[PopeGideon]

Not sure about all these fancy categories and whatnot, but I don't like the fact that I log into PO.com like usual, I click on the forum links on the right, as usual, and I get something OTHER THAN the linked page.

Not good.

I humbly suggest getting rid of whatever extra step is required for a browsing person to see what the hyperlink connects to.

As for me?

I've been an avid reader of this site for a long time, but I don't think I'm going to join groups or whatever to be able to read posts.

I've got enough hassles.

[mkwin]

This system is a pointless waste of time. It will turn new users away who can't access posts and some might not even understand the terms of the group names.

[IslandCrow]

Just checked: 17 registered DOOMERs and nobody registered in the other two groups.

[dinopello]

Maybe the other forums should be reserved only for those that don't pick a label ? If someone is posting too cornicopian or too doomerish or too moderate? then we can suggest they crawl back into their 'special place'

[basil_hayden]

What's next - Peak Oil version of Survivor?
Or would Peak Oil the board game be more appropriate so close to the Olduvai Gorge?

[SpringCreekFarm]

I still don't quite understand what this is leading up to or what this new feature will accomplish.

So we have these groups but what do they divide or filter?

Once you pick your group, will you be able to see and post in the other groups?

What happens when we choose a group?

What happens when we don't choose a group?

Does anyone know what the hell is going on?

Am I part of a social experiment?

I'm ok with it as I find it interesting but I, for one, am confused about all this expert, elite, group membership stuff and where it might lead. I was shocked the day I got the expert tag because I make it my business to not spend too much time on one subject in life or even a few. I am PROFICIENT in many areas because I'm a life learner, homesteader and alot of things interest me as long as it's PRACTICAL hands on stuff. I'm not an expert in anything but perhaps that is not what Aaron REALLY means by the expert tag. Maybe it's time to drag out the old thesaurus and find a synonym for expert that really fits what Aaron really means by 'expert'

I have been trying to figure out what an "expert only" forum would accomplish. I can't think of anything that we'd need to discuss inside there. Hell, I don't know any of you from a hill of beans so how the heck can any of this mean anything?

Does anyone else feel this way?

[Heineken]

Could someone in the know please explain, in an instructive and organized way, what this change consists of and its rationale? Sometimes (and this is one of them) significant changes are made seemingly without any explanation. They just happen, and members are left to grope their way toward the light.

Do members now have to register as a doomer, moderate, or cornu before they can view and respond to certain threads? Or what? And WHY??

[dinopello]

Actually, what would make this more interesting is to let anyone read the doomer-only or whatever thread but only let a self-declared doomer post there. Then it would allow you to see who you want to associate with and/or it might tempt a cornicopian to temporarily declare themself a doomer so they could jump in a conversation and we could all get a chuckle out of that - eh? On the other hand, I don't really care.

[mkwin]

Even though I would consider myself a moderate, by your definition, this blocking of other posts is just stupid. I do not need to be shielded from others who have different opinions. In fact, I welcome the chance to receive and debate the ideas of all members of the forum. Depending on what the information is presenting at the time I might even change my viewpoint but filtering out alterative views really makes peakoil.com pointless.

This is a terrible idea that will severely damage peakoil.com’s leading position as a peakoil community.

[Aaron]

Apologies,

I forgot to make this experiment invisible to visitors.

My bad

It should be fixed now

Continue your bashing...

[virgincrude]

I'm with Mkwin.

First you invent an Expert label, then you want to restrict newcomer's access to the Open Forum, now you want to reduce us all to categories.

CONTROL FREAKS! WTF was/is wrong with equal access for all? Why do we have to pigeon-hole ourselves?

NEOPO was dead right. Time to get out of here was way back when you made Airline Pilot a Mod.

What is the point? Are we soon going to have our access to each board restricted according to our membership with one of these categories? What about the many of us who slide easily from Peak Doomer in the morning, to Relative Cornucopian come afternoon and General Moderate by bed time, and then back around again? Isn't it enough that we've accepted the Peak Oil Dogma ... ? Now we have to abide by the rules of being a Cornucopian/Moderate/Doomer?

[Pixie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mkwin', 'T')his system is a pointless waste of time. It will turn new users away who can't access posts and some might not even understand the terms of the group names.

[Pixie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mkwin', 'E')ven though I would consider myself a moderate, by your definition, this blocking of other posts is just stupid. I do not need to be shielded from others who have different opinions. In fact, I welcome the chance to receive and debate the ideas of all members of the forum. Depending on what the information is presenting at the time I might even change my viewpoint but filtering out alterative views really makes peakoil.com pointless.

This is a terrible idea that will severely damage peakoil.com’s leading position as a peakoil community.

[Aaron]

Control Freaks?

lol... no.

If this experimental forum has no utility for you, then don't use it.

It's available to anyone just like any other forum on this board, including the Open Forum & the HOF, (both of which are unavailable to guests already).

This experiment is in response to requests from both sides of the PO equation having to tolerate the presence of the other in pet threads. And to be honest, the ignore button becomes a tedious affair after a while, (I'm told)

In any event, don't let an experiment in speciality forums spoil your experience here because you think it's divisive etc...

I rather think it reflects the pre-existing divisions among us, and more clearly frames the debate at hand. After all, who here will argue that conventional peak isn't close at hand, or already past?

Almost nobody.

But the consequences of post-peak life... the divisions are sharp & compelling on both sides I think.

In any event... if you don't like the experiment, then by all means... don't use it, and let it die from attrition.

That's what experiments are for.

[eastbay]

I can't see any of them now... did you pull them Aaron?

[Aaron]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', 'I') can't see any of them now... did you pull them Aaron?

[eastbay]

I see them now.

[Aaron]

One more thing.

There are no restrictions on membership.

Join all three if you like.

This is really just a way for people who want avoid certain topics in a wholesale fashion.

[SpringCreekFarm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'O')ne more thing.

There are no restrictions on membership.

Join all three if you like.

This is really just a way for people who want avoid certain topics in a wholesale fashion.

[mkwin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SpringCreekFarm', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'O')ne more thing.

There are no restrictions on membership.

Join all three if you like.

This is really just a way for people who want avoid certain topics in a wholesale fashion.