When I first came to CiC, I did not understand these megathreads. They took forever to load and I soon gave up trying to read through them all. The thing is, that, even though they
are long, they do contain an amazing amount of good conversation. Sometimes, I think that people do like to "exhibit" their work but I like to think of it more as sharing - places, things that people are proud of or excited about, etc.
What I've come to realize, is that it is more like a long, ongoing conversation that anyone can jump into at any time. They are hosted and maintained, too, by several gracious and talented people who, I think, it is a privilege to receive C&C from. It seems to me that it is just something that has evolved and propels itself on it's own and I would definitely not want those who participate to be discouraged. They contribute an awful lot to our community. There are many places to visit and spend time, here, at CiC. Everyone learns differently and have different strengths and interests. I'm sure that there's room for everyone's different preferences and ways of doing things.
Maybe, though, there needs to be a little bit more clarity and organization. Perhaps, there could be a little more explanation at the beginning of these threads. i.e. what they're about, what peoples' expectations about what they're about to get into should be and, maybe, a welcome to just join in - an idea of how to get the most out of the thread. Also, perhaps, it should be clear that, to receive C&C, they need to say so and that it might be more to the point to just start a new thread in the forum. I'm sure that the starters of the different threads wouldn't mind doing that, in fact, I think that I've read it explained, at the beginning of one, that the definition of the thread
would be changed as it evolved. Also, maybe, they could be broken down into volumes so that they don't take so long to load and are in more manageable chunks.
(er, the long load time might just be my computer, though.
) I don't know, I'm just brainstorming a little from one who remembers what it's like to be new, here, but has settled in, a
tiny bit.