Author Topic: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?  (Read 45308 times)

Offline Flatland Fanatic

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It seems like this site (which I have really liked over the years) is now dead.  Why is it that no one is on here anymore?  Is there another message board that everyone is going to now?

Offline mare

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2012, 10:22:51 AM »
yes they did

Offline you

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2012, 06:54:39 PM »
I agree.
 
An indicator can be the For sale Forum here.
2 years ago tuff used to sell very fast in the marketplace section, now it takes forever or doesn't sell at all.
 
 

Offline 2flat2furious

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2012, 08:06:00 PM »
I kinda feel like there are so many inane discussions not really worth participating in that it's not interesting at all. I only check it periodically now.

Offline jm

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2012, 08:13:06 PM »
there's just not many discussions any more. most of what is posted lately is "news", and the occasional uninspired thread. the other sites are simply more active these days, and easier to see new updates on. discussions here have historically ended up in ego wars; with strong personalities debating their position until it puts people off, and they go somewhere else.

Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2012, 08:58:33 PM »
Shoot, I just acheived "deathtrucker" status, too!
 
 

byke

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2012, 09:16:34 PM »
I have noticed this for some time, and according to the forum stats ..... there has been a steady decline in people both posting and using this forum.

To a greater extent this cant just be blamed on FB, Twitter and FM ... but on other factors also (like poor management).
Lets not forget who was one of the listed judges at the BMX worlds and subsequent results.

Either way, lets hope that other mediums like FB provide enough support ... and new products and media from other areas help generate a continued interest in both new and old riders.

Offline Martin

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2012, 10:23:22 PM »
Hey guys,


I think it's mostly Facebook .. we've always had ego wars and all kinds of more or less annoying stuff in BMX forums. I don't think that's the problem haha ..
The most important thing is that we stick together as a community of riders. I'm not quite sure how well that is working on Facebook or Twitter. You have to be friends with a lot of people there in order to stay up to date and see a lot of news and discussions. Here in the forum it's public and everyone can see everything. I think that's still the biggest advantage.


I'd love to see the forum staying active for that reason! But it's up to you!

Offline Flatism®

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2012, 10:42:41 PM »
It's a good point you raise, as I have been wondering this myself quite a bit lately.
I do wonder if riding folk have taken global-flat for granted. . .?
I also get the impression, that those that slate it are those that never really contributed to it's growth, but only it's decline. I admit I've never been the most prolific of posters, however I drop by everyday to read or contribute if need be.
It's your Global-flat after all.
Flat-ism

Offline Martin

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2012, 11:01:06 PM »
It's your Global-flat after all.


I couldn't agree more! I wrote a few lines in the news ( http://www.global-flat.com/news/showNews.php?ID=2178 ) .. maybe we can get some more opinions!

Offline jpoliti

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2012, 11:11:22 PM »
i think it's more about edits nowadays, and less about discussions. This is why Flatmatters and facebook are so popular.

Videos. it's easy, and no childlish ego wars to deal with, you just watch.

Offline johnu773

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2012, 11:20:25 PM »
I kinda feel like there are so many inane discussions not really worth participating in that it's not interesting at all. I only check it periodically now.

I agree.

An indicator can be the For sale Forum here.
2 years ago tuff used to sell very fast in the marketplace section, now it takes forever or doesn't sell at all.

 
+1 on both of these points.
 
@ TJ, a lot of discusions seem to be repeats and rehashes of previous discussions too.
 
 
@ YOU,  I will say though, selling/buying on other forums has come to a standstill also.  Either there's nothing interesting listed, nothing listed at all or just not a good enough deal to buy used instead of new.
 
On the selling side, it seems everyone wants you to give your stuff away for pennies on the dollar...

Offline Flatism®

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2012, 11:30:31 PM »
@YOU
I've definitely noticed the slowing up of selling/buying section on both bike guide.org & bmx-forum, more so than on here! I don't understand that one at all.
Flat-ism

Offline AB

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2012, 11:50:44 PM »
A fair question. Most of what I can say is directly about the boards. I still frequent and love checking out Global-flat. I used to frequent the message boards quite a bit, even if I didn't post much. When I lived in NorCal, the thread here was the one way for all the riders to keep in touch. It was perfect and I depended on that thread to stay connected to the scene.


To be honest (and it's my own fault in the end), I ultimately grew weary of the message boards because of the fights. The most frequented threads more often than not were just fights. Usually petty, occasionally ugly. Just like reality TV, they were easy to get sucked into. I finally had enough and unfortunately equated Global to the nasty threads. Real interesting, progressive flatland edits/thoughts would get 1 or 2 comments, while a thread about tight jeans would go on for pages.


This is not unique to GF. Some of the comments on Flatmatters can get nasty too. Facebook as well. No site is immune to knuckleheads. I still check Global, especially for original content or the marketplace. Flatmatters, as a news source, is simply easier to use, more comprehensive (as far as coverage), and more focused.


Global remains a central point I think for flatlanders (or it still has the potential to be). Where else can we get an event list at one click? It's still the best place to buy and sell 2nd hand flatland gear (who's holding midschool Ares stuff!). And it's a great place for the online battles. But as far as discussions are concerned, it just became too volatile for my tastes.


-Anthony

Offline Martin

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Re: Have Facebook, Twitter, and Flatmatters killed this message board?
« Reply #14 on: August 03, 2012, 12:11:14 AM »
Thanks for the new posts!


@Anthony: for me the discussion here is really about the forum and online community. Thanks for the comment about original content, events and so on. We put a lot of work into the editorial content. A few sites just copy and paste our content (we even had a site which was copying the forum posts) which is 'interesting' haha ..


Anyway, back to the topic. Is there anything we can do to make the forum easier to use? Would you prefer to login using your facebook or twitter account? Do you prefer to use your mobile phone and need a better mobile version of the site?