[Allen]

I am wondering how much interest there would be in a Forum specifically related to various golf topics? It seems to me that with all the golfers in TV there might be a lot of conversation regarding Tee Times, Groups, Courses in and Out of TV, Congratulatory Notes, Course Conditions, Great Shots or Rounds, Competitions, Cart Issues, Favorite Holes, Etiquette, Challenges, Events, Advice, Equipment, Personal Experiences, Critters, etc, etc.

So I'm just wondering, would you be interested in such a Forum? Would you participate, or at least view it? What kinds of Threads might you start if such a Forum existed?

[redwitch]

There are too many forums as it is here. Several different forums have a tendency to fragment an online community -- you check your interests and ignore the rest. Fortunately, I think the majority (but not all) here simply check new posts and ignore forums in general. That does keep some of the fragmentation from happening.

[Russ_Boston]

The admins can put as many forums as they'd like but I only check new posts. Most of the time I'm not sure exactly which category they are in.

[Bogie Shooter]

I too only check new posts.

[Boomer]

My guess is that those who have been around TOTV for a while probably do read mostly only new posts. And many of you probably remember the early days here when post-topics were divided into "Villages" and Non-Villages" and that was pretty much it. And there was a little column over to the left of the screen. And a post would appear maybe every hour or so. And that was all there was to it.

And then TOTV started to grow. And grow. And grow and grow and grow. Lots more members. Lots more posts. .

And all those posts -- well, they just had to get organized -- put on the proper shelves -- you know like in a library -- so people could find what they wanted to read.

And so all those different forums were born, with members reviewing books and movies and restaurants and sharing recipes and women talking about all kinds of things. And there is a forum about investments that some people (me) like to read, but not everybody. And there is a forum just for passing along funny things that people send to us on the internet. And there is a pet forum.

And lots more.

The point is that all these forums work just fine. People find TOTV when they are looking for information on TV. And this is an excellent source for that. But TOTV has evolved to include topics of general interest. Lots of them.

The opening page works like a table of contents in a book. Sometimes maybe people just take a little stroll (or I guess it would be a scroll) down the list of forums and find something that grabs their interest.

And so even though I personally might not look much at a golf forum, I think this just might be a really good idea for an added forum. (Well, actually I might look at it if somebody were talking about how to survive in TV as a terrible golfer.)

Anyway, for some reason, I see TOTV as being set up like a library. Librarians do not put together libraries of just books about stuff they are personally interested in. (They would get fired if they did that.) Librarians have to think about what others might be interested in, too. And so they tend to just back up and look at the big picture.

And so......I guess my imagination is getting the best of me and I am picturing myself as a librarian maybe???? Or....maybe I could just picture myself as......(you gotta sing this part -- you will know the tune I bet)

If I were an admin,
daidle deedle daidle,
daidle daidel deedle daidel dum

Well, if I were an admin, I think I would have to give this one some thought. Golf is the center of TV's universe for a whole lot of people. A golf forum could be a good addition.

Boomer on the Roof

[l2ridehd]

I do like the idea of a golf forum. It would help with a better knowledge of course conditions, off campus courses, finding like minded groups to play with, getting a foursome filled when someone cancels a day or two before, new equipment review, driving ranges, course specials, golf trips, selling used equipment (know that should go in items for sale, but could put in a plug here), and I sure many other items others could identify. Many of these show up in various places, but grouping them would be beneficial. If they show in general, I don't go look at that forum for history. A golf one I would.

I to usually check new posts only as well, but I also look at a couple of forums of interest if I have not signed on for a day or two. And this would be one of those of interest.

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Boomer on the Roof

That's so cute! I love cute.

When I first read the suggestion, I was neutral. Like Russ, I go directly to "New Posts". If I'm looking for specific info that might have been posted before, I do a search. I usually don't notice the categories.

Allen, Boomer and l2 make good cases for the category. My only reservation would be as Red stated. Would it lead to separate forums for bowling, pickleball, boche, individual arts and crafts, etc? Would groups without their own category feel slighted? (They shouldn't but it's not that hard to imagine posts such as, "more people play x than y and we don't have our own thread".)

Would it be more difficult for posters to find the right category? For example, there is a sports category now, but would that become the "wrong" thread for a discussion about PGA tournaments? Would sports enthusiast need to search separate theads?

I'm definitely not opposed, but I guess I'm still on the fence.

[Allen]

Thanks to all for the great discussion and numerous votes so far. Obviously I am a for the idea or I would not have raised the question. With that in mind, I would like to comment on two thought provoking posts:

Originally Posted by redwitch

There are too many forums as it is here. Several different forums have a tendency to fragment an online community -- you check your interests and ignore the rest. Fortunately, I think the majority (but not all) here simply check new posts and ignore forums in general.

Redwitch... You touched on it, but I would like to reiterate that people who are new to TOTV (or those who don't check it every day) don't always go straight to the new posts. I am new, and it took me a while to catch on to that idea (perhaps I am just slow). However, even though I often now go directly to new posts, I just as often check other Forums (that I have an interest in) and frequently find that informative posts have slipped in when I was not online.

Originally Posted by Pturner

Would it lead to separate forums for bowling, pickleball, boche, individual arts and crafts, etc? Would groups without their own category feel slighted?

To Pturner... You raise a good question, however, I would hope that the Monitors would be using an "evolutionary" or "survival of the fittest" approach thereby weeding out Forums where there is no interest and adding (or keeping) Forums where there is interest. That goes for the "All About Golf" idea as well. I hope that if there is enough interest that it will be add and subsequently be well utilized. If not, it be eliminated.

Again, to Redwich... Perhaps eliminating some of the Forums that are visited rarely would make room for those where interest is higher, and that would streamline and improve things if TOTV is indeed too fragmented. Posts to those rarely visited Forums would then just go into the General category.

That, of course, is up to the Moderators... I am not trying to upset the apple cart.

Thanks again... please keep those votes and comments coming!

[champion6]

I think golf-related posts can be made in the section titled "The Villages, Florida, Good Sports." Maybe the title could be changed to better reflect how the section should be used.

That's my two cents.

[Jazzper]

Makes sense - if only from an organizational perspective.

But as others have mentioned, I too usually only read the new posts since I'm most often checking on a daily basis. To that end, I even changed my TOTV shortcut to take me directly to them rather than the main page:

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...hp?do=getdaily

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by champion6

I think golf-related posts can be made in the section titled "The Villages, Florida, Good Sports." Maybe the title could be changed to better reflect how the section should be used.

That's my two cents.

As opposed to bad ones?

[Bubbalarry]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

I do like the idea of a golf forum. It would help with a better knowledge of course conditions, off campus courses, finding like minded groups to play with, getting a foursome filled when someone cancels a day or two before, new equipment review, driving ranges, course specials, golf trips, selling used equipment (know that should go in items for sale, but could put in a plug here), and I sure many other items others could identify. Many of these show up in various places, but grouping them would be beneficial. If they show in general, I don't go look at that forum for history. A golf one I would.

I to usually check new posts only as well, but I also look at a couple of forums of interest if I have not signed on for a day or two. And this would be one of those of interest.

I agree that having the forum goes a long way to help serve the members here at TOTV. My freinds who visit here from Jan thru February expect me to play with them when they visit. After that I am on my own. I dont stay during the summer and dont consider myself as a snowbird since I live here for 7 months or more.

Golf is a terrific vehicle to bring people of all lifestyles together. Especially on that 19th hole.

[gemorc]

No need.