Weddingbee Blog

I think boards could definitely work. It’ll definitely be easier to read and follow a thread.

I think they would be a great addition. You should give them a try and if they don’t work then at least you can say your tried.

i agree that boards would be a great addition to the already wonderful weddingbee website… i must admit that the Hive can be hard to read/comment/follow up on…

Love the idea!

It’s something I’d actually considered suggesting to you guys. So many times I want to ask a certain commenter a question about something they said, and have to ask it openly in the comments for that post, hoping the reader will check back. If there was a way we could do a board that also have a private messaging (PM) feature, it would be great.

Maybe you could set it to where one of you has to approve each new topic. That way you don’t have to gather all questions, organize them, reword/condense them, link them to their original post and make sure you didn’t miss anyone. You wouldn’t be able to control snarky responses, but with the exception of the hot-button issues, we are generally pretty mild around here. Also, approving the topics would help avoid spam and general nonsense.

I also agree with having to register (at least to use the board.)

I think a WeddingBee board would be great! I think one of the reasons a lot of people come to WeddingBee is because it is a more positive atmosphere than, say the *ahem* Knot message boards.

Enforcing strict community guidelines and having moderators would be the key to keeping it a constructive and useful board, though. Maybe you could ask for volunteers to moderate boards?

And as a commenter above mentioned, you could always get rid of it if it doesn’t work out.

I think it could work. Boards are naturally open to web-rage since the internet let’s us be anonymous and as brides-to-be we can all get pissy sometimes.

I knot a lot and am a regular on the Destination Weddings board. We aren’t registered for anything special but we seem to do a good job of self-regulating. So even in the chaos of all the other boards, we are a nice, helpful oasis on that site. It is possible to have nice wedding message board if the participants work together.

I think it should at least be given a try. If it doesn’t work it can always be taken down.

Way back when someone suggested having a FAQ page for generic questions that often come up in the Beehive - that may help with the plethora of questions.

As someone who has lots of questions and would like a friendly forum in which to discuss them, I like the idea…. but I also wonder if it will at all take away from the unique nature of Weddingbee. Will having boards take the focus off of the super-creative, diverse and well-spoken Bees that have been specifically chosen to blog about their experiences? As a non-Bee, I still appreciate the exclusivity of the Bees because I think it brings focus to the site. It is much easier for readers to follow along with each Bee’s process and personality when there is a limit to how many Bees there are. It is part of why I read every day.

What if instead of it turning into a discussion board with scattered posts about anything and everything, it is organized so that each new string begins with a specific question (asked by a registered member) that has been approved by Mrs. Bee/Miss Lovebug/another moderator in which people can then answer? Meaning, it’s not a place for the “I hate my boss” or “What should I eat for lunch?” kind of posts, but a place specifically for wedding/relationship Q&A. This would cut down on the clutter and snarkiness that many boards experience while still fostering an open “help me help you” kind of atmosphere.

Does that make any sense? Have I gone off my rocker???

Great point Brooke! Being able to watch how each Bee’s wedding unfolds not only keeps you focused on each each person’s journey but also endears you to particular writers. i.e. l love love love Miss. Snow Pea, Mrs. Caterpillar, Mrs. Orchid, and Mrs. Bee b/c their circumstances were so similar to mine.