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Potentially with fewer categories at the top level, that just cover an announcements section, rules section, new users section and then main 'forum' section.
That simplifies some things, but I think the "moderators for each bit of the top level" suggestion you made on the Discord is an essential idea and would work better with more LFGSS-style categories, despite needing more moderators, since it's probably easier to find motivated moderators for specific rather than vaguely general categories.
Given volunteers for the moderation, a basic template of "Top level category, a couple of normal channels (named something like 'general' and 'admin') and pretty much everything else within the category organised as forum channels" would probably do pretty well without overthinking it.
The problem is, there are some sub-forums within these on LFGSS that we just can't replicate
For sure. Discord is deliberately designed to be more constrained and moderator-dependent, which matches its typical use case. As long as it's familiar enough and also has a structure that approximately allows the spontaneity this site does, that would give it a better chance of gaining engagement. The most important thing right now, I think, is that the Discord has that core of volunteers and they find the time to agree on whatever template works for them and get it ready.
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itsbruce
Yeah I do think it needs a bit of a overhaul, and as there's not much use of it at the moment it would be better sooner rather than later if it is to become something of a holding space for the future as things can't be moved around once created.
I think the issue is there aren't as many layers on Discord so it's difficult to get something as useful as it is here.
Potentially with fewer categories at the top level, that just cover an announcements section, rules section, new users section and then main 'forum' section. The first three can be quite static and only updated by admin/mods when needed then the main section will have Forum Channels set up to mirror the Sections available here on the Front page. Then users are able to create conversations at their will within those areas like they can here. That's the closest I think it could be at the moment without going into additional allowances by user within certain categories and stuff.
I'd initially think that it could work something like this using examples of forums and threads on here -
New Members Category:
Announcements Category:
Rules Category:
Main Forum Category:
* Bicycle Tag Conversation
* Spotted...
* Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?
* Ways Not to Lock Your Bike
* Doping
* etc.
* Star Wars Appreciation Spoilers Ahead
* Owning Your Own Home
* Films
* Wordle
* Musk is a cunt and Tesla are shit
* What are you Listening to?
* Video Games
* Etc.
* North Drinks
* East Drinks
* West Drinks
* South East Drinks
* One off Events
* Etc.
* Transmission database - for all your crank / bb / bottom bracket questions
* Mechanics and Fixing Any Questions Answered
* Wheelbuilding / Wheel Building / Wheel build help
* Chain Waxing
* Etc.
* Disc Brakes are dead
* Etc.
* The Rapha Festive 500
* Pro-cycling thread
* Ultracycling
* Audax Rides
* Etc.
Cities and Places Category
The New Members, Announcements and Rules could even be rolled into one Category like it is on here, with some Categories, Forum Channels (with Categories) and Text Channels (with Threads) open for testing and welcomes and stuff as well as the read only stuff.
The problem is, there are some sub-forums within these on LFGSS that we just can't replicate I don't think. 'Covid-19' exists within the Miscellaneous and Meaningless forum and the Classifieds has sub forums for 'Components and clothing' seperate to 'Complete Bikes and Frames & forks' for example. Another one is the 'Cities and Places' on LFGSS that has sub-forums for each place within that, as I've noted above, this would maybe need to be a seperate category, with mod created Forum Channels that then Users create the conversations in, I think that's how it is here.