A ridiculous proposal from a Japanese modeler, part 4
What comes next after the integration of the five forums
It’s been two months since I started using the new Trains forum system. At first it was trial and error, but I quickly got used to uploading images and videos. There are no restrictions, so it’s really easy. The rating system is a bit cumbersome, so I usually access it on a tablet and only sit in front of my computer when I want to post.
And what I find comfortable is that there are no more barriers between forums.
I was originally in the Model Railroader forum, but I often comment on Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railways, and I also frequently go to Trains and Classic Trains. I wonder if the thread titles are posted by AI, because they show exactly what I like. So I can gain knowledge that is not limited to a specific field, and I can also show my experience, so I’m having a really good time.
The system without barriers between fields was started by the MRH forum a while ago. However, the Trains forum covers a very wide range of subjects, so I think it is working very well. According to the management’s comments, the number of participants and accesses has increased significantly, so this may be the effect.
By the way, while I was commenting on this other thread, I suddenly realized something. It used to be “tako-tsubo”. In Japanese, there is a metaphor that says “Octopus (tako) does not want to get out when it gets into a deep pot (tsubo).” It is equivalent to the English expressions “form silos” and “echo chamber.”
So I thought. How about applying this method to the magazines itself?
There is talk of Garden Railways magazine being relaunched (the thread). Isn’t this going backwards? Isn’t it the policy learned from the forum system to consolidate at least the model-related MR, CTT, and GR magazines into one magazine?
Of course, If they are integrated into one, the cost would go up. As I mentioned in Part 1, if we improve the paper quality, the price will go up even more.
But how much do you spend on models? Compared to that, it’s not a huge amount of money.
Please give it some consideration.
