Old Forum Members

I was thinking, I started following Trawler Forum very early on, a couple of years before venturing into the big scary world of posting for the first time.

There were some really interesting people around then, we newbees knew our place, and spoke when we were spoken to. Where have all the warriors gone?
( with a few notable exceptions).

Is it that people join up, post like crazy , then move on to the next forum?

Andy G said:

I was thinking, I started following Trawler Forum very early on, a couple of years before venturing into the big scary world of posting for the first time.

There were some really interesting people around then, we newbees knew our place, and spoke when we were spoken to. Where have all the warriors gone?
( with a few notable exceptions).

Is it that people join up, post like crazy , then move on to the next forum?

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Interesting : since Facebook Yahoo bla bla have taken over the world of social media many forums have fallen over and shut up shop.

Some years ago I ran a digital camera photo forum 12990 members it was a massive task to keep up with what was going on but sadly 2 years ago I shut the doors from lack of activity. I'd say the old members are forumed out and moved on with better things to do ???

"Is it that people join up, post like crazy , then move on to the next forum?"

Many posters get very tired of lazy folks that do not use the Archives first, and ask the same question dozens of times.

Anchor wars.

People change, tastes change, even the continents drift.

Hopefully they just quit reading/writing about it and are actually out there doing it!

Forums in general can be a PIA and time waster. Reason I stick w/ TF is because it seems to have/attract intelligent folks for the main part; and, it addresses numerous marine issues. Unfortunately... sometimes over and over too much. But then again... look at Steve's 50 + anchor test videos - things don't get much more descriptive than that!

I'm with Art on this one.

Also, I for one tend to spend more time checking the forum and posting during winter than during boating season.

Well, if you go back to the lists...Arild passed, Dr. Bob is a C-Brat, many are out of boating, et cetera...


Keith

Some of us are still around. Like FF said, its tiring to respond to the same question 100+ times. If others have responded, then we can be selective. Some of us been around for 20+ years, some have moved on, other interests, and passed on. Also post more in the colder month, in the warmer month out doing. Also technology has out paced us in some areas.

The problem with this forum and the reason there are "lazy folks" is because there are way too many really knowledgeable people willing to contribute faster than any forum I have seen. So there!

Having said that, most forums are over and over and over again.

Join a motorcycle forum and you will see the same tires-batteries-where's the fuse-how many miles to a tank all the time. It's just nice that there are patient people around who have come up the same way.

On one I set up the foundation for a huge Knowledge Base which we then just linked to in our replies of all the FAQs.

Lastly and it is likely me more than the system, but more often than not I can't find what I am looking for with the "Search" button. So lazy is easier.

I'm old at 76 and I joined in Oct 07.

Don't understand why people object to threads on a topic that has been done w many posts several times .. or more. People say or imply they hate anchor threads but start one up and they all (mostly) come flying in w much to say. Too often I loose a lengthly post and need to forget it (I usually don't) or try to post another. What's interesting is that 80+% of the time I express myself better and add content that wasn't on the first post. Every time we talk about things new things emerge.

The only other internet thing I do is facebook and I usually go there after I'm done w TF ... then Yahoo and a bit of other news. Never got involved in other forums except Willard Boat Owners in yahoo groups. That one is so inactive I seldom go there now. So if I dump TF I'd be practically free of social internet. My use of the internet is otherwise quite limited. I now have a simple old person cell phone .. "flip" I think is what they are called. Even apart from the internet I have less and less interest in socializing in any way. But those who have met me know I'm friendly and outgiong so my social life may get a bump some time ahead.

I didn't even know Yahoo still existed...

Moonfish said:

I didn't even know Yahoo still existed...

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Ya Who?

Perhaps part of the disconnect is that if you're involved with the forum you know for a fact a particular question has been answered and is in the archives. However the new member may not recognize it in a search as easily as a "veteran."

dimer2 said:

Hopefully they just quit reading/writing about it and are actually out there doing it!

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Well said !

I guess I don't see the problem The same question gets answered several times over the years. Couple of factors to consider, first we have new to boating members that would not know some of the tricks it took the rest of us years to learn. Second, it is a surprise but the answers can and have changed over the years. New products, new technology have allowed us to solve/deal with problems in a different way.

I readily acknowledge that I have learned a lot from this forum, the lists and the Krogen forum. Strangely I also acknowledge that I have more to learn.

The passing of some of the old timers is a natural, although sad, course of events. Our turn will come soon enough, in the meantime we need to pass on the knowledge as it was passed on to us, abeit updated.

One of my hobbies is WWII aviation history, and there was a very good forum called "Lancaster Archive Forum". A strange name, I know but it had several RAF and RCAF veterans and there was a lot of great content. In particular, there was a former rear gunner called Dennis (RAF 5-Group) who contributed a lot of posts, over 1,000. His mind was as sharp as a tack and his recollection of past events was amazing. Sadly, the "owner" of the Forum was a complete $#*€¥#%!!!!! Or worse. One day he shut the forum down, effectively stealing all the content. All of that veterans posts were stolen and we could never view them again. Very sad. If I was a lawyer, perhaps I could have figured out some sort of a way to convince him of the error of his ways but...

I consider myself lucky to have access to this forum. Thanks so much to all of those who contribute and those who maintain the forum!




Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

How very sad and true that often is, Jim. I've also been devastated from the loss of this kind of information. If you see a new book on the Lancaster by this guy, maybe the reasons for the shutdown will become more evident. I'm sure glad I didn't know about that forum. I'd have felt the same.

Longevity and quality of posting are not always in lockstep.
If a subject is regularly aired, that marks member interest in it; it is no reason to tell someone, especially a newbie, to stop posting and check the archives.
By definition, a warrior is a person who wages war. Not a good Forum member characteristic imho.
Anchor wars have lost TF members, and have diminished member interest, in several ways. We are fortunate to currently enjoy better anchor testing and anchor performance discussions, that is a very positive development.
It is inevitable members come, and go, be enthused, be bored, get offended, become interested again, etc; TF would be a dull place if it and its members stayed the same.
And finally, some members who cease posting, short or longterm, may not do so voluntarily. In that regard, we need to trust our Moderators.

I find the forum funny, helpful, creative in thought. However often redundant certain topics are revisited or redundant; it is all worth posting. If nothing else, there is a funny-bone being tickled. I hope cynicism is keep at a minimum. Happy Trails.

What's so wrong about repeating the same query? There are new members with different perspectives, new insights, new products, and the search function sucks.

I'm sure there are plenty of people like me, in that when I find something I'm interested in, I absolutely bury myself in it. It will occupy all of my free time and attention span. More often than not, I'll burn myself out on it, and then move on to the next obsession. I do it all the time with music. When I find a song I really like, I listen to it until I hate it. I always come back to the good ones eventually though. The same thing has applied to TF for me. Sometimes, I check it ten times a day, sometimes I wont check it for ten days. So it goes.

I don't mind things getting a little repetitive. I just group those threads in with the other ones I'm not interested in, and keep skimming. I agree that the built in search function isn't very useful. The google search that some have posted is much more helpful.

A big thank you to all of you who have answered my repetitive questions!

Wayfarer; said:

I'm sure there are plenty of people like me, in that when I find something I'm interested in, I absolutely bury myself in it. It will occupy all of my free time and attention span. More often than not, I'll burn myself out on it, and then move on to the next obsession.

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Well, nice to know I'm not alone. More daylight will make it easier to kick.

Look at it this way - eventually all things pass. TF will some day be a distant memory. Soooo - Enjoy it while we got it!!

Yes some of us are still here but probably not as active as it occasionally gets a bit boring and we are not allowed to talk about really good anchors.
I joined in July 07 when I came across from the old Passagemaker forum.
Being from the great southland a lot of stuff can be a bit irrelevant to us and our mob don't post as often as we could or should.
It id terrific that we keep getting new members and sometimes it is good to rehash old subjects with some new perspectives.

Tidahapah said:

Yes some of us are still here but probably not as active as it occasionally gets a bit boring and we are not allowed to talk about really good anchors.
I joined in July 07 when I came across from the old Passagemaker forum.
Being from the great southland a lot of stuff can be a bit irrelevant to us and our mob don't post as often as we could or should.
It id terrific that we keep getting new members and sometimes it is good to rehash old subjects with some new perspectives.

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"... we are not allowed to talk about really good anchors." - Say What??

Please clarify... I missing something here? Really Good Anchors... tell us more, please!!

Art said:

"... we are not allowed to talk about really good anchors." - Say What??

Please clarify... I missing something here? Really Good Anchors... tell us more, please!!

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Ah...not quite correct. You can discuss anchors all you like. I enjoy a good anchor discussion with the best of them. It's anchor 'wars' we want to discourage, that's all.

Benn, have you been following Panope Steve's excellent 'Anchor setting videos' thread for example..?

[B said:

BruceK;418256]
And finally, some members who cease posting, short or longterm, may not do so voluntarily. In that regard, we need to trust our Moderators.

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[/B]

Bruce have you seen the film 'The Third Man', brilliant film. I am nominating you for the role of Holy Martins, in the remake. But who to cast as Harry Lime? ( if only I had the ability you would all be listening to the music score right now).