Drawing Room - Yay or Nay?

[Keef]

Right, it's been going for over a month now, and there have been a good few threads started, and discussed in varying depth, some not making it to 2 pages, some going for several.

So, is it working, what do people really think?

Please note, I am not starting this thread to annoy anyone, and will be interested to hear positive and negative feedback. The reason I start it, is because it came up in another, totally unrelated, thread, but thought it would be good to open up the wider debate.

Okay, for me, it doesn't work, I was all for it, but now it?s here, I feel it has taken something away form the forum. Debates in there often lose input from some good posters who seem to prefer the lounge. The Lounge misses out on some good threads, and is now a bit naff, whilst threads in the drawing room are taken far too seriously by a small number of contributors.

Personally, rather than a separate Lounge, and Drawing room, I?d rather see a Lounge for chat about whatever, and a ?fun room? for the likes of the song game and all those threads which just won?t die!!!

[bigbadwolf]

Endorsed.

I don't see it catching on. I'm also banned.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Well 3 seperate posts have had a reply on them already today, which is not always the case.

Went to go on there the other day when I read that "Admin was in a bad mood" so I got the hell out of there as fast as my little tootsies would take me...

[*Bob*]

In general, the various changes to the Forum don't really suit me.

The Drawing Room looks and feels too heavy-going, despite efforts and claims for it not to be so. It's perception as much as anything. Scatter the drawing room threads in the diversity of the lounge and I'll look-in on them and contribute. Put them all in one place and I just see the list of thread topics and can't really be arsed.

The splitting-up of wanted/offered/classifieds seems to have resulted in me not looking at any of them, which is a shame as it used to be a 'you never know what'll pop up' page which you could have a quick look at; a place where surprisingly entertaining threads could develop out of nowhere. It used to be like a shop where entertaining things occurred on a regular basis, and then as a by-product of being in there, you ended-up buying something.

Admittedly many of these changes probably serve the majority of users on here better than the old forum did - and ultimately, I fear I must accept that this place isn't set-up entirely for my own personal whim and amusement.

[*Bob*]

*Bob* Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

I must accept

> that this place isn't set-up entirely for my own

> personal whim and amusement.

I mean, obviously, it ought to be, but it isn't.

[Brendan]

You mean this place isn?t set up for my own personal whim and amusement?

I would just like to be the first one to say, I remember when it was all fields around here.

Also, shouldn?t this perhaps be in the Drawing Room.

[silverfox]

Yea

Although I do agree with an observation I read that the Gossip/Lounge doesn't seem to be as active and as much fun. I don't know if this is due to the increased categories, the holiday season or a temporary mood as people have got more serious with the state of the economy.

[bigbadwolf]

"It used to be like a shop where entertaining things occurred on a regular basis, and then as a by-product of being in there, you ended-up buying something."

Like this *Bob*?

http://uktv.co.uk/images/homepage/43951.jpg

[*Bob*]

No, BBW.

That's a mediocre BBC sitcom, partly responsible for ruining Sunday nights at Grandads (along with Howards Way and snooker on a black and white television, Princes ham and tinned salmon with a bit of vinegar in it)

[bigbadwolf]

Really?

My visits to grandad were often ruined by one of us eating too many Jaffa cakes and subsequently throwing up. The paper aeroplane wars facilitated by the thousands of betting slips more than made up for it though.

Open All Hours was ace by the way.

[Mick Mac]

Okay, for me, it doesn't work, I was all for it, but now it?s here, I feel it has taken something away form the forum. Debates in there often lose input from some good posters who seem to prefer the lounge. The Lounge misses out on some good threads, and is now a bit naff, whilst threads in the drawing room are taken far too seriously by a small number of contributors.

Keef - I think the above summarises what I think too.

The Lounge has also suffered - its used to a good combination of serious and humourous threads and a good place to be. The Lounge needs it fair share of serious threads.

I understand that the Drawing Room idea was wanted to keep serious discussions serious, but I think its the normal life cycle of a thread in the Lounge that it will stay serious for as long as people think its important to make serious contributions. Each thread finds its own level in the Lounge.

The recent discussion on education in the Lounge ran to four pages and had input form more people than would ever have contributed in the Drawing Room before eventually going off topic.

For me personally I'd prefer to have just the Lounge - you have to put a very serious head on to go to the Drawing Room and as I don't really have one I don't go there. I don't mind making serious posts in the Lounge in between having a bit of a laugh. It should all be in the one place.

[*Bob*]

Back when the Forum started, I also used to have a lot less hair in various places that I didn't really want hair.

So if this could also be addressed I would be most grateful.

[????]

A no from me too, though I persevere in there, a bit, many good posters don't and also the chairing has been a bit inconsistent IMO- I also, like *Bob, am still confused by the classified bits and recomm etc and where to look for things or post for advice etc....and suspect that these are now viewed less? I certainly don't look, I guess admin will be able to tell us - I think the family discussion is a good addition but in all honesty rather the rest was as before. Again just my opinion and appreciate that others may well feel differently and admin et al work hard at keeping this a good forum and trying to improve on that.

*blows kiss at the lizard folk*

[Mark]

I would prefer it if there was just the Lounge too but as the forum grew the general opinion from feedback was that the Lounge had became a total playground and there were few "good" discussions going on any more. Another room was required where people wouldn't ruin sensible non-East Dulwich discussions. Another option was (and still is) to create a Games Room where those "threads which just won?t die" could go. Anyway the forum's flexible and it's good to know what people think so all suggestions welcome.

[Mark]

oh, regarding the "looking for advice" thing, they should really be in the Lounge as "I want advice on using my Mac" is not East Dulwich related but it's not a rule that's enforced heavily as I expect people would complain if the Lounge was overrun with people wanting advice.

Remember that the forum's for East Dulwich and that's always going to be the governing/deciding factor, in fact there wasn't even a Lounge once until there was a Polly D/Dulwichmum/armed robbery incident.

[edited once]

[Moos]

Regarding the various Classified sections, at the moment the oldest post in each section is

For Sale - about 20 hours old

Wanted - about 49 hours old

Local Biz - about 42 hours old.

I think this is an improvement, as previously, threads disappeared from the first page incredibly quickly, and got lost.

Splitting the family room discussion out from the family classifieds I think is a good thing, and a small community of family room posters, many of whom rarely come into the other discussion rooms, regularly chat and swap advice there. I think that's a real success.

If we were to close the Drawing Room, I'd definitely be in favour of creating a Games Room to put all the games or If You Were An Animal What Animal Would You Be list-type threads.

[bigbadwolf]

Polly D/Dulwichmum/armed robbery incident.

Oh come on Mark, don't leave us in suspense. What happened?

[Jah Lush]

I'm mostly a lounge lizard and haven't looked much into the drawing room and when I have I have found to it to be far too serious for my liking. It reminds of some boring late night TV programme full of stuffy psuedo intellectual old farts chewing the fat over something very dull and pretentious going on and on on for hours on end until I finally find the off switch.

[Keef]

With regards the other sections, I never really used the wanted bit much, so no opinion. I definitely think the family room is better split in 2.

Another option was (and still is) to create a Games Room where those "threads which just won?t die" could go.

That's what I'd vote for.

[Keef]

I should have just said "what moos said" really.

[Moos]

Well, yes, except that I basically said what you said. So you should have said 'What Keef Said - The Return'

[*Bob*]

Not especially relevant (or even workable) when I first heard mention of 'The Drawing Room' with 'A Chair', I imagined something slightly different.

I envisaged discussions that were both fewer and more of an 'event', and the Chair to be more of a visible personality who would add his particular influence to the discussion and thus make things all the more worth tuning-in for - Robin Day style. Possibly even name the topics, according to areas of personal interest and experience. After all.. everyone knows a lot about something. So, eg Macroban's week in The Chair would be a totally different experience to Keefs.

[Keef]

I also said that if I took the Chair (I was too busy), I'd happily tell everyone that it was me. It's fair enough if whoever it is wants to remain anonymous, but I felt that being open about it would be better.

As it is, "The Chair" is just like Admin, coming in to the room to tell people off, or give a stern look, without actually moving conversations on, which for me, is the role of a chair (the human kind obviously).

[mockney piers]

I'm inclined to agree with keef.

Like many things something may seem a good idea in principle but not necessarily work so well in practice.

It is of course difficult to please all of the people all of the time.

I imagine splitting off a games room might result in the slow death of games threads as they are probably something people click on trivially when posting in the lounge is a bit slow.

I like the idea of the drawing room in principle especially after many complaints that threads are undermined or that it was deemed too trivial an environment for threads like the camberwell fire, but sadly it has resulted in a stultefyinh atmospherethat has rather stifled activity in there.

I think the perception from the likes of Bob and to a lesser extent the quids and Brendans has contributed to that.

I still think it has yet to find it's feet though and there is hope for it yet.

The lounge for a while was a temple dedicated to surreality before become the catch all discussion/games room it became, If it's really as stillborn as it currently appears it may be too late for the drawing room.

*wipes face with damp sleeve* awfully dusty in here.

[iaineasy]

If someone makes a serious point in the lounge does it get shunted to the drawing room??

And why does the drawing room need an invigilator? Surely monitoring peoples contribution to a serious discussion implies that if you say the wrong thing you could be banned, Isn't that a bit un-democratic? And why do the serious conversations need monitoring and not the silly stuff in the lounge which has the potential to be much more offensive?

I like the lounge and to be honest it has more potential as a forum to discuss the serious and silly in equal depth which can only be a good thing!!

The drawing room seems to have a literary dress code, does anyonemind if I wear my smoking jacket in here?

hugs