Good evening, dear friends <3 and Merry Christmas!
i hope this message isn't too sudden. The staff and i have been talking about some changes to the site, and we wanted your weigh in.
To that end, we have two propositions we'd love for you to consider and share your thoughts on.
Proposition 1: Closing TownhallThe first matter is on the possible closure of /townhall/. To put it simply... the townhall experiment hasn't worked out as we'd have liked it to, and it may be time to close up shop.
When we started Townhall, we had a bold vision for what it might be: it was to be both a well-manicured garden for sensible debate and discussion of sensitive topics, but also a place where politics and heavier topics could go, allowing pony to be a bit more carefree.
Unfortunately, it has not worked out that way. We haven’t had the time and resources to proactively manage the garden. And though we’ve had many helpful reports, it has often been difficult to manage the reports within the expectations of Townhall’s userbase. Which is to say, in plain words, that we don’t know what’s best for Townhall, and as it stands, it does not seem like Townhall is good for anyone.
Unless then, there are serious protests, the staff feels quite strongly that it is time to close townhall. What are your thoughts?
Proposition 2: IP/Tripcode LoginPonyville's open door and gentle hand policies mean that while we are a very inviting community, with a focus on loving and tolerating even those who would wish us ill, the nature of an open board without much protections means that we must rely on users to cooperate with not only the rules as written, but the spirit of the law, so to speak, to help keep Ponyville a kind, fun, gentle place to be.
Unfortunately, it does not always end up this way, and keeping on top of these problems requires a lot of vigilant moderation... which is very taxing, and to be frank, still requires the cooperation of those being moderated against -- the site's open door policies means that is very easy to, say, skirt a perma-ban if one so chooses.
An IP system, or other such a login, will enforce a degree of accountability, and create more serious consequences for actions. But, it may act as a barrier to entry for both new users and old users alike, which is why i would love your thoughts on it.
i will also openly admit too that with Prop 2 comes an expectation that all of our users will be more willing, perhaps, to abide by the site's rules. i don't anticipate heavy-handed enforcement, but the enforcement that is levied is likely to be more effective, and that is something to keep in mind.
What do you think? Share your thoughts with us here, in Canterlot:
https://ponyville.us/canterlot/res/7459.html
