Suggestion: Off Topic Section.

I think it'd be nice to have an Off Topic section. In this section you could post things a lot more vague and not as serious as the DCC. It wouldn't count for post count. It'd really just be where people could make threads as they'd wish (within the rules) and it wouldn't have to pertain to anything really.

Like I could make a topic on the amount of posts I have. Obviously I couldn't do this in any of the other forums, so I think it'd be nice for a new section for random things like that.

imho, I think you want a spam pit in the forums. Even if didn't doesn't contribute to post count, it could be a way for adbots and pr0nbots to post :/

And there is a reason why CCC, D&D, FCG, and FG are under Off-Topic Discussions

Chit Chat Café takes care of any light hearted threads one would want to make. A thread bragging (cause that is what it would be) about the number of posts you have would serve zero purpose, and a section as lax as the one you're proposing would be riddled with SPAM within days, I'd guess. There's no point to the section whatsoever, whereas a section like Forum Games, which doesn't count posts, actually serves a purpose, in this case entertainment in the form of games. All in all, it just wouldn't work out I'm afraid.

Ausaudriel said:

I would love to have an off-topic section where anything goes. Pretty much "if you can't fit it in any other forum, put it here" kinda thing.

I think it would be really fun. And after all, a forum is meant to be fun, right?

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Well, true, but wouldn't a section like that easily have it's purpose misinterpreted?

Ausaudriel said:

I would love to have an off-topic section where anything goes. Pretty much "if you can't fit it in any other forum, put it here" kinda thing.

I think it would be really fun. And after all, a forum is meant to be fun, right?

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These are the exact words that I wanted to say, but couldn't think of how to put it.
Thank you.

Dakota, the purpose of the section would be a section with no purpose. It's basically a spam section. Which is why it has no post count.

What purpose, Dipu? XD

I think that'd be cool to see.

I was going to suggest it but I assumed it would just get shot down. vote for PokeSpam2014

I would like having a section like that. Maybe fuse it with Forum Games somehow?

Is this just, like, suggesting the mod hangout but for everybody? I'm not sure I understand.

I think It would be fun to have a section like that. I would like to see that here too :)

Aerial Ace said:

Is this just, like, suggesting the mod hangout but for everybody? I'm not sure I understand.

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Essentially? It sounds like a place on the forums where there aren't any rules, where people can share whatever they want however they want. Members can post anything that comes to mind (within reason, of course. Some rules still need to be upheld.)

All those "pointless" posts and topics that we delete and close because they don't offer much discussion would go there.

I'm not sure how it would work. I was on a forum that had such a section like this, and I saw so many rule-breaking posts in that section because members saw it as a "anything goes" section. It turned into a mess and caused more stress on the staff to keep it clean. That was on a forum much smaller than PC, so I can just imagine how crazy it would be here.

If there's good reasons for it, I'd be convinced to give it a try.

Hey, at least you'll have a place where people can post their requests for us to watch their frikken Lets Plays!

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What's wrong with the Let's Play forum? Or do you just mean people who sign up on the forum and say "I can't post links but just head to my channel and watch my LP?"

O07_eleven said:

Yeah I was referring to people who sign up for the sole purpose of advertising that sort of content, or just asking for people to participate or look at projects that really do not fit anywhere else.

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What's wrong with that? If a person has worked hard on something it should be their right to advertise it imo, as long as it abides by the forum rules.

I still personally don't think it's a good idea, and I see this getting insanely out of control, honestly. But hey, I guess it can be worth a shot, and we can always get rid of it if need be. I wouldn't vote for it, but at the same time, I don't mind seeing something like it given a chance. -shrug-

I don't really understand what would be going in there ><. If you want a random conversation then the DCCs can take most of that - or places like the battle server. A spam pit seems obsolete.

In some ways the VIP area is an open-posting area (with a lot less guidelines). Maybe just leave it for supporters.

Astinus said:

Essentially? It sounds like a place on the forums where there aren't any rules, where people can share whatever they want however they want. Members can post anything that comes to mind (within reason, of course. Some rules still need to be upheld.)

All those "pointless" posts and topics that we delete and close because they don't offer much discussion would go there.

I'm not sure how it would work. I was on a forum that had such a section like this, and I saw so many rule-breaking posts in that section because members saw it as a "anything goes" section. It turned into a mess and caused more stress on the staff to keep it clean. That was on a forum much smaller than PC, so I can just imagine how crazy it would be here.

If there's good reasons for it, I'd be convinced to give it a try.


What's wrong with the Let's Play forum? Or do you just mean people who sign up on the forum and say "I can't post links but just head to my channel and watch my LP?"

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It wouldn't be a rule-less forum. All the same forum rules would apply. It'd just be the "This thread doesn't warrant any category" section.

After a lot of thinking, I think it is a good idea if the people like it but I still think it can go really wrong if something were to happen. I think the staff should give the supporters a test run first before the staff approves on making a forum for everyone like what Team Fail suggested.

Queen of Shipping said:

After a lot of thinking, I think it is a good idea if the people like it but I still think it can go really wrong if something were to happen. I think the staff should give the supporters a test run first before the staff approves on making a forum for everyone like what Team Fail suggested.

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The supporters really already have a suggestion like this and it runs pretty smoothly.

The supporters really already have a suggestion like this and it runs pretty smoothly.

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It's also not really inactive, to be honest... and doesn't seem to be quite what is suggested here imo.

I'm not for this idea, imo. Seeing other forums with this, or even with just a SPAM thread, just really looks messy for me and sparks potential problems. A anything goes forum section, no rules at all doesn't quite work like that (say an argument breaks out, then it's not really anything goes), and I don't think any mod of said section would have an easy job. I also don't see much gain from it - spammy convos can be had in VMs/PMs, and already arguably happen to a degree in say forum counting games, and there's plenty of DCCs for people to chat in (and really not much in the way of rules to adhere to - 4 words/25 characters is not getting in anyone's way significantly).

Also, what threads would go in there that don't or wouldn't fit anywhere else currently? I've seen people mention threads where people say 'look at my lp on youtube', but... the LP section is for that (they only need make the thread with the videos in it rather than linked to), and I'm not sure having a section where advertising threads exist in would be very interesting to partake in. I don't see what role such a section would serve that can't happen anywhere currently available beyond spammy convos (and again, VMs cover that at least in part).

Like I could make a topic on the amount of posts I have. Obviously I couldn't do this in any of the other forums, so I think it'd be nice for a new section for random things like that.

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I would have thought threads along the subject of postcount would be fine in CCC - idk about just that topic specifically, but then I can't say I would care much about a thread where a member says 'I have x posts and last week had y posts!'. Such things can even come up as a post in the DCC just fine, just... not so much as a thread just about that imo. But at any rate, I don't think there's a need for a new section so stuff like that can appear, personally, especially when it can be said in some form on the forums already.

I think it'd be nice to have an Off Topic section. In this section you could post things a lot more vague and not as serious as the DCC. It wouldn't count for post count. It'd really just be where people could make threads as they'd wish (within the rules) and it wouldn't have to pertain to anything really.

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You are basically describing Chit Chat Café. It's not meant to be a serious place - that's what D&D is for. It's for anything that can be chatted about that doesn't fit into any other section of PC - in that it is the off-topic section.

While I agree with Audy that the forums should be fun and not too restrictive (because I'm not a police, I'm just a fat blue member who moves threads around), having a Random Section where anything goes just feels like it would become a mix between CCC and Forum Games and if people really want to discuss their post count they can do so in VMs, on Skype, in their own MIC thread, in blogs... I just don't see what would really fit well in this new section on PC that can't be done better in chats (nonsense), blogs (random rants) or signatures (advertising).

@ advertising topic - the rules state that irrelevantly advertising websites or forums in posts is forbidden. Joining just to post a link to your Let's Play channel falls under that category. If you really want to show off something cool you've done, the Let's Play section should be great for you. Or, again, your signature.

Unless some people think it's a good idea to have a section where one of PC's fundamental rules is lifted, and "anything" goes, including advertisement of anything? Who would want to hang around such a spammy section for long, I wonder? Would it gain regulars, and in what way would they feel connected to their section? Forum Games has loads of regulars who befriend each other through the various games. CCC can hold threads on ANYTHING so it's easy to find people and opinions to connect with there. What would define this Random Section - the fact that it's got no purpose? I'm honestly wondering :)