C'mon People!!!!!

[jeffduke]

C'MON GUYS!! LETS GET TO POSTING HERE!!! NO MORE SLACKING OFF HERE GUYS/GIRLS, LETS MAKE THIS PLACE AN INTERESTING PLACE FOR ALL TO COME TO!!! I'M NOT SAYING LETS JUST POST ANYTHING, BUT C'MON GUYS...ITS GETTING PRETTY BORING JUST COMING HERE AND SEEING THE SAME STUFF TIME AND TIME AGAIN! (HOW'S THIS FOR YOU BRENT?) LOL

[BHQ]

[quote=jeffduke;1320][color="Red"][size="3"]C'MON GUYS!! LETS GET TO POSTING HERE!!! NO MORE SLACKING OFF HERE GUYS/GIRLS, LETS MAKE THIS PLACE AN INTERESTING PLACE FOR ALL TO COME TO!!! I'M NOT SAYING LETS JUST POST ANYTHING, BUT C'MON GUYS...ITS GETTING PRETTY BORING JUST COMING HERE AND SEEING THE SAME STUFF TIME AND TIME AGAIN! (HOW'S THIS FOR YOU BRENT?) LOL

now youre' cookin' !
fire 'em up boss
i was thinking of putting a post on here about how bad i played tonight
one of my worst nites ever
nothing went my way
is there a "why i shoot like crap" forum???

[djkx1]

Originally Posted by BHQ

now youre' cookin' !
fire 'em up boss
i was thinking of putting a post on here about how bad i played tonight
one of my worst nites ever
nothing went my way
is there a "why i shoot like crap" forum???

With the "Blind in one eye, can't see outta the other" stuff, I figured you got all the excuses you need to shoot bad pool.
Just bugging you Brent, we all have those nights. I've seen Strickland have those days too. Just dont be smashing cues and cussing out the spectators and you will bounce back from a bad night.

[Hustl3r]

The forum definatly needs some more traffic, members, and incentives for perspective members.

Every forum needs a "niche", something to set them apart from every other forum on the internet, and theres millions...it's not easy.

Obviously this forum is billards related, and there is definatly the member base out there to support the forum, but the question is...what would it take to make this forum peoples "primary" forum?

If anyone from the forums needs any suggestions, feel free to PM me, as I would be willing to help and assist, etc.


P.S. I think it would be nice to stay away from posting things here that are being posted on "another forum" as well. Being unique is the key....

[BHQ]

Originally Posted by djkx1

With the "Blind in one eye, can't see outta the other" stuff, I figured you got all the excuses you need to shoot bad pool.
Just bugging you Brent, we all have those nights. I've seen Strickland have those days too. Just dont be smashing cues and cussing out the spectators and you will bounce back from a bad night.

i have one more excuse darren
WAYYYYYYYYY too many coors lights last nite
paying dearly today

[Slowhand]

Originally Posted by Hustl3r

P.S. I think it would be nice to stay away from posting things here that are being posted on "another forum" as well. Being unique is the key....
Today 09:23 AM

I have no problems posting things I've found on other forums, as long as it's not from another billiards forum. Almost every good joke, or link to a good video, has been posted in another forum before.


One thing that I look for is quality of posts over quantity. One thing that has bored me most about AZ billiards is that when someone asks a simple question, 100 people will post replies saying the same old things over and over and over and over. I'll begin to read a thread and after the 1st page if I see that they're all going to be the same responces then I won't even bother reading the rest of the 6 pages. It's as if those people are posting just for the sake of posting.

Let's take a look at some of the stats compared to other forums.
Billiards-Talk
Threads: 304, Posts: 907, Members: 129, Active Members: 60
AZ Billiards
Threads: 52,726, Posts: 595,932, Members: 9,128
Cdcovers --- yeah I know it has nothing to do with pool.
Threads: 140,982, Posts: 1,047,776, Members: 86,261

Right away you can see a big problem, only 60 active members.
When I compare AZ to Cdcovers it has 1/9 as many members, 1/3 as many threads, and 1/2 as many posts. Those guys are spending a lot of extra time simply posting garbage not worth reading. Quantity of posts are not what makes a good forum. AZ may be a very busy place, but I didn't post anything there for over 6 months because the average content was getting so poor that I didn't bother to visit. That was even the first forum I ever used the ignore a member option, because I knew that whatever those people posted would not be worth reading.

Now don't get me wrong, AZ has a lot of good points. Linda posts a lot of good stuff in the non pool related section, and Colin posts a lot of good information about pool. They even have pros with their own subforums so that you can get quality information from people that know. So after looking at it, it's really hard to compete against AZ in the world of billiards forums. Simply trying to copy them would be like starting your own cola company and trying to compete against Pepsi or Coke.

No forum is based on the forum itself, it all starts with it's main site. If you don't have a good site, nobody will check out the forum. Now when I look at the main site for Billiards Talk, I find that both the TV Schedule and Pro Events are empty. This does not encourage those that have visited the site to return, especially when they can find that info on a number of other sites. There are also a very limited number of pool halls listed in the Pool Hall Directory. As Hustl3r has said, we need a niche.

To take from bowling, even though people hate when you try to compare, I think it might be a good idea to associate ourselves with local leagues. If you go to bowl.com, you can find standing sheets for individual leagues. Bowlers can go on line to see where there team is in the standings. You can even see everyone's averages, along with what team and lane they bowl on next. If you got pool leagues to scan and post their standings sheets to the main site then you would easily increase the hit count of the main site. More people visiting the main site would lead to more people in the forum.

Now getting leagues to post their standings on your site is another problem in itself.

[George]

First off we just started this place a few months ago so we haven't been around long. Second Since I opened this place alot has happened So I haven't been able to finish everything. Kid was born then got real sick. Family comes first if you cant respect that then I dunno what to tell you.


P.s. Jeff scares alot of people away aswell.

P.s.s. Ill probably close the site when the license expires for the forums. I'm not gonna pay all that cash for no reason. I don't see the interest from the users to keep this place open. I spend my available time working on this place and paying for hosting and the license for these forums. I know he forums don't make the site. But comparing us to a site that has been around for years doesn't seem fair at all. Look for the recent billiards site/forums and compare.


Its all about time and with he new baby I just haven't had the time. Specially when he just got home from the hospital for a 2 week stay in the PICU 4 days ago. I don't know about you but I have my priority's strait.

I may work on the stuff if people show interest.

[jeffduke]

Originally Posted by George

P.s. Jeff scares alot of people away aswell.

ok George...I would love to know how this statement is true? if you don't want me here, tell me! I'll gladly go away! I've done nothing but get people to come here and support you and this forum 110% since I found it...so tell me, whats your problem, with me now? you know what...take me off moderator status...I'm done here! I don't need this crap from YOU or anyone else for that matter...moderate your own forum, I'm DONE!!!

[djkx1]

George,
I don't think anyone is blaming you for anything. I know I certainly don't. It is more than reasonable to expect you to be busy with family issues. Your priorities are the way they should be.

I think this forum can benifit from some of the suggestions made by different people, and if I can do anything to help it along I would. I enjoy this place, and would love to see it flourish. That may take time and effort, and if you decide to pull the plug, that is your choice. Either wy you have my respect, but I do hope you keep at it.

[BHQ]

exactly!!
i agree with darren
it's not you OR jeff
pool is just down
waning interest, who knows?
i think most people just aren't receptive to new things
family comes first george
don't sweat this forum
if it works out, great
if it doesn't , it's not the end of the world
i'm sure you have invested lots of time & that would be a shame to lose it
i'll hang in here as long as billiard talk is here

[Slowhand]

Originally Posted by George

First off we just started this place a few months ago so we haven't been around long. Second Since I opened this place alot has happened So I haven't been able to finish everything.

That was exactly my point. You can't compare yourself to a well established forum when you're just getting started. You also can't expect an instant high post count when you only have 60 members so far. It takes time to build and you need a reason for people to come here. You can't simply use the Field of Dreams analogy and think, "If I build it, they will come". I like what you've done so far, but if you're only going to copy what other billiards sites have done then it would be a harder struggle to grow. Again, as Hustl3r has said, we need a niche. We need a reason for people to come here, and it has to be something that you can only find here. I tried making a positive suggestion about posting standings sheets for local leagues as a way to increase site hits, and the reply was,,,

if you cant respect that then I dunno what to tell you.


P.s. Jeff scares alot of people away aswell.

All I can say is, negative posting like this from the owner only serves to scare away members and is contrary to what you're trying to accomplish.

Since all the time and money for running this site is coming out of your pocket, you will always feel that this site is just a hobby of yours. And as a hobby, the average life span is around a year or two. The only way that could change is to have companies advertise on your site. But that leads you back to the number of members, and hit count, before they're willing to pay you. And again, that leads you back to needing a niche.

[Hustl3r]

I just woke up, so I'm not thinking enough to reply to all the thoughts posted so far.

I'll touch on 2 points, as that's all I can concentrate on without my morning cup of coffee lol.


1st point: You need a "main site" before a forum will become popular.

- In my personal opinon, and from working with many sites in the past, this is not exactly true. A forum based site can flourish just as well as a site with a forum associated with it. A forum and a "site" are essentially one in the same, nothing more then a place to provide information to interested visitors.


2nd point: Gorge, I understand what it takes to run a site, costs involved etc. I co-run a hosting company and have done to many sites/forums to count.

Why pay for VB license when you can accomplish the same thing with other software that's out there that doesn't require a license?

If you ever need assistance with hosting or anything of that nature, please let me know.

[George]

Originally Posted by jeffduke

ok George...I would love to know how this statement is true? if you don't want me here, tell me! I'll gladly go away! I've done nothing but get people to come here and support you and this forum 110% since I found it...so tell me, whats your problem, with me now? you know what...take me off moderator status...I'm done here! I don't need this crap from YOU or anyone else for that matter...moderate your own forum, I'm DONE!!!

It was a joke but what ever your wish has been granted. You tell me to remove you once a week.

[George]

Originally Posted by Slowhand

That was exactly my point. You can't compare yourself to a well established forum when you're just getting started. You also can't expect an instant high post count when you only have 60 members so far. It takes time to build and you need a reason for people to come here. You can't simply use the Field of Dreams analogy and think, "If I build it, they will come". I like what you've done so far, but if you're only going to copy what other billiards sites have done then it would be a harder struggle to grow. Again, as Hustl3r has said, we need a niche. We need a reason for people to come here, and it has to be something that you can only find here. I tried making a positive suggestion about posting standings sheets for local leagues as a way to increase site hits, and the reply was,,,

All I can say is, negative posting like this from the owner only serves to scare away members and is contrary to what you're trying to accomplish.

Since all the time and money for running this site is coming out of your pocket, you will always feel that this site is just a hobby of yours. And as a hobby, the average life span is around a year or two. The only way that could change is to have companies advertise on your site. But that leads you back to the number of members, and hit count, before they're willing to pay you. And again, that leads you back to needing a niche.

Just seemed to me you was trying to compare this place to az when they been around for years. No its not just my hobby. I take all your suggestions and almost always use them. There isn't one suggestion from the users that I haven't add or added to my list to do when I get a chance. Once again I was joking with jeff shame he didn't take it that way.

[George]

Originally Posted by Hustl3r

I just woke up, so I'm not thinking enough to reply to all the thoughts posted so far.

I'll touch on 2 points, as that's all I can concentrate on without my morning cup of coffee lol.


1st point: You need a "main site" before a forum will become popular.

- In my personal opinon, and from working with many sites in the past, this is not exactly true. A forum based site can flourish just as well as a site with a forum associated with it. A forum and a "site" are essentially one in the same, nothing more then a place to provide information to interested visitors.


2nd point: Gorge, I understand what it takes to run a site, costs involved etc. I co-run a hosting company and have done to many sites/forums to count.

Why pay for VB license when you can accomplish the same thing with other software that's out there that doesn't require a license?

If you ever need assistance with hosting or anything of that nature, please let me know.

I pay for the VB license for a few reasons. First reason is is has alot of options and add ons that the free ones don't. Its also more secure then 99.9% of the free ones. When a bug is reported it is updated and sent out asap.