[sunnykerr]

I wanted to check where everyone was at on this point.

We had this discussion last summer, when the American elections were going strong and our post counts were doing pretty badly.

Well, the American election is over and now, let's face it, the post counts are pretty dismal. So, in light of the fact that a certain amount of participation has to happen in order to really justify the existence of this forum of discussion and debate, I thought it would be a nice idea to check in with you all.

Do we need a board to discuss news, politics and related topics? Or should just create a thread around election time?

Is this something that matters? And, if so, are there ways in which we could encourage you all to make yourselves heard more?

[Wildfire Girl]

Thanks for bringing this up Sunny.

On a personal note, (even though I do rarely post on this board) I feel it's a good idea to have a news/politics board. It's a different atmosphere than say, the Off Topic board (which is the only other place I could see news items being discussed).

But I'll be curious to see what all the posters have to say.

[sunnykerr]

Well, thank you, Kar.

I have to say that I'm really interested in finding out what people have to say about this. Because, as you know, I feel very strongly about having a space to discuss what's going on in the world. I do think discussion and debate are crucial to democracy and that we are really fortunate to have the space to discuss these issues freely.

But maybe it's not really that big a deal? I don't know. I try to find new topics and new ideas to discuss, trying to generate discussion... but that doesn't seem to be happening.

Which, to be fair, could very well be that it's just my approach that doesn't work.

[Wildfire Girl]

I do think discussion and debate are crucial to democracy and that we are really fortunate to have the space to discuss these issues freely.

Agreed. But I, like you, am curious to see what the general posters here think.

[sunnykerr]

Well, exactly. Just because we have the right doesn't mean people necessarily feel the need to use it...

[Jerry D]

The fact that this board isn’t very busy has been a disappointment to me, and it seems that people would rather talk about their favorite television shows or actors than talk about serious issues that affect this country and the world. Unfortunately, due to my real life job and the demands of running this website, I don’t have time to post here much as a poster, so I haven’t posted here in quite some time. With that being said, however, I think that it’s important to have this board here, because I think it’s important for this website to have an outlet for people to discuss real issues, and I’ve always enjoyed the discussions and debates that we’ve had on this board, and I personally want those discussions and debates to continue.

[sunnykerr]

Thank you, Jerry,

I happen to agree. On all fronts.

The reason I want to have this discussion is because I think this board is unique and special and necessary AND that there seems to be something missing, since very few people make use of it.

Obviously we all have real-life time constraints, but that's not really what worries me here. I just want to see if posters on this board feel there is any value to keeping the News and Politics board alive.

So I wanted to see what people thought. I just want to see if there is more that we, at the N&P board could be doing to interest people in the issues. And, let's face it, there is no more direct way than to ask them. So here we are.

[fetch]

I like this board and wouldn't want it to be closed. I try to post here.

[TheAngel]

I like this board and think it's very necessary. We have so many people from different countries contributing that I learn a very good deal about news stories that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. It's also great to be able to learn all the different perspectives people have about issues because of their personal experiences or knowledge about subjects. I'll admit it, sometimes I come here and I'm just not in the "mood" to post. People around here are intelligent and fairly opinionated and in order to become part of an argument or discussion you really have to bring your A game, which I love, but sometimes, after a long day, I'm just not in the mood for that.
That being said, I still love this board, and will do my best to post here often. I certainly don't want to see it closed.

[Yellow Mustang Girl]

I rarely post at this board, but I do think it's an important board to have

I agree with Jerry that it seems most posters want to chat about their favorite TV shows more than they do about news or politics.

And I know that a lot of these types of discussion end up at the Off Topic board. I moderate that board, so I could try to encourage those type of discussions to come over here instead Right now, the Off Topic board has sorta become a catch all for a lot of topics, news included.

[sunnykerr]

Maybe I could go on the Off Topic board more myself. Try to get people to come over here...

I really appreciate hearing from you all, by the way. I does reaffirm that there is a need for this board, and I was starting to have my doubts about that...

[Bella Grint]

I must add the obvious sentiment, I think we do need a board. I have FF to be the most diverse board I have posted on. I have other message boards I like but this one has topics for everything and everyone it seems and I want that to include politics because that really fits into the category. People might clash but I like seeing what people from different countries,backgrounds,etc. think. I didn't know the post count was so bad I just noticed that

[sunnykerr]

Yeah, the post counts pretty much suck these days.

Mind you, I think we're doing okay this week (thank you Karen!), but it is something to keep in mind.

Not that this board is in danger. The PTBs are clearly aware of the unicity of this board.

I just thought it would be nice to touch base with our posters. It seems clear (at least, clearer now that it's been expressed by all of you) that this board is appreciated. So I don't mean to be alarmist. This isn't a situation where anyone has to feel guilty about not posting more.

I just wanted to verify that we're not doing anything that might make people feel like there's something on our end preventing them from posting. I just wanted to make sure that we're doing everything we can to welcome everyone and make this a fun and safe place to debate issues.

[Nad]

I'll join all of you who think the News & Politics board is important and necessary for .

While I don't have the time to stop by here more often lately, I think it's important to give everyone the chance to discuss political topics and news from all over the world.

I thought the 'Discussions of the Week' were a great way to generate discussion, but I didn't check how the participation was lately. Are you going to continue with those?

Originally Posted by sunnykerr I just wanted to verify that we're not doing anything that might make people feel like there's something on our end preventing them from posting. I just wanted to make sure that we're doing everything we can to welcome everyone and make this a fun and safe place to debate issues.

I really don't think so - I mean I'm only lurking most of the time, but I never got the impression that new posters aren't welcome or their input is not appreciated.

[sunnykerr]

Discussion of the week were a great idea... I have to say that, sadly, I hadn't even noticed they had stopped. I imagine it got a bit hard to maintain, but it's a good think to take note, in terms of successes.

So thank you for mentioning it!