WOW,been gone for a while

[dougall]

This forum just feels neglected to me.

it needs more than just routine maintenance, and that's all I really see getting done. There comes a point of diminishing returns, however, so I completely understand just letting things go...maybe it's time to put AC to bed.

So long as profits are being made from advertising (and maybe sponsorship), the forum is likely to stay up and running. If it were to become a financial drain, I would expect it to disappear

There's potential here, but unless an effort is made to rejuvenate the site, from the top down, little if anything will change.


As noted, there are other forums that are doing well, and really well. If the owners/administration here wanted things to change they could look into what is different, or maybe ask people what they would like to see changed.

A community is nothing without it's members, there is little value to the infrastructure alone.

 

[Fish_Bone]

I would like to list a few things I do like.

Having an app is huge! Makes surfing the site a breeze.
I like the separate forums layout.
There are core members here that are invaluable because of their knowledge base.
And I really liked the idea of a tank of the month, fish of the month, etc. But as long as I have been here its never been done to my knowledge.

Just my twocents. Oh.and my earlier post I was trying to be light hearted and funny, minus my actual content.


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[TwoTankAmin]

So let me see if I understand this right. People who were active here back whenever decided to walk away from the site when it was going to their satisfaction and now they are complaining that people like them left the site?

This is very amusing to me.

 

[authmal]

Huh. I just noticed that there's a banner ad for a 2011 giveaway. :headshake2:

 

[dougall]

So let me see if I understand this right. People who were active here back whenever decided to walk away from the site when it was going to their satisfaction and now they are complaining that people like them left the site?

This is very amusing to me.

Didn't you leave for a time too T?


I think the thing is that people ave taken a leave from the hobby, or from the site itself, and come back and found that little has changed, that there has been no progress, nor have there been many posts.

A lot of people here have a good deal of history and emotional attachment to the site, but after time, there is little hobby-related here for them outside of a number of friends... May as well tell jokes and post pictures of food for that !

 

[TwoTankAmin]

doug- yes I did leave for a time, but I never made the sort of comments in this thread when I returned. So in that respect, your observation has little or no bearing I would say.

And besides, I see a bit of the pot calling the kettle black here- I do go into chat now and then and it seems there is rarely much fish talk going on. I wonder if that is due to the site management or the people regularly in the chat?

All that said, fish sites come and go. One is hot and the other is not. Then months later the hot one is gone and a new one pops up. I have watched every great fish chat in which I have participated not be able to last for what ever reasons. I have come to accept this as a fact of life. I am reminded of the line- Only the good die young.......

 

[Brian Bivens]

I think one of the issues (and I did leave for two years or so) is that once you get your info, and get your tank set up, you don't have the same needs as when you first started the hobby.

I was so appreciative of everyone's help before so I am back to give that support to other new folks coming in, but the majority of folks probably have their needs met and then move on, or being human, lose interest in the hobby altogether.


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[dougall]

doug- yes I did leave for a time, but I never made the sort of comments in this thread when I returned. So in that respect, your observation has little or no bearing I would say.

And besides, I see a bit of the pot calling the kettle black here- I do go into chat now and then and it seems there is rarely much fish talk going on. I wonder if that is due to the site management or the people regularly in the chat?

All that said, fish sites come and go. One is hot and the other is not. Then months later the hot one is gone and a new one pops up. I have watched every great fish chat in which I have participated not be able to last for what ever reasons. I have come to accept this as a fact of life. I am reminded of the line- Only the good die young.......

I didn't expect that you would return and leave comments, more wondering if you had noticed a lack of progress in your absence?

And yes, there's not much fish chat in the chat room, mostly because all the people in there are either OK with keeping fish the way they currently are, or just generally don't have anything to say about the hobby.. when questions are asked, generally they are answered to the best of everyone's ability.


The question isn't about chat, it's about the forum, and the simple fact that there is more that could be done to nurture the community, or make it feel a valued part of Aquaria Central as a whole rather than the feeling that the community should be lucky to have this forum available to them.


Compare everything to MFK for an example... pretty similar leadership, but I get the feeling they are a much more active community... why the difference?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I am not sure as I never found MFK more inviting in any way than here with the exception that the classifieds are better there. I will say, for a newbie, the two names have two different meanings. Here is a general fish a site and there is a site for large fish. So the two places draw different type people from that alone.

I felt that a number of the changes to this site in recent years were not based on anything fish related but were all social stuff. Almost as if here is competing with FaceBook. if a site wants to attract more sophistcated members, there has to be a smaller portion dedicated to social type stuff and a larger one for more sophisticated discuss. The two need to be held in separate areas. This site doesn't have a scientific section or a tehcnical area at all. Most newer fish keeper may not care if its there, but the folks that are apparently missing might.

Now I will also say I am making this observation in relation to FW topics as I do not do salt so I am rarely in the sw or brackish areas. And if i wanted to know something about sw I would likely PM/Chat with doug or OG than I would be to post in a forum in any case.

Finally, over the years I have noticed what drives off good people from sites- the newbies rude them away with crap. And that is something only a site's policies and mod's can prevent. I have a 13 year old newbie girl on another site explaining to me that she is getting a zebra pleco for $20 from a fish/pet store. When I tried to explain this was not possible anywhere on the planet, I was told I was being rude. So I told her I would eagerly await for when she posted a picture of her new zebra pleco, and let it go.

I will stay here to keep trying to help new folks and go elsewhere for most serious discussions of a more in depth nature. Incidentally. I have been here since before the listed date my joining (before that big crash). I wasn't here in the earlier days last century. This place has risen and fallen in quality a few time over the years.

 

[ktrom13]

I am not sure as I never found MFK more inviting in any way than here with the exception that the classifieds are better there. I will say, for a newbie, the two names have two different meanings. Here is a general fish a site and there is a site for large fish. So the two places draw different type people from that alone.

I felt that a number of the changes to this site in recent years were not based on anything fish related but were all social stuff. Almost as if here is competing with FaceBook. if a site wants to attract more sophistcated members, there has to be a smaller portion dedicated to social type stuff and a larger one for more sophisticated discuss. The two need to be held in separate areas. This site doesn't have a scientific section or a tehcnical area at all. Most newer fish keeper may not care if its there, but the folks that are apparently missing might.

Now I will also say I am making this observation in relation to FW topics as I do not do salt so I am rarely in the sw or brackish areas. And if i wanted to know something about sw I would likely PM/Chat with doug or OG than I would be to post in a forum in any case.

Finally, over the years I have noticed what drives off good people from sites- the newbies rude them away with crap. And that is something only a site's policies and mod's can prevent. I have a 13 year old newbie girl on another site explaining to me that she is getting a zebra pleco for $20 from a fish/pet store. When I tried to explain this was not possible anywhere on the planet, I was told I was being rude. So I told her I would eagerly await for when she posted a picture of her new zebra pleco, and let it go.

I will stay here to keep trying to help new folks and go elsewhere for most serious discussions of a more in depth nature. Incidentally. I have been here since before the listed date my joining (before that big crash). I wasn't here in the earlier days last century. This place has risen and fallen in quality a few time over the years.

Ive only been here a few months but i would like to see areas dedicated to more sophiticated discussions. I came here when i needed help. I appreciate all the help i got from everyone and i now give feedback and suggestions to anyone who is an up and coming fishkeeper or whoever asks for it. Ive seen many people( mostly newbies) come here and just act like A-holes. Since ive been here ive noticed it dieing down and i wouldnt want this site to go. Its a great place to learn and gain knowledge of all things fishy.

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