One forum to track the DCA Project

[Mojave]

I really think we should push for a dedicated DCA Project Tracker forum, not just thread. MasterGracey can still run it, the most up to date info can be stickied and we can have separate threads on separate projects within the bigger project. Argument threads can be for arguments, nitpicking threads for nitpicking, and there can be separate threads for discussing "what are those round short cement footings?", "how are they going to raise the platform for maintenance?", etc.

The speed with which we're going through tracker threads at this relatively early stage of the overall project, means that by early next year with WoC, TLM, Cars Land, the entrance all under way, we're going to need a better way to track everything.

[Uncle Bob]

Sounds good to me, what do we need to do to "push for it'?

[bigwavedave]

sounds like away to have it better organized

[Mojave]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Sounds good to me, what do we need to do to "push for it'?

I don't know exactly, but I think if we get enough votes here in favor of the idea, we can get the moderators and MasterGracey involved.

[Dustysage]

MOD NOTE:

We don't need a whole forum to discuss DCA. You are free to discuss DCA's various projects right now in a new thread, if that is what you wish. The Project Tracker is just a resource.

We only merge threads when the topics are nearly identical. For example, we merged several of the Mickey's Fun Wheel threads but not the ones which had a very different point of view or focus.

[Mojave]

Originally Posted by Dustysage

MOD NOTE:

We don't need a whole forum to discuss DCA. You are free to discuss DCA's various projects right now in a new thread, if that is what you wish. The Project Tracker is just a resource.

We only merge threads when the topics are nearly identical. For example, we merged several of the Mickey's Fun Wheel threads but not the ones which had a very different point of view or focus.

OK, that's good to know. I'm always tentative about starting a new DCA project thread b/c I thought the mods wanted to keep everything in one place. Hopefully more people will create separate threads for specific topics.

Thanks!

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by Dustysage

MOD NOTE:

We don't need a whole forum to discuss DCA. You are free to discuss DCA's various projects right now in a new thread, if that is what you wish. The Project Tracker is just a resource.

Dusty.. with 3 more years of construction projects ahead of us - I hope you'll reconsider. The scale of this change is unlike anything in Disney's history with plenty of topics to cover that may get lost or clutter up other distinct areas of discussion.

Less then 8 months in.. and we already have more then 8,000 posts on the topic. If that isn't enough volume to justify a forum.. what is? As the scale of the changes increases, and we get further into the project, volume will only increase.

Why can't we make it easy for those interested in discussing or reading about the DCA makeover specifically? Lumping it all into the DLR forum just causes it all to get lost and makes it hard for your casual readers to come along and find the discussions.

[sir clinksalot]

I think we've really been trying to take a look at the forums and actually condense things, rather than make them harder to find on the forum main page.

As you all have probably seen, the Celebrate the Parks section (but mainly Disney Business) has been condensed as well as some other sections, making them easier to navigate.

If you think about people who are not frequent posters, and may just be coming to the site to view DCA information, the first place they are going to look is under the Disneyland section. Let's face it, most people think of DCA as part of Disneyland, and that's how they will look for it.

[tinkermonkey]

Good point Gregg. In any case, if we're looking at pulling things out to make a separate forum for them, I'd much rather it was the armchair engineering stuff. Look at the DL forum from a new/guest perspective and see how lost you might get.

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

If you think about people who are not frequent posters, and may just be coming to the site to view DCA information, the first place they are going to look is under the Disneyland section

So you put the Forum Name under the DLR title.. just like it is for all the Lounges, etc. It's not hard to find. You simply label it appropriately, it has a position of prominence on the forum listing page by making it visible without going into the DLR forum itself.

It's no different then the hotel/resturant/etc break downs you see on this page.

Celebrate the Parks - MiceChat

If you want to consolidate... why don't you consolidate all these dead forums that don't get any traffic and don't carry their own weight. I could name a dozen forums without even blinking that just eat up space on the forum listing and could be consolidated into a parent subject without affecting anything.

We have 5 collecting sub-forums - but not one for the biggest change to DLR in 8 years ?

Yet here is a topic that is GUARANTEED for the next 3 years to create countless threads and thousands of posts and create TONS of traffic for the site and we want to bury and muddy it up by mashing it up with Trip Reports and 'where in DL' game threads??

I'm thinking the resistance is looking like not wanting to do what 'other' sites have done.

[MasterGracey]

I'll continue to do a DCA Project Tracker as long as I have time for it and/or as long as there is a demand for it.

I don't see a problem with having a single thread like the Project Tracker, nor do I see a problem with having a separate forum for all of the DCA projects. The only issue I would anticipate with having a dedicated forum is that it could open up more opportunity for Armchair Imagineering in threads that aren't necessarily for that. There would be threads would be sitting stagnant for long stretches of time, especially forthcoming projects like Cars Land or Buena Vista Street which are still many months away from even breaking ground, and that stagnation could lead to people using it as a "what-if" discussion zone.

I know a lot of people like Armchair Imagineering, but I personally have no interest in it, especially in threads that are made to track actual progress and discuss things that are actually going on.

I don't know what the best solution is... but I can see where Dusty and team are coming from. Making a separate forum for DCA could potentially lessen the visibility of threads that currently bring in loads of traffic for MiceChat, including my own DCA Project Tracker threads. As it is, when threads are moved to the So Cal Travel Planning forum they die a quick death. People simply don't click into that subforum... I posted a thread a while ago about Garden Walk/AP Discounts and it made it to its second page of replies and then was moved to the sub-forum and instantly died.


So what's the solution? It's a tough call...

[flynnibus]

Sub forums die when there is no content to pull the eyes to it. Here, you don't have that problem.. you already have the 'killer content' people want.

It will grow no matter where you put it. The point is to allow it to grow without it acting like a weed and strangling out the other stuff making all your existing content weaker because no one can find it in all the weeds.

[MasterGracey]

Originally Posted by flynnibus

Sub forums die when there is no content to pull the eyes to it. Here, you don't have that problem.. you already have the 'killer content' people want.

It will grow no matter where you put it. The point is to allow it to grow without it acting like a weed and strangling out the other stuff making all your existing content weaker because no one can find it in all the weeds.

If a sub-forum opens, I'd like to see some sort of organization and consistency... For example, at another site there is a subforum for the DCA projects and its a jumble of threads made by different members...

If Dusty and team decide to make a subforum for DCA, I hope that someone will be given the authority to create major threads about the major projects that retain a consistency in OP formatting.

If a subforum happens, it would be best to have it be informational while encouraging active discussion. As it is, other sites have lots of threads in their subforums thay just say "Let's talk about this project" and some of them have great big concept art images, or nothing at all.

Dusty has my name and number if he wants help planning out a subforum if he's still not completely opposed to the idea.

[Monorail Man]

Originally Posted by MasterGracey

As it is, when threads are moved to the So Cal Travel Planning forum they die a quick death. People simply don't click into that subforum... I posted a thread a while ago about Garden Walk/AP Discounts and it made it to its second page of replies and then was moved to the sub-forum and instantly died.

It's good to note that while the Travel Planning sections seem dead to members, they are quite active with the guests who arrive to MC from external sources (eg. Google, Live, Yahoo!, etc.).

[KAN]

Just throwing out an idea, but would it be too hard to make the DCA project tracker it's own RSS feed? It would mainly be on the honor system of which posts to make articles on the feed. When posting, in the "Advanced Options" box, there would be an additional check box, reading "Make this Post a RSS Article". There would be an alert telling them "WARNING: If you abuse this system, your article will be removed and you will be punished by a Moderator." What I'm getting at is any post that the poster thinks is news worthy, such as a plethora of pictures, important dates, worthy quotes, etc... As stated before, Moderators would need to be on the lookout, and occasionally borrow Pengy's mommy stick. Also, Moderators and Master Gracey (because he is the OP of the tracker) could do the reverse, and make a post an article. It would be an alternative to a new forum and be a nice way to organize the messy comments of the DCA Project tracker. Feedback?







--KAN