A South of England Subforum?

[Pompey77]

Only problem is with the size of the area were talking about and the number and spread of cities and large towns.

Within the SofE Sub-forum it could be split into;

The South West
The South East

These are massive areas which people just don't identify with.

Alternatively;

The West Country - for Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth
Solent - for Portsmouth and Southampton
Berkshire - for Reading, Slough ect
Sussex - for Brighton and Hove

But I don't think anybody would be particularly happy with that. I don't think Bristolians would any more associate themselves with Plymouth than with London.

What I would support would be the creation of these sub-sub-forums for the cities in the south which currently have the most projects and have the potential of generating the most traffic these being IMO; Bristol, Portsmouth and either Reading or Brighton or both. All the other towns and cities can go in the main Sub-forum. If they grow enough to warrant a new sub-sub-forum this can be added.

Thoughts?

[Gareth]

The Scotland subforum could be a good idea. It has a Glasgow metro area within it. The problem is, what regions would you use? And good luck merging Liverpool, Manchester & Accura. The results will be hilarious, I would imagine.

[Awayo]

Accura's cluelessness knows no bounds. He's desperate to kill the second largest and busiest subforum in UK & Ire.

That it is larger than the Manchester forum, despite that place's head start must challenge his entire fugwitted world view, although that's hardly a suprise when on considers the real size of both cities and Liverpool's distinctive non-Lancashire (or Northwest of whatever entity the government has rammed the place into this year) city culture of the place. He's desperate to make it go away.


But more than this, in a case study of stupidity, despite having been on this forum for years and having had the basics explained to him again and again and again, he's still so completely confused he can suggest something a hilariously thichheaded as this.

[Schmeek]

Originally Posted by legolamb

The UK forum should have been Structured on a regional basis (like the USA forum and others) from the start.

The cities that have always randomly been given the honour of subforums have developed a sense of superiority on the forum and won't relinquish it now - leaving big swathes of the country unrepresented and unable to discuss topics on more than one thread - which itself is hidden in P&C.

Originally Posted by Leeds Troll

but nothing even happens in them places apart from Portsmouth and Bristol and the odd news in brighton?

Originally Posted by Leeds Troll

there is a difference from under constrution and planned!! it's like me saying Leeds has 6bn pounds worth of developments waiting for the economy to pick up blowing the whole discussion away!!

Leeds Arena 80m [Under construction]

Trinity shopping centre 600m [Under construction]

Leeds rail station south entrance 15m [soon to be Under construction]

bankside! multi million pound investment [planned]

Wellington Place 2.7Million Sq ft 1.1bn [planned]

South banks multi billion pound investment [planned]


and thats only some of the developements!!

Also, as a result of the Liverpools, Manchesters and Leeds of this world having their own subforums a long time, the gap has widened. The amount of interest/posters in these areas have snowballed due to the greater exposure and has led to a situation where there is a false belief that the 'other' cities do not require their own sub forums as there is no way near the same interest as the others. As has been said already in this thread (Bigchris?) the interest will pick up due to the greater accessibility/exposure.

[Gareth]

Originally Posted by Awayo

Accura's cluelessness knows no bounds. He's desperate to kill the second largest and busiest subforum in UK & Ire.

That it is larger than the Manchester forum, despite that place's head start must challenge his entire fugwitted world view, although that's hardly a suprise when on considers the real size of both cities and Liverpool's distinctive non-Lancashire (or Northwest of whatever entity the government has rammed the place into this year) city culture of the place. He's desperate to make it go away.


But more than this, in a case study of stupidity, despite having been on this forum for years and having had the basics explained to him again and again and again, he's still so completely confused he can suggest something a hilariously thichheaded as this.

I certainly don't agree with totally merging the Liverpool Metro forum so it's sharing space with Manchester or Lancashire, however, I do think something needs to be done with the areas stuck in limbo. A simple overarching North, Midlands, South (including London) arrangment may work, with the largest cities keeping their metro areas within. The Midlands would be the easiest to implement, in my opinion, with the Birmingham Metro being within a new pan-midlands one, like Glasgow's is within the Scotland subforum.

[b4mmy]

There is too much off topic squabbling though. I deleted almost 100 posts the other day that had absolutely nothing at all with the thread titles and constituted willy fencing and oneupmanship... Once that had been done, no one posted anything for at least 24 hours! It was like, well... if we can't bitch at each other in here, we'll take it somewhere else? That's whats causing decline.

Anyway, I agree that each significant area should have it's own subforum. It's tidier, more logical, easier to navigate, and probably forms a better rationalised database that would come higher up on the search engines...

Which areas should have a subforum?

We should produce a thorough list between us.... not a list of sub-sub fora... just a single layer of forums that threads can be added to instead of individual posts...

[Newcastle Historian]

Originally Posted by Gherkin

Newcastle Historian, they've (you've) done a great job with the North East sub-forum... don't think it's gone un-noticed! I even made a trip to the north east because of the photography thread(s) in that section, and had a lovely day out.

It has been a great "team effort" over the last twelve months, since the North East England sub-forum was set up, it has gone from strength to strength in that time, which is why I think that a South of England sub-forum (if structured sensitively) could work very well.

The concept we started with was one of 'natural groupings' of the Major City and its linked areas, to form each of the four internal forums. That gives a sense of ownership, leading to better quality posts, and encouraging "friends and coleagues" of the posters to join in.

On the Newcastle Metro Area forum, for example, we get anything up to five new posters a week (some going on to become 'regulars') and one of the threads on there gets up to 1,200 views in a 24 hour period.

Success breeds success, and thats why I say, work out your optimum structure (NOT everyone will agree with it though) and then just press on with it!

Expect differences in quantity of posts between your 'internal forums', if you go that way. There are inevitable differences between our four, based largely on the relative number of developments going on in a given geographical area.

There is a great deal happening in some areas of the North East Forum, while not so much in others, but each one is currently "optimising" what is happening (and encouraging participation) by having some lively "urbanism-related" discussions, on various aspects of the urban life of the region. These include 'Restaurants', 'Retail', 'Arts & Culture' and particularly 'Historic' ('how our Towns & Cities developed) issues. We have 18 threads, that could be classified as 'Urban Historic' on the Newcastle Metro Area forum, alone!

All this has come about since the forum started a year ago - and (though I do not know much about the South) I am certain that a 'South of England' forum, properly structured, could similarly turn out to be a great success!

.

[Accura4Matalan]

Originally Posted by Gareth

I certainly don't agree with totally merging the Liverpool Metro forum so it's sharing space with Manchester or Lancashire

The only valid reason for not creating a shared subforum for Manchester and Liverpool is that Manchester still has a lot going on project wise. I am fully aware that Liverpool generated a lot of posts in the past, but gone are the days of forumers like Pietari who seemed to post in every single thread, every single day. The majority of Liverpool's posts are now created out of off-topic discussion, flaming, and the occasional riot against the return of a certain banned member.

I honestly think that Manchester and Liverpool having a shared space and identity on SSC could make relationships a lot better.

[Accura4Matalan]

Originally Posted by b4mmy

Anyway, I agree that each significant area should have it's own subforum. It's tidier, more logical, easier to navigate, and probably forms a better rationalised database that would come higher up on the search engines...

Which areas should have a subforum?

We should produce a thorough list between us.... not a list of sub-sub fora... just a single layer of forums that threads can be added to instead of individual posts...

London Metro Area - Keep, still loads going on there and attracts a lot of interest

North West England - Incorporating existing Manchester and Liverpool subforums, but with a shared skybar. Space on main page can be used for the other areas such as Blackpool, Preston etc. plus region-wide projects such as the rail electrification.

Middle England - Incorporating existing Birmingham forum. East Midlands forum should be disbanded and Leicester, Lincoln, Milton Keynes, Corby, Nottingham, and Derby threads to be placed on main section of this forum along with Wolverhampton and Coventry. I'd probably throw Norwich into the mix as well because of its awkward geographical location.

South England and Wales - Threads such as Bristol, Plymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Home Counties etc to go in here. The Welsh threads should also go in here since its subforum only generates a handful of posts each week, and there is little going on in the way of projects.

Yorkshire - Incorporating existing Leeds subforum and (if there is enough going on to justify it) the Sheffield subforum. Hull should be taken out of the North East forum and put in here (with own subforum if necessary, I know the Hull forumers fought for a long time to have their own area).

North East - As it is bar Hull

Scotland and Glasgow - No change

Ireland - No change

In addition I would also recommend deleting all the metro subforums' 'Completed Projects' and transferring all the threads to the 'Completed Projects' subforum on the main page. I doubt any of these will be filling up any time soon.

[b4mmy]

Pietari. What happened to him he was cool

[Delirium]

Originally Posted by Pompey77

Only problem is with the size of the area were talking about and the number and spread of cities and large towns.

Within the SofE Sub-forum it could be split into;

The South West
The South East

These are massive areas which people just don't identify with.

Alternatively;

The West Country - for Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth
Solent - for Portsmouth and Southampton
Berkshire - for Reading, Slough ect
Sussex - for Brighton and Hove

But I don't think anybody would be particularly happy with that. I don't think Bristolians would any more associate themselves with Plymouth than with London.

What I would support would be the creation of these sub-sub-forums for the cities in the south which currently have the most projects and have the potential of generating the most traffic these being IMO; Bristol, Portsmouth and either Reading or Brighton or both. All the other towns and cities can go in the main Subforum. If they grow enough to warrant a new sub-sub-forum this can be added.

Thoughts?

I don't think the Briz posters care/mind that much. I and the others (i.e the 4 of us) would be perfectly satisfied with having the thread next to Pompey, Brighton etc. in a fairly straightfoward catch all South of England sub forum just as much as something a tad more specific e.g Westcountry/Home Counties sub-subforums.

Regardless, there needs to be better visibility, even I forget there's threads left over down there.

[legolamb]

Great suggestions Accura and similar to the sort of setup I have suggested in the past.

Don't mean to sound awkward, but the Hull and Humber subforum covers the whole city region inclusive of the south bank - North and North East Lincolnshire - so perhaps the Yorkshire title wouldn't be ideal.

[b4mmy]

Originally Posted by legolamb

Great suggestions Accura and similar to the sort of setup I have suggested in the past.

Don't mean to sound awkward, but the Hull and Humber subforum covers the whole city region inclusive of the south bank - North and North East Lincolnshire - so perhaps the Yorkshire title wouldn't be ideal.

Lol, the devil is in the detail legs

[Awayo]

Originally Posted by Accura4Matalan

I honestly think that Manchester and Liverpool having a shared space and identity on SSC could make relationships a lot better.

I'd take that as a bizarre and OTT joke if I didn't know how stupid you were. Given that the major historic topic in the Liverpool forum has always anti-northwestism. Most would abandon the forum or be attacking its very basis continually. Liverpool sharing a skybar with fugging mill towns. Cheesus.

Why can't the mill town region as a whole (Preston, Accrington, Manchester, Oldham, Todmorden, Bradford, Keithley, Leeds) have a skybar so you lot can talk with fohhhk who share your dialect, culture, climate and history?

[Awayo]

Gareth is fair and reasonable however about finding a solution for those non-metropolitan areas currently without representation. Having say Liverpool and Manchester metro forums, seperately within a North forum (whilst not ideal, really NE Wales are far more part of Liverpool's region than the vast majority of the "north", for example, but we can talk about our beloved neighbouring Cymru within our own metro forum as and when) is viable, I suppose. Still don't like it much. Liverpool is much closer to much of the Midlands (as well as Wales) than it is to most of the North and has a decidely non-Northern (ie, Lancs-Yorks) culture and history. And anyone insane enough to create the tinderbox of a Liverpool-Manchester skybar would, if he was lucky, see the immediate creation of a Liverpool skybar within the Liverpool metro forum so that people could actually have a conversation with people about their city and its actual region, not the bullshit and loathed Whitehall-created "Northwest", the contents of which is largely of no interest to Liverpool residents. Distant places no one will ever visit.

[Newcastle Historian]

Originally Posted by Accura4Matalan

London Metro Area - Keep, still loads going on there and attracts a lot of interest

North West England - Incorporating existing Manchester and Liverpool subforums, but with a shared skybar. Space on main page can be used for the other areas such as Blackpool, Preston etc. plus region-wide projects such as the rail electrification.

Middle England - Incorporating existing Birmingham forum. East Midlands forum should be disbanded and Leicester, Lincoln, Milton Keynes, Corby, Nottingham, and Derby threads to be placed on main section of this forum along with Wolverhampton and Coventry. I'd probably throw Norwich into the mix as well because of its awkward geographical location.

South England and Wales - Threads such as Bristol, Plymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Home Counties etc to go in here. The Welsh threads should also go in here since its subforum only generates a handful of posts each week, and there is little going on in the way of projects.

Yorkshire - Incorporating existing Leeds subforum and (if there is enough going on to justify it) the Sheffield subforum.

North East England - Newcastle, Hull, Sunderland/Durham, Teesside.

Scotland and Glasgow - No change

Ireland - No change

In addition I would also recommend deleting all the metro subforums' 'Completed Projects' and transferring all the threads to the 'Completed Projects' subforum on the main page. I doubt any of these will be filling up any time soon.

With the changes I have made to your 'North East England' proposals and to your 'Yorkshire' proposals, this otherwise seems a reasonable idea!

[Accura4Matalan]

Originally Posted by Awayo

I'd take that as a bizarre and OTT joke if I didn't know how stupid you were. Given that the major historic topic in the Liverpool forum has always anti-northwestism. Most would abandon the forum or be attacking its very basis continually. Liverpool sharing a skybar with fugging mill towns. Cheesus.

Why can't the mill town region as a whole (Preston, Accrington, Manchester, Oldham, Todmorden, Bradford, Keithley, Leeds) have a skybar so you lot can talk with fohhhk who share your dialect, culture, climate and history?

I think in all the years of bitching that has occurred on SSC UK over the years, some people have clearly forgotten what this forum is supposed to be all about. Development, not expressing twisted football rivalries. The criteria for having a subforum has always been based on levels of contribution and level of development in that city or region. Both Liverpool and Manchester have experienced a significant drop in contribution, and an even bigger drop in the level of developments in the pipeline.
Funny how places with a much more real and tragic conflicted relationship such as Ireland manage to share a piece of cyberspace. Of course, I'm sure some of the drama queens would like to believe that Manchester and Liverpool's football rivalry is as significant as something like the troubles

[Accura4Matalan]

Oh, and tell me how having separate subforums helps exactly? Take a look through recent topics... its pretty plain to see that it doesn't help at all.

[Awayo]

Exactly, as clueless as expected. Hostility to the bogus imposition of a northwest region onto Liverpool and part of its natural hinterland isn't about the cultural, geographical, governmental and economic factors we have been educating you about in great detail for seven years (!!!) but football rivalries.

Anyhow, the bottom line is what the blazes do you think you are doing, someone who has been despised and derided on the Liverpool subforum for years, who comes from another, different, area and who has no understanding or sympathy for the Liverpool region or its subforum, trying to interfere with and damage our metro forum. Piss off; mind your own.

If you have such little self respect for your bit of mill-town Lancashire and want it merged into a subforum with big daddy mill town, Manchester then by all means advocate that. Otherwise bugger off.

[Newcastle Historian]

Is this a thread about the proposal for, and possible structure of, a "South of England" forum?