I see the addition of the Facebook aspect as having two primary functions.
1) An emergency site we can go to for information or to continue discussion in the event the main forum goes down.
2) A conduit for attracting new members to the main site. The threads on the Facebook site all link back to the discussion on the main forums, it comes with a message... "to see what others think click this link"
The aim is not to compete with the other Facebook pages but to use that format to link here.
Already we have at least three, one time prolific posters, who have joined the Facebook page. These are folk who are no longer active here.
The test will be... having come "part of the way" will they make the transition to the main forum.
Think of the Facebook page not as an alternative to this place, but as a doorway to the main forum.
Of course the real test will be if the members of the Facebook page become active on the main forum.
That doesn't seem to be happening as yet, but wait a bit and see.
I no longer have access to some of the statistical information I had as a mod but a look at the forum index tells me that our last new member registered back in August last year.
Is that right?
If so, that is 'Tombstone Territory'
But the Facebook page is only one idea.
Anything to attract new members is worth a try.
Creating new threads is one idea, but folks have to find the place first.
In respect of that I'd like to see that 'General Discussion' thread split again into individual topics.
At the moment a discussion starts and stalls and is overtaken by another discussion and the topic is lost.
We're at the low point of the season in terms of participation. Things will no doubt pick up as the football starts, and the impression will be that 'everything's apples', but we have a serious underlying problem that takes precedence over all these other issues and that is the future and maintenance of the site.
1) An emergency site we can go to for information or to continue discussion in the event the main forum goes down.
2) A conduit for attracting new members to the main site. The threads on the Facebook site all link back to the discussion on the main forums, it comes with a message... "to see what others think click this link"
The aim is not to compete with the other Facebook pages but to use that format to link here.
Already we have at least three, one time prolific posters, who have joined the Facebook page. These are folk who are no longer active here.
The test will be... having come "part of the way" will they make the transition to the main forum.
Think of the Facebook page not as an alternative to this place, but as a doorway to the main forum.
Of course the real test will be if the members of the Facebook page become active on the main forum.
That doesn't seem to be happening as yet, but wait a bit and see.
I no longer have access to some of the statistical information I had as a mod but a look at the forum index tells me that our last new member registered back in August last year.
Is that right?
If so, that is 'Tombstone Territory'
But the Facebook page is only one idea.
Anything to attract new members is worth a try.
Creating new threads is one idea, but folks have to find the place first.
In respect of that I'd like to see that 'General Discussion' thread split again into individual topics.
At the moment a discussion starts and stalls and is overtaken by another discussion and the topic is lost.
We're at the low point of the season in terms of participation. Things will no doubt pick up as the football starts, and the impression will be that 'everything's apples', but we have a serious underlying problem that takes precedence over all these other issues and that is the future and maintenance of the site.