What has happened to reefs.org

[kgross]

I was wondering if anybody had any ideas on what has happened to the members of reefs.org. The posting is very very slow on here, do you think most people have moved to RC? What can we do to get people back on here.

Kim

 

[Ben1]

I think RDO just goes through slow periods. I still post here, have been for many years and through that I have seen times where it was going slow for months and then takes off for awhile. I post on the other site as well but only read for a few forums, like the SPS and LPS specific forums.

I know the sump here is always poppin. If they made everyone posting down below post uptop once and awhile we would be rockin.

I think we need a pictorial of Lens tank to get things going again :lol:

I always perfer the people on this site over others though. I know them better it seems, and trust them more.

 

[kgross]

I like to post on RC alot, just because I think more people over there need good help. I like to read over here because most users do seem to know more.

Lately it just seems that most of the forums here are really dead. I guess I will have to start some threads to see if I can help get it going again.

Kim

 

[Anonymous]

Kim, you been around so more than a decade, so we appreciate your help. Always good to have perspectives.

 

[kgross]

Its nice to know I am remembered. I always wonder what happened to most of the people from the old usenet days.

Kim

 

[Anonymous]

Things are always slow in the warmer months...

 

[Anonymous]

That and the tougher economic climate has people shutting tanks down or downgrading too. - Less people getting in, more people getting out = less traffic.

And I'll pass on that "other" site unless there is a specific author I want to question.. (Which happens like... - almost never.)

I like the more relaxed and consistent moderating here than over "there" along with the model for financing.. - Its really nice having a site that doesn't demand payment for access to information. A little advertising is fine but hostaging functionality (<ehem> search </ehem>) for greenbacks is just lame, lame, lame.

To each their own I guess..

 

[blackcloudmedia]

That and the tougher economic climate has people shutting tanks down or downgrading too. - Less people getting in, more people getting out = less traffic.

And I'll pass on that "other" site unless there is a specific author I want to question.. (Which happens like... - almost never.)

I like the more relaxed and consistent moderating here than over "there" along with the model for financing.. - Its really nice having a site that doesn't demand payment for access to information. A little advertising is fine but hostaging functionality (<ehem> search </ehem>) for greenbacks is just lame, lame, lame.

To each their own I guess..

Agreed

 

[Len]

The economy definitely has had an impact, but we (the admins) admittedly need to get BB traffic up with software improvements and marketing. The magazine (www.advancedaquarist.com), on the other hand, is really taking off, especially since reefkeeping.com is now less content-orientated.

If you have any ideas about how to increase BB traffic (this goes for everyone), we are all ears. Unlike staffs on some other communities, we like to listen to input and criticism Just be nice about it

 

[Ben1]

Well I gotta say R2R gets sponsors to donate frag packs and they give them away to members. This month they have 2 give aways, when I get the email it gets me to log into to put my name in the drawing, and while I am there I look through the threads.

Freebies, get people motivated. I use to love the photo contest here, and that fizzled out and never came back.

Member referring new people to RDO could be a good contest to get something going. Athough I realize all these could be fuged by someone with lots of e-mail accounts/friends but just some ideas.

Like I said I love RDO and have been posting here since I registered in 99'. I have my vintage RDO Elite Reefer hat and RDO sweat shirt from the cafe press store still. :lol:

 

[kgross]

This is one of the reasons I have always liked RDO.

Len

How about starting up the photo contest again?

Could you afford to trade some advertising for donations for raffle freebies rather than cash?

Let me think about some other things. One thing that does always create traffic is just having traffic when people stop by to look around and everything is old, nobody wants to post. I will see if I can create one new (hopefully good) thread a day someplace on here.

Kim

 

[Anonymous]

I gravitate to sites that run on better softwares. Sites that use Vbulletin get the most attention IME. All of our regional reef clubs moved to Vbulletin in 2008. ***Edit: Believe you-me, I desire viable alternatives to the most visited site.***

IMO, your magazine is better than RK in the context of seasoned keepers. RK is better for newbies (especially with the changes of 2008!). I think a balance is best. Let's face it, seasoned reefers often enjoy sharing their knowledge. Newbies soak it up. There is a real opportunity for 2009 to find the middle ground here.

Two features I requested...
http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... highlight=

***Edit: RdO's TOTM articles are lacking relative to RK's. I very much prefer the latter...more detail, better photos.***

 

[kgross]

What do you think of the phpbbs software, like I have on my site. One thing I really like about it is really affordable and there are lots of mods available for it.

Kim

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not familiar with phpbbs. I think RdO should go with the most popular software unless there is a clear advantage to going with another on the grounds of an improved feature set. The reason our local clubs went to Vbulletin is simple - that's the format and feature set we've become accustomed to. We know where to click and how it works. People get comfortable and entrenched. Switching to something different can be tough unless users can quickly learn the advantages of the new format.

 

[Anonymous]

I just checked - RF and Zeo are using Vbulletin as well. (Zeo actually uses VBportal which, IIRC, is made by the same company or is an overlay of some sort to VBulletin). Many of the local reef clubs outside of my own have also switched to Vbulletin - especially the ones I've visited more than once.

***Edit: Check this out (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=vb ... f&aq=f&oq=) ***

 

[dadstank]

i really like this site..... this is the only reef site i check on a regular basis.


since i had no choice but to learn to "reef-keep", my tank would never have made it four years ago without the help and support i have received from these pages....

thanks y'all....

 

[Anonymous]

I sure do miss the monthly photo contest too.

 

[Anonymous]

These are "weights" for me in choosing a forum whether it be for reef keeping, linux info, virus/spyware info, fair use (copy protection) info or any other source of info I might look for on a regular basis....

1: Content (does the site have active, intelligent (informed) posters?)

2: Availability (is the content readily at hand or are there hoops? - does the "search" function work so that I can find what I'm looking for quickly?)

3: Performance (is the site up and responding quickly on a consistent basis?)

4: Censorship (do the mods intrude unwarranted and create awkward or disjointed threads in doing so?)

5: Character (do the posters on the forum keep things interesting or is it simply a quick source of information?)

6: Style (is the site visually appealing and easy to navigate?)

7: Extraneous options (can I tailor my experience on the site?)

#7 isn't usually an issue for me at all since I almost always go for the default skin/style and don't usually set any options different from their defaults. (Except for profile info stuff but thats still the lowest factor for me..)

To that end, RDO gets pluses in all the categories above except #6. The default phpBB subsilver (and prosilver in phpbb3) styles are just plain DULL AND BORING.

Given the number of graphic artists on the site, I would like to recommend running a skinning competition and see what they can come up with to flavor the site up a couple hundred notches.

I'd also like to toss my vote in for bringing back the photography contest as well as other contests like the nano buildoff...

 

[D.W.L.]

I dont see whats so wrong with the software here. At least it runs correct, without loading down my useless computer like most of the other boards. :lol:

I still read here everyday. Just dont post much anywhere these days.

 

[Len]

The new phpBB3 is very nice. We're just on old software right now. I hope that a new software will help a lot. I know that it will allow me to do a lot of things I've always wanted to do