Move location of Watercooler? (1 Viewer)

[Jon]

I notice the Watercooler is a bit quiet nowadays. I'm sure it never used to be like that! So, to get it going again and encourage more of a community spirit - rather than just a Q&A forum - I'm considering moving it to just below the Introduce Yourself forum.

Any feedback on this idea?

 

[Steve R.]

I do not think that it needs to be moved. While not the Watercooler, I have a lot of thoughts for Politics & Current Events, but have been expressing some self-restraint. Good to know that you are interested in encouraging the users go beyond simply having a Q&A forum.

 

[Jon]

Do you mean you are refraining from making posts in the Politics forum for some reason?

 

[Steve R.]

Yes. I would probably end up being accused of "spamming".

 

[pbaldy]

For me, moving it wouldn't matter. I rarely post there because threads historically devolved into the same drivel between the same people. They drown out any reasonable conversation.

 

[oumahexi]

For me, moving it wouldn't matter. I rarely post there because threads historically devolved into the same drivel between the same people. They drown out any reasonable conversation.

I know what you mean here, I have "bouts" of having to drop by from time to time and have found over the years that the same conversation seems to be going on and on and on... Perhaps we need a "topic of the month" lol.

Jon, you're doing a great job with the site, I think the issues with the water cooler are possibly a reflection on the harder times we have recently encountered in the workplace. People have more work and less time, it's possibly just a case of get in, get the information we need and leave as quickly as possible before the boss thinks we're skiving Not y our fault, not the sites fault and not the fault of the members either.

 

[Jon]

All good points. With it in a prominent location, it might just get a few chats going. Everybody is in a different situation but I feel the forum has become a little bit impersonal. Maybe I am wrong on this front, who knows. I've been doing numerous tweaks recently to improve the user experience and get more people involved. Early indications suggest that the membership signup rate has improved and we now have 4x the number of people introducing themselves, which is good. We just need some more people to welcome them back.

 

[mdlueck]

I notice the Watercooler is a bit quiet nowadays.
...
So, to get it going again and encourage more of a community spirit - rather than just a Q&A forum

Seriously?!

I have thought of this as a technical Q&A forum system. I wondered "why does this site have a Watercooler (nonsense) group?"

OK then......

I share the sentiment of the blond at the end of this classic ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8SPhq-OJ1E