Social media

[IceH2O]

Do you guys not have a group on facebook?

from what I see this forum is pretty dead. Why not start a group on FB and make aquaria central relevant again.
you could even link back to this site for advice on subjects.

 

[NoodleCats]

Facebook is a cesspool of bad info and trolls. I admin a group in the pet community, I feel Facebook is the wrong environment for this cozy little forum. I can't tell you how many goofs who can't even read the simplest of rules I have to boot off the group I admin on. (Group has over 27K members too).

It's not up to me, but I feel lots of the regulars here aren't keen on utilizing Facebook or dealing with the drama that comes along with that. Many of the folks here also aren't huge on change, and Facebook would be a whole lot more for them to learn how to navigate.


Lastly, part of this forums charm is that it's small and familiar with one another. The atmosphere is relaxed. There's a lot of busier groups out there, but doesn't make them actually good. Tbh, a lot of the bigger forums also have a lot of corruption in them and some even are hostile environments.

This forum has consistently been welcoming, friendly, and a warm place to be. Downside is that yes it can be slow sometimes.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Facebook is where information goes to die.

I am not on any social media and never have been in my almost 23 years on the net and direct dial before that.

 

[fishorama]

Well, I have a FB acct. I only use it for close family & a couple friends & only look if I get an email notice. I never post on my own page. I "belong" to a couple group sites that require approval to join but almost never visit them. I don't need any "friend" requests from strangers or friends of distant relatives. Or "suggestions" from FB for sites or friends.

I'm only a slight privacy nut, some here actually know my name, first name anyway

 

[dougall]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/AquariaCentralGroup/?ref=share


Less busy than here.. but the official group


Most of the fish-related conversations I have are on Facebook any more, pre Covid they were also in person at fish clubs or conventions.

AC itself is just too slow any more, I'm not learning anything here, maybe answering the odd question, but with ads and the constant chat showing up on every page it becomes really tedious from my phone. I don't share much of anything because of the difficulty of doing so and don't really agree with the terms of hosting media here, and have lost data in past crashes and server moves . And I prefer to be able to edit things after they have been written.

I'm more active on another forum for a local aquarium plant group; but mostly everything is in Facebook. It has depended which groups I belong to,and knowing who to pay attention to and who else to take with a grain of salt.

Outside of the official AGA group, most groups I pay attention to are much smaller, or there are those I follow just for comedy value and don't write anything.

I'm also happy keeping my Facebook and AC identities seperate, but if anyone wants to find me there, send me a PM;

 

[IceH2O]

Lots of bad info in forums also.

Bad info is more a reason to do social media so you can put people on the right track

But I get the family atmosphere

damn that group is dead. 12 ppl?

I’m part of multiple fb groups and yes the info at times are bad but more experienced ppl chime in and try to give better info.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I value my privacy over anything registering on social media offers.

Just as an FYI. I have used one screen name for every site I register on and visit with any regularity for the last 22 years. I am TTA on fish sites, poker sites, my photo hosting site etc. If you know my real name and where I Iive and you try to use Google to find info about me you will get almost nothing. If you go to one of those sites which claim they can give you the real info on people, the few scraps of info they offer about me are mostly inaccurate. They have me living in places I have not only never lived but have spent fewer than a dozen hours in over my 74 years.

On the other hand if you Google my screen name and you make the effort, you get 29 pages of TTA related stuff.

However, if you are one of the folks who have bought my fish over the past 19 years, you deal with the real me not the screen name.

Maybe that is why I want nothing to do with Facebook. The real me has no desire to dive into what I perceive to be a cesspool.

Here is the thing I am really 27, I am six feet tall. I am a billionaire and possibly the handsomest man on the planet. I can also fly and turn myself invisible. Welcome to the internet....................

 

[dougall]

Here is the thing I am really 27, I am six feet tall. I am a billionaire and possibly the handsomest man on the planet. I can also fly and turn myself invisible. Welcome to the internet....................

I can confirm!

 

[NoodleCats]

There are some good groups, but you gotta dig through a lot of crap to find them.

And literally any Joe can create a group and put out whatever info they want and can boot anyone who says otherwise and nothing you can do about it. There's no way to regulate that. And even if knowledgeable people put out good info, there's no way to regulate the bad info being thrown in as well and heaven forbid you tell someone they're wrong on Facebook. I've left some scaping groups because they allow the bad posts to run amok and you cannot speak up about them without the owners coming down on you. You get tired seeing someone post a bowl with angelfish, goldfish, a betta, etc and not being able to tell the person it's cruel. It's depressing, exhausting, and does no true good for anyone. Heck, I've had my life threatened on social media because I wouldn't give away a molly to someone for a 5 gallon to use as a clean up crew.

And yes, bad forums are out there too. I honestly feel this one has been the best because there's no drama. There's no cliques with the staff, there's no corruption with sponsors, it's laid back and friendly.


Best way to make this forum more active isn't social media, but to make conversation, make posts, tell friends or others looking for recommendations for info or community.

If you're on YouTube and have decent followers, can always leave a recommendation for good places in your vid or in vid descriptions.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Noodle, you have not been on the site all that long. My first visit here was earlier than my join date shows. This place has gone through a couple of owners and a few bad periods where some of the better people have walked away. I myself have left the site for extended periods a few times over the last 20 years.

There was a time when this place was very active. Now it is slower, calmer and mostly nice folks.

Before social media it was all forums and chats. Most of these have closed or slowed to a crawl. The two most active general fish sites today are MonsterFishkeepers and Tropical Fish Forums.

The same thing re finding out who actually knows what they are talking about applied to forums. But the net is so big that it is difficult to do. I am pretty good now at being able to sort the informed from the idiots, but it took me time to learn that. The problem with the net is that it is at least 90% idiots and maybe more. I am not willing to do that much work any more.

The other side of the coin is over the years I have amassed a list of true experts I can contact when I am lost.

I have a saying I developed over the years. "You can lead a fish keeper to water, but you can't make them think."