ATS 2010 - Part Two - Convergence. (Merge BTS & ATS?)

Is there no way to resolve the authentication issue?

I think keeping them separate continues to make sense, but it would be nice if you could just resolve the login issue.

Admittedly, I'm one of those 'lazy' people who find it annoying to have to do the second login. Consequently, I rarely venture over to BTS.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Sir I vote NO. It takes me long enough to sift thru the disinformation and trolling on ATS to get to the good stuff. Please keep BTS where it is. Thanks for asking.

The one and only thing about BTS that ever actually bugged me was the inexplicable point system that always showed I had negative 2173 BTS points.

What the hell does that mean, anyway? Did it mean I was forfeiting points by not going to BTS more often? Or what?

— Doc Velocity

I love the idea of a merge. I don't really have any complaints about it as it is, but it would be so much easier to become a regular poster on BTS subjects if there were right in front of my face. Too many times I kind of "forget" about BTS and I always have fun reading and posting there.

I say YES! Absolutely! I vote for a merge.

Originally posted by Doc Velocity

What the hell does that mean, anyway? Did it mean I was forfeiting points by not going to BTS more often? Or what?

Nope, it means that when you were buying stuff like background/text colors, personalized lines in you avy, you clicked on the "use both ats and bts points" to purchase them ... as a result, if you didn't have enough bts points to cover it, it would put you into negative points. Hope that explains it.

Originally posted by Doc Velocity

Originally posted by endisnighe
Lilydale, you do not have a notepad of all your passwords?

Yeah, she's got a password notepad, I saw it last night while I was hacking her compu....oops. Nothing. I didn't say anything.

— Doc Velocity

Great one Doc.

But you can encrypt a file so no one can access it. If one would be that paranoid about it. My passwords are random and the maximum allowed characters.

I just find it more accessible and time saving than trying to memorize a bunch of different passwords or even worse using the same password for numerous things.

reply to post by Doc Velocity


All you did was spend combined points in the store.

I still vote no. Loosing BTS would change ATS forever for the worse. People, your regular ATS login is the same for BTS you just enter you ATS username and password into BTS and you are in. It's not that hard. But please, just because some people have a problem logging in, don't destroy a good thing for the rest of us.

Yes please do!

Firstly I believe there would be way more activity in the BTS sections that would be moved to ATS. We are seeing opposition to the merge here by members but in the end you surely will get more activity.

There's so many great sections on BTS, but let's be honest here, the activity shown on BTS is mostly always the same members, if you merge BTS with ATS you'll not only have highly active BTS members but both.

And for those calling BTS an escape, how does a nothing more than a different domain create that escape? Doesn't make sense.

If the staff is serious about information architecture and merge ATS and BTS in a very organized way I guarantee you 95% of members will be super happy, even the one's showing opposition now. BTS active members will continue to be active just like in the philosophy and metaphysics section but also others will join for talks about religion, music to just general chit chat.

I highly support this act and hope it happens!!

Please Please Please Please Please!!!!

I think the better thing to do would be to somehow merge the two logins. I think doing that would bring more people onto BTS. It would be great to be able to just hop over there and keep going, without the roadblock of the login screen.

If that wouldn't work, I vote for a merger, but think that only the most popular of the forums should be merged. With that, those forums should stay the way that they are on BTS, in order to keep their unique atmosphere, and that new threads in their shouldn't appear in any new thread list. (Unless of course, there would be a new BTS firehose button at the top.)

by the way i'd like to say that it has nothing to do with loging in.

username and password big deal, that's not the issue.
I just want everything in one domain.

It's like at my previous contract we were using a CRM tool, excel sheets, some MS Access databases and outlook calendar.

Then... after I left unfortunately, they got a new CRM system and centralized all tasks into one tool, now there's way more productivity i've been told and the seamless integration resulted in much less delegation.

Trust me, everyone will be happy if this happens!

So... the next question is, do we merge BTS back into ATS?

I don't care,
two lines


Whatever floats your boat.

[edit on 112828p://bWednesday2010 by Stormdancer777]

I also vote no. BTS is fine where it is. It's a separate place from ATS. It's where I go to get away from all the conspiracies. It's fine right where it is.

I would vote "no".

Keeping them apart is the last great defense against keeping the BS off ATS.

I mean...even with them apart, I am still reading (heck, even making?) many posts that are obviously BTS material within ATS.

Remove that invisible barrier and this site becomes even harder to find the small percent of "important luggage" amongst the drift-wood.

I would dearly like to see the two remain apart.






[edit on 10-2-2010 by Mr Mask]

Complaints by Newb's I am guessing.

I would say No.

I think merging the two sites would create disorder.

ATS by itself is a large entity, but combining the two would create an overwhelming site to navigate, unless BTS had a completely separate area.

I would suggest ATS create a Demo Video for individuals that are having a difficult time logging in, then mods can just provide the link to the video.

Here's a tip for the people having a difficult time logging in.

Make your login info the same for both sites, God forbid our lazy arses have to make a few more keystrokes to log into another forum.

Sorry Skeptic you guys know me I am not going to sugar coat anything.

Peace out.

RT


[edit on 10-2-2010 by Realtruth]

I have to admit that one reason I don't post much if at all on BTS is because it's a seperate site .... although I suppose no reason I can't just have it bookmarked as another forum

I think BTS is where the cool kids hang out and relax

I'd prefer it to be out there on its own, miles away from the majority of ATSers. It's escapism from the serious members of ATS....like a well-known secret.

[
If the staff is serious about information architecture and merge ATS and BTS in a very organized way I guarantee you 95% of members will be super happy, even the one's showing opposition now.

Really now?

Some people can hardly stand the "load" of BTS-worthy material showing up on ATS already.

I find it funny that you guarantee 95% happiness if this happens. I think "more likely" many members will leave, and the quality of the site will lower itself over time, if the two merged.

Just my opinion.

I know after receiving the U2U on this subject, I became a tad worried about this and began "hoping" this was a false alarm.

Sounds like a horrible idea to me...and If I feel this strongly about it, I doubt there is a lack of others feeling the same.

MOST IMPORTANTLY-

The people who want this merge are here now and using ATS. There is no loss of "users". Refusing to Make these BTS users happy by allowing them to post drivel and chit-chat on ATS will surly not make them leave the site(s) altogether, since they are here now...it would simply "please them".

But doing a drastic move like this "can" make the site lose members who come here thinking "this site is a serious conspiracy site and worthy of joining/monitoring".

In other words-

Making the change will make some people "happy", but they are happy enough as it is and still here even without the change. Nothing broken to fix there.

But making the change CAN drive some people away who demand a higher caliber of "information" here on ATS.

If this is to "only" fix a log-in issue, I say forget it. There is no log-in issue, just lazy people who like to complain or "people who forget passwords too easy". No one ever died a horrible death logging into something twice.

To me- BTS is "poster's limbo" and "sensibility-hell".

Opening the food gates for BTS users to roost here just seems like an act that would lower the quality of ATS.

Personally I like them being separate. If people are complaining about logging in it's laziness IMO. It takes no time at all to log in to BTS. I keep both windows in a tab so I can go back and forth. I personally dont want to go thru pages of BTS crap just to get to the real ATS stuff that is way more interesting than BTS forums. I do frequent BTS but I prefer ATS.

I vote NO

If I want threads about old songs from the 50s

or about 'remember your first love'

or about 'Is Britney on the edge'


I can very easily log into BTS


I don't log in there very often


And I wouldn't be logging into ATS very often either, if ATS was merged with BTS

thanks for asking

Also-

Count the votes for no.

Then count the votes for yes.

Landslide thus far in favor of the "No", and these are the users who care enough to rush here and share their opinion on this serious matter.

I think most people using ATS would not like to see this happen.