The Mall.
- Thread starter Logan
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One problem is that the Treehouse has always been, as far as I can tell, a place where there is both legitimate discussion and nonsense joke threads. I'm sure the mods remember when I reported the thread regarding dinosaur butts, cause I felt it didn't make sense to have these nonsense joke threads mixed with legitimate discussion. The reason I felt that way is because... well, they shouldn't be mixed together. That's like having a children's playground in the middle of a hotel lounge.
But now, you have the mall. It's supposed to be a place for legitimate discussion only, and no nonsense threads. However, you have failed to distinguish any sort of difference between the two sections except one has nonsense, and the other doesn't. As near as I can tell, the intent of both of them is to do the same thing. The only reason I can see that people voted for this redundant section is because they thought the treehouse was too carefree, which it honestly was.
The simplest solution here is just to make the Mall a place where you can have actual conversation, and to make the Treehouse a place where you can talk about Dinosaur butts, and other such things that don't inherently warrant much conversation, or simply don't fit anywhere else. A 'Free-For-All' section, I suppose.
Let me grab some current topics as examples for each one. (These are all taken from the Treehouse alone, just to show how inconsistent the topics there are)
The Mall:
The LGBT+ community
How often do you shower?
What do you prefer to be called?
Cats or Dogs?
Why aren't you famous?
The Treehouse:
just so you guys know
choose your adventure #1
Which forumers do you ship?
.gif
The Accent Challenge (Resurrection)
I also noticed the LGBT thread in particular got moved from the Mall to the Treehouse, even though it is a perfect example of a Lifestyle thread.
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It takes me sometime to think what is difference between Mall and treehouse but when I saw "no food and no weather" in treehouse chit chat then I got what whole Mall thing is about. I tried to make a thread to see what kind of response I will get. Just in day the whole mall thing got washed over by pickels, breads and other things. But as the day goes by its activity got *boom* less n less. People really got bored fast don't they. I agree with Johnny and Melody that they have presented so far. Mall really look like a sub forum of Treehouse. We're just splitting the active members in two place. But now we can't do a thing, damage has been done. Now, it's up to people who voted in favour of "The Mall" to make it active and well organized. I don't know how many people voted for Mall but i bet they are more than 10 so where are everyone.What the .....turn treehouse into joke forum, at least that forum is more active and way too awesome than "The Mall".So don't say things like that.
I do like the Mall... I think I might be the only one haha!
But I agree it can be a sub-forum or even some [titles] like [shopping] and [food], or even [The Mall] so we can know which thread category i is, but all in the same place.
But I agree it can be a sub-forum or even some [titles] like [shopping] and [food], or even [The Mall] so we can know which thread category i is, but all in the same place.
I think these two posts exemplify a compelling vision for the Mall.
In a word, more of a thematic section than a casual section.
For example, there is currently a thread in the Mall about curry. Most of the posts seem to be about liking curry, and there isn't as much discussion as there about curry: what's your favourite type/colour of curry? which spices in the curry mix do you think are underrated? the best? do you prefer to buy curry as a prepared dish or make it at home? Mix, paste, or from scratch? what's your favourite national style of curry? what's a really underrated ingredient you eat curry with (i don't know, fried tofu?) what's the optimal curry-to-rice ratio? has anyone tried curry with pasta? potatoes in curry - necessity or redundant because of rice? if you like potatoes in curry, do you prefer them more crisp or more mashed? if you don't like curry is it because of the spiciness or because of its odour? are you okay with the curry smell that exists in your room after you eat it? do you have a recipe for curry that you would really like to share? how thick/dilute do you like your curry? do you butter your curry? how do you feel about "authentic" curry - is any packaged curry fine or do you have to go to an authentic restaurant for the real deal? is it curry chicken or chicken curry? is it curry chicken or curried chicken? is non-spicy curry still curry or is it eaten by scrubs? how do you like curry as a pastry ingredient? how much would you pay for a curry in a restaurant - is/should it be a cheap/expensive dish? whats the ideal portion size for curry? is it something that can scale for pretty much any size (i do not believe in small portions for things like ribs)? what's a curry that you've been meaning to get into? what's a curry you want but can't have? how accessible is curry where you live? how often do you hanker for curry and does it get in the way of your social life (it does for me)? what's the latest curry you've had that everybody has to know about (please include picture)? etc etc
That's my interpretation of a vision for the Mall outlined by Kyoko's and Anivia's post and it's a niche that currently isn't filled in the Treehouse, imo.
tl;dr geek out about 3F+
EDIT: now with more questions
In a word, more of a thematic section than a casual section.
For example, there is currently a thread in the Mall about curry. Most of the posts seem to be about liking curry, and there isn't as much discussion as there about curry: what's your favourite type/colour of curry? which spices in the curry mix do you think are underrated? the best? do you prefer to buy curry as a prepared dish or make it at home? Mix, paste, or from scratch? what's your favourite national style of curry? what's a really underrated ingredient you eat curry with (i don't know, fried tofu?) what's the optimal curry-to-rice ratio? has anyone tried curry with pasta? potatoes in curry - necessity or redundant because of rice? if you like potatoes in curry, do you prefer them more crisp or more mashed? if you don't like curry is it because of the spiciness or because of its odour? are you okay with the curry smell that exists in your room after you eat it? do you have a recipe for curry that you would really like to share? how thick/dilute do you like your curry? do you butter your curry? how do you feel about "authentic" curry - is any packaged curry fine or do you have to go to an authentic restaurant for the real deal? is it curry chicken or chicken curry? is it curry chicken or curried chicken? is non-spicy curry still curry or is it eaten by scrubs? how do you like curry as a pastry ingredient? how much would you pay for a curry in a restaurant - is/should it be a cheap/expensive dish? whats the ideal portion size for curry? is it something that can scale for pretty much any size (i do not believe in small portions for things like ribs)? what's a curry that you've been meaning to get into? what's a curry you want but can't have? how accessible is curry where you live? how often do you hanker for curry and does it get in the way of your social life (it does for me)? what's the latest curry you've had that everybody has to know about (please include picture)? etc etc
That's my interpretation of a vision for the Mall outlined by Kyoko's and Anivia's post and it's a niche that currently isn't filled in the Treehouse, imo.
tl;dr geek out about 3F+
EDIT: now with more questions
Last edited:
Spiff
love child
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actual footage of JohnnyMustang when the mall opened
overlapping is not going to be a problem down the road. in fact I'm not sure if I see a problem with this right now. yeah the two might blur into each other in some ways, but the two forums are distinct. once the mold hardens it's gonna be a cool place to post, it just needs some time think about where it's at in life, ydig. but it seems to have been good for activity, I mean is that not the bottom line here or am I missing something rofl
this is why I get on matt to break up general entertainment into sub-forums. by splitting that forum up into sub-sections, you can maximize the depth and interest in each topic people gravitate to. it's like after school clubs homie, imagine how ****ty it would be if there was just one club where everyone talked about everything. uhh yea that would be lame. instead it's compartmentalized into sections which diversifies the interest and fosters intimate dialogue on the subjects, and that ultimately makes it easier for everyone to contribute to something in an honest way. I think that's something we can strive for with the mall, they're just some kinks right now yo.
overlapping is not going to be a problem down the road. in fact I'm not sure if I see a problem with this right now. yeah the two might blur into each other in some ways, but the two forums are distinct. once the mold hardens it's gonna be a cool place to post, it just needs some time think about where it's at in life, ydig. but it seems to have been good for activity, I mean is that not the bottom line here or am I missing something rofl
this is why I get on matt to break up general entertainment into sub-forums. by splitting that forum up into sub-sections, you can maximize the depth and interest in each topic people gravitate to. it's like after school clubs homie, imagine how ****ty it would be if there was just one club where everyone talked about everything. uhh yea that would be lame. instead it's compartmentalized into sections which diversifies the interest and fosters intimate dialogue on the subjects, and that ultimately makes it easier for everyone to contribute to something in an honest way. I think that's something we can strive for with the mall, they're just some kinks right now yo.
Margot
some things are that simple
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This pretty much sums up how I feel.
I don't think The Mall is "taking" subjects away from the Treehouse, I just think they ended up there by default because there was never anywhere else to put them before. I also think the forum allows members to get more involved with these topics than before with showcases and discussions if they so see fit. The TH isn't meant to be discussion-oriented, but I could see some threads and showcases in The Mall taking that route.
Now, I'd like to hear from the TT mods on this, because I'm pretty sure that the Treehouse is in fact intended to be conversational in nature. Whilst that might not require deep RT-esque levels of discussion, that would make it discussion-oriented.
Margot
some things are that simple
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I think that would be helpful. I was basing that off the description of the forum. "The everyday ramblings of the masses" and "careful, don't fall into discussions and debate territory" both show up. So I was under the assumption TH was meant to be more quick posts that shouldn't veer into discussion territory, that's all. I think it's just two different understandings on what discussion means in this case.
El Héroe Oscuro
IG: elheroeoscuro
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I think there's a lot of unintentional confusion going around between The Mall and The Treehouse.
The Treehouse is a place of discussion and conversation. Yes, The Treehouse can have some crazy and wild threads where the imagination is your only limitation when it comes to threads there - such as yes, dinosaur butts - but discussion does take place. The Treehouse, in a sense, is a forum for all topics that wouldn't generally fall under another PC forum. It is, though, a place of discussion no matter how wacky it can become. And even still, no matter where you go on PC, you'll always see "post-and-go'ers"; that's not the fault of The Treehouse specifically, but a site-wide problem that inevitably isn't going to be fixed in one fell swoop (as much as we might want it too.)
What people seem to gloss over in my opinion is the fact that no matter what forum we would have voted for - whether it was science, pets, etc. etc. - it would have taken away activity from The Treehouse. Maybe not in the overall scheme of things because that section will always be super active, but because we are creating forums that have not existed on the site before. As a result, threads that normally would have gone in The Treehouse are now going to different areas.
If you really think about it, The Mall when first created was set up to fail. Or rather, just have a lot of confusion centered around it (which is also evident by most of the posts.) No splash image, no concrete description, no clear...direction in lack of better words, as there wasn't a "leader" persay to point us in the right direction; the forum was left in our hands to direct it whatever way we want it to go. Which is why the pandomonium we've witnessed the first weeks is expected, and as Harley Quinn nicely pointed out, we're jumping the gun a little bit in terms of declaring whether The Mall is inevitably a success or a failure because no real concrete foundation was every created.
Right now, we have individuals stepping up and helping shape the forum into something unique and different than the other forums going on. The comparisons between The Mall and The Treehouse are unfair because in reality, every forum would have originated from The Treehouse if it didn't exist before the creation of The Treehouse. For instance, if Computers & Technology didn't exist but The Treehouse did, you'd see a lot of posts from C&T in TT. Arguments could be made that Roleplay Theatre could fall under Fan Fiction and Writing or Anime & Manga/Video Games could fall under General Entertainment. However, all of these subexamples have enough topic variability to exist as a separate entity; the same thing goes with The Mall with this direction of food, fitness, and fashion.
Yes, The Mall still needs some refining. We've made a good start so far, but there's still a lot of work that still needs to be done. However, with the right attitude and a good work ethic, we can most definitely shape it the way the community want it to look (: It's in our hands now and I know as a team we can get this thing to stay for good at the end of this trial period.
The Treehouse is a place of discussion and conversation. Yes, The Treehouse can have some crazy and wild threads where the imagination is your only limitation when it comes to threads there - such as yes, dinosaur butts - but discussion does take place. The Treehouse, in a sense, is a forum for all topics that wouldn't generally fall under another PC forum. It is, though, a place of discussion no matter how wacky it can become. And even still, no matter where you go on PC, you'll always see "post-and-go'ers"; that's not the fault of The Treehouse specifically, but a site-wide problem that inevitably isn't going to be fixed in one fell swoop (as much as we might want it too.)
What people seem to gloss over in my opinion is the fact that no matter what forum we would have voted for - whether it was science, pets, etc. etc. - it would have taken away activity from The Treehouse. Maybe not in the overall scheme of things because that section will always be super active, but because we are creating forums that have not existed on the site before. As a result, threads that normally would have gone in The Treehouse are now going to different areas.
If you really think about it, The Mall when first created was set up to fail. Or rather, just have a lot of confusion centered around it (which is also evident by most of the posts.) No splash image, no concrete description, no clear...direction in lack of better words, as there wasn't a "leader" persay to point us in the right direction; the forum was left in our hands to direct it whatever way we want it to go. Which is why the pandomonium we've witnessed the first weeks is expected, and as Harley Quinn nicely pointed out, we're jumping the gun a little bit in terms of declaring whether The Mall is inevitably a success or a failure because no real concrete foundation was every created.
Right now, we have individuals stepping up and helping shape the forum into something unique and different than the other forums going on. The comparisons between The Mall and The Treehouse are unfair because in reality, every forum would have originated from The Treehouse if it didn't exist before the creation of The Treehouse. For instance, if Computers & Technology didn't exist but The Treehouse did, you'd see a lot of posts from C&T in TT. Arguments could be made that Roleplay Theatre could fall under Fan Fiction and Writing or Anime & Manga/Video Games could fall under General Entertainment. However, all of these subexamples have enough topic variability to exist as a separate entity; the same thing goes with The Mall with this direction of food, fitness, and fashion.
Yes, The Mall still needs some refining. We've made a good start so far, but there's still a lot of work that still needs to be done. However, with the right attitude and a good work ethic, we can most definitely shape it the way the community want it to look (: It's in our hands now and I know as a team we can get this thing to stay for good at the end of this trial period.
- Seen Apr 21, 2024
I think the staff need to create a clearer understanding of this forum's purpose. I'm seeing so many threads being moved to the treehouse that fit under the whole "lifestyle" umbrella. Is this a lifestyle forum like what was originally suggested and is included in the description, or is this a forum for strictly food, fitness, and weather? Why are threads that literally encompass the definition of lifestyle being moved to the treehouse while other threads that vaguely relate to it are kept in the mall? Please decide. This misunderstanding creates further confusion. Based on inconsistencies in threads being moved and threads being kept, I get the feeling that different staff members are moving different threads to the treehouse rather than one or two handling them. If the staff can't come to a mutual agreement on what fits, how are the users expected to understand?
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We were a bit worried that staff didn't give the new forum enough direction to get a fair chance of surviving, but in the end, lovely devoted regulars did step up and took charge. http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=365799 I absolutely love that that happened, such community.
Seems like the 3F formula is taking shape <3 The Mall is looking great now, I love the stickied fitness and food threads and the splash!