What is really important to foster the .Net community

[QuahHawk]

I have heard a number of times from those that have been on this board for years that the community is just not what it used to be. There were pre-game meetups, hanging out at people houses, and plenty of road trips. Honestly I hear that things are not what they used to be a lot in the work environment so I am a little numb to it, yet what to better understand why and what it will take to make it better. At work I have heard "back in the day", "when _____ used to work here", "when when used to have ____" When we could do ___" what crosses my mind is that was the past, how do we move forward and prepare for the future. I really don't like hearing that same stuff here.

What do you think makes a online community flourish in your mind. Does everyone really have to meet in person to make bonds and friendships. We are living in 2020 and the internet is a crazy place and people hide behind keyboards and phones more than ever. What can be done here to make you feel valued, accepted, and a part of the community.

 

[LymonHawk]

Hope I don't hurt your feelings Wen, but IMHO, you should stop pushing the money thing so much. I can only speak for myself of course, but sometimes it's like you're only here to make a buck. That may or may not be the case, but to me it sure seems that way.

two cents.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

I like the idea of some meet up type things. Match faces to the people we see on here. Shoot, some of us argue all the time, but would probably get along just talking over a pint etc. What someone is on a message board doesn't always match who they are in person. Just my opinion.

 

[xray]

Being only here a short time I have noticed that most the new members are ignored or maligned by the long term members ; who maintain a small exclusive group . If you don't agree with members of that group then you are outcast ; which doesn't bother me because I tend to enjoy a good argument and don't really care about being popular . In fact I was actually named as one of the members that has turned this forum into a " cess pool " by one of the veteran members named Hawksfansinceday1 . Like I said those guys don't bother me at all ; but it could cause other members to keep quiet and not contribute . The smack shack aside ; .Net is not a very friendly place ; especially for members that tend to not conform to the popular consensus .

 

[SoulfishHawk]

We've had our share of arguments xray, but it's not personal, seriously. I would totally buy a round and raise a glass with you sometime at a game.

 

[Appyhawk]

I like the way Wen is thinking, and Xray makes a good point too. Thing about meetups is that is handy for folks living in the Seattle area and attending games in person, otherwise it's more or less impossible. But the internet is such a powerful beast it brings us all together in it's own way and fosters the ability for us to all be on the same team, together. It also attracts the gamers (trolls) whose purpose is to entertain themselves by stirring the pot with rubbish because that is how the attract attention. Hate that kind of negative crap.

I don't really give much thought to the status games people seem to value, such as how many times you have posted here. Means nothing to me. I know I've been a Seahawk since right about the time they became a team. Over the years I have had the good fortune to interact with a bunch of team members in a variety of settings, so that makes me feel like a part of the program. I'm just happy to have found a place like this to interact with others whose Seahawk passion matches my own.

 

[jammerhawk]

Soulman you'd raise a glass with any of us. :2thumbs: :irishdrinkers: Like myself.

The inclusivity of being fans of the same team makes us a community, encouraging that is a good thing. We have to remember as well that we are supposed to be friends here as part of that community, or at a bare minimum reasonable people. It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable, or constantly negative. In the end we are here because we are rabid fans of our team and likely all each view the team, it's prospects, coaching, and management somewhat differently, that's cool and encourages frequent good discussion.

We have some traditions here and they also need to be fostered and encouraged because through them we become a community and different than other sites. We need to remember our roots and the various founders, owners, and exceptional stewards of this community remembered and honoured as without them it doesn't exist and it is a truly great place.

We came here because we seek information about the team and it is often all collected here. Encouraging each poster to offer their unique viewpoints and knowledge makes this place more fun.

 

[Appyhawk]

Hope I don't hurt your feelings Wen, but IMHO, you should stop pushing the money thing so much. I can only speak for myself of course, but sometimes it's like you're only here to make a buck. That may or may not be the case, but to me it sure seems that way.

two cents.

I don't share that view Lymon. I've built and operated several websites in the past, so I know this stuff doesn't just happen. It requires a lot of work, time, and MONEY. It is up to all of us who enjoy sharing our Seahawk passion together to work together to make it possible. It simply is not fair to expect Wen to do all the work and bear all the financial stain by himself in order that the rest of us can enjoy ourselves doing what we like to do. We have to earn it by doing our part. It isn't just the WEN show. This place can only be what it is if we all work as a TEAM to make it happen.

 

[Popeyejones]

There's much bigger forces at work here, and I don't think there's such thing as a phpBB that is what it used to be.

Looking on Wayback it looks like this site went live in March of 2000, which sounds about right in terms of timelines.

Every phpBB in existence is in a variable stage of decline, because there's just not cohort replacement: as older fans defect as part of a normal process, there's not younger fans who are replacing them on the phpBB medium, as they're adopting across fragmented channels like Reddit, Facebook, and increasingly twitter, non of which competed with phpBB's for attention during the heyday of them.

This place probably got a little bit of a reprieve because of the influx of bandwagon support in 2012, but now that it's passed, it's becoming the same thing as all phpBBs: year after year a slightly smaller community of very active posters, without less very active new user posters signing up. You can even see this at the bottom of any phpBB you visit, as you can virtually guarantee that if they've been around 10+ years for years now with each passing year they're another year farther away from when they had their most active visitors on the site at one time.

All to say that I don't think it's definitionally impossible to slow that natural decline, but reversing it is hoping for too much.

 

[getnasty]

Soulman you'd raise a glass with any of us. :2thumbs: :irishdrinkers: Like myself.

The inclusivity of being fans of the same team makes us a community, encouraging that is a good thing. We have to remember as well that we are supposed to be friends here as part of that community, or at a bare minimum reasonable people. It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable, or constantly negative. In the end we are here because we are rabid fans of our team and likely all each view the team, it's prospects, coaching, and management somewhat differently, that's cool and encourages frequent good discussion.

We have some traditions here and they also need to be fostered and encouraged because through them we become a community and different than other sites. We need to remember our roots and the various founders, owners, and exceptional stewards of this community remembered and honoured as without them it doesn't exist and it is a truly great place.

We came here because we seek information about the team and it is often all collected here. Encouraging each poster to offer their unique viewpoints and knowledge makes this place more fun.

Well said, can't lose guys like PMedic either. He's probably posted more on this site then anyone over the years and hasn't been around since his fued in the shack. Hope he's back seems like a good guy that brings alot to the board.

 

[Ozzy]

I don't think it's as bad as many are saying it is. There is a elitist mentality by a handful of guys who do seem to alienate others. I personally would squash that if I had the power to do so but maybe it works itself out. I'm sure this stuff is cyclical and once football starts back up things will get better. I have been able to meet a couple of people in real life because of this forum which is cool but I don't think it has to be that way for this place to be successful. I think people probably need to be a little better at accepting differing opinions and just agreeing to disagree at times too, myself included. Good on you Wen for asking though and trying to move this place in a good direction.

Agreed on Medic, Hope he comes back. Not a fan of how he got treated in the shack. I love the shack and you need thick skin but a couple of people have ruined it by taking it too far and have taken the fun out of it. Just my opinion and hope its just a break for Medic.

 

[HawkStrong]

Soulman you'd raise a glass with any of us. :2thumbs: :irishdrinkers: Like myself.

The inclusivity of being fans of the same team makes us a community, encouraging that is a good thing. We have to remember as well that we are supposed to be friends here as part of that community, or at a bare minimum reasonable people. It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable, or constantly negative. In the end we are here because we are rabid fans of our team and likely all each view the team, it's prospects, coaching, and management somewhat differently, that's cool and encourages frequent good discussion.

We have some traditions here and they also need to be fostered and encouraged because through them we become a community and different than other sites. We need to remember our roots and the various founders, owners, and exceptional stewards of this community remembered and honoured as without them it doesn't exist and it is a truly great place.

We came here because we seek information about the team and it is often all collected here. Encouraging each poster to offer their unique viewpoints and knowledge makes this place more fun.

Well said, can't lose guys like PMedic either. He's probably posted more on this site then anyone over the years and hasn't been around since his fued in the shack. Hope he's back seems like a good guy that brings alot to the board.

PMedic also caused a lot of problems (along with one or two others) that resulted in many great posters leaving, so I have heard.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Good points Austin. I know I need to chill out and go with the flow more. Working on it

 

[Ozzy]

Me too, it's tough sometimes. A lot of this stuff would go much better in person. Boredom and distraction at work probably play into the animated responses at times lol.

Pmedic wasn't the problem. Many of the "great" posters left because they couldn't take differing opinions. Not all but a few of them. that's my opinion anyway.

 

[acer1240]

It was easier when we had someone like Les who opened up his home to anyone during training camp.

No easy answer Wen.

I do know that 99% of this board would get along in real life despite our online arguments.

Maybe try to have a couple of official net gatherings or two?

I'm sure there could be a way to work it into a fundraiser as well.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Like I said, I'll gladly share a pint with anyone on here, they can call me an a hole while we partake in some beverages. Cool

 

[acer1240]

I don't think it's as bad as it appears.

Using myself as an example, I'm pretty outspoken in the shack but most don't know that I communicate a lot with my foes via pm and we understand it's all fun and games.

I truly think the problem is the lack of activity in the main forum.

 

[Largent80]

What I see, since Iv'e been here for almost 2 decades is this. Before we won a SB there was always that strive to get one. That drove all that were here to be bonded regardless of anything else, to get that elusive trophy.

We organized pre-funks, watch parties hung out and organized road trips where we had huge turnouts from members from all over the USA and even across the pond, now its just a bunch of lazy slubs talking shit...We had COMMUNITY which was the billing of the site....Change that, get stuff going or be simply a web site

Todd sold the place, Les died, and the way this place was, died with it.

iT WILL never BE WHAT IT WAS...ever, NO MATTER WHAT. However, there's a whole new group of people here now that can make the choices to organize and attend pre-funks. I don't see it happening with this group of people, but hey prove me wrong.

Organize getting together instead of being a bunch of lazy internet slugs.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

My band gigs almost every weekend, so maybe sometime people could come to a Friday or Saturday night gig if it's a Hawks home game weekend. Especially if it's somewhere not too far out of the way. Many of my friends have been doing it for years, just kind of a tradition on a Hawks home weekend. We make it a "beat the x team" party etc.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I have no idea if .Net does any advertising, but if I was in charge that's what I do.

When people leave and there's not a big influx of new members, that's when a forum can grow stale and feel like it's dying.

Does this site promote itself on social media or do anything to make people aware of it's existence? I've been here a while, but even back when I joined I had to do a Google search looking for Hawk forums.

I know some of our members are active on Hawk Twitter, I'd say start promoting the site more. Nothing energizes a forum more than new members. Not that I don't like the current members, but let's be honest, it feels like the same 20 people posting on every thread in every forum just about.

Promote.