ZIM's Suggestion

[Bidet to you sir]

I would say, at this point in time, we have as many core posters as we ever had, and that’s obvious due to one thread, the lounge.
For every member that used to post in the lounge and has left I can think of one who has replaced him/her
GER has replaced JC.
Chibimoon has replaced akie.
etc etc.

I'm going to list the problems with this forum. (And the reasons for them).
1. No-one posts, or replies to interesting new threads, this applies mainly to the stock pot inn and the LOT, people keep making incredibly diverse and interesting threads in both places, by the end of the first page, they usually end up as a discussion between 2 people at rare intervals.
The reason:
The lounge. Seriously, it's the lounge that means we can't have discussions on interesting issues or even just talk shit about movies, now on the old forums (and I hate to bring up the old forums because it ties into my next point), we used to post in the lounge, sure, why not? But we also used to post loads of threads alongside that want to talk about a movie you've seen? Make a movie thread that allows spoilers.
Want to talk about abortion? Seriously? Really? Oh ok then, post in the LOT, people will reply.
Nowadays, people use the lounge to post about anything, and that IS NOT what it's for, the lounge was always about talking about NOTHING, nothing at all. You mention you see a movie, but don't mention the plot or anything.
This sounds like a rant...that’s not what I intended, but bare with me, if you mention politics in the lounge (don't, I know I've done it, it's stupid), no one will reply to you.
If you mention a movie you've just seen in the lounge, SOMEONE will post spoilers, and someone will get annoyed.
Seriously guys, its not difficult stop using the lounge as your posting hole, it leads to a forum that seems mostly desolate.

I have a solution here, which will make this forum interesting again.
NO MORE LOUNGE, LOCK THE LOUNGE.
NO MEGATHREADS ON ANYTHING EITHER, don't make a "movies" thread, you'll hit the same brick wall as with the lounge, someone goes in and posts spoilers or wants to talk about Harry potter (btw snape kills dumbledore, who is btw homosexual). Yet someone else has not seen Harry potter, or even read the books, they came into the thread to talk about terminator.
So yeah, my answer, specific threads about certain topics, it seems pretty obvious to me, the lounge gets to confused and people who may want to reply to 1 topic don't because they forgot about it while reading about TW getting his nipples pierced or something.
In fact, frankly locking the lounge could be the best thing for this forum.
You want to talk about your day, post in your community chatter thread; most of us losers have one.
Want to talk about avatar? Post in the avatar thread, don't get it mixed up with every other poster.

While writing this, I actually realised locking the lounge was the only solution to anything on this forum.
So in something awful tradition, quote this if you're down.
"Lock the lounge"

Because the lounge has become a security blanket for members, and it means the rest of the forums are vacant.

[Trap7740723]

Second.

[Bidet to you sir]

You're meant to quote it if you're down.
Also, I used to love the lounge, but nowadays it is a security blanket, posters use it to post about anything, in fact people use it to post about things that really SHOULD have their own thread, something even I have done, the hylia may have had the lounge. But it never was the lounge, which is what it is now.

[Trap7740723]

NO MORE LOUNGE, LOCK THE LOUNGE.
NO MEGATHREADS ON ANYTHING EITHER

Then in that case, I agree with a quote.

What about the count to a million though? People post with stuff that eventually reaches the lounge and it's basically a collective studio of people who count and share info. The lounge is more talked in but that only replaces the counting.

[Bidet to you sir]

Yeah, but you don't get whole discussions on politics or movies in the million thread.
Thats the problem with the lounge today.
In the past we'd be asked to make threads.
And usually these threads would end up quite large.
It's a catch 22.
People want to talk about movies or politics, so they post them in the lounge.
But people don't want to reply.
And I think locking the lounge is the solution, I generally find that forums with a lounge equivalent suffer from this problem.

[Trap7740723]

It would spread more diversity without the lounge. Instead of 1 thread with 5 thousand posts you could have 5 threads with 1k each or 10 with 500 Assuming that they're major threads (Ex. Movies, Games, Things for fun etc.

[Bidet to you sir]

Well I don't even like that, because then we get into the idea of "megathreads", which by themselves are not a problem, but not when the subject is soooo broad.
Having a movies megathread (bad).
Having a Batman megathread (good). Because the subject is less broad.
Also.
People need to post in the LOT more, people have opinions on things, now some people aren't vocal, but some are, in fact I know a lot of you guys are, post threads, retort shit ideas, take up the good ones, and even learn something, it's actually great getting into a good debate.

[hisak]

You know what, I sort of agree. As long as the current Loungers would be willing to make and post in new threads. That includes occasionally posting in the gaming forums.

I also say keep the gaming lounge open, even though no one posts in it except for me and a few others. It's a nice place to post news that doesn't warrant its own thread.

[Trap7740723]

Yes, that's true. I was just expressing that we could have more diversity though. Most people are too lazy to go to a new thread, which is sad.
First cars so we don't have to walk, ballpoint pens so we don't have to dip quills in ink wells, computers so you don't have to look through encyclopedias and talk to people easier,etc.

But when you're too lazy to take three clicks to go to a new thread that's just preposterous. Goes with the fact we have so much obesity in America. Though that's an idea for a new thread, but there's no need for that yet, I don't believe.

[Twilight Wolf]

First cars so we don't have to walk, ballpoint pens so we don't have to dip quills in ink wells, computers so you don't have to look through encyclopedias and talk to people easier,etc.

1). Horses were already around, we didn't have to walk.  Cars were made, ironically enough, to cut down on the horses polluting the streets with their waste.

2). Computers were originally made to help the military, not for personal use. 

Thought I'd make that more accurate

[Trap7740723]

Uggh, lawl, whatever.
Anyways, people walking > using horses > cars

And I know they were made for military use I meant for personal.

Sorry, never figure to elaborate on things I mean.

Never really meant that things were made to do things easier either, I meant that the general public uses things that were made to make things easier. If that makes sense.

[Bidet to you sir]

You know what, I sort of agree. As long as the current Loungers would be willing to make and post in new threads. That includes occasionally posting in the gaming forums.

I also say keep the gaming lounge open, even though no one posts in it except for me and a few others. It's a nice place to post news that doesn't warrant its own thread.

This is the thing, the lounge isn't what it's supposed to be, I think we should at least lock it temporarily, we've turned this forum into a damn chatroom and a counting game, thats not what this is meant to be about. we have other subforums for a reason!
Yeah I agree on the gaming lounge, mainly because that has stuck to its purpose, which is a less serious gaming discussion, in fact it could be extended to talking about other things, maybe discussing the latest zero punctuations and the like.
I have no problem with general discussion about things, I have a problem with the pages upon pages on a topic that deserves its own thread.

[Shin Illuminated]

Yeah! Go post in the gaming forums people! I'm tired of looking and seeing no new posts there.

[Adam]

I see what you mean, but I don't think that locking The Lounge is the solution.  Mostly because I like having The Lounge around.

Instead, I think we should just use a process of loud and belligerent peer review to make people start new topics instead of just posting about something in The Lounge.

[Bidet to you sir]

sooo, everytime someone posts in the lounge and it's something that could have a topic, someone will reply "make a topic bitch"
Because seriously that will get tiring.

[Adam]

That's the idea.  It will get annoying, so people will just make new topics in the first place.

[Bidet to you sir]

Or we could lock the lounge for atleast 2 weeks to make people learn their lesson.
I also think a more permanent one is actually quite a fun idea as then our "ask a blah blah" threads in the community chatter forum could take the role of mini lounges.

[Fleamo]

Maybe if you lock the lounge people just won't post at all.  Making a new topic takes work and effort and thought, way more than just making a post in the lounge.  If people don't want to do that, they can just go to the Lounge and make the post.  If there is no Lounge, maybe they just won't post.

Maybe having the lounge makes people look at things they wouldn't normally, thus making conversation there wouldn't be otherwise.  People who wouldn't talk about whatever movie if it were a topic read about it in the lounge and see something worth responding to.

Basically you're upset because instead of having the same number of posts in several places, they're in one place.  I don't think that merits change, especially with the risk of the things I mentioned being true.

[Bidet to you sir]

I only see locking the lounge as a temporary measure, people (although people seem to be listening to what I've said) been talking about topics in depth when there really could be a thread about it, a thread that would probably have more info.
For example Avatar or well any videogames, we start threads on those and then you can read all of the details people mentioned.
From pre production to actually their views on the film, in the lounge you would have to go back several pages of people talking inane nonsense.

[Witless]

Isn't that what we always did though?

The fact that it's in this state right now is because The Hylia was a dead town for a long while. Now that people are back, we're still in the dead town state.

If you want to start a movie thread, go ahead. If you want to start a whatever thread about sometihng, go ahead.
No one will stop you as long as it's according to the rules ( they are still there )

The Lounge is a general Slow Chat thread that is used to discuss all sort of things. And yes, it has been used for discussing movies, games and what have you, but that's because of the reason previously mentioned.

I think adressing people by it makes the most sense right now, so do it. Locking the Lounge isn't going to do anyone good.

It's because of the Lounge ( and the Count ) that this place even exists. And to be quite honest, that's what ZHQ/TheHylia is all about. To me anyway.


I'm seriously thinking though to just combine the game forums into one whole big forum, to create more active ness, and to do something about the Community Forum. Because frankly, the community forum doesn't hold much purpose other than spamming.