ayase
State Alchemist
Hello everybody. This section of the forum doesn't get used much, huh? Well, today I'd like to share some opinions about the growing amount of off-topic content in the "Your viewing journal" thread in the "Anime & Manga/General Anime Chit-Chat" sub-forum. I would like to make an honest and open statement about that here rather than going behind anybody's back, because doing so is not in my nature. I would also say that I don't wish for anyone to feel personally attacked by my words; multiple people who I consider to be regularly contributing assets to the forum are engaged in this and it is far from my intention to discourage any of them from posting or call them out. I think posting off-topic content in that particular thread has simply become normalised to a point where that's just what people do. I don't blame you. I don't wish to tut at you or say you're wrong for doing it. What is beginning to bother me is not you as individuals, but the frequency and amount of non-anime content being posted there.
Recently in the "Your viewing journal" thread, there have been posts made about live action films. In the "Off Topic/Media Discussion" sub-forum there is a rate the last film you watched thread. There is an asian cinema thread. There have been posts made about western cartoons. There is a western cartoon thread. There have been posts made about tokusatsu shows. There is a tokusatsu thread. There have been posts made about Doctor Who. There is a Doctor Who thread. Two things all of those topics have in common are that none of them are anime, and all of them have existing threads for posting about those topics.
I am not a mod. And I think in general, AUKN's mods and admins do good work (@Rui, you split a drifting off-topic discussion like nobody's business) and ultimately it's for them to decide how these forums are moderated. It's not my intention to call them out either. But I don't think it's unreasonable of me to suggest that perhaps posts on non-anime media topics which already have existing threads in a relevant sub-forum should be made in those threads, rather than in a thread in an anime sub-forum designed for posting about anime. In fact, I think it would probably be of benefit to the forum for posts about those subjects to be made in the threads specifically devoted to them. Because then people interested in those topics will see the notifications that those threads have new posts and are being used, which may make them more likely to read those threads and posts and get involved in discussion themselves.
That's all I really have to say, I think it was better I said it here in this way than starting to act like a bit of a back-seat mod in the thread in question. The nice thing about forums is that anyone can make new threads; at the end of the day I can simply make a "Discuss the Anime you are Currently Watching" thread which leaves no room for doubt about the topic to be discussed. But since the "Your viewing journal" thread is one of the most active and popular on the forum I wanted to give everyone, mods and users alike, an opportunity to weigh in before I did so.
Recently in the "Your viewing journal" thread, there have been posts made about live action films. In the "Off Topic/Media Discussion" sub-forum there is a rate the last film you watched thread. There is an asian cinema thread. There have been posts made about western cartoons. There is a western cartoon thread. There have been posts made about tokusatsu shows. There is a tokusatsu thread. There have been posts made about Doctor Who. There is a Doctor Who thread. Two things all of those topics have in common are that none of them are anime, and all of them have existing threads for posting about those topics.
I am not a mod. And I think in general, AUKN's mods and admins do good work (@Rui, you split a drifting off-topic discussion like nobody's business) and ultimately it's for them to decide how these forums are moderated. It's not my intention to call them out either. But I don't think it's unreasonable of me to suggest that perhaps posts on non-anime media topics which already have existing threads in a relevant sub-forum should be made in those threads, rather than in a thread in an anime sub-forum designed for posting about anime. In fact, I think it would probably be of benefit to the forum for posts about those subjects to be made in the threads specifically devoted to them. Because then people interested in those topics will see the notifications that those threads have new posts and are being used, which may make them more likely to read those threads and posts and get involved in discussion themselves.
That's all I really have to say, I think it was better I said it here in this way than starting to act like a bit of a back-seat mod in the thread in question. The nice thing about forums is that anyone can make new threads; at the end of the day I can simply make a "Discuss the Anime you are Currently Watching" thread which leaves no room for doubt about the topic to be discussed. But since the "Your viewing journal" thread is one of the most active and popular on the forum I wanted to give everyone, mods and users alike, an opportunity to weigh in before I did so.
) I completely see the logic behind this thread. I'm pretty sure no offence was meant by anyone here, but unfortunately it is certainly very easy for things to come across or be perceived in ways not intended in the written format, so hopefully there won't be any hard feelings in the long run. 
