EPlaya Exodus

Don Muerto · Post by **Don Muerto** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 7:09 am

It seems lots of 'old timers' are currently walking out on the new EPlaya and I am curious why. I am not deeply involved enough to read all the threads, gripes and reasons, so I am hoping to capture it here.

So, if you have left and are still lurking, or are packing to leave, please take a moment to tell us why. We would like you to stay, so please help us understand.

Also, if you would, please explain how your answer relates to the OLD EPlaya, i.e. how it was better in the poll option you chose.

If you are plannning on staying, please do not skew the results of the poll. Or just eff me and do what you want.

III · Post by **III** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 7:16 am

i currently have no life, so i'm hanging around for a bit (although i'm hoping that'll change in a bit).

my answer would be a combination of a couple of things above: the idiots, and the navigation.

when i go to parties, there are always people i want to talk to, and people i don't want to talk to. generally, i can find places to hang out with the former, and avoid the latter. sometimes i need to move around a bit, on a regular basis, but its' doable.

here, the lack of filtering mechanisms and navigational tools make it impossible to avoid seeing stuff that you're trying to avoid. that makes it easier to get sucked in, and in turn makes everything a little bit more meanspirited.

i'm afraid that the response will be, rather than giving the users here tools to manage things themselves, external moderation by the board admins, or by people who have very little experience and talent for doing so. and then i'd leave too, even if i hadn't gotten a life by then.

Spokes · Post by **Spokes** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 7:21 am

KPLA

all rock

no talk

24/7

J · Post by J » Thu Oct 09, 2003 7:50 am

I never used the old board, I was on it a few times but that was it. People like familiarity, when something changes with them knowing the get pissed. Everyone that used the old board liked it, they knew how work it. Some people just get frustrated with having to adapt. This goes for everything, it's human nature.

J

Don Muerto · Post by **Don Muerto** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:14 am

I personally used the old board, but prefer the new one.

I understand that the old board could be tailored to deliver certain threads, but I never customized my view of it. I am not on the boards constantly, so I found that the old EPlaya was VERY difficult to navigate. The rate at which threads dropped out of sight made each visit there like a disjointed snapshot.

I think the new board does a much better job of organizing information, and keeping it visible. This *does* create a more overwhelming information picture though, and I can see how if you have bandwidth issues how it could drive you nuts.

III thanks for a really thoughtful post. I sense that you are eyeballing the door, and I would like to be the first to say I hope you never get there.

RebA! · Post by **RebA!** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:39 am

Havent left "yet", but I would have to say my time here has been very limited.

Too difficult to navigate
Too many idiots posting
Too 'mean-spirited'

But those three.. are some of the reasons. I have given up trying to figure out where I left off. The 2003 boards, I just glance at and Say hmm.. well I havent a clue what to do here.

Old playa I could be gone for days, scroll down a bit find old threads and it would tell me. 127 (33 new) and I knew that as soon as I clicked on the link boom it would take me to the first UNREAD post! Say I didnt want to finish reading those 33 posts? Say I stopped after the first 11, it would then say 22 new posts.

The old eplaya had lots of posts just like this one. But how can I keep or even follow a conversation if I dont know where it starts or ends?

I'll occasionally glance at this one every day still but, nothing to what I was doing before.

Don Muerto · Post by **Don Muerto** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:49 am

RebA! -I think the read/unread flag is indeed a pain in the ass on the new board. It is triggered by you logging on, NOT by you having read any particular thread.

It is annoying, and I am not sure if it can or will be fixed, but I am sure the board admins know about it.

I really think once the dust settles that this format will be preferred, I just hope the contributors stick around long enough to get there.

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:10 am

RebA! wrote: Old playa I could be gone for days, scroll down a bit find old threads and it would tell me. 127 (33 new) and I knew that as soon as I clicked on the link boom it would take me to the first UNREAD post! Say I didnt want to finish reading those 33 posts? Say I stopped after the first 11, it would then say 22 new posts. .

BINGO Reba! I get tired going over pages I've already read. If I'm visiting an active thread I haven't seen in weeks, I can't remember to go to page 3 or 6 or whatever, so I get conservative, click on "3" and then have to scroll through X number of posts I've already read. This is murder on dial-up! I have gotten pretty good at reading threads backwards, but that also creates nar.

The eplaya mirrors the growth of the real playa. The old ones, both "e" and real, were manageable and you felt like you could get a complete picture. On the old eplaya I kept up with ALL the threads (you can decide what this may be a symptom of...). Here I've given up on keeping up with the threads, and that gives this place a much more disjointed feeling then the old one. But just like no one can see or visit or participate in all that the real life event has to offer (unlike when participation was in the hundreds or maybe even low thousands) I find it impossible to keep up with threads.

I do feel that any features that put control of what users can participate in, for example a "plonk" button or authority to delete, move, modify threads or any sort of 'deus ex machina' feature will be the death knell for this board. That may be a bad thing or not.

The idots don't bother me. Perhaps some even think of me as one. But I have seen very little real malice or intent to harm, belittle or exclude. I've seen a fair bit of posters who could brush up on their 'netiquette, but the scroll button is always there so...

And I would like to give my thanks and appreciation to the people who worked to put this thing together. Emily Sparkle and technopatra and any others. It is a lot of work and a labor of love, and a lot of good has come from this board. I've said it elsewhere, I've met people and gotten involved with things because of this board and the PM feature.

Endless threads connect
Make many things possible
Thoughts reverberate

You don't have to leave
No sweetness in parting. Stay,
build this thing with us

RebA! · Post by **RebA!** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:12 am

Like I said, i will look around occasionally. But. ya know. I have gotten way to frustrated here.

It just really sucks. I so want to participate in threads. But fuck if i can remember if I left off on page 15 or page 20? I am sure people have asked me something. Hell If i can find it now? Hell if i can find anything anymore.

Also How is it a "Community" a Burning man one at that, if you cant have any fun. I have seen people get pissy cause someone started thread drifting. WTF is that about.

Kinetic II · Post by **Kinetic II** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:17 am

Anybody that could put something as cool as the Gender Blender bar together doesn't even come close to qualifying for the idiot title.

You think dial up is bad? Try posting with a SprintPCS aircard on a PDA. That's what I'm having to use for awhile. I'd love to get 48K. I had to turn off the pix like Bob posted just to see anything.

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:23 am

For me, the single biggest frustration is the lack of read/unread posts functionality.

A close second is the huge number of folders and subfolders to browse in search of good new threads. I don't want to click through all those levels of organization. I preferred logging in to the old eplaya and seeing the most active threads collected at the top of the page for me to read.

I'm still here, almost daily. But not as often as I used to be. And I find my loyalties switching to another bulletin board where those things are not problems.

PJ · Post by PJ » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:29 am

All the reasons why were explained early and in detail, and can be found in multiple threads on the newbieplaya by anybody that cares enough to click upon them. The reasons go beyond your poll's "all of the above" option. And in the oft-mentioned spirit of burning man a do-it-yourself alternative that addressed 100% of the concerns has been implemented (elsewhere). Many old-eplaya contributors have already moved to that new community; as the bugs are eliminated even more will probably go there. I suspect many will move there permanently because that format tends to be preferred by contributors more interested in insightful, thoughtful writing that amuses them. Newbies will be welcome too, of course--can't have a healthy community without a continual influx of newcomers.

DIGIMAN. · Post by **DIGIMAN.** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:34 am

i made a mistake . sorry

PJ · Post by PJ » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:53 am

An exodus of long-time contributors isn't the only indicator of trouble. It seems the quantity of posts here has dropped precipitously in the recent weeks. To a certain extent that's probably due to annual factors--the post-B.Man frenzy dying down.

It could be argued that the quantity of posts shouldn't be a primary goal, but IMO quantity hasn't been supplanted by high-quality contributions.

herself · Post by **herself** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 10:04 am

hey digiman, did you used to be antron?
I'm a little confused.

The problem w the login bug is that those who
have logged in successfully didn't get the bug : )
and those who can't login just get discouraged.
I have not been able to replicate the bug, even
when I created and posted as new user shooter
yesterday.

However, I know there is a bug because reasonable
people have trouble w the login process. Until I can
figure out what is causing the bug (I know if you try
to add a new city to the database when you create
your user, it craps out, but I think there's an additional
problem too) I'm checking the logs to see who tried to
get in and who creates more than one login because
the first didn't work right, all these things are clues to
me where the problem lies, and I'll eventually figure it
out. In the meantime, when I see someone tries to
get in and can't, I usually email them personally if they've
given their email address.

Just fyi and there are definitely bugs....

harriet

herself · Post by **herself** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 10:14 am

Digiman, never mind, I was confused and somehow mixed up you and Antron. My bad : ) I'll look into what seems to be your problem logging into the altplaya, though I've heard it said that maybe it's not so bad if you can't login, do you think that's a fair statement? I heard someone say that you're antagonistic. Hey I can take antagonism, bring it on!

best,
harriet

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 10:21 am

HH I signed up sucessfully yesterday and can log in today, just FYI.

Kinetic II · Post by **Kinetic II** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 10:27 am

While I'd still love to help clean this place up, things are a changin with me.

1: I found a new online BM home. New blood, new ideas, and more of the tips & tricks and theme camp building ideas I love. Less chaos. And it's not e-playa or Harriet's awesome site either. (It's by invite only, their rules not mine)
2: My cardiologist cleared my heart issue they thought I had, and was worried about a week before BM until this morning. I don't have to sit around worried about my health and making e-playa into a chatroom anymore. I am free to ride again and get the kayaks out! And that's where I'm happiest.
3: I gave up being a regional coordinator as I found someone else is trying for it who has the resources to do it much better than me.

The above was TMI but also meant to silence some critics. If the admins ask me to help out around here I will, but the days of sitting on here trying to distract myself from things is past. I'll still be on, this place is too addicting but until it gets cleaned up, I think I'll go do something else.

Hana Hou · Post by **Hana Hou** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 11:09 am

Am I the only one that has found the

View posts since last visit

button?

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 11:14 am

Hana Hou wrote:Am I the only one that has found the

View posts since last visit

button?

A special button. Can you say "Hi" to the special button?

Congrats on your heart K, get oput yakkin' before all the leaves are down.

RebA! · Post by **RebA!** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 11:39 am

View posts since last visit

I found it, and didnt find it to be usefull.

Because that doesnt tell me where I left off. It tells me where the computer thinks I have left off. I always have a screen open to the eplaya. I never log off of here. Therefore, there have been entire threads that have gone to being "read" when I havent even looked at them.

Why do i feel like i am constantly talking to a brick wall.

Lydia Love · Post by **Lydia Love** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 12:54 pm

Why do i feel like i am constantly talking to a brick wall.

Are you sure your not?

Lydia Love · Post by **Lydia Love** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 12:59 pm

I don't know... I have the feeling I'll still be checking in here regularly but I think my involvement will continue to shrink to just a few threads. There are a handful of people I've come to adore and a handful I bet I'd get around to adoring eventually - and I don't want to lose touch with them.

But really it's just too much a Motel 6 to ever be home.

antron · Post by **antron** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:12 pm

herself wrote:hey digiman, did you used to be antron?
I'm a little confused.

no, he's not antron...it's kinda scares me that there might be any question about that.

THE ORIGINAL DIGIMAN · Post by **THE ORIGINAL DIGIMAN** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:12 pm

Spokes wrote:KPLA

all rock

no talk

24/7

too funny

Lydia Love · Post by **Lydia Love** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:13 pm

no, he's not antron...it's kinda scares me that there might be any question about that.

Will it help if I say I haven't had a single moment of confusion on that score?

Not one.

THE ORIGINAL DIGIMAN · Post by **THE ORIGINAL DIGIMAN** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:16 pm

herself wrote:Digiman, never mind, I was confused and somehow mixed up you and Antron. My bad : ) I'll look into what seems to be your problem logging into the altplaya, though I've heard it said that maybe it's not so bad if you can't login, do you think that's a fair statement? I heard someone say that you're antagonistic. Hey I can take antagonism, bring it on!

best,
harriet

that may have been my body double. i spoke to them this morning and gave them permission to use my look and all so just so you know i am THE ORIGINAL DIGIMAN.

i dont know that i'm antagonistic (maybe) but if it turns you on i'll give it a try and remember you for next time.

antron · Post by **antron** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:18 pm

Lydia Love wrote:Will it help if I say I haven't had a single moment of confusion on that score?

Not one.

immensely.

THE ORIGINAL DIGIMAN · Post by **THE ORIGINAL DIGIMAN** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:18 pm

Hana Hou wrote:Am I the only one that has found the

View posts since last visit

button?

hey i use it all the time....so does alice.

i think it's really neat. for those that dont like it may i suggest.....dont use it.

antron · Post by **antron** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:29 pm

maybe strongbad was too aggressive an avatar.
let's try this one instead.

EPlaya Exodus

What is your reason for leaving the new EPlaya?

EPlaya Exodus