I hear what you're saying, Ken. Here's my rough draft idea of how we might organize all things creative. Most of the creative arts threads we have have many videos of music attached but we don't need to mention music in the description since they aren't the featured genre. For instance, the Blue thread may include Picasso's blue period paintings as well as a youtube of Rhapsody in Blue. Same goes with Poetry. I posted one of my poems in the Blue thread called Diamonds & Life instead of the Reading & Writing Topic (I didn't realize that included poetry) Just an aside…the current "Reading & Writing" topic could be titled "Literature, Writing & Poetry" and remain in the EDUCATION & ENTERTAINMENT category. Photos&Videos and Hobbie&Crafts could be moved from the GETTING IT DONE category to the new VISUAL ARTS category because they are both visual arts. New Category: VISUAL ARTS (Description: Creative concepts, all mediums including Painting, Sculpture, Art Installations, Fine Arts Photography, Architecture, Urban Art, Recycled Art, Pen & Ink, Pastels, Pencil Sketches, Pottery, Jewelry, Members Art, etc Six Topics under the new category: Artistic Expression (kind of a catch-all place of any art medium like sculpture, paintings, collages, mixed media, pen&ink, pastel, pencil sketches, conceptual ideas, etc) ….to include threads like "A Place for Peace" by Terry Page " Circle Illusions" by Allison Schuck "Illusions" by Diane Lane, Color Palette or Joe's Over the Rainbow title ( all color threads: grey blue, purple, green, red,yellow, orange, black&white) Fine Art Photography (moved from GETTING IT DONE thread) Crafts & Hobbies (moved from GETTING IT DONE thread) Nature's Art or Earth Designs (all beauty in nature, recycled art, etc) …to include threads like "Designs in Nature" by Joe Riley "Painted with Numbers: Mathematical Patterns in Nature" by Joe Riley "Your Favorite Wildflower" by Joyce McGregor "Recycled Plastic Bags" by Krissttina? Member's Art & Photography …to include threads like "Pastel Portraits" by Ina This is so incomplete!! There are many more threads that could be moved here
I'll give it some thought, and see what others might have to say. There is one thing that I don't understand, however. Poetry is writing, as is literature. They are separate things only in the specifics. Can we really anticipate enough discussions about poetry to warrant a separate sub-forum for it, keeping in mind that we can't simply steal poems from other sites and post them here? I don't want to create sub-forums that aren't going to be well used. Forums get confusing when there are too many categories or too many forums all at the same level. On the other hand, if sub-forums are too deep, the deeper ones are generally underused. This is particularly the case when there aren't many actual threads or posts and, while this forum is doing well, it's not even a year old. There are fewer than 25,000 posts altogether, and that includes numerous one-word game posts and photos without words. Plus, there is the fact that every time we rearrange the furniture, I have to move threads around, and the more significant fact that when I change the names of sub-forums or move forums to new categories, their URL changes and it plays hell with our search engine placement. So, while I am not averse to adding forums that might be needed, I am cautious about rearranging the furniture. Adding forums and sub-forums is easy, and a good thing as long as they are going to be used. Visual Arts is one that is probably needed.
My apology, I did casually suggest to rename the Reading & Writing topic to include poetry (not start a new sub-forum for it though), but I guess you're right that both prose and poetry are writing. I just noticed that several members started their own threads there for their own poetry and another member posted a well attended thread there called "Favorite Poems". It has 24 posts and 230 views. I posted one of my own poems that I wrote in that thread called "Aquila Degli Abruzzi" because I didn't think to start my own thread for my poetry. I'm learning. Now I see where others have. I have no idea about running software programs for forums so I didn't know that it's difficult to "move furniture". Thank you for telling me and I will refrain from suggestions. I'll stick with necessary requests if I ever have one.
I think you're misunderstanding my post. I was not dismissing your ideas, but simply discussing the problems associated with them. I appreciate whatever ideas anyone can come up with, but I wanted everyone to understand that there is more involved than simply deciding whether it's a good idea or not. Adding a sub-forum for Poetry within the Reading & Writing forum would be no problem whatsoever. I just want to make sure that we've discussed whatever there is to be discussed before going ahead with it. And perhaps to keep in mind that this isn't what I do for a living, so I can't always get to things right away.
There is also the personal diaries area, and it looks to me like that would work for a place where you only wanted to post certain things, like your poetry, @Lara Moss . The information says one thread per person, and then you can add whatever you wanted to; so if you named it "Lara's Poetry Corner", or something that gave an idea that this is what would be there, then you can post your poetry. Probably, you could invite other members that wrote poetry to post there as well, if you wanted it for other writers as well as your own works. This could also work for those (like @Ina I. Wonder ), who are artists, and want to showcase their artworks. And anyone else who creates something and wants their own little area to show it, or just to talk about it; the diary section could work for that, too. That would leave the other topics for things that we post that are not our own specific creations, so maybe it would be a solution for both issues.
Again, I can create a forum for poetry, as a sub-forum of Reading & Writing. That's certainly not off the table.
You know what's best for the forum, Ken. I'm just trying to be helpful about rewording the title of the existing one for clarity. If you don't think it will be well attended then I can see where it wouldn't be necessary. I've only been here 2 months and don't know if we have anyone who writes poetry other than the two I found today. I'm more concerned about your comment about "can't simply steal poems from other sites and post them here". Could you clarify what you mean? Are you referring to poems, photos, quotes, comic strips, etc that I as well as many others find on google images and post here for fun? Poems by dead poets are always okay to "steal" legally as well as anything that falls under the Fair Use Law. Section 107 of the Copyright Act which states, "the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." Ina's and my American Indian thread was educational and all other uses have been for the sake of "comment". I'm pretty sure that's the intention of google images.
Content that is taken from other web sites is duplicate content that is of no use here unless it leads to criticism, comment or other replies that are not duplicated elsewhere. My point, which I thought was clear, was that if the member of this forum weren't interested in discussing poetry that might be posted here, then it would be stealing, insofar as it wouldn't be for the purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. On the other hand, if there is enough interest in poetry that we are apt to have criticism or comment on these poems, that's fine.
I see. Okay, thank you. I appreciate all the hard work you do here. It's a wonderful site even without changes and fun for all.