas?

We can keep posting in the "general" forum as always, but mature threads can be moved into these new forums and also articles can be posted in the new forums. This will keep more stuff "on top" and make them easier to find. It will also give more places for new members to jump in.

I -do- want some content for THEORY despite what ghetto-spectre sez.

Not an objection, but a quibble: Do ya wanna wait until after the migration? Could it be less error prone to do so?

Also please let me know within three or four days if I need to buy this domain again because we are in a time crunch; I don't want it to go away and we not have the new site running...

r

That's cool. Rusty - what do you think? We want to keep popindy for at least a couple of months after the change, yes? so we can have a notice here sending lurkers and members who haven't been around to the new site?

Doesn't much matter about adding new forums before or after the move. I am thinking we could make the db move late Sunday night. I should be able to dedicate the next couple of days to the move.

OK, without objection, I am going to make forums for:

Labor/organizing news and issues

Racism/immigration

Agriculture/food

Energy/public transportation

Tech/computer help

Any other ideas?

We can keep posting in the "general" forum as always, but mature threads can be moved into these new forums and also articles can be posted in the new forums. This will keep more stuff "on top" and make them easier to find. It will also give more places for new members to jump in.

I -do- want some content for THEORY despite what ghetto-spectre sez.

Not an objection, but a quibble: Do ya wanna wait until after the migration? Could it be less error prone to do so?

Also please let me know within three or four days if I need to buy this domain again because we are in a time crunch; I don't want it to go away and we not have the new site running...

r

That's cool. Rusty - what do you think? We want to keep popindy for at least a couple of months after the change, yes? so we can have a notice here sending lurkers and members who haven't been around to the new site?

Doesn't much matter about adding new forums before or after the move. I am thinking we could make the db move late Sunday night. I should be able to dedicate the next couple of days to the move.

fine - I'll drop the fifteen on the single domain popindy dot org then so we can point it to the new site when it's up. As fer the new forums, that is your call. I just thought I'd mention it. BTW, I do indeed have a phpbb backup dating to 5/24 which was before mugafuga moved to pair - so we could potentially at least merge back in the losses from the last move. (Note that I say we with no expectation of being any real help, hehe).

Rusty, who or what is ghetto-spectre?

OK, without objection, I am going to make forums for:

Labor/organizing news and issues

Racism/immigration

Agriculture/food

Energy/public transportation

Tech/computer help

Any other ideas?

We can keep posting in the "general" forum as always, but mature threads can be moved into these new forums and also articles can be posted in the new forums. This will keep more stuff "on top" and make them easier to find. It will also give more places for new members to jump in.

I -do- want some content for THEORY despite what ghetto-spectre sez.

Not an objection, but a quibble: Do ya wanna wait until after the migration? Could it be less error prone to do so?

Also please let me know within three or four days if I need to buy this domain again because we are in a time crunch; I don't want it to go away and we not have the new site running...

r

That's cool. Rusty - what do you think? We want to keep popindy for at least a couple of months after the change, yes? so we can have a notice here sending lurkers and members who haven't been around to the new site?

Doesn't much matter about adding new forums before or after the move. I am thinking we could make the db move late Sunday night. I should be able to dedicate the next couple of days to the move.

fine - I'll drop the fifteen on the single domain popindy dot org then so we can point it to the new site when it's up. As fer the new forums, that is your call. I just thought I'd mention it. BTW, I do indeed have a phpbb backup dating to 5/24 which was before mugafuga moved to pair - so we could potentially at least merge back in the losses from the last move. (Note that I say we with no expectation of being any real help, hehe).

Very good. At some point I will have you upload that old db to the server and have a look at it. It is very definitely possible to merge the two and recover any data that got lost.

OK, without objection, I am going to make forums for:

Labor/organizing news and issues

Racism/immigration

Agriculture/food

Energy/public transportation

Tech/computer help

Any other ideas?

We can keep posting in the "general" forum as always, but mature threads can be moved into these new forums and also articles can be posted in the new forums. This will keep more stuff "on top" and make them easier to find. It will also give more places for new members to jump in.

I -do- want some content for THEORY despite what ghetto-spectre sez.

Not an objection, but a quibble: Do ya wanna wait until after the migration? Could it be less error prone to do so?

Also please let me know within three or four days if I need to buy this domain again because we are in a time crunch; I don't want it to go away and we not have the new site running...

r

That's cool. Rusty - what do you think? We want to keep popindy for at least a couple of months after the change, yes? so we can have a notice here sending lurkers and members who haven't been around to the new site?

Doesn't much matter about adding new forums before or after the move. I am thinking we could make the db move late Sunday night. I should be able to dedicate the next couple of days to the move.

fine - I'll drop the fifteen on the single domain popindy dot org then so we can point it to the new site when it's up. As fer the new forums, that is your call. I just thought I'd mention it. BTW, I do indeed have a phpbb backup dating to 5/24 which was before mugafuga moved to pair - so we could potentially at least merge back in the losses from the last move. (Note that I say we with no expectation of being any real help, hehe).

Very good. At some point I will have you upload that old db to the server and have a look at it. It is very definitely possible to merge the two and recover any data that got lost.

Oddly enough I have Monday off work so if you need me to do the back-up and upload I am available late Sunday. Just keep me updated. I'll PM you my phone number in case we need to talk about it.

We should keep the PopIndy domain for awhile so we can redirect traffic.

The asshole gallery should be forumized. A cornucopia of information and amusement, it has the side benefit of declaring who we are not.

The asshole gallery should be forumized. A cornucopia of information and amusement, it has the side benefit of declaring who we are not.

I want an immoderation forum - a place bitch out the ptb for those who have not yet become the ptb/collective and a place to argue over the so far nonexistent rules.

One thing we are doing that no one else seems to do is to kick the shit out of one another's opinions, and one another for that matter, without destroying the freedom to to so.

And fuck Israel too so long as I am tipping my hat to you know where...

The asshole gallery should be forumized. A cornucopia of information and amusement, it has the side benefit of declaring who we are not.

yep