Posts/Participation ratio

285Bound was started for those who lost their voice in the online community of the 285 Corridor, and for those who desired participation in an alternative method of managing the discussions. Forums were organized to direct people to the appropriate place to post and the discussions are initiated and populated by the members, not 285Bound staff or outsiders from some corporation. The basic operating premise is that moderation based on content is not done - it's up to each member to post in the appropriate forum - if you want to degrade and attack a political party and its followers, do so in the Ring. If you want to have serious, intelligent, actual debate, do so in the Courthouse, but it's up to the members to moderate themselves. This site is what we make of it ourselves, not what we are told or forced to make of it. And it will grow in the places/forums where it is needed and wanted by the members.

As to otis's comment:

otisptoadwater wrote: What I have not seen is more traffic in the more neutral forums like the Campfire. When I log on to 285Bound and take a look at the active topics I see that the majority of the posts that are active are in the Courthouse and the topics are generally political in nature. So why not more traffic in the Campfire, Kitchen, Pet Corner, etc? No one has anything to post that isn't a scathing rip on one political party or the other, protests, military actions the US is involved in or threatened by?

I think that the reason that there aren't more neutral topics is because politics is of the highest interest to the most active of members on here, and the reason we have politically active members is because the atmosphere at other local sites is not conducive to having dialog (cuz you can't talk when threads get locked!) or there's not enough critical mass. I, for one, would dearly love to have even more content in every other forum here as a "community" forum should contain something that appeals to every member of the community; but again, it's up to the members to fill those forums with content. If you think there's not enough, then by all means, consider yourselves politely requested to do so! If you visit a local restaurant, post a review. If you go camping, take pictures and post them! If you know of an event your church is holding, or something scheduled by a community group that looks like fun, let all of us know! Keep in mind that 285Bound is still a young site - just about to hit 18 months - and we have a lot off community information and resources yet untapped and brought in. There's much work yet to be done.

I'm guessing most of us want to communicate with each other and discuss what the events in the news really mean to us. One of the best examples of a civil thread that I can think of is when a fire breaks out, no one calls anyone a moron or debates why one route or another out of the area is stupid. The community pulls together and we all feel the need to address a common threat. I've compared this phenomenon with being aboard a ship when a collision with another vessel occurs in the past; in that moment no one is a particular race, color, or creed, no one is a Democrat or a Republican, no one is a city slicker or a backwoods country hick. The entire crew is only concerned with the damage control that is required to keep the ship from sinking and saving their collective lives as a team.

Exactly. The way this community pulled together when Becky's daughter went missing was a perfect example - differences were set aside for the time being, even between people who wouldn't otherwise give each other the time of day, much less direct assistance, until it was resolved. When life is not only about survival or an emergency situation, people have time to reflect on what else is important in their lives and how to change it, and want to have those discussions with others in their sphere of influence, and that's when all of that collective coming together gets forgotten because rather than being united in one commonality, we are suddenly focusing on, and elevating in importance, the myriad of differences between us. To keep in mind the commonalities when not in a time of crisis, and continue to respond to those same online neighbors in a differences-set-aside, more civil manner, even when it's the differences that are being heatedly debated, is always something to strive for.

Like others who have already made this point, I believe that traffic on 285Bound is a reflection of how divided our community is on many points. Most of the topics that draw a lot of attention and multiple posts have real impacts to our personal futures and the future of our nation, they are highly charged and they will probably always be divisive because most people will take one side or the other and defend their position.

A strong community, that which is most likely to weather any storm/hardship, is the one that is the most diverse - not divided, but diverse. You need people of all persuasions who can bring their unique skills, viewpoints, and methods of solving problems in order to overcome any challenge faced by the community as a whole. This country was not founded by a group of people who all had similar goals, thoughts, principles, and beliefs; and we are the better for it because one paradigm did not win out over another - we were founded on compromised guidelines that allowed for flexibility, adaptability, and growth while placing checks on the manners in which humans' less noble of instincts could hasten the destruction of the country as a whole. What this means is that, on an individual level, there are not limits to the strife and struggle between individuals of opposing beliefs, so we get down to an online forum where people come together, some anonymously, some not, to hash out that process that was begun long ago when humankind first started forming groups for survival and argued over the best way to go about it. It will be acrimonious, impassioned, and at times loud and angry. But there is no reason it can't be respectful where it should be respectful, and nasty where it should be nasty.

Because in the end, forging ahead with only my solution to a problem, or you going with only your solution to a problem, either have little chance of success because my way has blind spots and your way has blind spots that neither of us has thought of, unless we've listened to each other's novel ideas/viewpoints and resolved the weaknesses in our solutions through incorporation of each other's ideas (and you're not listening if you're not reading and critically considering what someone posts, you're calling the other person names/being rude, or are just here to troll).

I appreciate what everyone has to bring to this forum as the exposure to unique ideas, knowledge, and experience can only make my ideas, knowledge, and experience all the better. Thank you!

Now start getting more of your friends, family, and neighbors on here so we get more ideas and viewpoints!