Do You Want To Save The Forum?

[ianmck]

I haven't done a lot of fishing recently, but it's the forum that always gets me back in the mood after reading through old trip reports. It would be a shame to lose it.

[Wildfisher]

Nice to see you back Ian.

It's also great to see such overall positivity for the forum

[east wind]

My tuppence worth.
A few times the forum has come close to ending followed by a short increase in activity and well meaning pledges from members to get active, myself included, then a return to the issues presented as before.
I would be for paying an annual subscription bringing in funds to run the site and with an investment members might feel motivated to get involved more. Access to all, or the important stuff to paid up members only.
This would trim the membership but how many of them don't contribute anyway? Better a smaller active group paying a small fee than the alternative.
I would also condense topics or remove them.
It would be a pity to loose the info on here, as good as or better than you will find in any book, video or website.

[Wildfisher]

Some fresh ideas there Mac. We have 1200 registered members, but most will never be back. Some are trolls with multiple accounts, some have simply moved on. Sadly a few have passed away.

Funding  was never an issue. We never sold advertising like FFF and a few others and were never beholding to anyone. When the cash run down the same group of members always came good.

As I have said previously, commercial sites like FFF are incentivised to keep the tech up to date and some even tolerate atrocious behaviour to keep visits and participation up in order to justify ad charging. We never did this.

Keep the ideas coming folks but more than anything keep the posts coming. We want the forum to be active and more that just an archive.

One thing we need to decide is who gets to see what and when and that is a difficult one as historically much of the interesting content was posted on the understanding it would be kept within a group of trusted members.

Personally I love the no real name (with a few exceptions)  policy where we made up inventive names like "Loch Of Storms" and the like or the thread titles based on songs. These touches were often amusing and characterful. You just didn't find this elsewhere.

[caorach]

I think the forum is probably worth keeping Fred but in some way it is a bit like our videos:

There are videos on YouTube getting millions or even billions of views but my videos, mostly wild fishing on Lewis, get maybe 1k views under normal circumstances. I have to accept that the audience for wild fishing on Lewis is limited but despite the small viewing figures the people who watch tend to be pleased to get to see Lewis fishing and the videos attract an "interested" audience and so are of some value to a small number of people. Having a small number of viewers for a relatively specialist subject can simply mean that the video is valuable to the right people.

I guess it is a bit the same with the forum - if it is useful for 20 or 30 people is it worth having? In the end it is you who does the work so only you can answer that but, in a way, I think if it has value to people who are pretty much detached from the "mainstream" of fishing then maybe that is worthwhile.

[burnie]

What sets this forum apart from a lot is we are not just virtual posters, I have met and been fishing with a few of them and it makes a difference. Sure it's a shame forums are now seen as old school and numbers are falling, but I'm old school and am sadly getting used to life mimicking this. Attending more funerals than weddings and christenings these days.
This is a useful resource as well a place to have a blether, videos, reports and the opportunity to arrange a days fishing, whats not to like. I can talk the back legs off a donkey so could just convert that to stories if they are wanted.

[zeolite]

Hei hei
Life has been brutal for me for the last few months and I havent been fishing since breaking my rod in September. However my work situation has been resolved and I will be heading back to Scotland in the summer. I expect to be out on my local Leven river in July and hopefully getting back to some form of happiness.

[Wildfisher]

Good to see you back Ian and hope things go well for you.  

[Wildfisher]

What sets this forum apart from a lot is we are not just virtual posters, I have met and been fishing with a few of them and it makes a difference.

For sure. It was always more than just another forum.

More like a club.

A gentleman's club with fine malts and leather chairs that doesn't  let just anyone in. 

[Wildfisher]

Last day of voting!  Although things already look conclusive.