Additional to what @Qis says, it seems like you're an already relatively niche sub and if interest here is proportional to the interest you get on reddit, you might find your traction here...
Additional to what @Qis says, it seems like you're an already relatively niche sub and if interest here is proportional to the interest you get on reddit, you might find your traction here somewhat limited.
Personally, while I will admit to some general and fairly vague interest in the topic, it's probably limited to what could be covered by a single survey thread. I do not have ongoing questions about the Christian bible such as might require a group here. Obviously other people's mileage may vary on that front.
I must admit I'm finding it hard to summon a great deal of interest in joining a Teams space to talk about something which could be just as easily discussed here. On this discussion board... Unless I've missed some reason you don't want the conversation here?
OK, you say that, but when I looked just now, the vast majority of the questions currently on the sub do seem to be about the bible or at at least bible-studies-related. Which isn't surprising, it...
OK, you say that, but when I looked just now, the vast majority of the questions currently on the sub do seem to be about the bible or at at least bible-studies-related. Which isn't surprising, it is called AskBibleScholars, of course. That is not a group of people who would be my first call with, say, history or linguistics questions.
What do you think you can do here that you're not already achieving on reddit?
I've seen you mention this a couple of times, but what are you talking about? r/AskBibleScholars seems to disallow discussion in posts beyond the OP themselves and preapproved panelists? That...
I've seen you mention this a couple of times, but what are you talking about? r/AskBibleScholars seems to disallow discussion in posts beyond the OP themselves and preapproved panelists? That doesn't really sound like us. I appreciate the strong moderation on subs like r/AskHistorians and your very restrictive approach might be a reasonable adaptation given what I know about the tendency of online discussions of religion and religious history to slide into pretty rough territory -- but I guess I don't know what you think we're going to talk about here. Maybe you could post a survey thread to see if there are questions waiting to be addressed by your experts?
I'd caution you against doing a direct import of your reddit rules, though. You've got an opportunity for reinvention, and those behaviors you list aren't good netiquette or welcome on Tildes....
I'd caution you against doing a direct import of your reddit rules, though. You've got an opportunity for reinvention, and those behaviors you list aren't good netiquette or welcome on Tildes. It's worth thinking over and discussing with your users. All of those problems will resurface in time as this place grows (not just for your group but all of them), but here there's a commitment to directly addressing those issues with tools and the banhammer. ;)
yeah, I figured with the Usenet-like structure, we'd have eventually it as ~religion.christianity.bible or something similar -- but until there is a proven need, ~religion. I mentioned it a few...
yeah, I figured with the Usenet-like structure, we'd have eventually it as ~religion.christianity.bible or something similar -- but until there is a proven need, ~religion.
I mentioned it a few years ago when this first got going, but I'd love to have everything after the sub name just be tag filtering. So long as they tag their posts biblescholars, they could have religion.biblescholars without the need to create a dedicated group.
I'm not interested in joining the Teams chat, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm excited for the import of your community and look forward to its debut here!
I'm not interested in joining the Teams chat, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm excited for the import of your community and look forward to its debut here!
My understanding is that you've been talking to @Deimos about the mechanics of doing this, but I am curious what the game plan is. Do you intend to bring many of the usual contributors over,...
My understanding is that you've been talking to @Deimos about the mechanics of doing this, but I am curious what the game plan is. Do you intend to bring many of the usual contributors over, complete with a new group here like ~biblescholars?
In any case, I have thought and continue to think this would be pretty cool for the site, both in terms of growing it and in terms of diversifying the represented interests here. I have always had an interest in Biblical scholarship so perhaps I am biased.
What do you mean by "process," what are you having to be patient for? You're talking about this in tentative future-tense terms which make it seem complicated, but I'm not really sure what remains...
What do you mean by "process," what are you having to be patient for? You're talking about this in tentative future-tense terms which make it seem complicated, but I'm not really sure what remains to be done before somebody could just start posting about the topics that interest you. If this were a mall it really seems like you've been offered the permission you would need to set up whatever kiosk. Haven't you told your mailing list to start making accounts or sharing content?
Prolific poster u/moocow1452 asked a question like yours in June and I was one of the only respondents then, but they forged ahead and posted marble events throughout the summer. It was fun!
I believe we're all waiting on some special tools and/or changes to the invite system such as open signup. Deimos will make a post about the specifics when it's time.
I believe we're all waiting on some special tools and/or changes to the invite system such as open signup. Deimos will make a post about the specifics when it's time.
It almost seems like a ~biblescholars group would be way too niche. I imagine it would make more sense to use it as a tag within a religion group. The tag itself could be interpreted as a sort of...
It almost seems like a ~biblescholars group would be way too niche. I imagine it would make more sense to use it as a tag within a religion group. The tag itself could be interpreted as a sort of Bat Signal for the relevant experts as well as an indicator that there is a different set of norms, expectations for discussion in place. (Though that would probably be best served with some sort of badge that’s more visible).
I'm not sure exactly what you're asking: do you want there to be a dedicated group on Tildes for r/askbiblescholars-style questions? Considering how broad the current groups list is, this seems...
I'm not sure exactly what you're asking: do you want there to be a dedicated group on Tildes for r/askbiblescholars-style questions? Considering how broad the current groups list is, this seems like it would be much more specific topic than any of the others. (@tomf's suggestion of ~religion makes sense.) Considering how small Tildes still is at this point, I don't see the benefit of migrating/cultivating a community around a topic that hasn't seen organic growth here already.
I'd like it if you just started the community now, and figured out the import in the meantime. The transfer could be gradual until that final push when @Deimos figures everything out. I wouldn't...
I'd like it if you just started the community now, and figured out the import in the meantime.
The transfer could be gradual until that final push when @Deimos figures everything out. I wouldn't worry about lack of content, I am very interested in having my questions answered, and if necessary, I know a number of Biblical scholars myself who could join.
How large is the subset that you think would migrate? Tildes is pretty small and not super active; it's possible that bringing in enough of an older, tighter group could have a significant impact...
How large is the subset that you think would migrate? Tildes is pretty small and not super active; it's possible that bringing in enough of an older, tighter group could have a significant impact on the wider culture of the site.
Tildes has its own community culture; the kinds of posts that people make, the kinds and tones of comments that do well, etc. Tildes is also relatively small, relatively loosely moderated (e.g....
Tildes has its own community culture; the kinds of posts that people make, the kinds and tones of comments that do well, etc. Tildes is also relatively small, relatively loosely moderated (e.g. not many black-and-white rules), relatively inactive, relatively broad topics and discussion styles. If there's enough influx of a group that's more stablished – older (longer standing "friendships"), tighter rules and expectations for interactions, possibly more vocal and engaged, maybe more focused on certain subjects or types of posts, etc. – particularly over a short time, that can overwhelm the existing community (even unintentionally). Sometimes this brings positive changes, but other times it can make existing members feel like they're losing what they loved.
I don't have much personal experience with this particular subreddit, but I could see a large enough influx of people from Ask* subreddits I do follow changing how things are done here (e.g. expecting everything be sourced, high scrutiny for anyone not flagged as an authority, shifting the overall post and comment focus towards the academic/educational, etc.). It's a bit of an extreme example, but I think it helps get the point across.
Additional to what @Qis says, it seems like you're an already relatively niche sub and if interest here is proportional to the interest you get on reddit, you might find your traction here somewhat limited.
Personally, while I will admit to some general and fairly vague interest in the topic, it's probably limited to what could be covered by a single survey thread. I do not have ongoing questions about the Christian bible such as might require a group here. Obviously other people's mileage may vary on that front.
I must admit I'm finding it hard to summon a great deal of interest in joining a Teams space to talk about something which could be just as easily discussed here. On this discussion board... Unless I've missed some reason you don't want the conversation here?
OK, you say that, but when I looked just now, the vast majority of the questions currently on the sub do seem to be about the bible or at at least bible-studies-related. Which isn't surprising, it is called AskBibleScholars, of course. That is not a group of people who would be my first call with, say, history or linguistics questions.
What do you think you can do here that you're not already achieving on reddit?
If a public sub on one of the most popular sites on the English-speaking internet is an 'ivory tower' then I'm not sure what you think tildes is... :D
I've seen you mention this a couple of times, but what are you talking about? r/AskBibleScholars seems to disallow discussion in posts beyond the OP themselves and preapproved panelists? That doesn't really sound like us. I appreciate the strong moderation on subs like r/AskHistorians and your very restrictive approach might be a reasonable adaptation given what I know about the tendency of online discussions of religion and religious history to slide into pretty rough territory -- but I guess I don't know what you think we're going to talk about here. Maybe you could post a survey thread to see if there are questions waiting to be addressed by your experts?
I'd caution you against doing a direct import of your reddit rules, though. You've got an opportunity for reinvention, and those behaviors you list aren't good netiquette or welcome on Tildes. It's worth thinking over and discussing with your users. All of those problems will resurface in time as this place grows (not just for your group but all of them), but here there's a commitment to directly addressing those issues with tools and the banhammer. ;)
Thank you for being the first mod brave enough to approach his community about moving to a more deserving website. ;)
Why not request ~religion and start there?
Or maybe a subgroup (~humanities.bible, ~humanities.biblescholars, ~humanities.religion.abrahamic)?
yeah, I figured with the Usenet-like structure, we'd have eventually it as ~religion.christianity.bible or something similar -- but until there is a proven need, ~religion.
I mentioned it a few years ago when this first got going, but I'd love to have everything after the sub name just be tag filtering. So long as they tag their posts
biblescholars, they could havereligion.biblescholarswithout the need to create a dedicated group.I'm not interested in joining the Teams chat, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm excited for the import of your community and look forward to its debut here!
My understanding is that you've been talking to @Deimos about the mechanics of doing this, but I am curious what the game plan is. Do you intend to bring many of the usual contributors over, complete with a new group here like ~biblescholars?
In any case, I have thought and continue to think this would be pretty cool for the site, both in terms of growing it and in terms of diversifying the represented interests here. I have always had an interest in Biblical scholarship so perhaps I am biased.
What do you mean by "process," what are you having to be patient for? You're talking about this in tentative future-tense terms which make it seem complicated, but I'm not really sure what remains to be done before somebody could just start posting about the topics that interest you. If this were a mall it really seems like you've been offered the permission you would need to set up whatever kiosk. Haven't you told your mailing list to start making accounts or sharing content?
Prolific poster u/moocow1452 asked a question like yours in June and I was one of the only respondents then, but they forged ahead and posted marble events throughout the summer. It was fun!
I believe we're all waiting on some special tools and/or changes to the invite system such as open signup. Deimos will make a post about the specifics when it's time.
Hm, sounds plausible. And I guess if this were a mall I would avoid eye contact with the kiosk vendors, so maybe that is not the best metaphor.
It almost seems like a ~biblescholars group would be way too niche. I imagine it would make more sense to use it as a tag within a religion group. The tag itself could be interpreted as a sort of Bat Signal for the relevant experts as well as an indicator that there is a different set of norms, expectations for discussion in place. (Though that would probably be best served with some sort of badge that’s more visible).
I'm not sure exactly what you're asking: do you want there to be a dedicated group on Tildes for r/askbiblescholars-style questions? Considering how broad the current groups list is, this seems like it would be much more specific topic than any of the others. (@tomf's suggestion of ~religion makes sense.) Considering how small Tildes still is at this point, I don't see the benefit of migrating/cultivating a community around a topic that hasn't seen organic growth here already.
I'd like it if you just started the community now, and figured out the import in the meantime.
The transfer could be gradual until that final push when @Deimos figures everything out. I wouldn't worry about lack of content, I am very interested in having my questions answered, and if necessary, I know a number of Biblical scholars myself who could join.
How large is the subset that you think would migrate? Tildes is pretty small and not super active; it's possible that bringing in enough of an older, tighter group could have a significant impact on the wider culture of the site.
Tildes has its own community culture; the kinds of posts that people make, the kinds and tones of comments that do well, etc. Tildes is also relatively small, relatively loosely moderated (e.g. not many black-and-white rules), relatively inactive, relatively broad topics and discussion styles. If there's enough influx of a group that's more stablished – older (longer standing "friendships"), tighter rules and expectations for interactions, possibly more vocal and engaged, maybe more focused on certain subjects or types of posts, etc. – particularly over a short time, that can overwhelm the existing community (even unintentionally). Sometimes this brings positive changes, but other times it can make existing members feel like they're losing what they loved.
I don't have much personal experience with this particular subreddit, but I could see a large enough influx of people from Ask* subreddits I do follow changing how things are done here (e.g. expecting everything be sourced, high scrutiny for anyone not flagged as an authority, shifting the overall post and comment focus towards the academic/educational, etc.). It's a bit of an extreme example, but I think it helps get the point across.