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UPDATE: Room created!

Thanks to everyone who expressed interest! Everyone interested are welcome to visit the newly create room at:

https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/42263/sff-ontopic-chat

Q: If there was a dedicated "SciFi and Fantasy" chat room in SFF chat, would you be interested in participating in it?

This means a separate, dedicated, non-Mos-Eisley room, where the only ontopic conversation is about SciFi and Fantasy works.

The poll will have 4 initial answers:

  1. Yes, would be interested in participating if such a room existed on SFF chat
  2. I would be interested in reading the room's transcripts but probably would not participate in the chat myself.
  3. Unsure, depends on details or alignment of Saturn.
  4. No interest at all.

Just to be clear:

This question is only a poll to gauge interest in such a room.

It is NOT intended to discuss the pros/cons of having such a room (because discussing pros/cons is a waste of everyone's time and effort unless there's enough interest to consider the idea in the first place), or its viability, or any other topic.

17
  • hope you don't mind that I helped you out
    – Skooba
    Jul 8, 2016 at 16:22
  • 4
    Polls are generally discouraged... It's better off to let people post real answers than to create proscriptive ones.
    – Catija
    Jul 8, 2016 at 16:22
  • 2
    @Catija - "real answers" have a problem of containing information not germane to what is being asked, and therefore votes on them don't accurately reflect the true opinion of people on specific topic. Not to mention votes based on liking a user, or their rhethorical skills, etc...
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 8, 2016 at 16:24
  • 6
    Why not just create the room? If no one cares enough to go in, it auto-freezes and deletes. It's not like this would suck up resources or count against a room limit.
    – phantom42
    Jul 8, 2016 at 16:42
  • 2
    @phantom42 - (1) many people don't actually go to chat, so wouldn't know about the room. (2) more importantly, I'm unwilling to invest the effort (considering the amount of drama creating such a room will create) unless I know enough people care to try. Case in point: now I have to spend time having to defend from people criticizing a meta question that is utterly harmless
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 8, 2016 at 16:51
  • 1
    @Skooba - not in the least. Thanks! ProTip: you can use HTML comments (<!-- filler -->) to get short answers posted instead of typing explicit filler text
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 8, 2016 at 16:55
  • @DVK-in-exile HAHA, I'll keep that in mind. I was trying to keep the "alignment of Saturn" humor going as well.
    – Skooba
    Jul 8, 2016 at 17:00
  • 6
    @amaranth he's describing a room where the room owners would actively prevent off-topic chat. That's not at all like Mos Eisley's current culture.
    – KutuluMike
    Jul 8, 2016 at 17:55
  • 1
    @amaranth - " why not push the chatter into a separate room": (1) Ethically, because it goes against my philosophy of "live and let live". I am not interested in forcing something on people who have different interests and opinions from me. (2) Realistically, because there's about 0% chance of anyone succeeding in such a push - even if someone was willing to try which I am emphathically ain't
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 8, 2016 at 18:02
  • 3
    I might take part. Ask me again in 267 days
    – Valorum
    Jul 8, 2016 at 18:13
  • 1
    @DVK What effort do you mean? I made on a spur of the moment, pinged a few people with specific questions, and mentioned it in Mos a couple times. It's no Mos Eisley, but it's doing well enough with little effort.
    – user31178
    Jul 9, 2016 at 1:59
  • 2
    @CreationEdge - so far, 3 people openly attacked the idea here or in chat before I even asked if it should be created; and 3 people hated the idea enough to downvote the "yes" answer - which serves no useful purpose given I only care about how many upvotes it gets. So I see getting such a room actually started as a likely occasion of having to face tons of drama, attacks and opposition. That takes effort - and that's BEFORE actually having the room and keeping it a welcoming place :)
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 9, 2016 at 2:04
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    I didn't check with anybody before making mine, and it seemed to go off very well, although it's not terribly active. Curating the activity is likely to be the hardest part, no matter the interest, not dealing with any real or perceived drama. I just noticed a need that I and some others hand, and tried to find a way to fill it. The people that want to make use of it, do. And the people that want to be negative can always stay in another chatroom. That's easy to enforce as a room owner and if you have support from any mods.
    – user31178
    Jul 9, 2016 at 2:12
  • 1
    I would be interested if the discussions were limited to written science fiction and fantasy, exclusive of works based on or derived from movies, TV shows, comic books, games, toys, or commercial products. In other words, the stuff which is underrepresented here.
    – user14111
    Jul 9, 2016 at 18:12
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    @user14111 - i understand where you're coming from, but unfortunately I can't promise that limitation. However, you're an active participant on the site; which means you can try to set the tone of the room by introducing topics regarding written works. I think discussing underrepresented works would make the room better and richer.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 10, 2016 at 13:50

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
8

No interest at all, and I need to meet the 30 character limit.

This answer is rather meaningless and only added to satisfy my OCD. I'm interested in how many people would use the room; it's obvious that a vast majority of site users wouldn't just because most people don't use chat in the first place.

7

Yes, would be interested in participating if such a room existed on SFF chat

UPDATE: Room created.

https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/42263/sff-ontopic-chat

2
  • 3
    If a mod's sanction makes any difference, I upvoted this. I've enjoyed the chats in CreationEdge's fantasy room, and would be happy to take part in a strictly on-topic SF/F room.
    – Rand al'Thor Mod
    Jul 9, 2016 at 0:48
  • 1
    As one of the Mos Eisley owners, I feel there is a place for a dedicated sci-fi/fan. For example, I can discuss a lot of extemporaneous issues in sci-fi, but am not as suited to formal discussions. I will upvote, because, why not?
    – Slytherincess
    Jul 13, 2016 at 15:35
2

Allow me to break the demand that the responses are limited to these polls. (Check out Are poll-style questions ever acceptable on meta sites? for why I'm disinclined to not discuss my own thoughts this topic, since I have a strong interest in it).

There already exists a Fantasy-only talk and chat room, since Fantasy has received less attention in general on SFF, aside from a small set of very popular media.

It's been quite successful when people are actually present. It shows that there's an interest in at least one dedicated chat room, as a healthy number of people have showed up at least once. People's actions (actually chatting there) probably speak louder than passively voting up and down here on meta.

As room owner, I do try and steer the topics back to Fantasy, instead of general chat or other topics. I would absolutely be interested in adding additional room owners that would be interested in encouraging such conversations, if that would help build a 3rd place that satisfies community needs for an on-topic outlet.

Fantasy Talk & Recommendations

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  • 1
    @DVK-in-exile I disagree that the polling here is still the best. You've even edited an answer yourself to say that it's pointless, and one of responses here have been voted into oblivion, but we have no idea why. The answer, or its glibness? That's why polls don't work.
    – user31178
    Jul 9, 2016 at 2:04
  • (1) mostly, because that was a useless response only created because I had an OCD attack. Even I downvoted it and it was my idea to post it :) If I posted it instead of Skooba I'd have just deleted it. (2) As far as editing an answer, that's transparency - I don't want to mislead people into thinking that if they upvote the "no" answer high enough it will affect whether the room gets created. The only meaningful data I take away from this post is # of upvotes on two "yes" answers.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 9, 2016 at 2:08
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    @DVK Well, to me that sounds like the poll is all about you then, and what you are going to do with the information, when you're asking about something that's innately built on community. I get that you're the one contemplating the room, but you're not the only one who's done so, or the only one that might do something with this info. It is what it is, but if I were going to ask another question to gauge interest, you've already stolen my title!
    – user31178
    Jul 9, 2016 at 2:22
  • Oups, sorry. You're welcome to ask for the title and I'll rename my question.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 9, 2016 at 2:30
-1

I would be interested in a dedicated "SciFi and Fantasy" chat room.

-3

Unsure, depends on details or alignment of Saturn.

-4

I would be interested in reading the room's transcripts but probably would not participate in the chat myself.

2
  • 3
    I don't understand the culture on this site. What do the five downvotes on this answer mean? "No, DVK, I vow to stop you reading the room's transcripts!". +2, -5, so two people will read the transcripts, everyone who didn't vote won't, and five will... unread the transcripts? Anti-read them? No-one cares how many people don't use or don't like the room, all that matters is whether enough people do for it to be sustaining.
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Jul 10, 2016 at 13:42
  • @user568458 - generically, downvotes on Meta mean disagreement with the idea. In this case presumably - though I'm guessing - "no, I wouldn't even read the transcripts". I fully agree re: your second sentence as far as this specific Meta Q&A is concerned - the only thing that is relevant is how many people ARE interested, to ensure the room has enough people to chat.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jul 10, 2016 at 13:43

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