Election subforum poll, staff version.

We did it in 06, and I think in 04. We created a subforum just for the Forgies threads, which were a lot fewer in number. A majority wants it. And it'll be relatively easy to move existing threads there because they all have the 08 post icon.

What say you?

Aye.

Tho it takes considerable traffic out of the Red Room . . .

I'm going to be contrary and say nay.

It neuters the Red Room traffic wise, as well as creating problems when it comes to archiving threads when the temporary forums get deleted along with all their contents.

Well, there is no archiving issue...Admins can mass move threads from forum to forum. Last time I moved all the Election threads to the RR before I deleted the sub-forum.

I know I started this with my poll, but when Elwood and I talked I found out that we have lured in some new signups since all the political talk started...I'd really hate to depress that potential when, honestly, how hard is it to go beyond the front page to look at threads or start some new ones that are non-election?

The new Icon helps identify Election threads...and we should edit threads to add it when the posters forget to keep them easily avoidable for the bored and uninterested.

I'm going to vote Nay as well, though I am kind of wondering if Palin alone should get her own subforum .

O2C, if you have time, would it be possible for you to investigate maybe having a feed of some sort display that would show all the posts with that icon? I don't even know if such a thing exists, but it looks like I'll be pretty busy for a while, so I'm not sure that integrating something like that would fit in with my schedule.

Like Tamar I too have had a change of heart but for a different reason, the political thread explosion was due to Governor Palin becoming the GOP VP candidate. Not sure that's going to be enough to sustain a forum for two months.

I'm still in favour. I'm already bored to the back teeth with the American election and seeing all those threads on the front page is a thoroughly dispiriting experience.
I'd accept that now that the conventions are over things might die down for a while, so maybe we should put any decision on hold for a few weeks - say, the middle of October - and see how it's going then.

FWIW, there was apparently no election subforum in 2004.