What this forum needs is more SPAM!

[conkerandco]

I'm 16 and the first time i posted on here I instantly felt intimidated. You guys are great but can come across a bit snobby, i hate to say it aha. I spent the first few weeks trying to convince everyone i wasn't that BadMonkey tw@t.

Do you go to school with him? Because your IP address at the time was the same as his.... that's the main reason we thought so.

No, not that i'm aware of, I don't think I know anyone who has owned a TH30 or Engl, let alone worships the almighty 'mid-hump' quite as much. I'm not really very sure how IP's work so could it just be a coincidence? As well as the TH30 and harley benton cab?! Don't worry guys, i'm way cooler than him anyway

[baytamusic]

Sorry dudes. Maybe my idea sucked! I have definitely noticed that the forum's traffic has went down significantly over the last couple years I've been a member.

I guess my idea was that having different sections with more specific topics of conversation may draw in more people over time. It may not, who knows. I really don't think adding just one section is going to do this though. It would really need to be broken down more specifically IMO. How many times have you guys answered questions about "which speakers should I get?" or "Can the TT do metal?" or "how should I mic my amp?" or "which guitar should I buy?" or "what tubes should I get?" other stuff like that. It seems like most new members just come to ask a specific question and then jet after they get their answer. I think to keep people interested in the forum you have to offer more specialized areas of conversation. Just as an example, I notice there are some folks who only post in the "technical" section, because that's where their interest lies (they must not be into Katy Perry). Some guys/gals may be more into guitars, while some may be into tubes, others may be into recording, some people play bass (poor saps), some may want to discuss Katy Perry. They may not care about reading about other stuff when they visit the forum.

I guess my idea was trying offer something for everyone, maybe not just people that have a question about their new Orange amp.

I could also be way off on this. I've just noticed that any other forums I visit have more specific sections. Some of these forums may be specific to a certain brand, while others may be more general, but they all have their sections broken down in a more specific fashion.

This could make Billy's life a lot harder though?! I don't really know either way.

My point is basically when something is on the decline, it usually means a change needs to take place. Change is tough, but necessary for growth.

[irish_admiral]

My point is basically when something is on the decline, it usually means a change needs to take place. Change is tough, but necessary for growth.

That assumes you make the right change!

So the traffic is down a little... there are still plenty of posts coming through. Is the ultimate aim to have a boatload of people posting each day?! Why? There's plenty of wisdom in the back catalogue of topics here, and lots of people hanging around who know lots about amps & guitars. Most people get their questions answered i'm figuring, and those who want to talk Katy Perry either get answered or manage to scratch that particular itch elsewhere.

What's broken about it?

[bclaire]

I think in a lot of cases, our questions are answered or there is more information out there.

For example, Orange never used to have any kind of manual available but they do now... most of the time. That alone solves many of the forum threads we used to get. Overall, there's more info out there regarding Oranges I think.

I mean, I started coming to the forum, whenever it was that I joined, because there was almost nothing out there of information regarding Orange... and it turned out at the time, that I probably knew most of what was available by my interest and research so I ended up answering a lot of questions and ultimately was asked to moderate. It's not a huge investment of time because I am genuinely interested in everything Orange but at the same time, all of you are too and answer questions as they arise and as our knowledge allows! But if I was starting off now with an interest in Orange from scratch, I would find that there is a TON of information available...

[a.hun]

I think you are right that the amount of 'traffic' has reduced from a couple of years back bayta. I don't see that as a crisis though. My own thought on this is that there was a very busy period after the TT came out and a lot of new guitarists grabbed their first Orange, usually without knowing much about valve amps so with lots of related 'newbie' questions.

Maybe that TT thing has now peaked and fallen off some? I don't see a dying forum here, more one which is settling back to business as usual. Thats my impression anyway.

I'm actually quite glad of that as there was a time when I simply couldn't keep up with all the threads and ended up missing out quite a lot. Now while I may not read everything in every topic (I do have a bit of a life! ) I will usually at least give each topic a good once (or twice) over, following it further if it grabs me.


BTW FWIW (not a lot maybe) I do usually check the tech forum first, post there if I have anything to add, then head to the regular community section. I kinda like the way things are all mixed up there - every thread can lead to incidental OT's anyway which would make having a special OT a bit OTT for me. Again just my own thoughts on that of course.

What would make the forum a lot better for me would be if someone sorted out the old forum software problems which make older posts pretty hard to read. There is so much good info (t)here which is hard to use that this would be a real bonus if it ever happened.


Andy.