# What Does The Hobby Need?



## Boyden1985 (Nov 13, 2006)

I am in complete dispair!!!!!!!!! Forums, forums and more forums..........is this the end of the line? I'm not saying there is anything wrong with forums I have been a member for ages I just feel its getting old..........surely the community progresses further over the internet? I mean is it me or is the community folding in on itself?

: victory:


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## TSKA Rory Matier (May 27, 2007)

Okay, so what do you suggest then?

But if this is of any help, pessimistic as it will be perceived:

*'I mean is it me or is the community folding in on itself?'
*
YES


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## wohic (Jun 19, 2006)

people do seem to forget though that the forum life is a VERY small percentage of herp keepers in this country.

frums do have their uses, they can be good for getting advice when the right people give it, they can be great for buying and selling,and most of all they are good for chatting to other people about the hobby.

The bad points are, people giving wrong and sometimes dangerous advice, people causing trouble and trouble causing, and the fact that rumours spead like bush fires on forums.


i think there will always be a place for sites like this, and no i dont think the hobby is folding in on itself, i think most of the serious keepers just dont bother with forums anymore.


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

At the end of the day most people on forums came here to get advice, or to advertise something online. I joined this forum because I wanted advice on something and there seemed to be a lot of people here. I stayed because I found people I enjoyed talking to. I do find it a good place to sell my offspring too, which is quite valuable to me.

I have to say, I do run a local community group - and a lot of people just aren't that interested, it costs money to join, not much though (we do have to pay a small fee to the venue we use for meetings so although I'd love to do it for free, I can't), it would involve people actually going out in the evening after work to meet people face to face - and to be honest, the majority of people i've spoken to just aren't interested. Finding people locally who wanted to help with the organisation was very difficult. At least in my area, people don't seem that interested in community groups offline.

I tried to arrange special speakers and a large venue for some interesting talks, and people just weren't interested in travelling for anything unless they were actually buying reptiles there.

When you say forums are the end of the line... what exactly do you expect or would you like to come after?


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## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

i think the hobby needs some people giving good stories about snakes etc etc on tv and in papers


wohic...what happened to your 'i am your moderator...please comply' ?


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## wohic (Jun 19, 2006)

Andy b 1 said:


> i think the hobby needs some people giving good stories about snakes etc etc on tv and in papers
> 
> 
> wohic...what happened to your 'i am your moderator...please comply' ?


do you miss it ?

I got bored of it :blush:


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## TSKA Rory Matier (May 27, 2007)

Athravan has it in one: *'When you say forums are the end of the line... what exactly do you expect or would you like to come* after?'

Forums have been with the community for centuries, the place to be seen, heard and speak, to be heckled and jostled.

So if forums were good enough for the likes of the Greeks and the Romans and most of the Classical ancient governing bodies, what is their harm now?

I think it is all too easy to express a concern over what you think they have become, but why? They are no different now to what they were yesteryear. But the easy part for you was to just ask a very open question and then leave it blank - if you think there is something different to be offered, created or designed, then instead of asking an open question, ask, then supply what you think is the way forwards.

Are the communitys folding in, YES, but l answer from a different perspective, is the community folding? No, it changes every year.

Again l draw reference to Athravan : *'I have to say, I do run a local community group - and a lot of people just aren't that interested',*

This is of course true, one only has to look at societies and their seriously declining numbers, or clubs that riase their heads and then collapse. For instance, do _you_ belong to a society, club or some other community?

Wohic's comment is also true: *'people do seem to forget though that the forum life is a VERY small percentage of herp keepers in this country'.*

Yeah, about 5% of the overall herp community frequent forums, and as she said *'i think most of the serious keepers just dont bother with forums anymore'.* 

And why should they, the demograph on here places most of the users as youngsters - most of the serious 'veteran' keepers do not wish for their experiences to be shot down by an unknown entity that may only be about 14, which of course was the argument from many keepers concerning forums a few years back.

We do have serious keepers on this forum, usually with very low post counts, they speak when they need to, address when they have something to say and not basically prattle on about everything and anything to just increase their post kudos.

But the question here to you, is as l originally said - what is it that you suggest as an alternative?


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## Boyden1985 (Nov 13, 2006)

Remember this thread guys..........I'm gonna change things myself :2thumb:


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## TSKA Rory Matier (May 27, 2007)

Well Bravo, that is about the most original thing l have read this morning.

Oddly enough, you write of change, then when asked of that change, your answer is simple - l will do it myself.

Watch this thread?

Well unless you say much more, what is the point? If you are to make such a change, it will not be in this thread.


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## essexchondro (Apr 9, 2007)

The irony of course is that the OP is using the forums as an effective medium to spread the message that the forums are outdated and are "the end of the line". :lol2:

Can we also have a definition of what the term "is the community folding in on itself" actually means? Its sounds a very sophisticated and intelligent analysis but what process(es) and developments are you actually describing? 

cheers

Stuart


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## Stubby (Jan 30, 2007)

I'd always prefer a 'real life' group and meeting people in person, but you're always going to be limited by geography and also what people want out of a group.

If nothing else forums are useful for finding out what's in your area and if the answer to that is 'nothing' then a forum is also a useful place to hang out and get information and advice. You have to remember that as with everything on the internet any information and advice is on a 'user beware' basis but the good thing about the interweb is that there's plenty of different places to check out and compare.


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## bluerain (Jun 7, 2008)

:2thumb:I must have no life then cos i enjoy this forum.


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