SNOWEST FORUMS: Member Comments on "Letter to All Members"

[icr]

Hard to imagine that you get NO USE at all out of these forums?

But, I suppose you and you alone know the truth of that.

It's entertainment right now for sure, I think it'll dry up a few months after becoming a pay site though because those who have something to contribute won't pay to contribute and you'll have a dozen sub forums with people asking if they have to run skidoo oil in their skidoo and what can is the loudest. Like I said, I'll stick around for a bit, but I see a "fail" poster with a picture of snowest on it in the near future.

 

[mountainhorse]

Originally Posted by Boondock
To many sub forums to search through to help or get any info IMO.

We're working on it...

In fact... that is one of my "pet projects"

Originally Posted by christopher
Have you ever considered pressing the BROWSE ALL button?

If we can swing it (NB?)... they wont have to!! And that will be nice, EH?

 

[x-guy]

I Would NOT be opposed to this at all.

Ponder on this one for a while and let me know how we might go about rating such posts in a manner that is NOT ABUSED like the REP SYSTEM was or the THANKS SYSTEM.

Is it a possibility that paying members are only given a certain amount of "Thank You's" let say and everytime someone recieves a "Thank You" for some good advice $0.50 goes towards their membership fees? If you limit the amount of times a member could use this for example 5 times a month, I would think they might use it with more discretion and use it for the actual people who deserve it. Might be one way to reward the people supplying good information, as well as attract those that can offer it, because they would end up paying little or nothing at all.

 

[HOBB-Z]

So in your brilliant estimation, anyone who has history with this forum and can't stand seeing what it's turned into when a majority of the users don't want the kid crap in the first place are all whiners?

You are an insult to the good Moderators and should be removed for this reason and the fact that you are a biased dealer. That would be the first sign of some kind of justice here lately.
Maybe you could create a pompous azz forum and you could be the subject matter expert.



I've seen you delete posts for statements like this when you personally didn't agree with them now you condone them?...
What gives Christopher?
Double standards?



The Passion and arguments, debates have nothing to do with the amount of money you are asking for.
Don't you still not get it?
Do not continue to only look at this whole subject as black and white.
It's always been about principle.
The real value here is the input and expertize from the members and now you, with HP's help are trying to profit off of it



I have decided along with a few others to take a wait and see approach because this forum has meant a great deal to me over the years
but the Administration must re-think their choices for some of the Moderators and begin to listen to the member's input.

Some of them stir up more crap than they are cleaning up and no dealers should be moderators.

Mods need to stop THEIR name calling because we cannot delete their posts or give them infractions. (MMsports...Whiners.)

Since this WILL become a pay site then we will be the real owners as paying customers and we should have some say in the direction of some of these "Goodies" Christopher speaks of....Don't you agree?

Crappy Mods should get voted off the island when they are insulting or abusing their "Power" and a good portion of that decision should come from the paying customers.

I will agree to help this go forward to the next step with a positive attitude so long as the Mods and Admin become more in tune with the paying customer.
Listen to them, they are truly the ones who built this forum to what it is today.
Stop ignoring their concerns.

Will there be any way to address the moderator problem other than PM them and try to resolve it?

It should be obvious by now that there is a very real problem with some of the mods thinking they are above the law...

And having vendors moderate wasn't a good plan to begin with.

 

[christopher]

Nope but thanks for asking

In all seriousness, and with no sarcasim, would you mind telling me why not?

There are many who complain about the sub-forums in the snowmobile sections. I get that and I am clear on that.

But the BROWSE ALL button allows you see all of the forums JUST as they were before we added the categories, and yet, its like no one wants to use the solution to their complaint, and I would love to know why that is.

 

[christopher]

Will there be any way to address the moderator problem other than PM them and try to resolve it?

If you have real beef with one of the moderators, send me a PM with ALL the details laid our clearly, with very specific examples of what they have done to abuse their authority. Please make sure it is something I can verify, not something from the past or something that happened on another site. You might be surprised at just how responsive I can be when the material is presented to me in a usable manner.

I really have NO desire to have abusive moderators.

 

[backcountryislife]

In all seriousness, and with no sarcasim, would you mind telling me why not?

There are many who complain about the sub-forums in the snowmobile sections. I get that and I am clear on that.

But the BROWSE ALL button allows you see all of the forums JUST as they were before we added the categories, and yet, its like no one wants to use the solution to their complaint, and I would love to know why that is.

AH crap.

I actually agree with you on this one, it actually works pretty well. You can always go into a sub forum for things that would have disappeared quickly otherwise.

ok, that's enough of this agreeing thing... back to the "whining" as some folks seem to think others' opinions should be called.

 

[diamonddave]

Sigh.
Do you really think that I just sit in my ivory tower all day long and look down upon you with disdain?

That I dont' read what you write, nor discuss it with all the rest of the staff.

Or is it that there are other members who hold equal and opposite points of view to your's, but that they are somehow less important that you are?

You make me out to be some kind of an ogre who has complete rule and control over these forums. And I am sorry to say it just ain't so. Much of what I do, is only done by specific instruction from the owners.

The Snowmobile sub-forums seems to be your #1 hotspot. So let me say it again, I did NOT come up with that structure. It was given to me, and I was told to implement it EXACTLY as it was provided to me. If you really want to effect a positive change on that subject, then I suggest you take a different tact in your campaign.

With all due respect but I'm sorry Christopher, that's exactly how you're viewed by many on this site. Everybody that associates either they're pleasure or displeasure knows that most of this controversy (right or wrong, like it or not) started when you came along. I find it very hard to believe given what you've stated your past was/is, that ownership one day came up with all these new ideas and decided to make you the poster boy to take the wrath of being the red-headed stepchild.

I for one do not have a problem with paying the money, however, I do not like the "new" snowest and all the changes that have occurred and because of this, I'm very apprehensive to sign up for $30 only to see more of these unwanted changes and/or that alot of the members and info go somehwere else out of principle. I have to believe that I'm not in the minority here. I think asking for money BEFOREthings get better (you've admitted how rough they've been so far) shows terrible timing and leadership. I also believe using the "bottom feeder" analogy that this site will only get better shows even worse leadership. Hopefully I'm wrong and hopefully I will have to come back and apoligize.

I will leave you with this: Ask yourself this question. Why are the newspapers struggling and closing down everyday?

 

[Sturgis Sledder]

well the whinners are jumping ship, that is good news!!! have to see how this plays out!

ANOTHER senior errrr newbie has spoken.

 

[Krust]

My suggestion to you all is to do some research on what happened to www.audiworld.com when it was purchased by Internet Brands. They decided that they wanted change the forum software so that it was consistent with all of their other sites, so they "upgraded" to VB. The members didn't want it, and warned IB that they would leave if they changed it. Much in the same manner that everyone is currently warning you. IB didn't listen. At it's peak I would say it was almost as big as snowest, now it's dead. That is all they did. They didn't ask anyone to pay. They didn't change the ad banner status. Nothing. Just a change to the forum software that made it not "like home" anymore.

From what I have seen, you estimate there are 18,000 members who are currently "active". To me that means there are 18,000 people who while they might not like everything about the site, but enjoy it enough just the way it is to keep coming back. It is familiar to them. Don't underestimate the importance of that familiarity. "There's no place like home."

 

[HOBB-Z]

If you have real beef with one of the moderators, send me a PM with ALL the details laid our clearly, with very specific examples of what they have done to abuse their authority. Please make sure it is something I can verify, not something from the past or something that happened on another site. You might be surprised at just how responsive I can be when the material is presented to me in a usable manner.

I really have NO desire to have abusive moderators.

Why not just have a moderation section so that the entire user group can see
who is moderating what and for what reason..

If everything a moderator moderated was visible to everyone, the abuse would end immediately. Just about anyone could be a mod and no one would have to run tell you something stinks...

 

[Jay]

Thanks Christopher for your reply to my question about who you are when your home. Sadly it took me 43 minutes (and counting) and 7 pages to find your reply, now you can see the relevance of my other question about dial up. There sure are alot of people with there panties in a bunch about this forum, personally I think I will wait and see. You get good at waiting on dial up.

 

[MtnDoo]

<<I find it very hard to believe given what you've stated your past was/is, that ownership one day came up with all these new ideas and decided to make you the poster boy to take the wrath of being the red-headed stepchild.>>

Don't get me wrong, I like Christopher - what he's done in his administration is what is being debated here. Let's not make this personal!

That said, I agree with you - things were smooth for years and years (save the FuseTalk to VB conversion hassle, but that was minor) before our new swashbuckling admin drank the FeatureCreep KOOL AIDE.

And keep in mind, Management DID step in and DEMAND this stuff, just as they walked into the server room and started pulling random cables a week ago as they were trying to switch from IE1.0 to Firefox - just like the performance issue was not due to the changes, but somehow new twin-turbo Dell servers are now needed.

I believe it all!!!!! BruuHahahhaa! (best Dr. Evil voice)

 

[MtnDoo]

Holy Crap! Audiworld is dead.

Currently Active Users: 820 (173 members and 647 guests)

Most users ever online was 14,930, 04-08-2009 at 10:16 AM.

 

[Idaho Slim]

I will Pay and Stay, however - I gotz a few burrs under my saddle to speak out about;

#1. Moderators with a Sledding related business, MUST GO! (As Mods)

Knock Knock ............... Let me try again, ANY RESPONSE TO THIS?

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

Holy Crap! Audiworld is dead.

Currently Active Users: 820 (173 members and 647 guests)

Most users ever online was 14,930, 04-08-2009 at 10:16 AM.

wow..7 months from good to dead..scary......

 

[Angermangement890]

This is my question for Christopher and staff, IF I pony up the cash for the three year subscription and the forum fails in the first year, what happens to my subscription? Am I to be refunded the remaining two years with interest? Do I forfeit my cash to Harris Publishing? If so, it wouldn't be the first time, kind of like my magazine subscription that was paid for and was never delivered, although I made numerous phone calls and did not move at any time during the subscription.

I think it would be wise to look longer and harder at the failures in converting to a pay forum than in looking at the successes. If a large number fail, why? What have those that failed done that angered their users, was it the mere mention of paying, the manner it was approached or the users coming to the conclusion that the site needed them more than they needed the site for success?

In the case of snowest, nothing is offered here that can not be obtained elsewhere, albeit at a slower pace. The 18,000 active members ARE the product YOU offer, if they don't show up, what is it again that your selling?(not just to users, think advertisers) Have you consulted your current revenue base (advertisers) about how they feel about charging people for access to see the adds they pay to put up? I think the advertisers currently on the site will be more fickle than the users, a significant drop in page views and traffic may cause them to rethink their support of the snowest forum and where they choose to spend their marketing dollars, which in turn removes a valuable tool in the "Self Supporting Plan" in the form of advertisers revenue.


Many of the Old guys I used to look to for advice are gone, and I suspect many more will no longer visit the site with the new direction things are going, and sad to say I can see many Niche market companies shifting their sometimes limited marketing budgets to forums that have more users. The AMsnow reference a few pages back was spot on.

 

[JuicedRMKryder]

Let me get this straight, pay for forum = get free magazine. Pay for magazine = pay for forum. WTF? Nothing like getting bent over the proverbial barrel for those of us that already subscribe to both snow west and sleadheads already (3yrs for $40) apiece!

 

[christopher]

Ask yourself this question. Why are the newspapers struggling and closing down everyday?

Because people are tired of the heavily biased liberal viewpoints. On the other hand, The Wall Street Journal is doing well in both print and electronic versions.

 

[AkHockey10]

Ill stay and pay. Im not for paying but, its a cost that is reasonable.

I dont think this was asked.. if it was.. I apologize.. but, will we need to re-register and start all over once the pay effect comes into play? just thought id ask.