Va Beach/Norfolk split?

[vdogg 701]

I've been thinking lately that with the sheer number of projects going on in both of these

cities, it may be time to split them into different subforums to give the other cities a chance to breath. There are pros and cons to this. Splitting Norfolk and Va. Beach out of the Hampton Roads forum may cause that forum to decrease significantly in activity and interest as everyone (including lurkers) concentrates on the main cities. It could very well have the opposite effect and allow cities like NN and Hampton to rise to the top and get more attention (At times it all gets very darwinian in the HR forum in a survival of the fittest sort of way ). I think this can improve organization but part of me has reservations about splitting HR up and the image that puts across (we all talk about promoting HR as a single entity, this may be counterproductive to that view). I'm really sitting the fence on this one and need your guys input.

[ironchapman 2]

It would be nice to see this happen. It would make it easier for me to find the VA Beach topics (I used to have relatives that were stationed there) in this Sorbonne of metroplexes.

It also would create less competition for the cities with fewer topics.

Splitting Norfolk and Va. Beach out of the Hampton Roads forum may cause that forum to decrease significantly in activity and interest as everyone (including lurkers) concentrates on the main cities.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wouldn't worry too much about this. This is what happened to Georgia when they separated Atlanta from it. The GA forum still survives, even if it is significantly less active becuase everyone wanted to talk about Atlanta.

[rusthebuss 1]

Thats hard decision dude. I'm not sure. Have to ponder on it for a while before i vote.

[rusthebuss 1]

What made you think about this?

[vdogg 701]

Thats hard decision dude. I'm not sure. Have to ponder on it for a while before i vote.

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I know, it's very tough, and i want to give all of our members a chance to weigh in before I make any final decisions, so i'll probably keep this up for a while and reserve my vote for the end.. The divorce would be messy . There are a lot of threads that I may have to edit and chop up a bit because they've become so codependent (Example, would the HR military issues thread remain the same or would I have to separate all those post into a Va. Beach and Norfolk military thread for each subforum).

[rusthebuss 1]

I know, it's very tough, and i want to give all of our members a chance to weigh in before I make any final decisions, so i'll probably keep this up for a while and reserve my vote for the end.. The divorce would be messy  . There are a lot of threads that I may have to edit and chop up a bit because they've become so codependent (Example, would the HR military issues thread remain the same or would I have to separate all those post into a Va. Beach and Norfolk military thread for each subforum).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Military thread would be too hard to seperate. I would leave it the way it is.

[vdogg 701]

What made you think about this?

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Theres a few ideas we're working on and i found it may very well be easier for me to accomplish these tasks with Norfolk and Va. Beach having their own subforums. Also, I have received concerns from a few that it's getting a bit overwhelming trying to find important threads in here. Whether we do the split or not i've made the determination that something needs to be done with the organization of the subforum so that our new users have an easier time finding stuff.

[ironchapman 2]

Forgive me for intruding again, but have you thought about making it a "Norfolk & Virginia Beach" forum instead? Could let them brutally fight it out until the end.

Theres a few ideas were working on and i found it may very well be easier for me to accomplish these tasks with Norfolk and Va. Beach having their own subforums. Also, I have received concerns from a few that it's getting a bit overwhelming trying to find important threads in here. Whether we do the split or not i've made the determination that something needs to be done with the organization of the subforum so that our new users have an easier time finding stuff.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You know, vdogg, I feel I may have had a small part in sparking this, too.

[rusthebuss 1]

Ok well then do it then vdogg. I support what ever decision you make dude.

[rusthebuss 1]

Forgive me for intruding again, but have you thought about making it a "Norfolk & Virginia Beach" forum instead? Could let them brutally fight it out until the end.

You know, vdogg, I feel I may have had a small part in sparking this, too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are not intruding. You are more than welcome in here and your opinion matters too!

[rusthebuss 1]

You have to think what makes it easy for you to keep up with to! If its getting hard to maintain then do it.

[urbanvb 133]

Military thread would be too hard to seperate. I would leave it the way it is.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah I would leave that the way it is also esp since military is large in both cities.

[ironchapman 2]

You have to think what makes it easy for you to keep up with to! If its getting hard to maintain then do it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Georgia forum was the same way before Atlanta was separated from it.

The split between GA and Atlanta created two slightly less active forums in which it was easier to find GA related and ATL related topics.

[vdogg 701]

Forgive me for intruding again, but have you thought about making it a "Norfolk & Virginia Beach" forum instead? Could let them brutally fight it out until the end.

You know, vdogg, I feel I may have had a small part in sparking this, too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Slightly yes. You jogged my memory on an issue I hadn't fully resolved. We began as the Virginia forum with everyone jumbled in there. Well, needless to say it got kinda nuts and monsoon made the suggestion that we split it up into subforums. I agreed so we gave Richmond it's own subforum but we were really sitting the fence on giving Va. Beach and Norfolk their own subforums or grouping them in with the entire metro. I said "lets try it with the whole metro first and if it doesn't work out we can always separate them later". At the time I said that I had no idea we would have the explosive growth that we did and I didn't think the rest of the cities could stand on their own. I am now having second thoughts about that with all the new projects and members we've seemed to pick up in recent months.

[rusthebuss 1]

Go ahead and Do it then!

[ironchapman 2]

What if you created a different kind of subforum for the HR area. Boston has a transit forum and Providence has a Projects and Construction forum.

Charlotte has two subforums: a Retail subforum and a Coffee house subforum

[rusthebuss 1]

Also Newport News isn't too far behind from the development of Norfolk and Vabeach. Its its own monster.

[vdogg 701]

Go ahead and Do it then!

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I gotta get everyone elses input too . I really want to do whats best for the forum and part of that is taking into account how everyone feels about this. If a lot of people are against it then I won't do it. That's why i'm gonna give this poll a day or so before coming to any conclusions.

[ironchapman 2]

Also Newport News isn't too far behind from the development of Norfolk and Vabeach. Its its own monster.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You could keep that in the HR forum to help keep up the activity until it begins to dominate all threads.

[urbanvb 133]

I like the idea of a subforum but as IronChapman said this could be done a couple of ways. I am not sure which way would be better but I am in favor of splitting up the forum a bit more.

[vdogg 701]

What if you created a different kind of subforum for the HR area. Boston has a transit forum and Providence has a Projects and Construction forum.

Charlotte has two subforums: a Retail subforum and a Coffee house subforum

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thats an idea. The Projects and Construction forum sounds like an interesting idea, it would really take care of a lot of the issues with finding the project threads but it would still leave the issue of the other cities getting their proper attention. I'm really gonna have to think on the format of that one a bit.

[vdogg 701]

You could keep that in the HR forum to help keep up the activity until it begins to dominate all threads.

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Thats the way I was thinking about doing it. In time, if NN got just as busy we'd have to separate that out but at least the other cities like Portsmouth and Hampton would have a chance to shine as well.

[urbanvb 133]

I am not sure how difficult it is to make changes but if it does not pan out perhaps you could move it back or try another method.

[urbanvb 133]

Thats the way I was thinking about doing it. In time, if NN got just as busy we'd have to separate that out but at least the other cities like Portsmouth and Hampton would have a chance to shine as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And that way too you are not 'favoring' cities over others.

[vdogg 701]

I am not sure how difficult it is to make changes but if it does not pan out perhaps you could move it back or try another method.

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There have been times where it hasn't worked and they've had to collapse the forum back. It is possible that this won't work either and if thats the case we can try something different. I just want to make sure that when I make a request for a subforum it is for one that has the best possible chance of succeeding.