Rearranging the forums?

[Zyx]

I was wondering if it would make sense to do some spring cleaning and rearrange some of the forums.

Currently, the forum tree looks something like this:

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Freeware Games and Development
* Freeware games 1080/5799
** Game hunter squads forum
* Freeware debate 23/274
** Abandonware to freeware
* In development 76/498
* Developer Help Project 12/121

Non-freeware gaming
* Online gaming 36/205
* Offline gaming 65/636
* Nostalgia 24/1872

General Discussions
* The Village Square 201/8985
* Tech Help 71/459
* Homepages 26/129
* Contests
* Jail-cell

Feedback and suggestions
* Feedback and suggestions 100/1477

The numbers are the number of threads and post within that forum (incl. subforums). My idea is that, first of all, Feedback and suggestions would move to under General Discussions from being in a separate top level forum. On the other hand, the game hunter squads could move to top level and not be hidden under Freeware games. Abandonware to freeware could also move up level in hierarchy.

The other thing is to group both Freeware games and Non-freeware games forums to one. There's too little activity going on in the Non-freeware games to justify so many forums (Online, Offline, Nostalgia). Instead, we could have something like:

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Freeware and Games
* Freeware games
* General game discussions (<- Freeware debate + Online gaming + Offline gaming + Nostalgia)
* In development
* Abandonware to freeware
* Developer help project

I think that this would simplify a lot and make the forums look a bit more active. It's also easier to know where to post.

Any comments, ideas, improvements?

[Chroelle]

One comment: Go ahead.

I like the ideas. (Dammit that was 2 comments...)

[eMTe]

I dont like the idea of merging freeware and non-freeware games. Since we are foremostly a freeware site it is important to let people know that freeware games are more important subject than others, thus we must always highlight discussions about them by having special forum.

As for spring cleaning I dont have any ideas at the moment, but I always thought that there's too many subforums for such a small activity, so I second you on this idea.

[Pater Alf]

I agree with eMTe.

I would at least keep the freeware debate forum as an own.

A forum that might not be needed is "Tech Help". It could easily be just a single thread in the "Village Square" forum.

[Zyx]

Good ideas. I also think it's important to keep the distinction between freeware and other gaming. I'm a bit on the fence about the "tech help", because while there's very little activity, the stuff there doesn't really belong to village square. Probably it would benefit from a better name? and combining it with homepages?

Any ideas for the new forum names? I think these could benefit from a better name:

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* Tech Help
* Freeware debate
* General game discussion

[eMTe]

I think we should hide international corners from the public, they look like ship wreckages sticking from bay waters. There were time when only Polish forum was dead, now all three are.