Forum improvements?

[Josephine87]

One suggestion:  Put the "thanks" button at the bottom of a post so I don't have to scroll back up to thank it.

[OCLittleFlower]

Definitely bring back Greg and Jayne.  I miss them both.

Other than that -- a pants thread and perhaps a singing contest!

[Gardener]

I thought Greg and Jayne left of mutual agreement?

[Non Nobis]

I thought Greg and Jayne left of mutual agreement?

Sure, but Kaesekopf should somehow peacefully force them to come back  .

[Non Nobis]

Maybe it will get better here in 2020, when Trump runs again.  We had such fun in chat on election night 2016 (and a lot of debate before that)!   It's election night 2018 right now, but it is just not the same.

[Philip G.]

Here is my imput.  Two of the rules were a stumbling block for me when I discerned joining the forum(a month long process).  And, the result for me was that I would just avoid those subjects.  And, even if I didn't happen to avoid them, I was not going to expect much action/response, as a result of the rules and how they not only affect me but potentially others also.  And, the two rules I am referring to regard trad bashing and sedevacantism.  I love all of the other rules, but there is something not quite right in my opinion about those two rules.  If they can be focused and improved, it may result in greater forum membership and activity. 

[Kaesekopf]

Here is my imput.  Two of the rules were a stumbling block for me when I discerned joining the forum(a month long process).  And, the result for me was that I would just avoid those subjects.  And, even if I didn't happen to avoid them, I was not going to expect much action/response, as a result of the rules and how they not only affect me but potentially others also.  And, the two rules I am referring to regard trad bashing and sedevacantism.  I love all of the other rules, but there is something not quite right in my opinion about those two rules.  If they can be focused and improved, it may result in greater forum membership and activity.

Any suggestions?  I'm open to listening/alterations.

[Philip G.]

Rule - "Likewise, insinuating that certain trads or groups of trads are not really Catholic will not be tolerated"

Rule - "I do not say that the pope is not the pope... but I do not say that you cannot say the pope is not the pope".

For one who does not believe that a pope can be a formal heretic, it is only natural to have a problem with these rules.  And, I mean this in the sense that none can judge popes; hence no formal heresy and no loss of office, all of which are stops long before one reaches sedevacantism.

But, enough about me.  It is your forum Kaesekopf.  I am on the lookout though for some penance to do for it. 

[Miriam_M]

A separate sub-forum for Private Revelation.  Therein can be contained the volumes of spam posting regarding that. More importantly, however, users would see that it is not mainstream Catholicism, nor doctrine, and thus does not rise to the level of mandated belief and universally recommended piety.

Users could post there to their heart's content and in keeping with their apparently enormous amount of time to do so.

[clau clau]

The key for me is interesting topics.

Personally, I do not use any of the different topic areas.  I just click on the "New Posts" link and see what comes up.  I tend to read the threads where there is a lot of interaction even if it is contentious.

In the past few months there has just been thread after thread of endless religious screeds and mountains of detail.  If I want a meditation there a plenty of places where I can just download one.  It is overwhelmingly one person who posts these threads and I find them dull as dishwater.

TLDR;

There are other threads where another person (different person) seems to just reply to himself over and over again.

I want to hear about peoples lives.  I have a stressful day at work and when I am reading the forum I want something funny to cheer me up.  I do not want to read about the meditations of some obscure monk.

Greg was very good at this.  He would regularly post opinions about stuff he saw in the news.  He would get into fights and argue.  I didn't agree with him alot of the time.  Sometimes he really pissed me off but that is just Greg.  Roses and thorns go together.  It was bloody entertaining though.



Chestertonian is interesting too.  He talks about his hospital visits and various crisis and how much he is struggling.  I like that.  It is real life.

Personally, I think people are just losing hope.  I know I am.

My way of dealing with the atheists is just to block them.  Posters like Kirin just dont appear.  Occasionally I will click on the link a read it and probably conclude "nope, he's still an asshole".

Maybe you should shut the forum down for six months.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder they say.

[Jacob]

Chestertonian is interesting too.  He talks about his hospital visits and various crisis and how much he is struggling.  I like that.  It is real life.

I'm not the type to really share what's going on with me, but if you find that kind of thing edifying, I can post more.

[Matto]

I have found the forums to be less interesting in recent months, perhaps for a year or so. Christulsa left us and said he thinks the forum should be shut down, and that made me sad and reconsider my membership here as perhaps he is right and the forum is more bad than good. I don't know if it is bad. If it is bad, Cathinfo is worse and I have been posting there for nine years, so I am used to the poison, so I do not really agree with christulsa, though he may be right. I do not value my own opinion over his. Perhaps their time has come and gone. So I post less than I used to.

When I first started posting on forums years ago I would always be interested and I made about two posts a day on average to contribute. But lately I am posting less and less. My average on SD is less than a half a post a day for almost two years and in the last few months I rarely posted at all. I don't know why this is. Why do I find the Catholic forums less interesting than I used to? Perhaps I miss many of the old posters who no longer post. Perhaps I have heard everything about the Catholic faith discussed already and now it is boring because I have heard it all before. I do think traffic is down. I still read the forums, though not as much. It is not like I no longer care about the faith. I still believe and I still love going to the Latin Mass and I hope that never changes. I am not having a crisis of faith, or considering going Eastern Orthodox because of Francis or of deciding that Benedict is still really the pope.

What could make the forum better? I don't know. I would be interested in a thread where people share the stories they write and the art they create. Perhaps some of us write stories or paint pictures or even take photographs or sing songs. Not necessarily Catholic but artistic. I have been writing a lot but I am afraid to share my writings with other people. I am trying to write a trilogy of novellas in my free time. The public title will be The Daniela Trilogy, but they have a secret title which I will not reveal. It is something that gives a little meaning to my life. I have this kind of existential crisis going on where I think about the meaning of my own life. I tell myself that because I cannot have a wife and family that my life is meaningless. And then I think that with God there is meaning and one can be good and love God and find meaning even without a family. And then I think that without God my life would be meaningless. Yes, but I do believe in God. And if there is no God then my own life is meaningless. And if that is the case, then why would relationships with other people, a wife and children, give my own life meaning if their lives were as meaningless as my own? I cannot answer that so it all comes back to God.

But I am terrified of sharing my stories with other people. In fact the only person who I have shared them with is fellow SD poster Pon de Replay. I am afraid of sharing them because I fear first, that they are not very good, and second, that they reveal too much of my character and I fear they would scandalize people and make people hate me. But I think it would be interesting if we would share our art with each other on the forum. I know we can but I do not think there is a dedicated thread for that purpose. I would be willing to share some of my writing if such a thread would be established. I bet some of you have really interesting stories and I am sure many of them are holy and pious and some of them are irreverent. My own stories I believe show a true belief, but they are scarred by sin and contemplate doubt and despair. But if anyone does start such a thread I will contribute one of my stories and perhaps more, but I will not start the thread myself, I will wait for someone else to show enough interest to start it. I know Pon de Replay writes stories as I have read some of them and they are worth reading for the most part. I believe he used to post some of them on Te Deum before that forum kicked the bucket.

I have something going on in my life so please pray for me. It is important but I do not wish to reveal the details. Pray for Matthew's intention. I am happy but if this situation is resolved my life will be as good as I could ever expect considering my condition which some of you know about. It would really help myself and my family so very much so pray for me. Thank you. I really appreciate the ability to talk to you on this forum. It is nice to have fellow Catholics to talk to on the forum, and every time I have talked to any of you by PM it has been a good experience. For some reason christulsa has had bad experiences on the forum but for me it has all been good, at least on SD, except for one time when I was likened to a crack-head and got upset for a few minutes. So thank you KK for your work and your dedication, I am glad you keep SD online. Pax.

[Fleur-de-Lys]

I also find the forum boring these days. As others have said, I’ve been in the Trad community for a long time, and I’ve already heard the usual debates on various theological and moral issues. I’m not interested in repeating those. I’m not saying that others should not engage in these discussions, only that I do not read them or participate.

As others have said, what I find interesting is the minutiae of people’s lives. I’m a stay-at-home mother with few Catholic friends, and I just like to come here to connect with other people like me. I like to know what people are reading or cooking or growing in their gardens. I like to hear the funny things that toddlers did today or learn that a new baby is on the way. I haven’t posted much for a while, because these are the things I tend to talk about, and I feel like I’m boring people and not contributing anything sufficiently “Catholic” to the forum.

I’m not sure what my point is in saying this. I’m  just chiming in, as the previous posts have resonated with me.

[Non Nobis]

Maybe I'm in a minority of one, but I wish we could have more discussion not just with non-Catholics and among traditionalists (sedevacantiism or no?) but also with non-traditionalist and even anti-traditionalist Catholics.  E.g. I sometimes have email arguments concerning Amoris Laetitia and other big issues in the "Conciliar Church" with a relative who thinks the Church is getting better and better, and traditionalists are just "rigourists".  I would also like to see more arguments with good-willed Catholics who think Vatican II makes sense.

It's so hard to have one forum for all traditionalist purposes; family issues are infinitely interesting and important for our salvation, and "what is in the news" is interesting and pertinent, but Catholicism (and the defense of traditional Catholicism) also has infinite room for moral, philosophical, and theological issues.  If we've "heard it all" already it's not because these things are limited but because we are limited. I wish somehow new expertise and excellence could be infused into the forum, and that it would attract more "big names" (and big intellects, perhaps) in the Church.

And I do admit to a fondness for the philosophy and theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, and wish he could be as central to this forum as he once was to the Church (according to its Popes).

What do people see on other forums that might be added here?  Are there sites out there that DO meet people's needs better than SD now?

I wish Kaesekopf would show up here more often....  Still praying for you K. 

But - let's remember - it's Lent and things will look better at Easter!!