Request for a forum change...

I'm not exactly following this request.

If you make a post in BTS, then it shows up on your 'myATS' page. Just navigate from there. It's not required that you go look at 'conspiracies'.

To try to pump up BTS volume by moving something here seems odd. Why not just, oh, IDK, add by posting something interesting which will draw posters?

Why create a problem for the Mods, making them jump around - if you want to post a short story, go to that forum and post it.

In addition, and I say this light-heartedly, BTS is the realm of everything Real. Real people, real topics, cooking, life stories, rants, survival gear.

Short stories, like much of ATS is fiction, speculation, imagination, delusion as grand drama.

So IMO, keep the SS forum where it is, and if you want to post there, go there. If you want more posters in BTS, create good threads.

One takes work the other is just 'faking it' by artificially moving a forum.

2 cents.





[edit on 1-8-2008 by Badge01]

I think my stories would be read much more often in the BTS forum, because most of them are not in any way related to ATS material.

Poems, especially seem more at home at BTS. People are more "open" to offer critique and praise.

reply to post by SantaClaus


Ever thought of putting a link to them in your .sig?

It's a bit of 'self-promotion', but so what?

Just a thought. Solves the problem in a local, rather than global manner.

I also think "Short Stories" would get more attention and feedback in BTS. ATSers are all about evidence, facts, research. BTSers are all about...well...stories.

You put the forum in BTS exclusively and you will lower the quality of content. Why not make it a feature of both ATS and BTS? You get the best of both worlds then. I've said it once in this thread already but I'll say it again now; moving it to BTS solely, I think, would be a big mistake.

I'm all for the forum being available on both because it means more readers and possibly more replies. But you stick the entire thing in BTS and I, for one, will never post on it again, or read any of the fabrications.

What I want to see, is the increase of quality of the posts on BTS. ATS is the center for all great alternative topics such as UFOs Conspiracy and other topics that require hard facts, good research and are trying to get at the truth. A short story on ATS just doesn't belong in my opinion.

BTS is for general off topic and non conspiratorial talk and general chit chat. It is made for more lighthearted and more creative threads. I believe that Short Stories being put into the BTS forums would make BTS a better environment, increase traffic to the forums on BTS and make a better place for writers to work on stories without (falsely) having to think that the story should have a conspiratorial twist to it.

Some members see BTS as a waste ground or garbage dump. I certainly disagree with this statement. I think that BTS is a great place to post threads of a non conspiratorial nature and have fun in the process. I think that putting Short Stories into BTS would benefit both ATS and BTS similarly. By leaving ATS open for the more alternative side of discussion and debate and increasing traffic to BTS for member submitted short stories, and giving members that feel more comfortable posting on BTS the oppertunity to create and collaborate on great works of fiction.

I think this suggestion makes sense as Short Stories certainly qualifies as off topic. Additionally the ATS board traffic often causes even important threads to sink to the back pages. Putting Short Stories into BTS would free up spots on the main page.

BTS should not have to be a death sentence for any thread, maybe there needs to be a reindroduction for the noobs sakes.

At 6000+ posts a day you might be more likely to get attention for this suggestion by using the topped "ATS, BTS What would you like to see in the Future?" Thread, which is reviewed by staff once in awhile.

Originally posted by whatukno
What I want to see, is the increase of quality of the posts on BTS. ATS is the center for all great alternative topics such as UFOs Conspiracy and other topics that require hard facts, good research and are trying to get at the truth. A short story on ATS just doesn't belong in my opinion.

What if it's a conspiratorial story, though? You've got to remember, not everyone is writing your everyday "run-of-the-mill" stories that would, indeed, be better suited to BTS. That's why I think it best that the Short Story forum be a feature of both. Why do you want to make it exclusively BTS? What real purpose would it serve?

BTS is for general off topic and non conspiratorial talk and general chit chat. It is made for more lighthearted and more creative threads. I believe that Short Stories being put into the BTS forums would make BTS a better environment, increase traffic to the forums on BTS and make a better place for writers to work on stories without (falsely) having to think that the story should have a conspiratorial twist to it.

If you're looking to make BTS a better environment then make sure, if you move the Short Story forum there, that it shows up on ATS too. You're trying to increase BTS traffic, right? So what good would it do making that forum BTS specific? It makes no sense. All you'll do is ruin the Short Story forum.

Again, you're being selfish. What if the writer doesn't have to "falsely" put a conspiratorial slant on his work? What if a writer writes in that genre anyway? You don't, but others do.

Some members see BTS as a waste ground or garbage dump. I certainly disagree with this statement. I think that BTS is a great place to post threads of a non conspiratorial nature and have fun in the process. I think that putting Short Stories into BTS would benefit both ATS and BTS similarly. By leaving ATS open for the more alternative side of discussion and debate and increasing traffic to BTS for member submitted short stories, and giving members that feel more comfortable posting on BTS the oppertunity to create and collaborate on great works of fiction.

All of the above could be achieved by making the forum show on both. By making it specific to one or the other you're alienating people. You say "and giving members that feel more comfortable posting on BTS the oppertunity to create and collaborate on great works of fiction," but what about the people who aren't comfortable posting on BTS -- those who prefer ATS?

At least if the forum is a feature of both it's a compromise. You, Sir, are really only concerned with yourself and your group of BTS friends.

reply to post by Cadbury


no no don't get me wrong, I agree that it could be in both ATS and BTS simultaniously. I think that would be a great idea. A great compromise. (as I stated before)

reply to post by whatukno


You said that before but then you turned around and said make it BTS specific again a few posts later, saying a Short Story doesn't belong on ATS.

reply to post by Cadbury


But you see, I can agree with you and still want my origional thought. If it is possible to have it on both boards I am all for that. But if not I would like to see it on BTS.

The subject matter is clearly made for the forums on BTS. It's just logical that it be placed on that board instead of ATS. However, I do see your point. Yes some writers do put a conspiritorial twist into their work. That in itself is clearly ATS. If it is possible to have it on both boards at once, or perhaps even a separate yet equal BTS version perhaps that could be a compromise that everyone can agree with. Perhaps, a new forum called Creative Fiction. for BTS. Where writers more comfortable with the BTS forums can gather and write and have their work read by people that post often on BTS.

[edit on 8/2/2008 by whatukno]

Originally posted by whatukno
But you see, I can agree with you and still want my origional thought. If it is possible to have it on both boards I am all for that. But if not I would like to see it on BTS.

Perhaps. Perhaps.

If it is possible to have it on both boards at once, or perhaps even a separate yet equal BTS version perhaps that could be a compromise that everyone can agree with. Perhaps, a new forum called Creative Fiction. for BTS. Where writers more comfortable with the BTS forums can gather and write and have their work read by people that post often on BTS.

I like your idea of creating a new, separate writing forum for BTS even better than my idea of making the existing such forum appear on both ATS and BTS. A good plan. Sir. Perhaps leave the current Short Story forum where it is and enforce a more "Above Top Secret" subject matter policy, then create a new Short Story forum in BTS to accommodate the genre of story you had in mind?