User Experiences

[NorthernRaider]

Lets be honest here SS, Those who just take and take and take but never add or contribute are they worth bothering with ? if they cannot be helpful in any way or constructive on a forum are they really are going to be of use to man nor best when TSHTF.

You see em at RVs and gathering " Always first to the bar but last to reach for their wallet, always first round the camp fire but last to go for firewood"

What sort of people and what sort of psyche can people have if they can just sit back and take and take from people like SD who uses his own money, his own time, his own effort to set up and run a forum, build an archive, nag peole into producing articles, keep everything running, hell even buy new servers out of his own pocket. Or people like Light speed who has spent bloody months rsearching, adapting, editing, and producing first rate articles for the forum, or Scythe 13 who has given up many weekends like BP has done to organise RVs for members.

Like it or NOT the forums in many cases across the world have declining members and falling readership and in the main it is because the small hard core of people doing all the writing and producing got fed up of simply being used, so they stop posting, the forums become nothing more than banal chat rooms which causes less people to join in and the vicious circle is complete.

I like the old analogy of USE IT OR LOSE IT.

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As for YOU SD Sir, you are putting your own blood sweat and tears, and money into something people will willingly devour day in day out without thanks nor consideration, they will take and take for as long as you are prepared or able to do it, then they will discard you and move on. your kindness and generosity to the community is unbounded at I fear at the loss of benefit to your own kin.

Its all fine and dandy when you sustain a vibrant and active forum with your generosity because you reap rewards in the form of expanded knowledge, information, guidance, reviews, tips etc , the thriving forum ENHANCES your own preps. But a forum where a few committed hard core members is struggling to sustain a growing number of CONSUMERS who will not participate or simply chip in to the discussions is only going to drain you negatively. Your contributors and article writers get fatigued or worn down from constantly trying to get people to add to the greater good, they get fed up when criticised by trolls, etc.

But SIR I put it to you many of your small hard core of contributors do /did so because their efforts not only used to help new members of the community, but it also USED to enhance their preps because of the feedback, corrections, comments and tips the ACTIVE members responded with. But many have left and for various reasons and some I know have told me they left because they felt that their efforts were becoming wasted, and they were not improving their preps as few people bothered to reply to the articles.

As an example, My little very amateurish preppers guide I have produced since 2000 when it was called the Little Red Book, from 2000 to 2011 every time I published the latest version of it, I received dozens of replies with comments (good and bad) tips, corrections, better ways of doing things, additions, omissions, links and much welcomed improvements I gladly applied to each addition. since 2011 I have had 97 requests for the latest slimmed down version, two people said thanks and no one has bothered to help or advise me improve or simply it, three years of taking but not providing feedback to make the guide better (and by god it does need improving)

The same is happening on the forums.

So I suggest respectfully and humbly if only a few are willing to make that tiny effort to join in , and the majority are only going to consume, then perhaps we should focus our efforts on the few that WILL and leave the archives open to the downloaders and consumers who wont.

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bigpaul

RE: User Experiences
ANY forum will DIE if people just take the information on it and don't give anything back in return, we have all seen forums wither and die cos people didn't contribute.

as far a newbies are concerned, I've always thought " the only stupid question is the one you DONT ask"!

I say you are correct on both points.

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One good, nay very good aspect of the UK forums especially with the advent and opening up of some new forums recently is I have learned a priceless lesson about trust and respect, indeed the lessons have been painful but overall very rewarding as I have been able to work out far better with whom I can work with and trust if TSHTF. My open door welcome to all approach to visiting preppers and my willingness to lend expensive books and kit to other preppers has been changed forever, and its all thanks to the forums.