It Seems Like Internet Forums are Dying
- Thread starter Eric Patterson
- Start date
Interesting discussion. I've never considered opening a duckboats.net facebook page. However, I have been thinking about having a duckboats.net youtube channel.
Eric, Duckboats.net is mentioned many many times on facebook and a simple search pulls them all up. Surely you have seen or heard about hashtags on commercials etc etc. Its a great way to tag and generate hits on a specific word or search title.
Facebook has helped us grow way more than any forum ever has. Our website traffic has tripled and saled doubled from Facebook. But thats not the goal with this site but as I stated before you can set up a facebook page to be private by invite only as well. and anyone with facebook will get immediate notifications of post etc on the pc or the phone. Its alot like the old internet chat forums but for everyone immediately. Worth looking into for sure.
The YouTube channel is a great idea.
Facebook is dying with the younger folks too. My kids are not kids anymore and they are also moving away from it. Twitter, snapchat, flipbook, etc... always the next new thing.
As a side conversation... It seems to me the proliferation of "expert" hunters with logo hoodies and trailers full of the latest sponsored (logo) equipment (for which they paid big bucks) has dropped off. Don't see them, hear them or suffer through them on forums the way we did 5 or more years ago. That may have something to do with the drop in traffic and it isn't a bad thing in my opinion. Jeff Foiles demise was a symptom of the greater disease. Maybe this is a period of healing where we can get back to showing some respect for the history and traditions of our sport.
Facebook is dying with the younger folks too. My kids are not kids anymore and they are also moving away from it. Twitter, snapchat, flipbook, etc... always the next new thing.
As a side conversation... It seems to me the proliferation of "expert" hunters with logo hoodies and trailers full of the latest sponsored (logo) equipment (for which they paid big bucks) has dropped off. Don't see them, hear them or suffer through them on forums the way we did 5 or more years ago. That may have something to do with the drop in traffic and it isn't a bad thing in my opinion. Jeff Foiles demise was a symptom of the greater disease. Maybe this is a period of healing where we can get back to showing some respect for the history and traditions of our sport.
Capt Jeff Kraynik
Well-known member
Eric,
I used to spend several thousand dollars a year on banner ads, forum sponsorships and my website.
In today's age of social media, I now spend only $14.00 dollars a month to keep my main website up on running.
Facebook & Instagram allow me to advertise my services for free & I am not restricted my forum rules against advertising nor the forum trolls & their rude comments. I am the owner and admin on the (4) four pages I run.
I kept track the last couple of years where my first time clients were coming from and it was a whopping (85%) eighty five percent off of Facebook. With (5000) five thousand follower/friends I no longer need to spend the funds to advertise because they do it for me by sharing my posts & pictures.
Also if someone turns into a ----head, I can immediately block them.
Though I hate it to the core, the #HASHTAG has become the way people search for product & services.
Every single sponsor I fish & hunt for want they product name Hashtagged with some even putting it in their written contracts. I had a sponsor threaten to drop me over the summer because I did not have an Instagram account. I told him it was pretentious & juvenile. He told me that's how he has his advertisement algorithms sent up & expects all his reps to post at least a pic & # a week. I really didn't need his product or his money but is actually a great product that I believe in, so I know have an Istagram account.
In today's day & age, it just part of doing business.
That being said, when it comes to knowledge about ducks, decoys & boats, duckboats.net is the only forum I now visit or post on.
I used to spend several thousand dollars a year on banner ads, forum sponsorships and my website.
In today's age of social media, I now spend only $14.00 dollars a month to keep my main website up on running.
Facebook & Instagram allow me to advertise my services for free & I am not restricted my forum rules against advertising nor the forum trolls & their rude comments. I am the owner and admin on the (4) four pages I run.
I kept track the last couple of years where my first time clients were coming from and it was a whopping (85%) eighty five percent off of Facebook. With (5000) five thousand follower/friends I no longer need to spend the funds to advertise because they do it for me by sharing my posts & pictures.
Also if someone turns into a ----head, I can immediately block them.
Though I hate it to the core, the #HASHTAG has become the way people search for product & services.
Every single sponsor I fish & hunt for want they product name Hashtagged with some even putting it in their written contracts. I had a sponsor threaten to drop me over the summer because I did not have an Instagram account. I told him it was pretentious & juvenile. He told me that's how he has his advertisement algorithms sent up & expects all his reps to post at least a pic & # a week. I really didn't need his product or his money but is actually a great product that I believe in, so I know have an Istagram account.
In today's day & age, it just part of doing business.
That being said, when it comes to knowledge about ducks, decoys & boats, duckboats.net is the only forum I now visit or post on.
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Capt Jeff Kraynik
Well-known member
Eric,
Don't start of FB group because within a year or two this site won't exist.
After a while you'll be spending no money on server space, site work, trolls, hackers & finding sponsors to keep this site up & running.
Zuckerburg does all that for you for free!!!
To answer your main question, Facebook is putting the nail in the coffins of Internet forums. When you can start a group page for free, control the content, the privacy & not deal with server issues, it's a no brainier for many.
Don't start of FB group because within a year or two this site won't exist.
After a while you'll be spending no money on server space, site work, trolls, hackers & finding sponsors to keep this site up & running.
Zuckerburg does all that for you for free!!!
To answer your main question, Facebook is putting the nail in the coffins of Internet forums. When you can start a group page for free, control the content, the privacy & not deal with server issues, it's a no brainier for many.
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Tom Scholberg
Well-known member
Very simple= I hate facebook and every day I at least check in here. I do miss all the builds of the early days but there is still plenty going on here. Member since 2000. Good times and bad I'm here, made lifetime friends and shared hunts. P.S. Tailgates shots are like rubbing salt in the wounds of my last season heehee. It ain't broke so please don't fixit till it is
Absolutely no plans to shut this forum down and reopen on facebook. I appreciate what Jeff and Tony are saying and as businessmen facebook is a great thing. As a reader the facebook format seems really poor compared to internet forums. I like long titled posts with pictures and narratives, titles, and layers of comments and multiple forums grouped by subject. Can you even search a facebook forum for keywords? I've not researched facebook in depth but haven't seen anything as eye friendly as internet forums are. Maybe it is a matter of getting used to their way of looking at forums.
I do think a YouTube channel makes a lot of sense. Users could subscribe to the channel and maybe even submit their own videos under the duckboats.net channel. My long term plan has been to complete a workshop worthy of video production and expand this site with video content. A lot to think about...
I do think a YouTube channel makes a lot of sense. Users could subscribe to the channel and maybe even submit their own videos under the duckboats.net channel. My long term plan has been to complete a workshop worthy of video production and expand this site with video content. A lot to think about...
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Tom Scholberg
Well-known member
Good
Bruce Brooks
Member
I have been a "quiet" member of the forum for a couple of years. I have enjoyed reading different threads and have learned a lot about topics that were new to me.
I was on the verge of starting my Armstrong duck boat project but that has been delayed. When I asked questions about how to proceed on various aspects of boat building I received serious comments. Not once was I rediculed or belittled for my lack of knowledge or opinion I expressed. Other forums are full of sarcasm and hate speech. I have always felt welcome.
Eric this is a resource that I appreciate and treasure. Thank you for your hard work keeping it going.
I was on the verge of starting my Armstrong duck boat project but that has been delayed. When I asked questions about how to proceed on various aspects of boat building I received serious comments. Not once was I rediculed or belittled for my lack of knowledge or opinion I expressed. Other forums are full of sarcasm and hate speech. I have always felt welcome.
Eric this is a resource that I appreciate and treasure. Thank you for your hard work keeping it going.
Seth Freeman
Member
This website is one of the few I feel at home. I don't dither in Facebook except to keep up a bit with old shipmates or family. This place is solid. Year around it keeps moving were many other's just shut down off-season. If you split forces between Facebook and here, one or the other will slow down. I like it here better.-Seth Freeman
Phil Nowack
Well-known member
I can only build so many boats.... you could help out!!!!
TimJ
Well-known member
There are pros and cons to both formats.
Even when this was a busier site one could leave for a few days or a week and catch up to some extent. That is not much of an option on FB.
I find it very hard to have a conversation in a FB group that is very busy. If I have a question that will need a detailed answer I'd much rather go to a forum. While not impossible it is not very easy to search topics of interest on FB. For looking up detailed conversations from the past on a topic of interest forums still rule.
I do like the instant sharing and the easy photo uploading on FB...although good photos sometimes end up looking like crap after they get on there, and they are widely stolen and used by others on there. FB is great for giving guys you know an almost instant bad time.
I'm a member of a couple upland hunting groups, can't really stand the waterfowl groups. If you are upset by internet scouting then FB is not the place for you. If I post a limit of pheasants I will often get one or two guys asking me where I was. Also it is so quick and easy to reply on their that there are a lot more stupid comments to weed through. Taking some time and effort is not a bad thing in a heated discussion.
A youtube channel might be a neat idea. I could even see 'How to' videos being a popular thing on there.
Tim
Even when this was a busier site one could leave for a few days or a week and catch up to some extent. That is not much of an option on FB.
I find it very hard to have a conversation in a FB group that is very busy. If I have a question that will need a detailed answer I'd much rather go to a forum. While not impossible it is not very easy to search topics of interest on FB. For looking up detailed conversations from the past on a topic of interest forums still rule.
I do like the instant sharing and the easy photo uploading on FB...although good photos sometimes end up looking like crap after they get on there, and they are widely stolen and used by others on there. FB is great for giving guys you know an almost instant bad time.
I'm a member of a couple upland hunting groups, can't really stand the waterfowl groups. If you are upset by internet scouting then FB is not the place for you. If I post a limit of pheasants I will often get one or two guys asking me where I was. Also it is so quick and easy to reply on their that there are a lot more stupid comments to weed through. Taking some time and effort is not a bad thing in a heated discussion.
A youtube channel might be a neat idea. I could even see 'How to' videos being a popular thing on there.
Tim
Chris Finch
Well-known member
I would love to see a YouTube channel. Had I known that was in the works I would have donated my go pro to Steve Sanford and hard wired to continuously upload for a live feed from his shop. Haha
I have a lot of down time at work, so I check this site multiple times an hour. My only wish was I could take a photo and instantly post it. But photobucket isn't too bad.
I have met great people here and learned a lot.
I have a lot of down time at work, so I check this site multiple times an hour. My only wish was I could take a photo and instantly post it. But photobucket isn't too bad.
I have met great people here and learned a lot.
I believe this is here a private Facebook page might be worth looking into. If you control the users who are allowed to view it will make keeping content easily manageable and also allow for a place for video upload and photo's. You can keyword search on facebook and on a private page it would be very simple to do. Not so much on a busy public page. There are all kinds of ways to store photos in albums and videos for user referencing.
Its 100% free you have nothing to lose by setting up a page and inviting members privately to the page. And as of now duckboats.net is a page you could start. Or something like Duck boat builders maybe but remember anyone at anytime can start a page using any names they want to.
The topics most often discussed here are more heritage related and since the group is from multiple countries/states, and has a certain "maturity" ;-) , it doesn't get trolled.
The collection of wankers on the internet is a special event in our history as a species. Very glad to find a group whose dysfunctions match mine....
....and glad it's not in a Facebook format.
As much as a social site, this forum is informational and educational.... it is a resource. Google search "repair herter's decoys"~you don't get a link to any FB page.
Steve's Cassiopea build wouldn't exist in a searchable format on FB.
Additionally, all that is "free" on FB is the page. Their algorithms select who sees what, when and how often updates and pages happen, etc., to the point you may not see updates from your friends that you should be seeing updates from. AND~ your brand has to reside in their framework.
I liked Tony's FB page, been there once and can't say I've ever seen a post update in my "feed". I've been to Tony's web page several times and had discussions about his product on another forum where we were agreeing on his solution possibly being the best thing in decoys in our "young" lifetimes
FB/Instagram/etc. are affordable, but they require a ton of work and dedication..... Zuckerberg isn't doing the work for you, only providing a frame similar to Gossamer.
Forums are certainly contracting, the internet itself is old now and the accumulation of information is a keyboard away.
The collection of wankers on the internet is a special event in our history as a species. Very glad to find a group whose dysfunctions match mine....
....and glad it's not in a Facebook format.
As much as a social site, this forum is informational and educational.... it is a resource. Google search "repair herter's decoys"~you don't get a link to any FB page.
Steve's Cassiopea build wouldn't exist in a searchable format on FB.
Additionally, all that is "free" on FB is the page. Their algorithms select who sees what, when and how often updates and pages happen, etc., to the point you may not see updates from your friends that you should be seeing updates from. AND~ your brand has to reside in their framework.
I liked Tony's FB page, been there once and can't say I've ever seen a post update in my "feed". I've been to Tony's web page several times and had discussions about his product on another forum where we were agreeing on his solution possibly being the best thing in decoys in our "young" lifetimes
FB/Instagram/etc. are affordable, but they require a ton of work and dedication..... Zuckerberg isn't doing the work for you, only providing a frame similar to Gossamer.
Forums are certainly contracting, the internet itself is old now and the accumulation of information is a keyboard away.
__________________________________________________
"The YouTube channel is a great idea.
Facebook is dying with the younger folks too. My kids are not kids anymore and they are also moving away from it. Twitter, snapchat, flipbook, etc... always the next new thing.
As a side conversation... It seems to me the proliferation of "expert" hunters with logo hoodies and trailers full of the latest sponsored (logo) equipment (for which they paid big bucks) has dropped off. Don't see them, hear them or suffer through them on forums the way we did 5 or more years ago. That may have something to do with the drop in traffic and it isn't a bad thing in my opinion. Jeff Foiles demise was a symptom of the greater disease. Maybe this is a period of healing where we can get back to showing some respect for the history and traditions of our sport."
Paul, very good points!
When my oldest brother was in college, he was required to read Marshall McLuhan's, The Medium is the Message, for a communications course. He pitched the book in the trash when the course was over. I happily retrieved it, eager to read a real college level text! As I stumbled through it, I came to vaguely comprehend what the author was driving at.
"All media work us over completely. They are so pervasive in their personal, political, economic, aesthetic, psychological, moral, ethical, and social consequences that they leave no part of us untouched, unaffected, unaltered."
Now, blend-in the thesis of Eric Hoffer's, The True Believer...and layer these two over the "Look at me generation", as CNBC's Carl Quintanilla labeled them. We have raised a generation where the instant stimulus of near-instant and constant communication, for good or ill, is its own reward. Substance, content, as well as the value of that communication's central theme or thesis is, at best, secondary. At worst, it is unimportant to the vast majority of participants.
Social media is a giant.global, Skinner Box...with the monkeys happily pushing the keys for their reward-the next post!