#BuildaBetterEden - Community Planning: April 2013 - Suggestions Welcome!

Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Build a Better Eden Community Planning thread for April.

Think of this thread as the official Community Suggestion Box. This month we want to focus on site activities; not just parties and events but what other types of activities would you like to see us doing more of? Workshops? Classes? Interviews? Let us know! Any and all suggestions are welcome, except for this one: The mention of chat rooms is strictly prohibited.

Ready? Set! Suggest!

CPM Archive

CPM: March - 2013 - Site suggestions

Please check out the following link for an archive of prior Community Planning Meetings.
04/01/2013
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Contributor: MrWill MrWill
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Build a Better Eden Community Planning thread for April.Think of this thread as the official Community Suggestion Box. This month we want to focus on site activities; not just parties and events but what other types of ... more
I'm going to throw it out again, as I have tried before but there have been many changes since then. What about a Sensual Symposium? The more learned among us could teach the less educated sensual techniques from different massage methods all the way to sexual lessons. I'm not sure how it would work out, but I think it would be cool!
04/01/2013
Contributor: unfulfilled unfulfilled
Quote:
Originally posted by MrWill
I'm going to throw it out again, as I have tried before but there have been many changes since then. What about a Sensual Symposium? The more learned among us could teach the less educated sensual techniques from different massage methods all the ... more
Have you thought about teaching a workshop on it? They have workshops and would reimburse you with a giftcard for your time. If you really want to do it, that would be the best bet in my opinion.
04/01/2013
Contributor: mjtheprincess mjtheprincess
I love the sensual symposium idea also =)

In fact, any additional workshops/interviews would be fun. What ever happened with the choosing contributors to interview monthly or what not idea? I like that =)

And once again, Carrie Ann, thank you for stepping up and doing so much for us these last few weeks! Don't feel like the community has hardly missed a beat through all the changes because of your hard work (as well as the rest of the Eden admin!)
04/01/2013
Contributor: mjtheprincess mjtheprincess
Oh! Oh! Oh! You know what kind of workshop I want??? A Mentor Workshop. Because just a little while back I finally hit rank to be a mentor, and it's been so freaking long since I was a student that I don't really know what to do as a mentor. I think it would be totally awesome if new (and old) mentors could take "Mentor Classes" to become better at mentoring!
04/01/2013
Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
I would really like if there were a tab, similar to those for Favorite Contributor and Favorite Discussions, where each user could see the discussions that they've started. I create my discussions because I have an active interest in seeing where they go, and would love this added convenience so that I could keep up with them better. =)

I guess that this is in the same vein as my suggestion last month that there be notifications each time one of our posts is quoted in a response, but I feel like this is easier to implement.
04/01/2013
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by mjtheprincess
Oh! Oh! Oh! You know what kind of workshop I want??? A Mentor Workshop. Because just a little while back I finally hit rank to be a mentor, and it's been so freaking long since I was a student that I don't really know what to do as a mentor. ... more
I LOVE this idea. Really love.
04/01/2013
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
I'm reading through the suggestions so far and I am totally taking notes.

Here's my question to you all, though...

For workshops, it's pretty much understood that if someone runs one / teaches one, they'll be compensated in points but what about attendees? What times work best for people? Are y'all going to actually attend these if we set them up? Do you feel that you need to get points or something to participate? Is attendance going to be crappy if we don't do prizes and stuff? Do you like the idea of live events? Or something that is more along the lines of a lesson on the forum you can read later?

Brainstorm with me, guys!
04/01/2013
Contributor: KinkyKatieJames KinkyKatieJames
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
I'm reading through the suggestions so far and I am totally taking notes.

Here's my question to you all, though...

For workshops, it's pretty much understood that if someone runs one / teaches one, they'll be compensated ... more
I would love this! My idea would be to set up a regular time for people to attend. However, there could be notes taken and posted later on for those who could not attend.

I don't think points are necessary to participate. I think it would kind of stink if people just showed up for points, rather than to learn or enjoy themselves :-/

I also like the interviews. Can people just sign up to do them though? My boyfriend and I are into cuckolding and quite a few people have expressed interest in it on here. I would love to share my experiences if possible!

Lastly, this isn't related to activities, but I want to throw this out. I notice a lot of reviews have comments, but not nearly as many votes. This makes me think that people start to just comment "thanks" without rating or even reading in order to just get EdenPoints. Is there any way to make it necessary for people to vote before they comment? I feel like good reviews are getting jipped and it makes me very sad.
04/01/2013
Contributor: Virgingasms Virgingasms
Quote:
Originally posted by surreptitious
I would really like if there were a tab, similar to those for Favorite Contributor and Favorite Discussions, where each user could see the discussions that they've started. I create my discussions because I have an active interest in seeing where ... more
I love this idea! Sometimes I have to go through several pages to find discussions I started.
04/01/2013
Contributor: mjtheprincess mjtheprincess
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
I'm reading through the suggestions so far and I am totally taking notes.

Here's my question to you all, though...

For workshops, it's pretty much understood that if someone runs one / teaches one, they'll be compensated ... more
I don't think points are necessary for attending workshops. It might just encourage going to get the points, and that throws off the point of the workshop! I think all the people who want to learn (which is an abnormally large amount of us) will attend workshops with not points or prizes because (cliche statement) "knowledge is a gift in itself."

I think it would be awesome if there were live workshops at a set time, and then also workshop notes. Kinda like in college you go to class and get the lecture and it's better if you are there but if you aren't you just grab somebody else's notes. You could potentially give points to whoever created the notes version of the lesson (be it the "teacher" or an assigned participant of the discussion.)

I also think it would be great if the workshop teacher agreed to take questions from some of those people who missed the live workshop and only got the notes version.

With everyone being busy, I think having a notes/lesson version of workshops would increase overall participation in the events even without points as an incentive. That being said, I love live events. It's fun when everyone is around at once and you can all learn together. So I don't think those should be done away with!
04/01/2013
Contributor: Venus A Venus A
Quote:
Originally posted by KinkyKatieJames
I would love this! My idea would be to set up a regular time for people to attend. However, there could be notes taken and posted later on for those who could not attend.

I don't think points are necessary to participate. I think it would ... more
I agree, we (the viewers) don't need points if we are asking for an informative demonstration. Only for the question or comment, that is deemed a valid inquiry or suggestion should receive points. How about a moderator? The Moderator would monitor our discussions on the topic; to insure the content of our responses are more than a "thanks" or smiley face.
04/01/2013
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by KinkyKatieJames
I would love this! My idea would be to set up a regular time for people to attend. However, there could be notes taken and posted later on for those who could not attend.

I don't think points are necessary to participate. I think it would ... more
I"m not sure if you mean the community interviews? If so, those are generally not done with regular community members but were typically manufacturers, authors, adult entertainment starts, etc who were made available for the community to ask questions of. We haven't been doing them in awhile but it would definitely be nice to see some new ones. Maybe that will be something that comes with all the changes 2013 is bringing.
04/01/2013
Contributor: Wicked Wahine Wicked Wahine
Quote:
Originally posted by surreptitious
I would really like if there were a tab, similar to those for Favorite Contributor and Favorite Discussions, where each user could see the discussions that they've started. I create my discussions because I have an active interest in seeing where ... more
I thought I'd mention what I do to find my discussions without having to hunt through pages. I go to the tab for "My discussions & posts", then I click on the column title, "Started by". This gives an alphabetical listing of the discussions started by individuals, not all the discussions you ever posted in. Now, if you click it again, the alphabetical order will reverse. So, pick whichever gets you closest to your name. Then, simply scroll down to find your name & all the discussions you ever started will be listed!

I also set email alerts on the discussions I want to track & I hear about them whenever someone comments, no matter how old the thread.

I hope this helps everybody!
04/01/2013
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by MrWill
I'm going to throw it out again, as I have tried before but there have been many changes since then. What about a Sensual Symposium? The more learned among us could teach the less educated sensual techniques from different massage methods all the ... more
Hey! Great idea. I'd love to learn different massage techniques and stuff. Really great thinking!

And Carrie Ann -- as for your question about live events or a post that we can all read later or at any time we choose, I like both ideas. I really love the live events though! The only thing is, I have trouble getting to them because the only ways I can figure out to remind myself if Google calendar, which actually is unreliable for a few reasons, or setting an alarm on my phone. I love to attend them, as most do, but I think we all end up having other stuff to do and miss them. I personally have no problem getting to the events if they're late in the evening or at night, and I remember them.
04/02/2013
Contributor: unfulfilled unfulfilled
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
I'm reading through the suggestions so far and I am totally taking notes.

Here's my question to you all, though...

For workshops, it's pretty much understood that if someone runs one / teaches one, they'll be compensated ... more
I hate live events because I'm hardly ever able to participate when the designated time is set aside, but I go back to the workshops that I find interesting like Tims DIY.
04/02/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
I'm against the idea of a symposium because, and I know this sounds harsh, I'm concerned about people "educating" others that don't know what they're talking about. I'm not saying it's particular to this forum. It's every forum. Every website. The other day I read a professional article that said a $10 bullet was the best sex toy ever. Period. I think many of us would disagree, or at least say YMMV. The point is that I would think the "educators" would have to talk to a mod in advance about what they are going to be talking about and demonstrate their knowlege, not just talk.

But, I should add, if they are going to do that, that would be a workshop. It is the way the workshops are currently set up, in fact, or at least they were. And as far as it being a live discussion or posted lesson, they are one in the same in a forum. You can always go back and read it later, whether you were there at the time or not. You could even have a sticky post at the beginning of the lesson, posted after the workshop is done, for people who just want the cliffnotes version.

Further, I am against giving points for people just attending. It would just be another way to abuse the point system and not garner any realiable feedback on the project. Plus, there will always be people complaining that the times don't work for them. Everyone is a little happier to be paid to do something, but that doesn't mean they are contributing.

As a final note, I'd like to add that most of the suggestions made so far are actually the way that workshops are currently set up. Really.
04/02/2013
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
I'm against the idea of a symposium because, and I know this sounds harsh, I'm concerned about people "educating" others that don't know what they're talking about. I'm not saying it's particular to this forum. ... more
" And as far as it being a live discussion or posted lesson, they are one in the same in a forum. You can always go back and read it later, whether you were there at the time or not. You could even have a sticky post at the beginning of the lesson, posted after the workshop is done, for people who just want the cliffnotes version."

This was kind of what I was asking, trying to determine if people would prefer a live lesson with a stream of responses throughout it or something more along the lines of a posted lesson with Q&A only after all the info was posted.

For some the live forum stuff might be confusing or hard to sort through to find the info later.
04/02/2013
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
" And as far as it being a live discussion or posted lesson, they are one in the same in a forum. You can always go back and read it later, whether you were there at the time or not. You could even have a sticky post at the beginning of the ... more
What I started doing was a mixture of both...I reserved a space for a final outline after everything was said and done it could be updated after the event for those who missed it.

That way, those who wanted to and/or could be a part of the live event would get the interaction they wanted, and those who missed it wouldn't have to sort through twenty pages of greetings, side conversations, any games/etc. to find the relevant info. They were free to ask questions after the fact.

Example
04/02/2013
Contributor: evie.amor evie.amor
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
I'm reading through the suggestions so far and I am totally taking notes.

Here's my question to you all, though...

For workshops, it's pretty much understood that if someone runs one / teaches one, they'll be compensated ... more
I like the idea of a lesson on a forum that you can read later, but perhaps the lesson is "in session" for a week, what I mean is the original lesson/lecture is posted up and then people can post questions to it for a week (or whatever decided length of time) and the instructor will check in daily and respond. After the week is up people can still read over the forum, but the instructor wouldn't be required to keep up with the forum or continue to answer questions after the class "ends". Does that make sense??

Sounds like an awesome idea though!
04/02/2013
Contributor: evie.amor evie.amor
Quote:
Originally posted by KinkyKatieJames
I would love this! My idea would be to set up a regular time for people to attend. However, there could be notes taken and posted later on for those who could not attend.

I don't think points are necessary to participate. I think it would ... more
Regarding the commenting on reviews without voting problem you mentioned; I could see how making voting a requirement before you can comment on a review wouldn't solve the problem of people just doing it for points. If people don't want to read and they just want points, forcing them to vote isn't going to make them read, it will just make them give an uneducated vote.

I like to think that the majority of folks on EF are good upstanding community members, but there will always be a few slackers. I don't see there being much we can do about that! Don't get me wrong I don't like people point farming either, but I don't want uninformed voters rating my reviews either.
04/02/2013
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
What I started doing was a mixture of both...I reserved a space for a final outline after everything was said and done it could be updated after the event for those who missed it.

That way, those who wanted to and/or could be a part of the ... more
Yup, yup. I love that. Probably the best way to do most workshop type things -- though it can't hurt to experiment a little, either, I guess.
04/02/2013
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
Yup, yup. I love that. Probably the best way to do most workshop type things -- though it can't hurt to experiment a little, either, I guess.
Absolutely - experimenting is fun.
04/03/2013
Contributor: Ryuson Ryuson
Hey, so you know how if you graduate a student who has started drafts in your class, the system locks their drafts until they join another class? That really could use some tweaking!
04/04/2013
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by Ryuson
Hey, so you know how if you graduate a student who has started drafts in your class, the system locks their drafts until they join another class? That really could use some tweaking!
I just talked to The Tech Guy (not just any tech guy but The Tech Guy) and he's going to look into this more deeply. I can't say it'll be fixed tomorrow but they're looking at it
04/04/2013
Contributor: snowminx snowminx
This might just be a personal thing for me but I really wish help if there was a way to search discontinued items.

Why it would be good-

1. If you found it on another site you could get more information and reviews on the product if it was once sold here.

2. Eden carry would be a lot easier if you could search certain items to see if they were once here and got dc'ed

3. Since a lot of things have been discontinued lately it's disappointing when you write a review for something not many people will ever see because it got taken out right after your order =(

I don't really know how you could do this but maybe have an option to the side where you opt out of out of stock items you can click a box to see dc'ed item? Just a thought since you can't see an item like that unless you stumble on it from a wishlist/fav object/link
04/08/2013
Contributor: spiced spiced
Quote:
Originally posted by snowminx
This might just be a personal thing for me but I really wish help if there was a way to search discontinued items.

Why it would be good-

1. If you found it on another site you could get more information and reviews on the product if it ... more
Riffing off of this, since so many discontinued items are still available from the manufacturer, would it be possible to add a "special order" option for these things?

Maybe they would cost a little more, and take longer to get (which would need to be spelled out plainly), but it would be nice to be able to get such things from Eden instead of having to take our chances off-site. I would use this option fairly often, and I know I'm not the only one.
04/08/2013
Contributor: Gone (LD29) Gone (LD29)
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
I'm reading through the suggestions so far and I am totally taking notes.

Here's my question to you all, though...

For workshops, it's pretty much understood that if someone runs one / teaches one, they'll be compensated ... more
I love attending the live events when they mesh with my schedule. Unfortunately my schedule doesn't often cooperate, since I work different hours every week. I view most of the teaching events as something I'm going to read on the forum later if I'm interested.
04/08/2013
Contributor: Gone (LD29) Gone (LD29)
Quote:
Originally posted by surreptitious
I would really like if there were a tab, similar to those for Favorite Contributor and Favorite Discussions, where each user could see the discussions that they've started. I create my discussions because I have an active interest in seeing where ... more
I love this idea too. Right now, I currently use my Favorite Discussions tab exclusively for following threads I've started. I'd love to have a dedicated tab specifically for that purpose, so I could start using the Favorite Discussions tab for following other posts that catch my eye.
04/08/2013
Contributor: Forever Hers! Forever Hers!
Quote:
Originally posted by surreptitious
I would really like if there were a tab, similar to those for Favorite Contributor and Favorite Discussions, where each user could see the discussions that they've started. I create my discussions because I have an active interest in seeing where ... more
That's a great idea. It's sort of like Facebook's instant pop-up notifications. Nice.
04/09/2013