[diana_eva]

We're planning to simplify the current forums structure, archive or merge some of the dead forums and eventually reduce everything to a less cluttered scheme as follows:

BBO Forum

-- Bidding Issues - Questions/articles about bidding unrelated to the use of a convention
--Conventions - Articles on new conventions or improvement to a convention, questions about how to use a convention.
--Playing a Hand -- Questions about how a hand should be played/defended.
--Novice/Beginner Articles and Discussion - articles aimed at this level player, along with question/discussions initiated for the benefit of this level player
--Expert Forum -- Content deemed worthy of expert level discussion. Threads deemed too broad in general scope and interest might be moved to another forum by a moderator/administrator.
--Bridge Material Review -- as is now
--BBO Specific Forum
**** subforums include

• BBO Support
• BBO Events
• BBO Announcements
• Find online teacher/partner
• Report GIB Issues
• Dealer Scripts

--Advanced/intermediate Articles and discussion - articles aimed at this level player, along with question/discussions initiated for the benefit of this level player
-- Non-English Forums - all the languages as sub-forums under this umbrella
--Non-Bridge forum - Water Cooler

International Laws Forum - As is currently

We plan to roll out the new structure pretty soon, unless the feedback is overwhelmingly negative.

[gnasher]

That doesn't seem to allow for the type of content that currently goes in the "Offline bridge" forum.

[helene_t]

I think the "general bridge discussion" forum is sometimes useful, for example for:
- history of the game. Not sure where else it could go.
- the atmosphere at clubs. Maybe such topics could go in offline bridge
- anecdotes, such as in the "most clueless remark" thread.
- pairs tactics vs imps tactics. I suppose thise could also go in the expert/adv/beginner forum but often I don't like to focus it on a particular level when I start such a topic

[whereagles]

I've been asking for this for at least 3 years

I would not open an "expert" or "advanced" forum. Normally the issues refer to bidding or play, so they can be put in the respective forum. The novice forum is ok, as it will refer to simple stuff.

[nige1]

whereagles, on 2014-September-23, 06:50, said:

I would not open an "expert" or "advanced" forum. Normally the issues refer to bidding or play, so they can be put in the respective forum. The novice forum is ok, as it will refer to simple stuff.

Scrapping the "expert" forum would gag 95% of BBO members

[whereagles]

But if you have a bidding/play problem, where would you put it? In the bid/play forum because it fits.. or in the expert forum because it's a difficult one?

mathematicians hate degeneracies

[aguahombre]

IMO, with minor tweaks, Diana and staff have a great proposal.

Agree with Helene that there should be a place for Bridge-related water cooler stuff. The current title, "general bridge discussion", causes people to throw stuff in there which really should be under something else; Perhaps "Bridge Potpourri" or somesuch title would work.

[Vampyr]

I think that the advanced/expert categories should focus more on the complexity of the matter at hand rather then the level of some putative reader.

[diana_eva]

Vampyr, on 2014-September-23, 11:28, said:

I think that the advanced/expert categories should focus more on the complexity of the matter at hand rather then the level of some putative reader.

Yeah i think this is what we are doing now. There were previous discussions about what is Exp Forum: a place for expert players to post whatever, or a place for anyone to post expert-level discussion. We're striving for it to be the discussion-level, and not "only experts are allowed to post here, but they can post anything they like"

[PhantomSac]

I like this idea, but I think that there needs to be some "General bridge discussion" thing as there is now. Say I want to post something that is about bridge but not about cardplay or bidding. E.g, I am playing in a big tournament, any tips on how to prepare? Or mental stuff, bridge tournament stuff, some guy was rude to my partner how should I handle it, Frances is in the finals of the spring foursomes let's sweat it, blah blah.

As you have it organized there is no place for these. I think General bridge discussion and offline bridge discussion can be merged, something like "Other bridge talk" or whatever. I also think there is not a need for 2 bidding forums, one for conventions and one for others. Often times a bidding problem goes with both, unless convention is straight up for talking about certain conventions which I don't think happens that much. If it were me I would do something like

Bidding forum
Cardplay forum
Novice/Beginner forum
Expert forum
Other bridge talk forum
Bridge Material Review forum

I really think there needs to be some forum where we can talk as a community that is related to bridge. And we can talk about random bridge stuff that happens at tourneys, or ethical spots (where we don't want lawyers in the law forum, we want to know how people would actually handle certain stuff), psychological, etc. I think General and Offline have done well with that but we can merge that into one, losing them both though leaves nothing.

[Vampyr]

PhantomSac, on 2014-September-23, 17:36, said:

I think General and Offline have done well with that but we can merge that into one, losing them both though leaves nothing.

I don't think that these should be merged, as "Offline Bridge" topics often concern logistics and the like. Keeping this forum is a must, and I think that "General Bridge Discusssion" is important for things that don't fit anywhere else, as mentioned above".

[Bbradley62]

diana_eva, on 2014-September-23, 04:23, said:

--BBO Specific Forum
**** subforums include

• BBO Support
  
• BBO Events
  
• BBO Announcements
  
• Find online teacher/partner
  
• Report GIB Issues
  
• Dealer Scripts

So, do suggestions then get included under Support?

[aguahombre]

Bbradley62, on 2014-September-23, 18:02, said:

So, do suggestions then get included under Support?

What makes you think they want suggestions? JK

[nige1]

diana_eva, on 2014-September-23, 04:23, said:

We're planning to simplify the current forums structure, archive or merge some of the dead forums and eventually reduce everything to a less cluttered scheme as follows:

BBO Forum

-- Bidding Issues - Questions/articles about bidding unrelated to the use of a convention
--Conventions - Articles on new conventions or improvement to a convention, questions about how to use a convention.
--Playing a Hand -- Questions about how a hand should be played/defended.
--Novice/Beginner Articles and Discussion - articles aimed at this level player, along with question/discussions initiated for the benefit of this level player
--Expert Forum -- Content deemed worthy of expert level discussion. Threads deemed too broad in general scope and interest might be moved to another forum by a moderator/administrator.
--Bridge Material Review -- as is now
--BBO Specific Forum
**** subforums include

• BBO Support
• BBO Events
• BBO Announcements
• Find online teacher/partner
• Report GIB Issues
• Dealer Scripts

--Advanced/intermediate Articles and discussion - articles aimed at this level player, along with question/discussions initiated for the benefit of this level player
--Non-English Forums - all the languages as sub-forums under this umbrella
--Non-Bridge forum - Water Cooler
International Laws Forum - As is currently
We plan to roll out the new structure pretty soon, unless the feedback is overwhelmingly negative.

Good idea, Diana_Eva. Possible tweaks:

General Bridge (no need to distinguish off-line and on-line)

• Bidding problems (what's your bid? how do you bid this?)
• Declarer problems (plan the play)
• Defender problems (should be separate from declarer play)
• Full deal problems (bidding and play, double-dummy, ATB)
• System ideas (suggested conventions. treatments, signals)
• Reviews
• Bits and pieces (topics unclassifiable under above headings e.g. gossip, humour, and so on. c.f. Bridge World)

BBO Specific

• BBO Events and announcements.
  
• Find online partner/team/mentor/teacher i.e. Let me be your Svengali
• Report GIB Issues
• Bridge file formats (lin, pbn).
  
• Dealer Scripts,
• Full disclosure (Should be revived, incorporating Kungsgeten's clever mark-up language)
  
• BBO Support (not included under previous headings).
  

Others - as now.

[Vampyr]

nige1, on 2014-September-23, 19:07, said:

Good idea, Diana_Eva. Possible tweaks:

General Bridge (no need to distinguish off-line and on-line)

Well, there is a need to distinguish, because offline topics are about movements, regulations or clubs in various places; currently there is a roommate request... where would you put these?

I don't see a huge need to change the headings; seems like a lot of work (especially where threads have to be reclassified!) for little real benefit.

[nige1]

Vampyr, on 2014-September-23, 19:26, said:

Well, there is a need to distinguish, because offline topics are about movements, regulations or clubs in various places; currently there is a roommate request... where would you put these?

Bits and Pieces.

[Vampyr]

nige1, on 2014-September-23, 19:55, said:

Bits and Pieces.

Doesn't seem to fit into "bits and pieces"(as above) at all.

[diana_eva]

OK, we'll postpone a couple more days to give everyone time to comment or make suggestions, then we'll restructure taking into account the feedback here as well.

[whereagles]

Justin's/PhanSac scheme seems like a good compromise solution to me.

gogo implement now

[gnasher]

PhantomSac, on 2014-September-23, 17:36, said:

I also think there is not a need for 2 bidding forums, one for conventions and one for others. Often times a bidding problem goes with both, unless convention is straight up for talking about certain conventions which I don't think happens that much.

I think "How do you play this sequence?" or "What do you think of this method?" are quite different from "What would you bid with this?", and they interest different people. Hence I would keep those two separate. I agree with everything else Justin said.


In particular, the "Other bridge" forum is essential, because we need somewhere to discuss:
- Forum members playing real-life bridge
- Predictions and postmortems for major events
- Offline cheating and other scandals
- Bridge organisation
- Bridge technology (simulation software, dealing machines, scoring software, etc)
- Partner and teammate requests for offline events
- Accommodation at events
- Requests for information about bridge clubs