Chat room vs. discussion forum (was: Partly on Posting limits Plus ...)

[potioncat]

Susan wrote: 
snip
> Contrast this to the recent Pippin-Renee discussions of Lupin.  
snip> 
> Real & true debate works *towards* something.  Canon is being 
> discussed, details are being revealed, new thoughts are being put 
> forth, new light is being shed.  This is what I think HPfGU is 
about.
>
Potioncat/Kathy:
Just out of curiosity, did Renee and Pippin manage to carry out that 
debate with just three posts a day? I'm sorry I missed that one. 
This is what I'm afraid we'll lose if we set posting limits. 

I am beginning to agree on a limit, but I don't like it.


 
>Susan: 
> Here are some problems I find in posts at HPfGU:  
> 1) knee-jerk responses
> 2) responses made before finishing out the thread
> 3) responses made to multiple posts within one thread
> 
snipping Susan's solutions

Kathy/Potioncat:
I agree, but I second the motion that these solutions be explained 
to the members when the limits are announced. I think for many of 
us, we will have to change the way we read HPfGU. It may also mean 
we will have to decide which thread to participate in when there are 
several interesting ones going. As there are sure to be once HBP 
comes out.

I vote for closing off new memberships at peak times. I think it 
will be very difficult to maintain quality while managing volume 
with a membership that is familiar with the canon-thumping debates. 
It would be very hard with droves of newbies coming in. I was 
overwhelmed in the summer without a new book out.

One of the problems that was mentioned was the non-moderated 
members. I've just had the rather humbling experince of complaining 
about poor posting technique, then reading the tutorial and 
discovering my technique wasn't up to par. Except for friendly 
reminders, I'm not sure how you could correct that.

There were a number of other suggestions that I just don't feel 
competent to even have an opinion about. I have only the vaguest of 
ideas of what makes this site work and can't imagine how it's done 
behind the scenes.

Thanks to Carolyn and Kneasy for preparing the report and coming up 
with solutions. Thanks to the Admin for moving forward and seeking 
input. 

Kathy/Potioncat