Post #183528 by woofmutt on Wed, Aug 31, 2005 8:34 PM

And again (as this subject haunted me for about for about 17 minutes this morning)...

"Beyond and Bilge have become a sideshow of sorts and a destination of their own, and that was not why Tiki Central was created. It was created for the sharing of Tiki information. I believe that making it available to GMs only will mean we're attracting people who are interested in Tiki." -Hanford-

The topic of Tiki is fairly finite. There's the old (real stuff, old bars, the junk), and the new (new stuff, new bars, events). Throw in some rambling musings on the topic and that's about it.

The regularly heard complaint that Tiki Central feels less exciting or "watered down" seems not rooted in actual change of tone or people but in the fact that just about every subject has been covered to a satisfying degree.

I've seen the Main Forum stay pretty much the same for days (especially when you ignore the threads that shouldn't be in the Main Forum). This isn't because members' energy and time is being poured into Beyond or Bilge it's because there's nothing new to say. The Main Forum is where everyone wishes they had something to post, some new discovery of Tiki. But there just aren't that many.

We do attract people who are interested in Tiki. I've read new members comments that they've spent days going through all the old topics. I've read many old members posting "We've already discussed that topic." when a new member posts a new thread in the Main Forum. With no new topics or comments to be made in the Main Forum it's understandable why people, especially new members, turn to Beyond and Bilge.

We all came for the Tiki, we've stayed because of the community.

As I said pages ago Grand Membership is relatively inexpensive. The price of a magazine subscription or a couple of overrated drinks in Los Angeles. But $24 can be stiff for students, parents, recently divorced people with wrecked credit, and others.

One of the reasons I became a Grand Member was that I knew there would be many members of Tiki Central who wouldn't/couldn't contribute. I wanted Tiki Central to remain the best online resource for Tiki information and a happening community for all lovers of Tiki who swung by.

I think this decision is a strong kick in the coconuts of the community. And if it came without warning I think that was a little unfair.

PS: "I'd like to stress that this change is in-part due to feedback I've been getting from vocal TC members, in the form of Private Messages and emails." -Hanford-

I'd be curious to see what the complaints were about...That Beyond was one step beyond Beyond? Bilge too silly? If the moderators are sorting out the stuff that doesn't belong in the Main Forum and the stuff that belongs in Bilge it seems the strong Tiki focus of the Main Forum will remain strong.