Board Thread:Suggestions/@comment-4848837-20140601030810/@comment-34326521-20140601081555

Proposition III

Propositions I, II

There are a few boards you proposed merging that don't belong together. Mainly the "News and Announcements" and "New on Ben 10 Wiki" boards, as well as the "Personal Help, Advice, and Support" and "Suggestions" boards. Let me explain why:

"News and Announcements" is supposed to be admin only for when admins have something they want to tell the wiki. It's not for random users who think Ben getting married in the future is big news (this is a hyperbole, but you get my point). The "New on Ben 10 Wiki" board is for users who want to compliment one another on something they did or just want to discuss new content that was recently placed on the wiki. These two don't mix. What you're proposing, as per your description, is not a merger. It's eliminating "New on Ben 10 Wiki" and allowing regular users to make their own announcements, even if they don't matter to the wiki. If you want to eliminate a board, just say so.

The "Personal Help, Advice, and Support" and "Suggestions" boards are different. One is for users to seek help regarding wiki functions and personal assistance in personal matters (yes, I know I said "personal" twice; there's a reason for that - emphasis). The other is for users to suggest things they think might help the wiki. Again, these two don't mix.

Also, you want to merge the "Introductions" board with "Fun and Games" and give it a vague description. Not a good idea, IMO. The "Introductions" boards are seldom used on forums, but, for new users that want to use them (and, let's face it, we don't get nearly enough new users per month to get a good assessment of how many users, on average, want to use them), they're great. It doesn't clutter the wiki (It's only listed on one page, as far as I know), so I think we can keep it. The "Fun and Games" board could be merged/renamed into an "Off-Topic Discussion" board. It allows users to have a place where they can discuss things beyond Ben 10.

Proposition II is something I vehemently oppose. I have never heard of any website (as far as I can recall) where admin discussions took place on a public venue. They are always hidden from members. In fact, I have been on one forum where it's against the rules to even address an admin's decision/warnings publicly (which I consider excessive, but there's a reason for that... at least they gave me one). Admins discuss (or should discuss) a lot of things that don't require user input. Things that don't even require users to be aware of them unless they get approved by admins and can move on to being approved by users. It's the same reason we can't view personal chats unless we're in them: because they're meant to stay hidden from everyone except the (usually few) users who are talking.