Tuesday TeaDay 12/30/08 Private TeaHouse?

[Chip]

Heh, perhaps I should have created a topic to discuss the nuances of this concept for a few days, then open a poll.

I think my view is as follows, and by all means, disagree if you feel you need to. I have received unsolicated suggestions about this concept from several members.

1. It would be hidden from view of nonmembers. Once a member reaches the minimum requirements, he/she would be sent an invitation which can be accepted or rejected, no hard feelings either way. Participation is completely voluntary. Once a member accepts, he/she would see the private forum after logging on to TeaChat. If you log off right now, the TeaHouse is no longer visible to you.

2. As I mentioned already, it would not be for discussing tea or tea related discussion. It would be for instance, the member map. Possibly a particular issue might come up from time to time. But tea discussions, etc would be "moved" to the general forum.

3. It would NOT be an exclusive club, not a clique. If you meet the requirements and are not a troll or spammer, or similar, you would be invited.

4. I think it is a good idea and has possibilities beyond what perhaps I even see today. Just another dimension of our TeaCommunity we call TeaChat.

5. The last thing I would want it is to create a wedge. This is not something I have any intention of forcing onto the forum which is a primary reason for the poll and discussion today. Its creation is not imminent.

In my cup, 5th steep of Chiran Supreme from O-Cha. Sweetie enjoyed it, Gandalf, Koi, Pyrit did not.

Have a good TeaDay everyone.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

It is an interesting idea. It would be nice to get to know people a little better in terms of where people are from or a little more about them beyond the current profiles. Pictures might be nice too, since it is always fun to connect faces to user names. I don't think it would interfere with the normal going-ons of TeaChat since there would still be postings in the other parts of the forum like there always is. The TeaHouse would simply be a place to get to know each other better once there is solid evidence that a person wants to be a contributing member of the community.

Starting today with Chestnut tea.

[gerTEA]

I'm new to teachat, after reading lots of posts as a non-member, and I voted 'maybe.' I benefited immensely from the tea-related discussions here, which is why I decided to join.

If the private teahouse discussions are more social and oriented toward more personal information, I don't think non-members would lose too much and can see why it would be smart to keep it restricted to members.

But, as others say, if it would dilute the excellent tea-related content, maybe not. Perhaps there's a way of keeping the purpose narrow (i.e., focused on social/interpersonal). Maybe it could also emphasize things like the tea box pass, local tea swaps, meetings etc.? (all of which require the exchange of personal info).

On that note, perhaps the teahouse could also serve as a pointer to local groups organized via Meetup?

In my cup today: Sencha Fuka-midori from Den's Tea (it came in my free "tea kit" - aroma & flavor of sweet grass, with some nice buttery notes. YUM! Better yet, it fits my desired budget at only $3.25 per oz. I'll definitely be ordering this one!

[olivierco]

Concerning the poll, I don't know.

Golden Monkey King SFTGFOP1 to end the afternoon.

[Vulture]

But, as others say, if it would dilute the excellent tea-related content, maybe not. Perhaps there's a way of keeping the purpose narrow (i.e., focused on social/interpersonal). Maybe it could also emphasize things like the tea box pass, local tea swaps, meetings etc.? (all of which require the exchange of personal info).

On that note, perhaps the teahouse could serve as a pointer to local groups organized via Meetup?

There were a few general ideas that lead to this one. The first was a map of forum members so that people could visit each other if they were in the area. The problem would be where to put it on a public forum. The idea grew of making a private section to place things like the map, member pictures, teaswap, and anything else that is more personal.

It is not intended for a place to talk about tea because we already have that, the rest of the forum. Nor is it a place for the TeaSnobs or Elite. Its just a small buffer so we can feel safe about posting more personal information.

Ultimately it is up to people to even post there even if you accept the invite. I believe that this would be the best 'poll' you can have on any forum topic or section.

[Proinsias]

Fine by me, sounds like it might be more of a step towards a community than just a collection of people talking about tea.

I'm not good with ficsuits and ever changing avatars, a little more personal info would help me keep track of who's who.

And secret clubs are always a little more fun.

[kongni]

1. It would be hidden from view of nonmembers. Once a member reaches the minimum requirements, he/she would be sent an invitation which can be accepted or rejected...

So what are the minimum requirements? Do you have to post comments a certain number of times? Participate in daily polls?

I guess it's an ok idea but I just want to warn that this forum is already 'da bomb' and adding more forum areas may dilute what is already here.

Time to 'chillax' with some gyokuro yo

[Chip]

1. It would be hidden from view of nonmembers. Once a member reaches the minimum requirements, he/she would be sent an invitation which can be accepted or rejected...

So what are the minimum requirements? Do you have to post comments a certain number of times? Participate in daily polls?

I guess it's an ok idea but I just want to warn that this forum is already 'da bomb' and adding more forum areas may dilute what is already here.

Time to 'chillax' with some gyokuro yo

Yo...chillin' with some gyo sounds good to me.

The requirements have not been established since this is simply being discussed at this time. I would not want them to be too cumbersome. Maybe 60 days and 20 total posts, needing both to qualify.

[Proinsias]

The only issue I see with that is members who turn up and post 20 or 30 times in a few days, then vanish only to get an email 2 months down the line to say their brief bout of excessive posting has earned them a special forum invite.

[Chip]

The only issue I see with that is members who turn up and post 20 or 30 times in a few days, then vanish only to get an email 2 months down the line to say their brief bout of excessive posting has earned them a special forum invite.

Good point, and I thought of that as I was posting last. I did not want to confuse the issue at this point with too many details, but yes, that would certainly have to be considered.

[Shelob]

Hey, too many people to quote, I really like the idea, especially the TeaMap part! As far as the concerns about the general forum being diluted, if the Moderator sees topics posted that should be under another thread in our general forum, they can just be moved to the more appropriate threads as I have seen topics moved before by our mod. Great Idea- thanks Chip- that definately needs tweaking, but I believe it will benefit us all and help us to get to know each other better.

And yes, there are truly secret areas on other forums as mentioned, where a select few are the only ones to have access! So there are members within members, so be it!

That said,, since my very best friend was a victim of identity theft, so there is some personal info I just will not arbitrarily share, but I will definately vote 'da bombe' and be a part!

Gyrokuro in my cup this early afternoon!
Have a FAB TeaDay everyone

[scruffmcgruff]

I don't like it... it seems like people could be fooled into thinking that it really was a private forum, and share more than they normally would. A false sense of security, I guess. It's really not like it would take that much to work your way into this private forum as it is proposed now.

[Ron Gilmour]

I've been sipping some wonderful Ceylon all morning. Might try to revive yesterday's Rou Gui leaves later.

[Maintains Zen-like silence regarding the poll topic.]

[scruffmcgruff]

Another point... why can't you all just join facebook/myspace? It's more secure than this, and it won't add any more bloat to the forum.

[augie]

A disgruntled former member "leaked" this to the general populace...however most members understood the need for this "private" area and it became a running joke that the "Illuminati" resided in that area!

I don't see what this forum is lacking??? As Chad says, my husband participated in a racing forum years ago that a group of blow-hard, elitists started a chat room on the side and kept making comments after newbie posts about having "educated discussions" in the other forum (where only a few were able to participate). This group also suffered from hackers and others trying to coax information out of those who had the URL and password to the "other forum". Could totally see that happening here . . . my $.02