How to make RC more active

[TheCamaroShow]

So we all know we have a lot of reef forums but how can we get more people on here. I think we need more vendors and some live sales and promotions just for RC members.

 

[2_zoa]

At one time this was super active. I remember when the reef discussion pages would go pages in a days time. Your right, not anymore.

I'm not sure if other forums have the activity now, (not a member on any other forum) or if it's social media.
I do know, this site has a reputation for a large number of members that like to be very expressive about their opinions and this upsets a lot of members. (It's drove me to take long breaks before)Driving them to some other means on tank discussions.

I currently have an issue staying logged in and I'm not always given the option to check the remember me box. This in itself is about to make me never post again. Just read on the sidelines and watch. Ultimately never to return. User interface is a huge deal.

 

[cvrle1]

Perhaps this should be moved into the Lounge, as its not to do with reef discussion.

IMO forums in general are dying breed. A lot of people have turned to facebook groups, discord and reddit and are staying away from forums for various reasons. In regards to RC specifically, I will say that forum software used is quite old looking and limited. If you compare just the look of RC to another forum I shall not mention, RC looks old and boring.

I really dont think that having more vendors and live sales will make RC more active. If anything, there will be new people signing up just to take advantage of sales, and then never to be seen or heard from again (until next sale perhaps)

Issue these days again with forums in general is that people also get their feelings hurt really easily, and some of the older members are quick to jump on and perhaps not make that member feel welcome. How does one prevent this is a million dollar question, and one that many other forums have been asking for years.

With all this said, I am glad to be part of this community and I am thankful for all the help and info that has been provided so far. I am sure same will happen in the future as I keep going on this adventure of reef aquariums.

 

[mcgyvr]

So we all know we have a lot of reef forums but how can we get more people on here. I think we need more vendors and some live sales and promotions just for RC members.

This forum is what it is and they are happy keeping it what it is..
They do not want it to turn into those other sites..
If that is the type of forums,etc... that you like then its been suggested that you just go there for that type of "activity"..

 

[Misled]

Our Mission
Reef Central is an online community where quality information about the marine and reef aquarium hobby can be exchanged among all levels of hobbyist from beginner to advanced. Our goal is to help educate people about the saltwater aquarium hobby and enhance awareness of the fragility of coral reefs around the world. We hope you will join us and that you find this site useful.

 

[Joe0813]

Our Mission
Reef Central is an online community where quality information about the marine and reef aquarium hobby can be exchanged among all levels of hobbyist from beginner to advanced. Our goal is to help educate people about the saltwater aquarium hobby and enhance awareness of the fragility of coral reefs around the world. We hope you will join us and that you find this site useful.

The forum is definitely slowing down though. I posted a question about turf algae and what eats it, not a single answer on it until I said something and even then I still only got one post.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm a big fan of RC. I like the look of it and I like the content. But I have noticed the dwindling numbers of posts, in the last four years. This is a bummer. I crave attention.

So I went over to _2_ to see if it was any better. What I found was an obvious knock-off of RC, but with ugly graphics. More importantly, I found the content to be no more compelling. I saw no reason join.

Maybe RC's success has spawned too many 'me too' forums, and they are diluting the postings down to a trickle on each one. Maybe, after some time, some will disappear, and more folks will post on fewer forums.

How do you attract more people to RC? Here are some random thoughts off the top of my head. If I'm being honest, my main motivation for posting is to show off. What if RC gave us more opportunity to show off? Tank of the Month has always been a dream for me. Do they still even do that? How about some other contests? Look what aquascaping contests have done for fresh water planted tanks! People could submit photo entries for all kinds of contests and using the polling feature, we could all vote.

Another motivation for me to be here is to learn. I love reading articles by knowledgable experts in the field. Of course, good articles aren't free. So they'd need to be sponsored. 'This article is brought to you by (insert aquarium industry company name here)', seems like a good solution.

So there's a few ideas…

 

[Dan_P]

I sense a significant slow down here as well. I thought it might be the summer doldrums.

This site used to be hot. I have reviewed posts for several topics of interest. Five to ten years ago, there were some great debates and tons of information and references to articles. I learned a bunch. Things have definitely quited down since. The "œbig" names have left or seldom post anymore.

I continue to check out the posts though and post potentialy interesting information from my lab.

Dan

 

[mcgyvr]

IMO many forums are slowing down simply because more people are learning to just search the internet and read to get the information they want instantly...
While I am active on this site I never post questions because I don't have the patience to wait for an answer.

 

[devimik]

I see forums of all types slowing down. I'm a member of multiple watch forums and they are all slowing due to social media - people posting on Facebook and Instagram and having discussions there rather than a formal forum. I like RC and don't frequent any other reef sites. I am trying to participate more than I used to. I've learned a ton here and appreciate the mission here.

 

[Dan_P]

IMO many forums are slowing down simply because more people are learning to just search the internet and read to get the information they want instantly...
While I am active on this site I never post questions because I don't have the patience to wait for an answer.

Just maybe we have reached the point where every orignal question on maintaining a reef aquarium has been asked and answered. In addition, since the science of reef keeping does not seem to be on a steep learning or discovering curve, the old searchable answers remain the latest information. As you say, a Google search digs up an answer very quickly.

 

[MrHyde]

It just begins with those in charge... lol

Have I seen you someplace else? Answer me?

 

[mcgyvr]

Just maybe we have reached the point where every orignal question on maintaining a reef aquarium has been asked and answered. In addition, since the science of reef keeping does not seem to be on a steep learning or discovering curve, the old searchable answers remain the latest information. As you say, a Google search digs up an answer very quickly.

That point was reached a long time ago for 99.9% of questions. But for many people in the past and even still the ability to "Google" is something they havent been able to master..
The only new questions are about specific new products..

 

[Misled]

It just begins with those in charge... lol

Have I seen you someplace else? Answer me?

ok

 

[AlSimmons]

lol

So have I haven't seen you before? "Misled" isn't really the right answer right now.

 

[2_zoa]

That point was reached a long time ago for 99.9% of questions. But for many people in the past and even still the ability to "Google" is something they havent been able to master..
The only new questions are about specific new products..

Is this reality.....or your reality?

Answers can be right in front of ones face. They may have even read the answer to their question 50 times. However, a lack of knowledge or experience on said subject. Gives the person nothing to relate to. Therefore an inability to determine heads or tails of the subject matter.
A solid number of individuals will then ask instead of just doing in an attempt to improve their efforts towards success. Hoping that one conversation is out there with the correct words in the correct order that they'll grasp the concept from.

 

[TheCamaroShow]

Thank you all, This question wasn't meant to hate on rc but to just brighten it up. I can't say how many nice helpful people are on here compared to other sites. I feel that this community is really what drives the reefing hobby.

Thank you RC!

 

[mcgyvr]

Is this reality.....or your reality?

Answers can be right in front of ones face. They may have even read the answer to their question 50 times. However, a lack of knowledge or experience on said subject. Gives the person nothing to relate to. Therefore an inability to determine heads or tails of the subject matter.
A solid number of individuals will then ask instead of just doing in an attempt to improve their efforts towards success. Hoping that one conversation is out there with the correct words in the correct order that they'll grasp the concept from.

The reality is that the answers to most questions are a search button away..
Reasoning though is a skill many are not sufficiently capable of.. And somehow asking the question again only to get the same answers their searches yielded seems to deliver the warm fuzzy feeling...personalized reassurance it seems..
Some can learn on their own...others must be taught.

 

[2_zoa]

The reality is that the answers to most questions are a search button away..
Reasoning though is a skill many are not sufficiently capable of.. And somehow asking the question again only to get the same answers their searches yielded seems to deliver the warm fuzzy feeling...personalized reassurance it seems..
Some can learn on their own...others must be taught.

Sure, that feeling that their setup is different and therefore must need a different approach. I get where your coming from.
Does that not fall under lack of experience? A persons ability to apply information to their situation?

I'll say, some just need a push to just start something. So they can see change and then tweak it as it goes.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

This forum is what it is and they are happy keeping it what it is..
They do not want it to turn into those other sites..
If that is the type of forums,etc... that you like then its been suggested that you just go there for that type of "activity"..

I understand that the other site has some negative aspects, but it seems to me that the op would just like there to be more people & thus more interaction here. Nothing wrong with that.