Quote:
Originally Posted by new kid in town
So when is Moncton getting its own sub-forum? At 200k?  |
This is primarily a philosophical question. Is this what the Moncton forumers really want?
This question has come up before, about a dozen tears ago when St. John's got their own subforum. The site administrators at the time felt that Moncton wasn't ready yet, and that the creation of a Moncton subforum would adversely change the character of the Atlantic Canada section. Moncton has of course grown in the meantime, and circumstances have changed. But, have they changed enough?
Subforums are rare in the Canada section. There are only 11 subforums for all of Canada. There are a number of cities larger than Moncton without a subforum, maintaining individual threads in regional sections like Moncton does now.
The argument can be made that excessive conpartmentalization within a regional section can stifle interaction and cross-community discussion. This is a valid point. The participants in the Halifax subforum rarely participate in discussions in the broader Atlantic Canada section. Similarly, I don't see many comments in the Halifax subforum from the broader Atlantic Canada community. If a Moncton subforum was created,would Saint Johners and Frederictonians visit the Moncton threads less frequently?
Of course, a Moncton subforum would improve organization of the threads, making them easier to find, especially as they fall off the bottom of the page (as sometimes happens). Having a subforum is also a badge of prestige.
I used to be a proponent of a Moncton subforum, but, I am now less sure. Of course it will have to happen at some point. Personally, I think a 250,000 CMA population would be a better threshold. In terms of overall activity, I think the Moncton threads are busy enough now for a subforum to be created, but, I am worried what this would do to the character and flavour of the Atlantic Canada section in general. I don't think the timing is right.
It would be interesting to get the opinion of our resident moderator
mylesmalley on this issue.
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