[xubuntu-users] Official or Not?

[kelly]

On Fri, 5 Aug 2011 12:26:33 -0700
Elizabeth Krumbach <lyz at ubuntu.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Aug 5, 2011 at 6:51 AM, Robin <dixiedancer at gmail.com> wrote:
> > But now, as to the forums, I've read that the Kubuntu Forums are
> > sponsored and managed by a single individual and not underwritten
> > by Canonical. With all the free forum hosting services around (even
> > SalixOS uses one for it's official forums!), setting up a Xubu
> > forums site seems like a fun way I might be able to contribute,
> > even though I'm just a non-technical Xubu user and fanboy. Is that
> > a good idea do you think?
> 
> Is there a specific problem you see with our current use of
> ubuntuforums.org that you're trying to address by this proposal?
> 
> Since the Xubuntu community is so small I don't really see a benefit
> to us leaving ubuntuforums.org and starting our own forums initiative.
> Running a successful forum is a lot of work (even if you used a hosted
> service, there is the matter of community management, making sure
> folks adhere to the Code of Conduct and don't offer malicious/abusive
> support) and you'd need a dedicated team responding to support
> requests since dead/quiet forums can actually do damage to a project.
> It's also worth keeping in mind that often times Xubuntu issues are
> also applicable to Ubuntu since they share gtk and several
> applications are the same so there are major benefits from sticking
> with a large, established community that can offer help with both.
> 

Personally, I am in favor of a *separate* forum for Xubuntu.  Why?
Xubuntu is not Ubuntu.  Period.  Further as Xubuntu is basically
forgotten by the parent organization it is no different on the unbuntu
forum.  Lastly, it can be and is *confusing* to new Xubuntu users when
they look for support on the Xubuntu website, find the forums, click on
it and guess what ... when the smoke clears and the dust settles they
are on the ubuntu forum -- *not* the Xubuntu forum.  This single action
in itself does not help new Xubuntu users nor does it endear them to
Xubuntu.

Not a good act to follow people.

-- 
krp
0x8BCBFAB0