Proposal

Enda Caldwell

Here is a proposal I would like to put forward to the site mods of boards.ie ...

How about "Radio" is divided up into some sub-forums as with Film and Television.

Here's the forums index list from Media UK and the types of things they talk about as topics on there:

Discussions

• Radio Chatter 53,438 posts, 3,090 topics
  NEWRajar - Q4/08 - All Stations
• Programming and music 20,968 posts, 2,180 topics
  PRS for Music
• Broadcast Engineering and Technology 18,049 posts, 1,702 topics
  NEWRecording Skype
• The Production Suite 2,930 posts, 399 topics
  NEWCurrent Capital Voiceovers?
• RSL, Internet and Community Radio Stations 6,488 posts, 543 topics
  NEWCommuntiy radio listen again
• Hospital Radio 1,395 posts, 155 topics
  Getting volunteers
• Radio nostalgia 12,604 posts, 1,129 topics
  Radio Competitions and quizzes..which were the best/worst ?
• Jingles and jingletalk 11,843 posts, 1,467 topics
  Talk Radio UK: jingles and beds
• Irish & Overseas radio 1,065 posts, 181 topics
  List of U.S radio stations?

Obviously just 2 subtle changes could be made in that "RSL" could be changed to Temporary licence stations .. and "irish and overseas" could be changed to " UK & Overseas radio".

It would make the site more popular and easier to navigate.

I think that if Film can get "sub" forum status then Radio is equally deserved of this kind of interest.

What does anyone else think about this?

I think that it's easier to be on boards.ie for a "one stop shop" as to what's going on in all topics in Ireland and easier than having to look at other radio websites... Radio is also still very popular in Ireland and we Irish listen to a lot of radio daily per head in relation to the European average....

So please can we have some thoughts from the sitemods on this and what does one have to do / ask to apply for some subfolders and categories?

Thanks,

E

Tristram

Please no. The subdivision of the television section has ruined it in my opinion (in terms of missing threads of potential interest). I would be a fan of archival sub-forums: general forum stays as it is but when a thread is inactive for X period of time it can be moved to relevant subsection.

humberklog

I like the wat it is. If it was sub-divided I wouldn't have seen threads that discuss radio technology or pop/commercial stations content. So much so that I've tuned into various stations at various times that have been discussed here ones that would never enter my mind to. I really wouldn't bother entering a forum that was more specific and therefore would now know a lot less about radio, it's workings and its broad content.

Just my two cents but I enjoy this forums broad content and also (not least forgetting) the broad audience it draws and the very varying opinions and knowledge that lie within. I think division would dissipate the chutzpah.

Tristram

humberklog wrote: »

If it was sub-divided I wouldn't have seen threads that discuss radio technology or pop/commercial stations content. So much so that I've tuned into various stations at various times that have been discussed here ones that would never enter my mind to. I really wouldn't bother entering a forum that was more specific and therefore would now know a lot less about radio, it's workings and its broad content.

samesies

Firetrap

The dreaded +1. Keep it as it is.

monkeyfudge

I personally think a sub forum dealing with the production end of things could be interesting.

But whether it would see much use is another thing. The film production forum doesn't exactly get much use.

leeroybrown

I'm not a regular visitor to Radio but I'll offer my opinion anyway.

If the OP looks at what he's posted from the Media UK forums he'll notice that even the most niche segment of their forums has over 1000 posts and almost 200 topics. The average is probably over 15000 posts and 1000 topics. This Radio forum currently has 20000 posts and 1200 topics with about 70 topics in the last month. Sub-dividing an already low traffic forum would be silly.

Even on some of the busier forums on Boards.ie sub-division has not always been a positive thing. Sometimes it's required due to the volume of threads but it's rarely required for the sake of it. I find that I tend to neglect sub-forums in most of the forums I visit as it's just extra hassle to look in them unless I spot something.

DublinWriter

-1.

There's a lot of traffic on the radio forum here, but not enough to justify fragmenting it like the OP suggests.

FlutterinBantam

I am just an ordinary listener with little or no technical interest in radio,but a lot of interest in the content and presentation style, and entertainment and educational value of what I listen to.

I think breaking up the forum would dissipate the fairly robust and entertaining observations posted here,and I must say that I feel the forum has the right balance for the traffic in it at the moment.

Enda Caldwell

DublinWriter wrote: »

-1.

There's a lot of traffic on the radio forum here, but not enough to justify fragmenting it like the OP suggests.

I see your concerns but what I see happening is that the new subdivided forums would actually improve traffic on the main radio board as we see elsewhere.

I have noticed that the Media UK site has far more traffic but that is always going to be the case.

I believe it would work. It is not only tidier and easier to navigate than the present system where you see WIFI radio next a thread about Pat Kenny next a thread about Music being boring on all irish stations, next a thread question about "when is XXX temp. station due on air"
Everything is mixed in at the moment and this is not the case with media uk's system. I actually suggested it to them and they ran with it and it works!

I am not trying to take away from the vibrancy of the board but rather to make it more exciting with more specialist forums and areas where industry pros can talk alongside other areas like the main "Radio Chatter" where the kind of healthy debate that exists currently on the radio forum would continue and in larger volumes with more clear direct debate.

It will work, you just have to give it a chance.
Nobody is saying close the forum, just add extra parts to provide competition for another badly run radio board elsewhere.

Leaderbored

I dont think splitting the board would drive extra traffic to it. Frankly, it's quiet enough, and one of the benefits of that is that all people see all topics, if the board were to be split, people interested mainly in presenters wouldnt see the occasional production / business story that may interest them and vice versa.

I'd be in favour of leaving it as it is.

tbh

from my post on the thread in forums:

That would not be a problem.
As I say leave the "Radio" segment "as is" at the moment as it is doing fine but there are a whole lot more areas that warrant a lot of talk in radio than you seem to be giving it credit for.

ok, so why are people not talking about them already? you know the radio forum, Enda, we don't lock or move any threads that have even the slightest connection to the subject. What I'm saying is, I'd be more prepared to believe there was a need for this if you could identify a bunch of threads that are already there and you were suggesting how they could be better organised. I've never really believed in the ethos of "if you open a new forum, people who, up to now had nowhere to talk about their interests, will suddenly start to create threads."

There are temporary licences every week and hospital stations the length and the breadth of the country for example. I see that it would be better to have this area of radio boxed off to its own forum away from discussions about National Regional and Local radio.

why?

They deserve their own platform to talk on. The same for programmers and music heads, engineers, anoraks, jinglefreaks, and then the huge discussion area of international radio.

they have it - you can start a thread on ANY of those topics in the radio forum, and we won't move it or lock it.

I would urge the mods to please try out the idea for one month and I guarantee we can drive more traffic to the radio forum/ sub forums.

Thanks

counter offer - drive more traffic into the forum as it is, and if you've done this after a month, I'll come back to the subject with an open mind. By the way - implemention of this idea is not my call one way or the other.

also - just to clarify - I'm contributing here in a personal capacity - it may well be that the other radio mods think that this is a good idea. I'd have no problems with it per se, I just don't think it'd work. that's just me tho.

mcscrub

I think it should stay the way it is. The television forum doesn't work at all for me (imo), I prefer being able to see all topics on one page.

Enda Caldwell

tbh wrote: »

from my post on the thread in forums:


ok, so why are people not talking about them already? you know the radio forum, Enda, we don't lock or move any threads that have even the slightest connection to the subject. What I'm saying is, I'd be more prepared to believe there was a need for this if you could identify a bunch of threads that are already there and you were suggesting how they could be better organised. I've never really believed in the ethos of "if you open a new forum, people who, up to now had nowhere to talk about their interests, will suddenly start to create threads."


why?


they have it - you can start a thread on ANY of those topics in the radio forum, and we won't move it or lock it.


counter offer - drive more traffic into the forum as it is, and if you've done this after a month, I'll come back to the subject with an open mind. By the way - implemention of this idea is not my call one way or the other.

also - just to clarify - I'm contributing here in a personal capacity - it may well be that the other radio mods think that this is a good idea. I'd have no problems with it per se, I just don't think it'd work. that's just me tho.

Ok,thanks!

What I will do is start those title threads in the radio forum and see what happens.

tbh

ok - I think that's enough for now let's see how it goes.

Enda Caldwell

Thanks TBH,

There are a lot more sub forums and thread titles and categories possible like National Radio, Markets (i.e. Dublin, Cork, Limerick etc.) and then counties of which there are 26.. so for Meath we have LMFM and i radio etc. and how that relates etc. ....

To kickstart the chat in some areas I may need to start a topic but I would like to leave them free to grow over the weekend and see how they go?

The radio rumours thread is not near as nasty as the title may suggest. Stations are always changing and this board is used for this purpose in the US on certain boards. It is healthy to know in advance what the market is doing.

Thanks TBH

Enda

Fuzzy Clam

Far, far, far too many sub categories. How long before people start suggesting that some categories should be merged.
The only advantage I can see with this, is that some topics will remain visable for longer instead of dropping out of sight after a day or 2.

mcscrub

To the Moderators:

Put the sub category question to a vote. Find out what the majority of users of this radio forum would prefer.

Personally I don't think it's a good idea. I like the way that we are able to see all of the radio stories on one page.

Guy:Incognito

How about you try to go ahead and divide it out yourself by stating as many threads as possible in the hope it sticks.............

Enda Caldwell

Stekelly wrote: »

How about you try to go ahead and divide it out yourself by stating as many threads as possible in the hope it sticks.............

Thats what we have done with the blessing of TBH one of the mods! There are 13 or so new topics/ threads started. It is not easy to get going as all people want to do is bitch and moan about radio ads and Ray D'arcy on here! So the thinking has to change a little I think. I have tried to kickstart the chat in some threads but it's like taking a horse to water... Let's be positive and hope that something gets going?

tbh

Enda, I do think you've shot yourself in the foot by starting so many threads. The radio forum is a general interest forum. People who want to discuss the type of topics you have started already have plenty of specialist sites to do that. I'm not saying that there is no-one here who wouldn't have something to contribute, but in all my time here, I've seen less than a dozen threads which were about the technical or production side of things. It's not that people haven't been able to talk about these topics, it's that they haven't wanted to. I would be surprised if more than two of those threads are still on the front page after the weekend, certainly not next week. And on that topic - I'm going to say this up front. If you bump any of those threads, I'll lock them straight away. I notice most of them have the first two posts from you, so from now on, just edit your original post unless you are replying to someone.


edit: Suddenly everything becomes clear.

It is past history now and no, I am not the new mod I just wanted to see that there was another outlet for professional radio talk in Ireland with proper mods rather like the excelllent Media UK and not some biased site that has poor editorial judgement. I will not name it.

tbh

Enda Caldwell wrote: »

Thats what we have done with the blessing of TBH one of the mods!

with respect, to say I gave it my blessing is to totally misrepresent what happened. You made the claim that having all those forums would generate more traffic. I said that that traffic had a place on the forum if it wanted it, and had done all along. What I had intended would be that you would start one or two threads, and contribute yourself (instead of asking for others contributions - what's the point in that?).

Anyway, I accept that maybe you thought I was giving you carte blanch to start as many threads as you needed to, I don't really have a problem with that, as I'm pretty confident it will help to prove my point. But to say I give your idea in it's current form my blessing is overselling it somewhat.

connundrum

Stekelly wrote: »

How about you try to go ahead and divide it out yourself by stating as many threads as possible in the hope it sticks.............

Is that a tinge of sarcasm I read

Edit - my head actually hurts with the amount of detailed threads.

It would be similar to the Motors thread opening a sub sub forum for every car manufacturer, or for every part of a car.

monkeyfudge

Yep. There's just too many of them.

I've merged some together. We may soft delete some of them for now too.

You won't get any interest in them with that level of volume.

mike65

I thought we had a spammer.

Enda Caldwell

mike65 wrote: »

I thought we had a spammer.

Typical Irish attitude, shoot something new down before it begins! I notice that James Cridland and the guys at Media UK never shot down the ideas of seperate threads for things like Jingles and Engineering.... and furthermore they thanked me for my suggestions as given maybe 7 or 8 years ago. Never mind.

tbh

to be honest, I'm sick of this. We tried it. They hated it. Let us never speak of this again.