Hello,

Wanted to give everyone a little reminder of what the Community Center forum is designed to be used for.

As stated in the Forum header:

This forum serves by assisting members with Renderosity issues such as FAQs, updates, ideas, improvements, events, navigation, feature use, and general site questions.

Please refrain from posting off topic discussions. These types of posts will be moved out of the Community Center forum.

I will be moving the off topic posts from the last week or so out of this forum. Cleaning it up a little:)

Thank you for your cooperation

Stacey
Community Manager

Message edited on: 04/21/2005 15:03

"Please refrain from posting off topic discussions. These types of posts will be moved out of the Community Center forum" I gotta ask.. and be the first.. WHERE?

I know where, I know....... :)

ok but what would be considered offtopic? Besides the ones posting "OT" in their title header? Seriously?

Anything not to due with "Renderosity issues such as FAQs, updates, ideas, improvements, events, navigation, feature use, and general site questions."

shrug Have at it. ;)

I know where, I know....... :)

Let me guess......the Coordinator's Forum?

Or perhaps the virtual shredder?

Or a new forum called the Complaints & Debate Forum?

Ah, well.....it was fun while it lasted.

I'm betting it's 1 of 3 things. a return to the "post off topic and get banned" or "ok we give in, we'll open a OT forum and properly organise our manpower, since we don't need SEVEN persons to run the poser forum" or "Soon as we see an OT topic we delete it" place ya bets.

I'm confused. so we can't have 'general' discussions unrelated to Rendo? :(

We have tried several times to have OT forums for general discussions unrelated to art but they have not been successful so we decided after closing the last one (The Den) that we won't be having an OT forum in the future. Khai, we do need seven people to oversee the Poser forum and galleries as its huge. And we will not be opening another OT forum. Depending on what the post is about, it will either be moved to a more appropriate forum or we have a private forum that gets an off topic thread out of the community but still accessible if we ever need to get back to it. Birddie, The discussions don't have to be only Renderosity related, they can be art related as well. Thank you, Stacey

As I've stated before, I understand the administration's reasons for taking this action. And it's not an issue that I'll be losing any sleep over.

The difficulty with unrestricted OT posts lies in the.....uh.......unwillingness of some to do as the Romans do while they are in Rome.

If you know what I mean.

So.....while I don't particularly like a complete ban on OT postings -- I can still see why the admins are doing what they are doing. And they've chosen an option that will work. It'll work.........

sigh If only people could act.........differently.........

.........walks off humming You Tell Me Your Dream, I'll Tell You Mine.

ah so "Soon as we see an OT topic we delete it" then.. no probs.. just like to know where we stand thats all as to the seven ppl needed? erm, to put it politely, no way.. I've seen less ppl organise more ppl effectively. but, if you all feel that this is needed, then more power to you. tis your site.

The discussions don't have to be only Renderosity related, they can be art related as well. ok, that's cool. sad, but cool. ;)

Khai,

As I stated the threads that are completely off topic will not be deleted they will be moved out of the community to a private forum. not deleted.

And once again, the seven staff members in the Poser community are needed and all work very very hard and very effectively.

Stacey

Message edited on: 04/21/2005 16:48

ok.. can we access this Private Forum? as to the staff thing, that opinion.. lets agree to disagree there ok? - makes life a lot easier..

Threads like this make me sad. As usual the Renderosity staff choses the lesser evil, but they still chose evil.

The poser staff isn't always online at the sametime though and some are from different countries so, it may look like a lot of people running it but, it's at odd times & days. Oh well. twas fun while it lasted. ;)

As usual the Renderosity staff choses the lesser evil, but they still chose evil.

That's a little overboard.

I'd say that they are choosing a pragmatic course. And not from "evil" motivations. But rather from a desire to run a business with as little hassle as possible.

They can't please everyone. So......they take the path that will lead to the best overall long-term results: from their point of view.

Some of us have long memories.

But within a month or two, the vast majority of the membership won't even realize that this has come and gone.

In fact, most of them probably don't even realize that anything is happening right now.........

They are too busy in the galleries or in the marketplace to visit the Community Center forum.

When a thing is done, then it doesn't take very long for that thing to become the status quo -- once people get used to the idea.

And newbies never knew any different, anyway. Message edited on: 04/21/2005 17:15

ok a question: not meant to be rude or anything: how come there are so many empty forums just taking up space? There's hardly anyone in them. why not cleanhouse and start some new ones like a 'general' forum area? It doesn't have to be a 'OT' forum, just for general discussions. maybe there are unrelated rendo questions or topics that people would like to ask?

Hey Birddie, Funny you should mention the empty forums and cleaning house as Sandy and I are in the process of gathering info on under used forums right now:) As far as a General Type forum for unrelated rendo questions or topics, I'm afraid that would most likely go OT in a bad way fast. But it is a good suggestion and we will certainly keep that in mind. Thanks! Khai, No the private forum cannot be accessed by members but the threads as I said, aren't being "deleted" and completely gone where we couldn't access information in them if needed. Hopefully since we have posted this reminder about what is in the header of this forum and what its designed for we won't have to worry about moving threads or where they go:) Thanks Stacey

That's a little overboard.

Well yes, maybe evil isn't the right word. How about this:
As usual the Renderosity staff choses crude steamroller tactics, which bury the problem instead of solving it.

Well didn't I almost pee myself with reading this, from the shock. Guess I won't be able to mention this kind of reaction very soon. When I first joined Render I felt it is a wonderful art site and a friendly place to yak with folks too, or to just come and read about other folks that are like much like me, creative, curious and interested in art and the people behind it and they're lives and ways too. Soon found other things in common, and it was kind of wonderful to pan out across the unlimited internet world and meet other forum squatters with talents and ideas and realize they were people too, just by yakking about everything. Art and artists are not just about programs, or galleries, or materials, or techniques or all that, but also about the actual people and their characters and interactions and relations. Guess this will kind of take the toilet out of any thread, and yet we all have to go there eventually, whether we predent we don't go or not, we are all human and so we react as humans unless we are in banks. I went to the bank today, lined up like everybody else in the world that decided to hang out in the bank today, looked around at all the ads and miserable stone faces of the clients and customers and investors and tellers who hardly said a word and suddenly someone started to whisper too loud and was immediatly gawked at by a stern security guard who also seemed like he was bored and would rather be somewhere else, just like everybody else in that bank that goes to there, does what they have to do, and leaves, wondering just how much time went by from having to feel like programmed, regimented cattle lined up to for weeding. Even worse when you have to pee, the wait is too long as it is, lol! Why does the soul of every place have to disappear nowadays? Even Wal-Mart has a greeter, will give em credit for that, although they could maybe have some younger ones that can talk about more stuff than just their athritis and whether they had a bowel movement yesterday.

"Khai, No the private forum cannot be accessed by members but the threads as I said, aren't being "deleted" and completely gone where we couldn't access information in them if needed. Hopefully since we have posted this reminder about what is in the header of this forum and what its designed for we won't have to worry about moving threads or where they go:) Thanks Stacey" and from our view... whats the difference? in the private forum or deleted. if you ain't got the access, there's no difference in the end. (point made. outta here.)

I'd just like to say something about the crowd of mods. and cords. they now have in the Poser forum. I suppose a lot of people have wondered why all the names have been added when for years it was only a couple of people running the show. As many of you know. I ran the Poser forum with JeffH. for quite a while. And Jeff really spent most of his time running the store with Clint and let me handle the Poser and Tech forums by myself. I was able to handle the volume of traffic in the forums without too much trouble. And by the end you folks were basically self sufficient without me at all. But what most of you probably don't know is that being one person. I rarely patrolled the galleries. I hated doing that anyway. :-) The main reason for the extra people is mainly to keep an eye on the Poser gallery. Not so much to be a presence in the forum. The Poser gallery has always needed as many volunteers watching it as possible from day one. They have only recently gotten around to doing it. And thank god I'm not one of them. ;-) -ScottA

Funny you should mention the empty forums and cleaning house as Sandy and I are in the process of gathering info on under used forums right now:) As far as a General Type forum for unrelated rendo questions or topics, I'm afraid that would most likely go OT in a bad way fast. But it is a good suggestion and we will certainly keep that in mind. Thanks! ok thank you your reply. I'm just looking for a place to hang while Im here, since rendo is so addictive lol. :)

Yeah, gee, if we all start talking to each other and acting like an actual COMMUNITY, we might band together and start a revolution or something. Can't have that. Like I said in another thread, "People are talking about stuff! Quick, censor it!" bonni

Attached Link: http://market.renderosity.com/chat.ez

Thanks Clint. That is a great idea:) Stacey

I applaud the first entry...I have popped in a few times to ask Community Questions...only to have it Hi-Jacked by the same People over and over...and...no Assistance gained :]

Chat room is always empty. And no offense, but suggesting doing that is like telling folks in a mall or gallery or museum or any other public place that are visiting or browsing and having a good time while doing what they are doing, and quite harmlessly, to go elsewhere to and do it. Why does this place insist upon burning up the very fuel that create it and managed to grow it? You see any other place online like this grow in droves and as busy? Not by a longshot! And why is that? Not because of all the great ads or sales or decor, but because a lot of folks once got together here and felt comfortable, and kept getting together, and grew together, and everything else followed along. I think we keep forgetting that the people came first here, and it's the people that make it happen. Nothing wrong with having couches and a bit of music and fun and even a few clowns once in a while to make the sun shine a bit. Ever see what happens on highways and roads when there is an accident or even someone changing a tire? It's not the accident that causes traffic, it's all the folks slowing down to look at what is happening. When you slow doqwn to look, you see other things you normally would not see or care about. That is what has happened here many times and has brought a lot of traffic here, many times and most probably sales too. Why bite the hand that feeds? Broody stonefaces that may be far too serious don't sell or attract, they don't even make balloon animals! If you take away the downtown entertainment and comfort, lots of folks wouldn't go there anymore, no matter how nice or resourceful or how much shopping there may be. Besides, there's always TurboSquid! Lol, just kidding while it's still okay to kid.

"Not because of all the great ads or sales or decor, but because a lot of folks once got together here and felt comfortable, and kept getting together, and grew together, and everything else followed along." I'm not advocating another new OT forum or anything. No point in that. But I can't help but agree with the sentiment being hinted at. Over the past several months I find this place leaving me a bit cold and unwelcome. It would be nice if RR could find some way to improve that for those who are never going to fit into the cliques or mass on-topic posters, etc. How do people meet and relate to other artists when they don't have specific questions to ask about software? (Can't use chatroom due to disability.) Any suggestions?

Over the past several months I find this place leaving me a bit cold and unwelcome. Do you? Well, the beatings will continue until morale improves! No extra gruel for you! bonni

Nooooooo Clint, don't bring the cops to chat!!! Now we all have to wear clothes in there. :o(

this forum should be for what it's intended for, as stated as Tedz so kindly put it, it's frustrating when threads are hijacked by more then a "normal" amount of chit chat personally i don't see how ya'll handle the mass amounts of ebots :] & i'm being nice... just an opinion... :]

personally i don't see how ya'll handle the mass amounts of ebots I don't enable them, and those that accidentally get set are filtered into the trash immediately. bonni

"And once again, the seven staff members in the Poser community are needed and all work very very hard and very effectively." - StaceyG

raised eyebrow ROFLMAO!

So, to put it in a nutshell, the rule is no laughing in church!. With all respect to Clint, chat isn't an alternative to writing; if you want to make a considered response to something you might have to think about it for a while. It's a different kind of communication altogether. I still get the feeling that this is more about bandwidth control than what's appropriate or not on forums, otherwise the concern would only be to (legitimately) limit nastiness rather than to stop folks joking around in general. m.

I still get the feeling that this is more about bandwidth control than what's appropriate or not on forums I think it's about showing us upstart "community members" that we're not to make ourselves too comfortable here. We're to show up, spend money, answer technical questions, post stuff in the galleries to draw traffic to the site so that more people will show up and spend money, and shut the hell up. And if we want to complain, they'll GIVE us something to complain about. bonni

Not about bandwidth control. About smiles, charms and humanities not buying, selling, or being good for business. In a more stone faced term, the online human factor associated with OT discussions is too unpredictable, unstable and volatile and does nothing to facilitate or attract more investors. Pretty soon art community should be replaced by stone faced community. Welcome to the new online reality forums. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, just do your real business and move on. Next?

'We have tried several times to have OT forums for general discussions unrelated to art but they have not been successful so we decided after closing the last one (The Den) that we won't be having an OT forum in the future. ' Not successful?....Tell it like it is...We're all grownups here and by and large we're all smart. We all get enough spin when politicians open their mouths. The OT forums were removed for commercial reasons and for fear of some delicate souls being offended. That's fine, it's Renderosity's site and their decision but...unsuccessful, don't think so :)

"Besides, there's always TurboSquid!" RE:Walks over, smiles..And gives a big High-five,all the while exclaiming YEEaahhoo! You go girl!

"I still get the feeling that this is more about bandwidth control than what's appropriate or not on forums, otherwise the concern would only be to (legitimately) limit nastiness rather than to stop folks joking around in general." - pearce

Look on the bright side, pearce: discussions on site policy, Staff Infections, erhhmmm "Decisions", and official pronouncements are always vastly more entertaining here than any OT discussion ever is. They just tripled your viewing entertainment in one easy stroke.

Renderosity has become soooo boring to me, of late. This was one forum that i would stop in for an occasional interesting read. i could care less about poser 6, what's on sale where, and how new product readme's work. i respect the newbies' right to learn, but, sadly, it's been quite a while since i've learned anything. so, the forums have become really boring for me. i find myself spending very little time here, anymore. this forum was at least something that would keep me coming daily, just to see what was up. this is sad. i wonder if others are like me, not actually quitting, but, just drifiting away. "The main reason for the extra people is mainly to keep an eye on the Poser gallery. Not so much to be a presence in the forum." and could this be because so many of the newer folks have taken it into their heads to become the "morality police"? that seems very unfair to the rest of us who don't care about nudes, fairies, nude fairies and all the rest of the blather. we're the ones who are silently losing out.

Nahhh......I don't really agree with what's been done here. But I believe that I understand why it has come about.

To be fair, this policy will help to keep things quiet -- or at least muted. It'll have that effect.

Is that a good thing? I'd say both yes and no. For some purposes, yes; and for other purposes, no.

On the one hand, it is a good thing to stop people from getting into useless virtual knife-fights with each other.

But on the other hand -- disallowing all things OT? I don't totally buy into that.

It's a way of plugging up the good along with the bad. It does solve certain problems by shutting and locking the door. But unfortunately, while this action keeps the wolves out: it also prevents your friends from fully coming in and talking/sharing with you.

Some people, I suppose, like it that way. So now anyone who pipes up in the stillness of the library will be shushed........

.........but one has to admit that the environment of a quiet library has advantages over the environment of downtown back alleys after midnight.

So I won't be complaining too much.

I will continue to do my business here -- check out books, read, study, and share information.

(And spend as much money as ever).

The DAZ forums seem to have successfully achieved a balance between keeping the peace and playing host to.....uh......."free-wheeling" coffee clatches at the same time. And they seem to do it without any unsightly blood spilled on the floor in the process. Just an occasional spilled latte.

Not bad.....not bad.

Renderosity is still a great place. I'll be hanging around.

All things considered -- Renderosity has been forced to do this in order to achieve some level of sanity in the forums. Sometimes, you've just gotta do what you've gotta do. Unfortunate, but understandable.

I think it's a big mistake not to have any kind of OT forum here at Renderosity. Judging by the member's attempt to turn this forum into a '"free-wheeling" coffee clatch' I'd say there is a strong enough interest in maintaining one.

How it could be implemented was thoroughly rehashed in all the threads relating to the closing of the Den so I'll just say here that it would be doable if there was a willingness to do so.

If this is really just a bandwidth issue then I guess nothing more needs be said that wouldn't be a waste of time.

Just some observations from a long time member, mostly just lurking.

The name and description of the forum is clear as to the purpose of the forum. Sometimes the moderation is very loose and sometimes it is very tight. It does seem to go in cycles.

You should get over the notion that Renderosity is a community. It is a business, period. It is a business that likes to foster the image of a community, but it is in the end, a business. The forums, galleries, etc. only exist to bring people to the site in the hopes that they will go to the store and spend money. The forums and galleries are marketing tools.

By the way, I think that this is pretty much the same with all the different Poser/Bryce-based sites that contain a store. They are selling products. Some are more mercenary about it than others.

As for the various OT forums being 'unsuccessful', you may need to define the terms for success. It seems to me that those forums generated more traffic than the majority of the forums here. If by unsuccessful, you mean that they could generate controversy, not to mention that they weren't talking about the latest and greatest Vickie texture then I guess they would be unsuccessful.

The reason for moving OT posts to a super-secret forum is so they can keep tabs on you. Remember, you do have permanent records here.

It seems to me that those forums generated more traffic than the majority of the forums here.

I suspect that the Poser forum has always gotten the lion's share of the forum traffic on this site.

It is a business, period. It is a business that likes to foster the image of a community, but it is in the end, a business. The forums, galleries, etc. only exist to bring people to the site in the hopes that they will go to the store and spend money. The forums and galleries are marketing tools.

That might be true -- and personally I don't have a problem with it if this is true.

But consider -- a community needs money in order to function.

Somebody has to be paid to collect the trash.

The reason for moving OT posts to a super-secret forum is so they can keep tabs on you. Remember, you do have permanent records here.

Yes.....I've noticed a black van with a stylized flat-blue "RR" logo painted on its side parked near my house lately.

And a couple of guys dressed in black were connecting cables to the telephone pole at the end of the block.....I asked them who they were. They refused to say. But I could tell by their accents that they were from Nashville.

But I'm just a little too smart for them, you see.......I know what's going on here.

It's got something to do with the Illuminati -- and with the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill.

;) Message edited on: 04/22/2005 13:23

"i wonder if others are like me, not actually quitting, but, just drifiting away" Yep. ;)

I don't think it's bandwidth control involved in the OT decision. The images are what use most of the server uploading time. But somebody mentioned the chat room. I think that's a great place for OT discussions. People talking right off the top of their heads, no editing, saying what they feel without any interference from conscious thought processes, no google searches or conferring with the "amen chorus" before giving an opinion, no spell-checking in hopes of appearing literate. It's the great equalizer. So that would be my vote - they should promote the chat room as a place to have OT discussions, assuming it's allowed under the chat room rules.

no spell-checking in hopes of appearing literate. Awwwwwww, man........! Now I've come to realize why I never visit the chatt roums.