We are going to be deleting some DU Groups. And WE NEED YOUR HELP to figure out which ones.

You may have heard that the DU Administrators are working on a complete redesign of our discussion forum software. This week we are having a brief public preview so you all can try out the software and see the future of Democratic Underground. We call it DU3, because it will be the third version of our website. The preview website is here:

http://www.du3preview.com

As part of the redesign, one of our primary goals is to make the smaller forums and groups more active, easier to find, and easier to use. To help achieve this goal, we want to clear out some the "dead wood" -- unused and under-used groups that clutter up the site and make it harder to find the more active groups.

We need your help to figure out which groups to save, and which groups to delete.

There are 142 groups listed (by category) under Topics: http://www.du3preview.com/?com=forum&id=1004

There are another 56 groups listed (by category) under Places: http://www.du3preview.com/?com=forum&id=1239

You can list all of them on one page by viewing the "Forums & Groups" tab in "Show All" mode:

http://www.du3preview.com/?com=forums&mode=show_all

Here's what we need you to do. If you are an active DU member who registered before January 19, 2011, then you can log in to DU3. We need you to go to DU3, http://www.du3preview.com/?com=login">log in using your DU username, and then subscribe to all your favorite groups. (Note: DU2 "small forums" are now designated as groups on DU3, so you can subscribe to those, too.) Just find each group you like, and then click the orange button on that page which says "Subscribe to this group." It looks like this:



You can also help by posting in your favorite groups on DU3. And if you like, you can post announcements in your favorite groups here on DU2 to encourage people to subscribe over on DU3.

You can check the number of subscribers in any group by visiting that group's "About this Group" page. Just visit any group and click the button that says "About this Group," then look for the words "Number of subscribers".

Thank you for your help.

David Allen
DU Admin

;)

:)

Not sure exactly when we will be deleting groups. It depends on the response. But we aren't going to do any deleting for at least a week.

you just delete groups on here and keep everything the same? The new site looks so retro
and it's harder to use and find things. Maybe it will just take time to get used to
it but this one is so much easier !

Which will hopefully lead to more users finding them. I've always thought they were such a cool feature on DU. Then I went and subscribed to a few and saw how truly wonderfully the new DU3 manages them. I'm very impressed and grateful to you all! :D

I don't imagine many people need to seek-out another channel of stuff being marketed to them.

However, we do still need a place where people can post these things, and others can look for it, when they want it.

Also, I just did my subscriptions.

Thanks!

Could you offer some direction? Personally, I think the DU marketplace should be tweaked so people can sell stuff they actually make -- sort of like a craft fair -- made in the U.S.A. sort of thing. There could be a separate one for stuff that's being resold.

Thanks! :hi:

am I missing one or are you?

Not sure what happened there. I'll see what I can do.

But if I had to pick just one it would be the one where anti-choicers are not welcome. O8)

*sigh*

If nobody wants it, then I'm not going to create it.

non-fiction and Books: Fiction)

there's quite a few of us who love this forum....

fiction and non-fiction = totally different

libraries. Why not one forum?

PS. I like those book forums also, but wouldn't mind if they were combined.

If I saw This is Spinal Tap on TV, and I wanted to post about it, where would I put my post? Classic movies? TV? Music?

How about just an Entertainment forum for movies, tv, music, and cartoons?

edit to add: OK, I added a whole bunch of groups I think look interesting. The large number of groups is not as bad as I thought, because we can subscribe to a large number of them.

Is that a group? It's time to get rid of it, either way.

Crazy Shit would be an awesome name for a group.

It's a trainwreck.

Put a wall up in front of it? :evilgrin:

dissention and thread-hijacking going on I don't blame people for staying away.

Personally I'd be OK with a "Conspiracy Forum." Call it what it is.

It's just such a mess. It should probably be renamed.

It's pretty much the non-evidenced based, 9/11 Truth Industry propaganda and conspiracy theory nonsense that gets moved there. There are plenty of no-bullshit threads about the events of 9/11 that you can find in GD, LBN, and other forums.

Anything from 9/11 truth gets stuck there from other forums by moderators.....

9/11 was an inside job and the need for a real investigation of what happened that day is the only thing that can bring sanity back to politics.

NO!

I don't post there, but there seems to be a number of Duers who do.

Thanks Skinner - haven't checked since the last letdown. Good to see progress!

But was wondering if we could expand the Australia forum to include New Zealand? We get some pretty cool news too ;-)

Or should they each have their own group?

Not sure how much traffic a New Zealand forum would get on its own, since I've only seen two or three other Kiwis around but every once in a while we get some big news and the national elections are this fall. It would be cool to have a place to discuss them.

:hi:

I'm glad you're doing this. I will probably post something about this too. I think some groups need to be merged/deleted.

What use is that group anyway

I use DU:GD, DU Sports, and the DU: Religion & Angry Adolescent Atheist forums. The rest can go.

:rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :thumbsup: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I honestly thought better of you. If any other minority group were angry at the majority, we'd offer them understanding and sympathy. They've been hurt--sometimes terribly--and concessions to that hurt ought to be made for the sake of compassion. But not atheists, it seems.

I've said it before and I'll stand by it--atheists are the most hated and the least sympathized-with group of people in this country. Only overweight people come close to suffering the same level of social rejection, ridicule, and bullying.

Your words were cruel and hurtful--deliberately so. When you speak of a minority group this way, don't be surprised or pretend to be offended when they treat you the same way in return.

adolescent is perhaps ranking them too highly. Childish. Plain and simple.

No.

I use "my forums" now to keep up with and participate in the things that interest me. Will these DU groups replace those or are they for another purpose?

That's not the best place to put it. Maybe put it behind an 18+ porn wall. lol

Look for the sign that says "Beware of the leopard"

:hi:

people who aren't members of groups think. I'd hate to see groups like the Skeptics group deleted because some others don't like it.

It should stay.

Some people don't understand that the point of this is to make navigation easier and not to eliminate subject discussions that they do not like.

Unless you count the 9/11 Conspiracy Discussion board :hide:

And ye, I go there daily.

:)

Dick Cheney association, dontcha know.

Hey Angry,know any good Amish jokes? Did you hear the one about Becky and Sara shopping in Lancaster's Central Market?

Get rid of:

Economic Activism and Prog. Living
Peacemaking and Community
Propoganda Debunking
Sibel Edmonds to “WhistleBlowers” (only 201 posts in 6 years on DU 2)
Group Francophone (no new posts in 2 years)
Bloggers
DFA
Kucinich
Precinct Level Politics
Democrats
Consumer Advice
Personal Finance
Homeschooling
Classical Music
Netflix
Public Transport and Smart Growth
Campaigns
Single Payer health systems (208 posts in 2 years. 1 this year)
Household Hints

Rename:

Humor to Comedy
Americans Abroad to Democrats Abroad
Pro-Choice to Abortion or something similar

Rename or delete September 11. Move it out of “Foreign Affairs” category.

Keep Computer Help and Support, but get rid of Mac Users, Open Source, and Web Developers. Create new group called “Computing and Technology.”

Combine Womens Rights with Womens World

Especially the Netflix group. Now up to 44 subscribers which is more than most groups have.

I'm waiting for DU3 to come out before I start posting over there so I hope admins don't pay too much attention to how many posts there are over there now.

Shhh! Don't anyone tell them.

Most singularly useless group on DU.

:shrug:

Perhaps it would be better to consolidate the three women's groups into one.

The irony of demanding the ostracism of men because we shouldn't tolerate sexism is pretty overwhelming.

One mens' group, one womens' group makes sense...

But ?? Is there a need for a separate feminists group is the question that existing group should answer. (I seriously doubt the feminist group could ever attract men, maybe a couple. So it really is a womens group).

Groups for which an interested membership exists should not be deleted.

I don't care if there are twenty groups of primary interest to women. I think its great. I do care that anyone feels empowered to decide which groups can be of interest to me.

It is one thing to say; "this group should stay" It is another thing to say "that group should go" particularly when that view is motivated by stereotype and bias.

your post seemed serious. We're on the same page obviously. Right outsiders should not decide if a group goes or stays. We have such a bad tendency in this country to erase what we don't want to see or be associated with. It's partly because people feel so powerless in general that they get into micro-managing. There's actually no need to take responsibility for any forum one has issues with.

On the other hand there MAY be some groups that would benefit from being combined with a group of similar concerns. (Certainly preferable to disappearing but also they might find they have more traffic). Eliminates redundancy and confusion that may keep the numbers down. Just saying. I have no dog in any of it.

Not surprising, but.... kinda against what this country *used* to stand for.

I understand the problem, "clutter" and all that... but sometimes the minority view is very important to the balance of the community.

:rofl:

:eyes:

Don't make us go get a globally-enforceable Canadian court injunction against any attempted closure.

- B

DU3 preview is not accepting my password... (And, yes, I know my password) :P

I couldn't sign in either, found out it was because of that. :hi:

I'm sure it will be straightened out, sooner rather than later, hopefully! :)

Why don't you just look at usage? Who has time to rummage around.

Unless it's a discussion about sexual congress. Those belong in the Lounge, where they can get locked more effectively.

Place is deader than an Owyhee desert winter.

Ditto for the Carolinas and Dakotas.

think about it.

I think he wants to make Chicago, Los Angeles and New York one state called "Liberaleliteville" with like 2 electoral votes, too.

states should stay states

Unless you want to make it regions:

Northeast
Southeast
South
Midwest
Rockies
Pacific

We forcibly split away from Virginia for a good reason.

No?

:evilgrin:

:rofl:

Since the new show is also called Countdown, it makes sense.

Thanks!

The end times talk could be hilarious.

You know which one I mean.

Can't stand your ignorance being challenged by reality?

and call it "Enter at your own Risk"

+1 :hide:

Nobody even goes there anymore :cry:

I don't need the competition!!Only I get to not wear pants in my group!

Addiction/Recovery and Ancestry/Genealogy. I think the first one is very helpful here and the second remains fairly active and folks here enjoy it. Thanks for asking for input on this! :hi:

I'm pretty sure you will anyway, but my $0.02 :) Thanks.


Steve

just one example

I just missed it, I'm gonna be seriously pissed...

That sucker is some kinda handy.

...riiiiiiight.

...doesn't make us a "RW mouthpiece" baldguy. We are progressives who have a different view point on a particular issue than you. Just because we are progressives does not mean we are going to be lock step on every issue. This particular issue is a very important one for us to discuss because it IS so divisive and it has cost us SO MUCH political capital it's not even funny.

Millions of your fellow Democrats own guns....are theY all "RW mouthpieces" too?

:crazy:

It appears your real beef is with those of us who support the RKBA...and you just don't disagree with us, you actually want to shut us up.

How progressive and tolerant of you..

:silly:

And why is pro-gun=right wing mouthpiece? The RW trolls that hand out there get nuked on a fairly regular basis.

Oh wait - they do!

:D

It's so popular that it should get it's own domain name.

..ban em, eh Lyric? How very progressive....

Or should any topic involving guns be banned from DU?

As a way to keep GD uncluttered from all the firearms-related current events "concern" spam.

Move it out of Foreign Affairs & rename it something neutral-- How about Political Skepticism

Then everything that gets labeled "conspiracy" can go there with dignity instead of ridicule.

Chuck Norris wants to know.

HOWEVER speculation has it's place. And it's place is in a separate forum that is not ridiculed in its title.

Maybe you consider astrology ridiculous. Yet that forum is very popular. So who are you to say?

Whatever the 9-11 forum becomes should not reflect the wishes of the whole of DU. The 9-11 & similar issues are not allowed in the big forums. That is enough to suggest that it doesn't reflect DU as a whole. You need not take responsibility for its existence.

I'm not that interested in the forum and have no dog in the race, but I know a slippery slope when I see it. :eyes:

:evilgrin:

When the site switches over to DU3 will I be able to just log on like normal or will I need to do something different?

Thanks in advance.

Don

Thanks!

and am going to support it remaining.

to resubcribe to my favorite groups is going to be what the new DU will be like then, oh, crap! It was terribly unwieldy.

Oh and even though I like one of the low-interest groups named, you really should delete anything that hasn't had any real activity in six months. If someone wants to post something on that topic, it can simply be done in General Discussion.

Actually what I like about the different forums is that most of them don't move very fast, and so it's possible to go and find a thread that was started some time back and bring it up to date with a new post.

:thumbsup:

Subscribed to the ones I want, although I didn't post in all of them yet.

..and that you can't see the different between him and the rest of us doesn't say a lot for you.

Lord knows, there are enough sports websites already. We don't need one here.

Do you wants sports pouring into the Lounge?

OK, forget it.

It's dopey of me to say we should delete 20 forums and tell you not to visit sports. The reason Sports should stay is that it's one of the most active small forums on the site. If you compare it to some of the forums on the chopping block you'll see that they get a handful (or less) posts ever YEAR.

Just cut the LEAST ACTIVE groups or fold them into existing groups. If Sports is active as you say (I rarely visit), it'll stay.

GLBT forum that no one seems to pay any attention to. :rofl:

"grown ups" take care of bidness :P

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=118

On DU3, its currently nested under the "Justice and Public Safety" area: http://www.du3preview.com/?com=forum&id=1172

:hi:

I'm supposed to have a beer with him any day now...

Eliminate the states groups. Combine them into regions. There are several other groups that should be combined, if not deleted.

Very very helpful.

Or something.

...and I'm pretty sure all those groups were there.

I don't specifically remember seeing the Pets group, but this is DU. It had to be there.

Just go to the Forums & Groups (Show All) page:

http://www.du3preview.com/?com=forums&mode=show_all

And then use your browser's "Find on this page" function to search for the names of the groups you are looking for.

The greatest page helps me to see important or interesting things from forums I might not normally visit. I'd hate to lose it.

Or am I just missing it?

I am having trouble finding it.

thanks

"Coping with Divorce/Separation Group". we all like to think we won't ever need it (I did) but when it happened to me, I was so glad I could find some friends online to talk to. Posting the pain in the Lounge just didn't appeal even though I knoew I could have.

I don't know if there's a possibility to save it, but I do think it is a "special" situation.

Thanks.

combine religion with health&disablity & sports

combine gender orientation with reading/writing & environment and energy...


That should make them a little more interesting :rofl:

the lgbt activism forum is really unnecessary at this point

Sounds like a billion of groups to go through.. wonder if there's one for discussion of MMJ?

Oh well...

I don't have credit either--and I'm a monthly subscriber.

a one ime donation of--even $1--gets you into this "exclusive" club. If you can't afford that, DUers are known to donate in other's names.

:hi:

I mean, it's already tough enough living with limited funds.

I'm a newly-single mom so am not in a position to do so, but I'm fairly certain someone will.

Did you click any of the links in my OP?

DU3 looks good!

Question: Is there going to be a Greatest Page? Recs & UnRecs?

But we will ultimately have features that serve a similar purpose.

It'll be interesting to see what you guys come up with to replace it.

:rofl:

would be a good thing.
There are so many ripoffs nowadays.
We could discuss our bad and good experiences.

I said it before...and I'll (sigh) say it again...I think that there should be some consideration given to a STRICTLY positive forum: "General Discussions - Victories Great & Small" or something there abouts..(you decide)...but the response I got (or rather - the lack there of) would seem to suggest that none such forum is needed because...well, you know...so much easier to just bitch about crap over and over again ad nausea than to actually - well - you know - celebrate and shine a little light on ALL THE STUFF that happens which is...ummm, you know.....POSITIVE????????????

DU might be a great place to exchange information and that is all well and good...(or at least...it's original intentions?) but when I look at the THOUSANDS of hits recently for the crap about Governor Arnold and his personal stuff versus other topics...well, it just makes me think that DU is sort of turning into one huge gossip, crude, base massive forum where the leaders of this forum really need to set a precedent or at the very least offer up something or other which allow a venue for sharing the *good stuff* that happens everyday as well across this great country of ours.

But I digress.....

Easier to just keep on bitching for popularity than to actually try and set a positive precedence...somewhere....somehow!!!!

Until then - I'll be holding back my $$$ on my quarterly contribution...........

For what its worth ~ ~ ~ ~

:shrug:











































































:sarcasm:

no longer exist. The Lounge has changed quite a bit but it is still interesting. Keep the lounge!

There are 26 others who joined as well.

an "I like groups" group.

i saw there are only 19 subscribers on du3 and i would hate to see it go.

that little group has helped me get through the most difficult time of my life--for the past year and a half. i have gone there and read the posts, posted quite a bit myself, sobbed while posting and reading what other had written--it has been an amazing place with amazing people that have seen me at my lowest of lows, and their caring, sympathetic voices have been a source of tremendous support and encouragement

it might not be that "popular" of a group--and, in a sense that's a good thing--but for some of us it has been a source of comfort in our darkest hours, weeks, months, and years after experiencing the passing of a cherished and loved one.

i was so glad to have found it when i needed it. i'm grateful there is such a place and please don't let it disappear.

I'll subscribe. I may not need it today, but I'd like to know that it's there if I do. Thank you. :pals:

:hug:

I think of you often and hope you're well.

aA
kesha

a million ups and downs. you know.

hope you're doing well also.

take good care,
:hug:

Thank you, orleans. :hug:

that DUers wouldn't necessarily "subscribe" to.

No one anticipates a death or divorce/separation--but knowing support is htere when you need it most is so helpful.