1) Movie vs. short story
So long as it's Brokeback, I don't mind.
What's your general take on symbolism discussions? Interested or not?
I think there's a lot of scope still for symbolism discussions, but I don't necessarily think it needs to be separate from other TOTW topics - there's so much symbolism in BBM that it comes up anyhow within many discussions.
Do you think I should include polls to the TOTW more often than done before?
Polls can be a useful way to gauge opinion if it's a topic where there's a fairly simply yes/no option a/option b/option c etc. split, but often with polls there'll be a fair number of people who won't fall into any one category and will want an "other" option. I think it's probably a fun addition that could be added to a lot of discussions, but the real fun's always going to be in the discussions.
Do you think we should have a fresh TOTW every week? Or would you prefer a different span of time (which? biweekly, monthly, ....?)
Definitely weekly. I think apart from the fact that one discussion that goes on and on for weeks can get a little tiresome (though obviously if people think of something else they naturally will "resurrect" an old TOTW) a weekly topic's one way to keep the forum busy and people interested in what's going on. Sunday's I always look forward to checking out what the week's topic's going to be, and I think for those who visit Bettermost on a more infrequent basis, having a TOTW that regularly changes is one way of drawing them back into discussions. If you've been away from the forum for a while you might feel a bit self-conscious about just jumping into discussions, but having a well "signposted" TOTW gives a focal point to the forum so people can quickly see what's new and join in.
With a large forum like Bettermost with a large volume of new posts and threads every day it can seem a little overwhelming at first knowing where to look and what's going on, and I think for new members especially the TOTW feature is very useful because it's a focal point and the regular contributors tend to show up on TOTW threads so it's one way of new residents getting to know the townsfolk.
On my own forum I introduced a weekly TOTW last year, and mostly (unless I'm busy and forget to change the topic or run out of ideas
) we change the topic weekly. Occasionally if it's something the members really get stuck into and start
arguing about debating heatedly we'll let it run for a couple of weeks, but usually after about a week or so the regular members tend to drift off naturally to other things and the topic slips from the radar.
In general: do you prefer more scene-driven topics or more character driven topics? Examples: „What do you make of the Maybe Texas scene?“ for a scene-driven topic. „Was ;Mr. Twist homophobic?“ for a character-driven topic. Do you have any preference at all?
As long as it's Brokeback, I don't mind.
Would you like to discuss speculative topics?
I think speculative topics are good topics, because while there must be a finite number of interpretations or explanations to something like "In the four year reunion scene, why did Alma ask Ennis to get her a pack of smokes?", a speculative topic has an infinite number of ways different people will interpret sometimes both the question and the scene or character or aspect of the film/story, and while there are a finite number of scenes in the film you can discuss, characters' motivations and feelings and "what if's" are where we're given the most material as inspiration.
You have more to say? I forgot an important question? You do have an idea? You want to tell me what you like or don't like about the TOTW feature? Go on, here's the place for it!
My suggestion would be to have a board specifically for the TOTW discussions. On my forum I have a "Debating Room" (I was lacking inspiration that day for what to call it
) and all our TOTWs are kept together in there. Members like having them all in one place because they know each week that that's where they'll find the latest "hot topic" and also if they think of something they want to add to previous TOTWs they know where they'll find them without having to hunt through the entire forum trying to remember when the topic was started, who by etc. etc.
For TOTWs I'd suggest staying away from topics that are only relevant to a specific area, for example the TOTW a few weeks ago on Bravo's screening of BBM. It's obviously an important topic that needs discussing, but maybe not entirely suitable for a TOTW. For those of us on the other side of the pond, it's not particularly relevant, not having seen that particular screening and not necessarily knowing about all the ins and outs of the politics of US TV and broadcasting etc. Though I think I probably posted a couple of times on that particular thread, it wasn't something that I felt I could particularly contribute to.
