Has "Polls" been re-titled to "After Hours Lounge" ? (1 Viewer)

[Malcolm R]

• What really freaks you out?
• How many of you are bothered when...
• How many of you change your own oil
• Has ANYONE ever successfully popped JiffyPop popcorn?
• What order should I read the Asimov/Robot novels in?
• Anyone care if baseball players strike?
• Are Lubro Moly products worth the $$?
• French Language Software?
• Would you ever 'walk' you(r) cat?

 

[Michael*K]

A more appropraite question is why the Polls forum hasn't been re-titled the Tournaments forum. I feel sorry for members that have their threads moved there because they essentially get buried.

 

[Michael Reuben]

And an even more appropriate question, which is frequently debated among the administrative staff, is whether some or all of these areas should be eliminated in the interest of getting HTF refocused on home theater. Knocking out these sections would certainly be one way to address the issues raised by this thread.

M.

 

[TheoGB]

Well I don't know really. If I don't like the look of a thread then I don't open it.

Some days you read the After Hours topic listings and none of it interests you. Some days there are about 10 threads that provide a good read. I don't really see there's much problem with apparent 'poll' threads creeping in ocaisionally...

 

[george kaplan]

I am constantly amazed at how people who have no interest in something want to eliminate it as an option for other people. I simply don't understand it. Apparently there is quite a bit of bitching about the polls section, because the admins have to "frequently debate" To which I can only say that I hope the admins realize that most of the polls/tournaments are about films or some other HT related topic, and I would hope that if they did anything they would limit polls/tourneys to such topics, and not do something as draconian as eliminate the section hence making it impossible at HTF to ask "what are your favorite dvds of all time?" or "what are your favorite movies this year?". But mostly, I wish people would just stop complaining about what other people do that causes them no harm. Hell, there are entire forums here that I never visit (including after hours), but their existence doesn't bother me one iota. Why should it?

 

[Rain]

I'm going to say something that I don't often say: I totally agree with George!
In all seriousness, he's completely right. There's always going to be threads, off topic or not, that simply do not interest some people. The simple solution is just to avoid them.
And I cannot help but notice that it always seems to be the same few people who complain about this. Can you guys not simply skip over threads that don't interest you...just like the rest of us do in every other area on the Forum? (All of the tournament threads are clearly marked as such.)
Of course, you could get rid of some of the more "informal" areas like Polls and After Hours. But it would really be a shame, as those areas do serve other useful purposes, such as giving people the opportunitie to get to know other members and just making everyone seem a little more human.
True, this is a great forum for HT information. It also happens to be a great place to get acquainted with some truly wonderful people. Why the latter seems so undervalued is quite beyond me.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Apparently there is quite a bit of bitching about the polls section, because the admins have to "frequently debate"

We debate a lot of things, George. Most of them you never hear about.
M.

 

[Steeve Bergeron]

I will also say something that I don't say often: I totally agree with Rain!

There's always going to be threads, off topic or not, that simply do not interest some people. The simple solution is just to avoid them.

For reasons unknown to me, this solution seem too complicated for some people! I do it all the time. You don't see me bitching about threads that don't interest me. So, the others should do the same. Really, it's very simple!

 

[Marshall Alsup]

I love the HTF. I think it is not only the best forum on the web, but also BY FAR the best web site on the net. I read almost every section a couple times a week. I read After Hours every day. I think it would really suck if you guys dropped AH and the Polls sections simply because of a couple problems.
Home theater is my primary hobby and thats why I'm here. The people at HTF are like minded for the most part. I enjoy the "mature" atmosphere of HTF. It is because of this that AH is so great. You can discuss other things with the same "mature" group of like minded people. I also like AH because you can get to know other HT buffs, and thats never a bad thing!
Although I dont really participate in the tourneys over at the polls section, I'm glad they're there. I remember when I watched the commmentary on Dogma. I really dug it and thought I'd look on the forum to see what others thought were good commentaries. Well sure enogh there was a big thread in the polls section that filled me with ideas for future commentary viewings.
I think it would be very unfortunate if you guys killed these two sections (although I understand the reasons behind it).

Well, thats what I think....
-Marshall

 

[Andrew_Sch]

I am in total agreement with Rain, George, Double E, and Marshall here. Afters Hours and Polls (esp. tournaments) are two of my favorite sections of the HTF. Like Rain said above, they're more laid-back and a better oppurutunity to get to know your fellow HTF'ers. I could see eliminating if they were causing major server problems, but even then that could probably be fixed without having to remove the sections completely (i.e., gutting tourneys every so often). While I came here first in the interest of HT, I stayed because of the people, and After Hours especially lets us get to know each other better.

 

[Reginald Trent]

No single forum at HTF makes it great. No, what makes it great is ALL of the forums, including After Hours, Polls and others I never visit. They make HTF the best one-stop forum on the net. I've wondered and stated in the past why some people get so worked up over things that other people find enjoyable but harms no one?

Botton line, I think some of us have issues of control that we just can't CONTROL.

 

[KeithH]

I like the After Hours Lounge, though there are a number of threads I won't bother with. That's just me. I definitely appreciate threads there on sports. Sports is another pastime of mine.

I'd hate to see the After Hours Lounge go away. Hopefully people will heed the warnings and post there responsibly. Off the soapbox...

 

[BillBobs]

Malcolm: so anything with a question mark in the subject line should automatically be considered a "poll"?? Questions are not allowed in After Hours? It seems to me like you're making a very silly complaint here!

I spent 80% of my HTF time in Polls, 15% in Software, 4% in TV, and very occasionally pop in to Movies or After Hours. I only came in here (Help and Feedback) to see why the forum has been so slow lately. Please disable all of the other forums because I don't like them and never read them. Also, if there is a thread I'm not interested in, I will come here to whine about it and I expect it to be removed immediately. There is no reason for my screen to cluttered up with all this nonsense about DTS when I don't have a DTS decoder.

On a related note, I always find it unsettling when certain Admins show up in the Polls forum and start thread crapping. That doesn't strike me as very constructive.

 

[Michael*K]

On a related note, I always find it unsettling when certain Admins show up in the Polls forum and start thread crapping.

Pot to Kettle: "You're black!"

 

[Zen Butler]

True, this is a great forum for HT information. It also happens to be a great place to get acquainted with some truly wonderful people. Why the latter seems so undervalued is quite beyond me.

So true, I have got to meet some great people. Some of the areas that I lurk on HTF, I may not post as much, because there are some hardcore users in those areas that I find it better to just shut up and read. I post on the subjects I know or am curious about. I've learned a lot here and have made some great friends.
I think everyone, including admins, should read the quote above and ask why? You start eliminating these more personal areas, you lose part of the appeal of this forum, a very family-like atmosphere.

 

[Travis Olson]

I'm also in agreement with the fellow Tournament voters above. After Hours and Polls are my two favorite areas of HTF simply because they are FUN. I don't see what the problem could be with those areas, sure you get the occasional political or religion thread, but I don't see that as a reason to close the whole area. Furthermore, if both areas were closed I would definitely find another forum to have fun at.

The main reason I don't visit the other areas as much is because I'm not in need of a hardware upgrade, so I'm not interested in the latest DVD players, Receivers, etc. But when I do need an upgrade or help with a piece of equipment it's nice to know where to go, HTF.

 

[SteveGon]

A more appropraite question is why the Polls forum hasn't been re-titled the Tournaments forum. I feel sorry for members that have their threads moved there because they essentially get buried.

Sigh. Same old, same old. Polls that "get buried" usually deserve to get buried. Believe me, I've started plenty of 'em! On the other hand, I've started some that received quite a few replies. How long a poll lasts depends on its content and appeal - if your topic is too esoteric, silly, or redundant, you're out of luck.
Moving on...
Wow, I've never seen so many Polls regulars in agreement! Anyway, I fail to see why anyone would want a particular forum eliminated simply because THEY don't frequent it and think it's a waste of time. I've never visited the video game forums but I don't have a problem with them being here - to each his own.
Enough said.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Please consider me in the pro-Polls/Tourneys camp. The rapid-fire banter that goes on in that Forum has helped me to make more than one good friend. Perhaps if the Polls Forum were renamed Fun Stuff Fourm...
Thanks to the powers-that-be for keeping this area up. In my mind, the HTF would be a bit less fun without the tourneys!

 

[Brian Perry]

When I first joined HTF, I hung out mainly in the Hardware section, with an occasional foray into Software and Movies. There was a lot going on in Hardware three years ago, and I think many of us loved the debates that raged at the time (DD vs. DTS, Denon vs. Yamaha, etc.). But in the last couple of years, I think those conversations died down. I became completely comfortable with my system, and I don't think there have really been ANY new developments on the technology front in the past year that have an effect on home theater. (Once the Denon 5800 came out, it seemed as though that was that!)

So what happened? I found that while hardware didn't excite me anymore, I had made many friends and still found conversing at HTF fun--the discussions weren't about the latest receiver anymore, but other issues. I'd hate to lose any of the sub-forums for that reason. I still lurk and contribute to Movies, Software, and TV, but I find AH to be as valuable to me as any of those at this point in my HTF life.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

I think what gets lost is that people think the Polls section ends up being nothing but one word answers. I don't frequent the section all that often, but when I do venture in, I can always find some conversation going on. People like to tell you their choices and why they choose them.

Bruce