Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses: A Work in Progress (HCH QCS & Feedback)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses: A Work in Progress (HCH QCS & Feedback)

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Hello DIYers!

We are entering a great new era of posting forums-wide, and as newish DIY mods corgski and I wanted to check in on things here. We have a few ideas going forward and we would love to hear your thoughts!

How are things? Anything new or different you'd like from us? Questions? Concerns? Comments?

Post them here or always feel free to PM/email us or hit the report button. (Seriously we get so excited when there is report you have no idea. We don't read all the threads all the time so if there is anything that needs mod attention please DO NOT hesitate to click the report button even fi you just want a thread title or tag change or whatever.)

# ¿ Oct 16, 2020 01:26

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 04:31

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Those are things I wish I could help with, and they also frustrate me. I live under a rock and still post in the browser on my phone and don't use the app, but there is a thread for the app here that may be able to help:
iOS: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3837546
Android: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3571717

I do wind up usually posting images from my phone to imgur and then posting them from a PC, but that's still a bit clunky. Jeffrey of YOSPOS said something recently in QCS about moving to xenforo vs. trying to fix/improve the current interface and that still seems to be up in the air. I will see if I can signal boost image uploading a bit. Jeffrey and astral both pay attention to the Technical Thread in QCS-feel free to post there too (it's not like the rest of QCS I promise)

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3910071

E: Expanding on this-I am bad at computer and can't help a ton with technical issues besides signal boosting to people who can.

To use a DIY analogy, this used to be the nicest house in the neighborhood until the owner moved away and started renting it out and quit doing any improvements or maintenance to squeeze every dime out he could, and things are looking a little shabby and it's a bit of a fixer-upper. The new owner lives here and cares about the house and wants to fix it but it's held up by the computer equivalent of load-bearing drywall and some not very glamorous and time-consuming repairs might have to be done before we can get shiny new floors and fresh paint, but for the first time in a decade, someone is actually working on the house and trying to make it better.

Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Oct 16, 2020

# ¿ Oct 16, 2020 02:22

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Splode posted:

Something Kaiser touched on in the modelling thread is that there isn't a lot of cross pollination between threads when there could be. A/T seems much better at directing people to other potentially useful threads but I never see it in here.

Why haven't I seen all the same people in the electronics, rc aircraft and ham radio threads, for example? There's a massive overlap there.

This is really the biggest thing I would like to encourage in DIY & Hobbies. We have a ton of super knowledgable, passionate people in this subforum and I think we could all learn from each other, but too often we stay in our little silos. Bookmark browsing is part of it for sure. This discussions has already reminded me that this is DIY & Hobbies and we could probably do more to boost the hobbies part.

corgski and I have talked about a few ways to encourage more cross-pollination:

1) Reboot Megathreads- Several other mods have tried this in their subs and said they've seen more engagement and a bit of a breaking down of the silos afterwards. The old thread gets moved to the Goodmine so it is still accessible to folks without archives, and I think the new thread search box will make finding info in them much easier. There's tons of great knowledge and content in those we don't want to lose, but it would also help to get some more updated OPs.

2) Sticky Project threads for visibility- We are planning on rebooting and stickying the 'Fix it Fast' with links to the (unstuck) plumbing/HVAC/wiring threads so we won't have that wall of stickies up front, and we could use some of that space to sticky an interesting thread or two a week on a rotating basis to get a little more visibility to smaller project threads.

3) Contests-Probably won't happen until the New Year/after Secret Santa, but the idea would be something like Iron Chef Something Awful in GWS or Thunderdome in CC. There's a broad theme or prompt, everyone makes their own little follow-along project thread for their electronic, knitted, 3D-printed mahogany lego purse or w/e, vote on it at the end with some prizes. The real prize of course is every in DIY&H learning how to make electronic, knitted, 3D-printed mahogany lego purses. Maybe we'll get some banner ads or something and try and get folks from the forums at large. I am always amazed at the wealth of goon talent there is in so many areas.

4) Be the change you want to see!- This is probably the biggest one and the one that really has to come from the users. Make a project thread! Maybe you were just gonna post a picture of your finished project, but what if you show us all how you do it and what challenges you face? Go post in those other megathreads! Say 'hey I'm from the awesome scale modelling thread you didn't know existed how do I 3d print parts for my tank?' I think most posters in this forums are pretty friendly and chill and want to be helpful (and if they're not let us know :toughguy:

)

# ¿ Oct 16, 2020 18:29

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

OSU_Matthew posted:

I’ll admit I’m part of the silo problem. I generally browse bookmarks and rarely venture into new communities. Occasionally I’ll find a linked thread that gets bookmarked or see something of interest on the rare excursion into the broader community. Joke titles are great, but that does lend itself to the general obfuscation.

I generally browse from the awful app on iOS.

Maybe we could add some sort of recommended thread algorithm? Eg if you read the tools thread in DIY, your might enjoy the tools thread in AI. I don’t know what all threads are out there, and browsing on the different subforums isn’t a regular behavior pattern. Anything we could do to promote tangentially related threads would be a huge win imo.

Maybe we could add meaningful tags to threads to start (especially megathreads), and use those to suggest related tags or let users browse tags? Create a new subforum of recommended threads, and populate it differently per user based on the time spent in each thread, calculated by the tags. Eg I spent 20 minutes in the memes thread, and 10 in the tools thread, populate the recommended subforum with any threads that contain the memes or tools tags, ranked by ratio of tags. Could intersperse recommendations with popular threads as well. I’d definitely use a related interests feature to find new content and threads

This is all very much above my paygrade but it is an interesting idea! There has been some discussion of this kind of stuff in this thread over in QCS. It's gotten a little sidetracked with the usual QCS stuff but I know astral who is working on alot of the backend/forums features is keeping up with it.
https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3943456&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=11

ColdPie posted:

I don't really understand the benefit of this one. I guess if other forums have done it and seen good results, that's good evidence for it. But it seems like it'd just move a bunch of good content into some obscure place for no benefit. Would we really get more posters because the thread ID changed?

Updating OPs is kind of a separate question. I imagine you could recruit someone to do it and then edit it into the first post.

I'm not exactly sure how or why, but Cyrano for one has reported good luck with it in TFR which has some similar '15 years of good knowledge' megathreads. I guess it's shiny and new a new leaf and less intimidating for anyone new? I'm not necessarily convinced of the logic behind it either, but I'm willing to give it a shot. I agree we can freshen up OPs without rebooting threads if we want to.

ColdPie posted:

Maybe it's just me, but I basically ignore all stickied threads. I'm not a bookmarks browser, because I want to see new threads, so I read the thread list a ton. The stickied threads change so rarely that I know I can just skip over that section to see what's new in the forum. So if you start stickying threads, it's actually less likely that I'll see them. I dunno, maybe others are different, I guess it's worth a shot. (I think the bookmarks feature was a huge mistake, but that ship has sailed.)

This is useful to know! It's always good to learn how different people interact with the forums. I stole the idea from BYOB where the IKs usually sticky a thread or two a day as like 'hey this is a funny thread that could use more posts.' Maybe the prospect of winning the sticky prize for the day or week would encourage more threads? If that's how we started using stickies here, do you think that would change how you approach them?

ColdPie posted:

This is a cool idea. It's nit-picking but I wonder if it should all just go into one thread. Unlike ICSA, each poster would likely work over days or weeks on the project, so there'd be far less to fill one thread per user. I guess we could try both and see what works better.

Yeah I am far from having figured it all out, so any feedback is appreciated. My idea of everyone doing separate threads was to try and get people out of the megathreads and interacting a little more, and the individual ICSA threads seem to do that well. Choosing a theme that 'works' for the knitting people and the electronics people and the woodworking people is likely going to be a fun challenge too, and I imagine it will be pretty abstract like 'Something you need' or 'something to give as a gift' or 'sunshine' and leave that to everyone's interpretation.

ColdPie posted:

When I do long-term projects, I post progress pictures in the woodworking thread. Tends to be like once a month, showing whatever the latest big milestone I've accomplished. I could instead make a new thread just about the project I'm working on, and post more frequent but less meaningful updates, but it feels weird since it clearly "belongs" in the woodworking thread. You did similar with your chairmaking thread; what do you think about it?

I think whatever anyone wants to do is totally fine! I want to encourage people to make their own threads for stuff, but not pressure anyone into it. Threads don't have to be giant things. I think the woodworking thread should be about woodworking, but I don't think all woodworking has to go in the woodworking thread. I think linking a project thread in the relevant megathread is fine-in a world of bookmark browsing, a little self promotion is necessary. I personally think a 'Furnishing ColdPie's house with hand tools only' thread would be really neat, especially since you do it all by hand, but I also enjoy seeing your stuff pop up in the woodworking thread. I think plenty of people who don't care that much about woodworking would be interested to see something being designed and made from scratch by hand. For instance, I'm probably not going to read the sewing thread regularly, but if someone made a thread about sewing their kid an awesome Halloween costume, I'd be interested to learn some stuff and see a goon make a neat thing. I think there may be more interest in participating in/following individual projects than in a broad hobby if that makes sense?

I have really enjoyed making my chair thread. I made it because I knew it was going to be a bunch of tedious detail (I'm writing it all down as an instruction manual for later me) on a very specific subject and was probably going to involve some tangents into design and period furniture history. I wasn't sure the general woodworking thread would care about all of that, and I wanted to keep it all in one place without having to sort through my dumb 23 page post history in the woodworking thread. And I like that it's kind of 'my thread' and can be whatever it turns into and wander into whatever rabbitholes it gets into. Project threads seem to draw a little wider audience (see JB's house thread or karstein's various threads) and people I've never seen post in the woodworking thread have posted in the chair thread so :shrug:

I asked JB about it before I made it-project threads vs using a megathread, and his response has stuck with me:

Jaded Burnout posted:

I think project threads are the best thing we have for anything more temporally linked than "here is a problem", "here is a solution", [time passes] , "thanks that was a good/bad solution".

Personally I tend to use my project thread for the general blogging aspect of it, and jut off into the megathreads for specific details.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2020 17:35

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

We got some new thread tags! Check them out and let us know if you want a new tag for your thread!

# ¿ Oct 18, 2020 21:25

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Oil of Paris posted:

I still want the FYAD �tree� tag for the plant thread if possible but jaded burnout said doing so was some intense forums fuckery at the time... has this changed??

It is easy to add them now-the admins found where the list of thread tags was buried or something. I saw it when I was asking for new tags but I didn't think anyone would want it and I liked the pretty cherry tree one but I will ask for it and change it!

# ¿ Oct 22, 2020 02:19

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

We don't want to forget about the hobby side of DIY & Hobbies, but DIY&H is a bit of a mouthful and we were thinking of changing the name of the subforum to something like 'Homes & Hobbies' (H&H) maybe with a new icon to boot. Other catchy suggestions for a new name are welcome!

# ¿ Nov 21, 2020 13:59

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

angryrobots posted:

Building, Fixing, and Crafts

This is good but there already is a BFC!

Jaded Burnout posted:

Hobby Lobby & Lawyer Foyer

The real reason we are doing this is because typing DIY&H all the time is too slow and I'm not sure this fixes that problem, but I like it!

# ¿ Nov 21, 2020 23:15

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Jaded Burnout posted:

also

HH is good though maybe we could shorten it to 88 for even faster typing

some days I am bad at :thejoke:

# ¿ Nov 22, 2020 00:34

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

tangy yet delightful posted:

I think the only people typing DIY&H are people in the mod forum because I've never seen that typed anywhere on SA until this thread just now. What I'm saying is, we should probably not change it.

Yeah I mean I definitely am typing it more than most people.

Really we are trying to tell the rest of the forums that we aren't just old houses and free plumbing advice. We are that, but there's alot more in here too. I recently pointed a goon in a different subforum to our knitting thread and they said 'I would never have thought to look for a knitting thread in DIY' and a lightbulb went off in my brain. I think there's plenty of crafty goons without a good home for their weird hobby and we would like to let them know that this subforum can be their home.

# ¿ Nov 22, 2020 15:47

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Seems like 'Hobbies & Houses' or some variation thereof is a winner, and we'll be sure to abbreviate it as H&H, not HH?

The Locator posted:

Crafts & Construction Crap

Crafts & Construction Crap Posting (CCCP)

# ¿ Nov 23, 2020 19:37

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

How about HCH-Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses?

Includes the crafters and keeps anyone from accidentally thinking we're the neo-nazi forum?

# ¿ Nov 24, 2020 14:46

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

We have a new forum name :grovertoot:

We need a new forum tag in the main forum index. They have to be 15x60px and like 1-2kB? and I am bad at photoshop or whatever-anyone feel like whipping an 'HCH' one up? I'm not sure what the font is on all the rest of them.

I think corgski is working on a swap/sell kind of thread for us.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2020 02:03

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

ColdPie posted:

Rest in peace, .

Pourin out some paint thinner for a real one

# ¿ Dec 1, 2020 15:15

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

angryrobots posted:

I'm being completely about my joke suggestion here and wanted to make sure the moderation staff saw that I was suggesting this became the SCHAD forum.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2020 03:33

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Memory 404 posted:

I know crochet has a spot, possibly knitting. I saw someone mention weaving ---

What about lumping some/all as simply "Yarncrafts"?

I had suggested that in the knitting or crochet thread recently but the feeling seemed to be that folks liked having separate threads. Feel free to make a weaving thread or w/e if you want though!

# ¿ Jan 24, 2021 16:52

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Requesting suggestions for spooky HCH names. All the neighbors got their decorations up before we did!

# ¿ Oct 5, 2021 17:55

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Haunts, Creeps, & Horrors?
Hexes, Witchcraft, and Haunted Houses?

# ¿ Oct 5, 2021 17:59

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Previous Owner (I think)

Possibly Olso Perfidious Ogre.

Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Jan 3, 2022

# ¿ Jan 3, 2022 20:29

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Pennywise the Frown posted:

Is there anywhere around here where people discuss rockets? Like building and launching model rockets?

There's a remote control vehicles thread and they might talk about rockets?
https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3386779

Or feel free to start a rocket thread!

# ¿ Jan 20, 2022 02:47

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

It�s the Spooky month again and we need to decorate for Halloween so please post your suggestions for a scary forum title and any thread titles here!!!!

# ¿ Oct 2, 2022 13:16

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

Sorry due to supply chain disruptions and labor shortages all our contractors are running behind and we�re only just now getting around to putting up the Halloween decorations

# ¿ Nov 2, 2022 01:05

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 04:31

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

CattleAbduction posted:

Any bookbinders. I'd love to chat about bookbinding but couldn't find proper topic.

I know someone has posted here before about bookbinding so please make a thread! I for one would love to learn about it.

Meow Meow Meow posted:

The buy/sell/trade thread hasn't had a post in years? Is it safe to say it's been a failure and can remove the sticky? Too many stickies if you ask me.

Done. Also unstuck the collecting thread and lockpicking thread.

Also I locked the lockpicking thread. Seemed appropriate.

E: linked to the buy/sell/trade thread in the Hobby thread index post because it's like on page 7 now

Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Jun 14, 2023

# ¿ Jun 14, 2023 02:49

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses: A Work in Progress (HCH QCS & Feedback)