I still think that Flat Earth [Society] Investigations is a good term to describe investigations by (or on behalf of) the Flat Earth Society than investigations of the Flat Earth Society. I'd propose that this should be the name of the "anti-RE" board, and that it's the other board that's in need of a new name.
Really my hope for this board was that it wouldn't just be us doing the investigating. And whilst I don't think many new users will jump in to destroy round earth theory, they may be more than happy to have a pop at the moon landings or shady government programs. These are mainstream topics that could garner new users creating topics that others oppose. In other words a self-regulating forum that organically spawns debate without us having to make the other side of the argument all the time. I wanted this to be a low maintenance topic generator without us doing all the leg work to keep it alive. And I felt to achieve that, we'd have to broaden its appeal and widen the array of things you could debate. I don't think anyone is disputing this as a sensible line to pursue, so its just about execution ... the right title and the right description.
I also don't think asking the question "Is a Flat Earth strictly and physically impossible?" is wise. From my perspective, it actively encourages low-content posting and puts us heavily on the defensive (see Thork's original remarks about how he'd like to turn the tables a bit, at least as far as our focus goes). We should be focusing on questioning RET and sharing news about FET, not on constantly defending ourselves and arguing that FET is "not impossible" - that's what got me on board in the first place.
I have a foot in both camps over this. Again I'd like us to take some of the heat out FET debate, more giving info and the history of FET rather than trying to shoehorn a new theory about aircraft flight times into it. I don't want to HAVE to defend everything and anything, even if I'm literally making it up on the fly. Sure, its been fun in the past, we've come up with all sorts from bendy light to UA to lunar bioluminescence but TFES is no longer new. We've done it all. And now we just repeat the same old theories and the same old jokes. And there is an identical forum for that run by John Davis. We could look to project a much more credible and less divisive society by becoming more like a knowledge base on FET ... again maintaining expert status but by being historians, not scientists. Preserving FET, not 'creating' new FET. I'd rather tell someone about Wilfred Voliva, than have to make up what I think Voliva would have said about GPS and defend his theories in that context. Voliva's story is interesting and I can tell you all about it if you care, without you resorting to 'thats BS'. Sure, people will still attack FET, but then it is no longer personal. You don't agree with this 900 year old monk? OK. But this is what he said about discovering the edge of the earth. I also figured this would be a way to build the wiki into something credible and actually very useful. Populated with some of the in depth answers we give in the future. I have done a lot of work with Tom for example on Rowbotham. Having his business exploits, his education and his inventions as a referrable resource in our wiki then makes it valuable. No one else outside this forum knows he made a forerunner for what would be Dr Pepper later. Even Christine Garwood realised he use the Flat Earth Society to peddle Dr Birley's phosphorus tonic ... BUT she didn't look at the ingredients and realise it to be a very very early form of coca cola ... complete with tons of sugar and phosphoric acid to make it taste like flat cola. Flat cola ... the irony.
I think the media would really see us as an authoritative source in that sense and the other forum as the joke.
But, my other foot does fear people come here to have a pop at FErs and we may lose traffic. I'm hoping those same people will instead be interested by the new debate forum and vent that anger at organised religion, NASA or the government instead.
My suggestion is that we reintroduce Thork's naming back for the anti-RET board, and that your new description is appropriate. The FET board should not be the top one on the list, and both the name and descriptions need more thought.
That said, I appreciate that I'm just sitting here complaining and not providing any proposals myself. I'll see if I can come up with something when I have the time. In the meantime, don't take my objections as authoritative in any way - I'm just adding my thoughts to the mix. If others agree that this is the way to go, hey-ho.
So I would maybe put flat earth investigations as FLAT EARTH THEORY. And if you ask for it, we'll provide the theory. Just like the natural history museum would tell you about dinosaurs, we'll tell you about flat earth theory. It may raise the quality of those threads immeasurably as junk like explain gravity disappears, and we can get deeper into more complex subjects (we may also find our RErs help us locating sources that we can't find as that's now just being helpful). Again, its a risk going this way. We may lose traffic. But we might emerge as the only people that actually tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the society in a way no one else could. We have the best FErs on earth right here. No one knows more about the history, the theories, the people, the organisations ... we are blessed to have people like Tom Bishop and Pete Svarrior here ... people who really know everything. No youtuber can do that. They don't know Lady Blount from John Hampden. They get views from clickbait titles and trying to convince people their new theory on Nazis explains why people are wrong about earths shape. We can be better than that. We could actually be incredibly well respected if we create our own wiki/library of great FE resources and content because we do know this stuff, better than anyone else.
Flat Earth Society Investigations A community board to discuss ROUND EARTH doctrine. Investigate authoritative claims on any topic. Question our institutions and challenge conventional wisdom.
Flat Earth Media For discussing Flat Earth articles, youtube videos, books, interviews and social media.
Flat Earth Theory A place to examine the Flat Earth Theory and its doctrine.
(This is the bit where we give info out like historians)Flat Earth Community A place for the society to collaborate on new projects, improvements and content for Flat Earth Theory.
So to Tom ... this is where I originally started but for a few tweaks. That first board is the 'debate club' you wanted to foster, getting more people debating either side. The new FET format is now to hand out info or discuss and research amongst ourselves FET, and you don't have to defend it any more. That's the bit that is the risk ... but a) we can always go back if this is a disaster and b) it was you that started the thread asking for a way where we aren't just battered by RE noobs. We are all tired of doing the age old threads ... you've done more than anyone else. If you are ready to stop looking out of your window and instead become the genuine expert relaying your knowledge and expertise on the subject ... we're all good. If you enjoy that side of it though and just wanted more help, I've been way off base all along.
I also have a side fear that people like Sandokhan and john Davis will turn up posting walls of text in our new FEt forum claiming to be authoritative instead of actually being helpful, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We could for example only fully endorse the wiki once rewritten, rather than anything on the forum itself. Make that more of the intro to FET to get you started.