User Experiences

[NorthernRaider]

I certainly admit that whilst many US forums are colourful, dynamic and very active many British forums are drab, boring, cannot distinguish between bushcraft and survivalism and are often more like a WRVS forum or coffee shop than a survivalist forum.

Again in the Americans favour ( they DO lead but we sadly aint following) You find very many well researched articles, product reviews, political commentaries pertaining to civil defence, off gridding, vehicle adaptation, organic farming, resilience etc that are sponsored and written by respected non prepping sources such as MDs, US army corps of Engineers, Business owners, agricultural experts, law officers etc. Many Americans publish papers of aspects of prepping with full accreditation and detail.

In the UK we get very rare bursts of genius from a tiny minority of experienced preppers using their expertise gained from years of radio use, light engineering, traditional archery etc.

Whilst the Yanks often display amazingly high levels of professionalism we match at times with banality and utter mundane drivel.

Articles backed up with full links, references, sources, full colour images etc are very common in the US community and more importantly they are very frequently backed up by well thought out consider responses and discussions from the rest of the forums members, The authors efforts are rewarded in full by their members considered responses.

That is a very rare thing in the UK community,(nearly as rare as fresh research and articles) most of the "preppers" use forums like newspapers and just take what they want but never contribute to the greater knowledge, they are simply living off the backs of the few who do all the work (Then after contributing nowt and just taking for months they make a post asking to form groups or to attend RVs and don't understand why no one wants them).

The forum should be divided at least with a section for the newbies and hobby preppers who only want to read and download, then a closed section for those who do produce and respond in depth to posts. We can give the open part of the forum enough basic essential material so they can get on with their preps or hobby, but the closed section can sustain those willing to make a bit of effort.

---

In front of me I have two magazines both about Prepping

Magazine one is bright, colourful, stuffed to the gills with properly researched fresh articles such as
Are You Ready for another Katrina
Article the preparedness mindset by prepper icon Jim Benson.
Stockpile what you eat
Power Store it, make it
When its for keeps The Go Bag
Portable preparedness Smart phones and tablets as tools
Why you need to store fuel AND how to do it
Mobile Medical crisis article by an MD
Short Wave comms A How To article
An article on the history and development of the Jerry Can
An Article on preps and kids
An article on I prepping.

Exiting, informative, dynamic, colourful and very very good.

Magazine two has an intro with the editor in chief begging for articles to publish, followed by self promotional banners and huge gaps where adverts are supposed to be.
Then over half of the remaining pages is about
BUSHCRAFT not prepping
What prepping is about
A few articles on aspects of bug out kits
A recipe !!
an article on cooking an MRE ?
an incomplete acronym list
More blank pages
Some cut n copied images often distorted

Anyway you get the idea.
Now lets be fair all kudos to the folks producing both magazines at least they are TRYING to achieve better things for the prepper community, and I'm guessing Mag one is funded by multiple advertisers and contributors whilst the other is the result of a lot of hard work by only one or two people. The efforts of both teams MUST be recognised and applauded.
But while the difference in quality can be fairly justified because of the clearly better budget mag one has but surely the CONTENT and internal QUALITY should be equal on all counts, both magazines contents SHOULD be ON TOPIC , IE preparedness being 95% and Bush craft being 5% , not 50% bush craft / wilderness survival (besides there are already plenty of much better mainstream magazines in Smiths on Bush Craft and Wilderness Survival).

The point I a trying to make is definitely not an attack on the hard work and effort made by the production teams of either magazine, BUT like many forums as well as magazine, and equally many You Tube Videos the Americans 90% of the time make enormous efforts to be as professional and high quality and UNCOMPRIMISING as possible. Whilst the British efforts all to often reflect a slapdash amateurish approach with personal attitudes and egos often overwhelming the end product so it perhaps pleases the author / owner / editor but disappoints the readership.

For a Magazine / You Tube Channel / Forum to really thrive it has to be bright, colourful, illustrated, very informative, very on topic ( something very difficult to achieve in our community cos it overlaps so many other subjects), Its got to have RESEARCHED articles with links, and probably adverts ASSOCIATED with the articles findings. Its got to be EXPLORATORY and CHALLENGING, its got to create a DESIRE FOR MORE, Its got to be constantly HIGH QUALITY, Its got to be a bit CONTENTIOUS, It needs colour, imagery and infographics.

IT NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIVE and it needs to drive and encourage membership response and participation.
It has to make its members feel both wanted and a PART of the community.

Forums especially must not be allowed to become banal, boring, mundane, they must constantly feed and stimulate the mind, yes there is a need for recipes, knitting patterns and tips about grannies pet rabbit, but the driving force should by the major fundamentals not the banal inconsequential waffle.

Homes, Retreats, Shelter, Construction, Power, Water, Energy, Food, Fuel, Materials, Comms, Transport, Medicine, Education, Animal husbandry, Risk assessment, Intel LOTS of Intel and NEWS. Debate, How To's, Work issues (getting to and from not the bitch in the next office doesn't like me), Safe travel, Getting the kids PROPERLY educated and trained.
Case studies, Reports from the field, feedback from disaster or war zone survivors, kit reviews and shortcomings, Propblem solving, Q & A, Defect reports. Do this and you wont have time to wonder " What have you eaten for tea, What laundry you have done today, What soap you watched etc "

Otherwise it will inevitably start, expand fast, stall, wither and fade away (Think ASG or C & S)

---

One thing I do love about many US publications are articles on forums with big bright images is their great habit of posting a picture of the subject matter and the people its affecting, then they give you a complete breakdown of all the equipment and tools that feature in the image with links to places you can find out more or places that sell the gear.