Where is everyone???

Southern Dandy

Lemming wrote: »

First off; I'm still here - I read a lot, I just don't post much unless I feel I have something to say. And I'm fairly sure there's a few others in the same boat. Nothing to do with enticement - don't need it. And I'm not so sure that the quiet at large is anything really to do with "damage" either.

There would appear to have been a general slowdown in airsoft terms on the commercial front, and whilst there are plenty of events still knocking about; people are being much more selective about what they attend, so there's less discussion to pull in newer players so readily. And of course, as players move on, or real-life responsibillities/job circumstances change with the years, it's bound to have a knock-on effect.

Even facebook - for all its activity - doesn't really seem to be saying much. Lots being written; not much really being said when you stand back and look at the content.

As far as enticement goes I am referring to the people that have left here here for other forums and the like for reasons like modding issues and all that jazz. What about people that only seem to post giving about mods when things arise, can their issues be resolved, move on and maybe get them back in to regular posting.

Newer players will search for info regardless be it technical, ordinary enquiries and events, boards was once the focal point of all that, All I am saying is it would be great to see it again, promote it more via facebook and make it more welcoming for them, and we need people like the ones who don't post here too often to do so and pass on the knowledge and advice they have.

Naturally, personal reasons, work, family and all those are of course going to effect it, thats a part of life.

Puding

media is only a reflection really on the community, and the trends on the forum have just reflected the changing community

it is no different to forums and such in the uk the community has just changed and either migrated offline or into more specialized groups on others forums or facebook

tbh boards is still very active compared to other forums I read, it may not be what people what but then again people have a tendency to complain that something is wrong rather than just being proactive and doing something about it, if you want an active forum with content you need to be active and produce content as mentioned before it is just a reflection on the community and tbh the community is very apathetic in general just showing up when 'drama' crops up

Southern Dandy

Maybe that is precisely what it is, complete lack of interest. But if there are ways to get people more interested. I have zero problem giving it a shot. If it fails then so be it least I can say I tried.

When I put this thread up originally it was already known that it was quieter without the regulars but there was still alot of new people coming here and then they became regular posters most of which are also gone.

When the "drama" flairs up it does not do boards any favours believe me, that is looking from the outside in. I'm not involved with any of the usual discussions that get a bit heated so watching it unfold despite my love of drama and eating popcorn watching it, it does not look good to new posters when they see this.

Gatling

I'll think you will find peoples priorities have changed over the last 5+ years ,
A lot of guys who started back in there 20's and so on have gone from college to full time career's or in some cases single lads and girls are now happy parents ,
Others are struggling to keep roofs over there heads ,so boards is probably low on the priority list ,
As for the drama on here its part and parcel of a discussion forum ,
Ego's and cliques always clash , eventually people grow up( at least we live in hope )
Facebook is great for well if your 12 and like looking at chicks in bikini's carrying M4's if that your thing ,
Its not the place for proper discussions ,
It would be nice to have the threads cleaned up and lose some of the outdated stickies removed or rewritten to include new information ,
Or even asking some of the tech's to regularly post threads for upgrading aegs or pistols ,and so on ,

But you can only take out what you put in

Southern Dandy

Gatling wrote: »

I'll think you will find peoples priorities have changed over the last 5+ years ,
A lot of guys who started back in there 20's and so on have gone from college to full time career's or in some cases single lads and girls are now happy parents ,
Others are struggling to keep roofs over there heads ,so boards is probably low on the priority list ,
As for the drama on here its part and parcel of a discussion forum ,
Ego's and cliques always clash , eventually people grow up at least we live in hope
Facebook is great for well if your 12 and like looking at chicks in bikini's carrying M4's if that your thing ,
Its not the place for proper discussions ,
It would be nice to have the threads cleaned up and lose some of the outdated stickies removed or rewritten to include new information ,
Or even asking some of the tech's to regularly post threads for upgrading aegs or pistols ,and so on ,
But you can only take out what you put in

Don't I know, my own changed plenty if times over the last few years, but I don't see that as the main core reason as to why people don't post here. As i said above it's not strictly the old crew but the recent and new posters that have dropped off.

Yeah sure discussion boards are and always will be a battlefield but you can not deny that a good portion of posters left here on account of mods etc, now some bans warnings were probably justified some may not have been. And this pissed people off and brought the tone down a bit around here.

I suggested that tech thread months ago to no avail, SEALS fair play to him kept it going on a unstickied thread.

S.E.A.L.s

Southern Dandy wrote: »

I suggested that tech thread months ago to no avail, SEALS fair play to him kept it going on a unstickied thread.

That you did Dandy and credit where it's due, that was a great idea, which requires more time than most of us have, so has not really taken off just yet

One day hopefully and in my humble opinion, forums like boards are a better place then Bookface to collect Airsoft content

Unfortunately, Bookface is shiny :rolleyes:

YbFocus

As a 24 year old chap, I'm plagued by everyone around me on facebook. I don't like it at all and have never signed up.
I love the airsoft community on boards. I'm relatively new here, found it last christmas and have been around here a lot since.
I went from not knowing a thing about tearing an AEG apart to being fairly handy at it and the local go to guy

Met a few chaps through purchases that I'd now consider friends on here too and keep in contact.

Even since I have joined here I have noticed it get very quiet. I really hope it gets better than it currently is as it's a fantastic resource!
I also think the modding on here is spot on, if it were to be relaxed it'd turn the place upside down in no time.

Some great points have been made earlier and I have little to add other than that the information that is on here is frequently looked at and it is of use to plenty of people developing their skill at stripping these things, not being able to put them back together and also spending the kinds of money you could never say in public on them

Maybe a modernisation of some of the threads is in order.

Here's hoping we can have this thread next year,
YbFocus.

ricka

I think another reason for it's decline is as a result of existing gamers, retailers and site owners making a point of telling people to stay away.

Any of you who are active in the Airsoft world outside of boards, will be well aware of this.

If boards is mentioned on a site or in a shop, at least one person will make a point of ridiculing it.

The infighting here has taken it's toll, wrongly or rightly the vast majority of people connected with Airsoft will tell people to stay away.

It will continue I have no doubt but the youngsters coming into the sport have no interest in it.

Most seem to think it's dated, boring and controlled.

I don't have any answers to it's decline but personally I've always enjoyed boards and learned a lot both personally and for my business.

A good thread to start Southern Dandy and at the very least you've got us talking again!!

Southern Dandy

ricka wrote: »

I think another reason for it's decline is as a result of existing gamers, retailers and site owners making a point of telling people to stay away.

Any of you who are active in the Airsoft world outside of boards, will be well aware of this.

If boards is mentioned on a site or in a shop, at least one person will make a point of ridiculing it.

The infighting here has taken it's toll, wrongly or rightly the vast majority of people connected with Airsoft will tell people to stay away.

It will continue I have no doubt but the youngsters coming into the sport have no interest in it.

Most seem to think it's dated, boring and controlled.

I don't have any answers to it's decline but personally I've always enjoyed boards and learned a lot both personally and for my business.

A good thread to start Southern Dandy and at the very least you've got us talking again!!

Cheers Ricka, like you I enjoy coming on here, helping out when I can or just have a bit of banter and I will continue to do so regardless . It would be nice as I said to at least make some headway with the forum.

It is funny you mention that, two different sites I was attending I asked people were they on boards?, some happily said yeah and I can put a face to the name now (Something I like about boards also) and other people I asked would slate it, it is their opinion at the end of the day but jesus there is a difference between not liking something and freaking out at the mention of it..

But word of mouth spreads like wild fire, this can be both a positive and a negative. Negative in the sense that it has tainted boards once good name, positive that if a change was to happen to bring newer and older posters back.

To the mods, I ask do you yourselves have any thoughts on the matter, suggestions, personal opinions etc?.

jayod30

Here's one reason "The Super Honest whats wrong with the IAA" thread. Started by mods, for the sole purpose of the minority to jump on the bandwagon, along with some mods, to air their petty grievances over past issues. It ended up a complete train wreck, non stop arguing, and was just let run and run when clearly going nowhere.

I lost all respect for any of the mods here after that. I used to love coming on here, it was my first port of call anytime I opened the laptop. Now I just check in a couple of times a week and never more than 2-3 mins at a time. And as a result my stress levels have dramatically reduced:)

To be fair SD, this is prob the first thread I've taken any interest in in a long time. But would I ever regain the interest I once had here, I doubt it.

brenak47

Jayod30 your not the only one that left due to that thread i know a few guys that left here for the same reason.They were years on this forum but after that going up they just had enough.To be honest i just flick through it now myself after reading some of the things that went on.I'm not that long on here knew very little of what the whole story with the thread was but i still didn't see a point in it.Things like that should be left unsaid as it doesn't give a good view of airsoft to the next generation like myself.

CpcRc

I would be in favour of less sub forums. The only ones I really check up on would be retailer and adverts from time to time.

At the moment I wouldn't check through questions or technical, except on occassion. It's only one extra click, but I view this on mobile and pc platforms so sometimes an extra click can be dropped by internet so I don't bother.

The unsorted threads nearly get more attention than the subforums. I wouldn't mind having a quick look at a lot of threads on a list of unread threads on pages rather than having to navigate through sub forums and search. It means it is harder for me to stumble upon something I would like to read or post on.

As an airsofter, if I have a general question or a technical one, I google it. And then I am directed to airsoft forums across the world and boards has actually come up with a thread a few times and I usually will have a quick look at that anyway because it's Irish.

Also boards is not the best looking forum. It feels pretty bland and impersonal to me compared to others. I selected from a list of avatars but I would of preferred a simple pic upload. Also I don't mind how people on other forums have made it the norm to have your armoury in your sig. Although I know that it is different on boards as it is a common account it is nice in airsoft terms.

Edit: It would be cool to have alternate airsoft sigs but I doubt it would happen

Southern Dandy

So we have narrowed down some of the main problems. Past instances seem one on the top, then we have the forum itself. I think a clean up and update of threads is at least a start.

@CpcRc, when you google information chances are it is another airsoft forum you will drop in to, so why not have our owm port of call for irish airsofters, experienced people here generally reply within a short time frame. I do know what you mean though because I do the same but sometimes you just can't beat this place imo for info.

CpcRc

This is a great place for discussing things but the Irish airsoft scene isn't big enough to cover all the questions about various topics. Then there are the things which haven't released here. There's the more specific modding techniques which are more common elsewhere. We have a lot og answers but not all of them. Although we do have a wealth of knowledge for beginners as most of them won't be into those things yet or getting new or uncommon airsoft equipment.

Southern Dandy

True, Ireland is fairly new to the airsoft scene in comparison to some countries but this forum was buzzing a few years back when airsoft was in it's infancy.

Are the other Irish airsoft forums still running? and if so how are they doing does anyone know?.

Steve

Southern Dandy wrote: »

Are the other Irish airsoft forums still running? and if so how are they doing does anyone know?.

Most of them are still up, they get about the same amount of posts per year as we get per day.

Haters gonna hate.

We're actively discussing the less sub-forums thing, I agree it would benefit the forum.

Lemming

Steve wrote: »

We're actively discussing the less sub-forums thing, I agree it would benefit the forum.

Unless policy has changed since my time in the trenches, boards has always had a proactive policy towards the justified existence of forums and/or sub-forums based on the amount of traffic and whether or not said forums are relevant any more.

I would consider collapsing questions & technical back into the main forum. Reviews should stay as is but it needs to be policed better so that only actual reviews and their associated discussion threads are there. The main forum is for anything else ...

So the hierarchy would look a bit like this:

• Airsoft
  • Adverts
  • Retailers
  • Reviews
  • Events & Sites (this would have no threads in itself; e.g. like motoring forum)
    • Events
    • Sites

matty1994

Lemming wrote: »

Unless policy has changed since my time in the trenches, boards has always had a proactive policy towards the justified existence of forums and/or sub-forums based on the amount of traffic and whether or not said forums are relevant any more.

I would consider collapsing questions & technical back into the main forum. Reviews should stay as is but it needs to be policed better so that only actual reviews and their associated discussion threads are there. The main forum is for anything else ...

So the hierarchy would look a bit like this:

• Airsoft
  • Adverts
  • Retailers
  • Reviews
  • Events & Sites (this would have no threads in itself; e.g. like motoring forum)
    • Events
    • Sites

Maybe add a help section or something like that for newbies or just a go to section for tips and stuff like that?

S.E.A.L.s

Lemming wrote: »

Unless policy has changed since my time in the trenches, boards has always had a proactive policy towards the justified existence of forums and/or sub-forums based on the amount of traffic and whether or not said forums are relevant any more.

I would consider collapsing questions & technical back into the main forum.

Based on thread and post count alone, the questions and technical subs are two of the most popular sections here

Also, based on thread cound, they are only behind the adverts section, so both are doing very well indeed

Collapsing them seems unnecessary

matty1994 wrote: »

Maybe add a help section or something like that for newbies or just a go to section for tips and stuff like that?

The questions section has been used for these types of requests and adding a help sub section would be useful, if there is enough interest

Southern Dandy

I like the current format, it is the sub threads in the different sections that could do with a revamp, or maybe even add something new.

Deleting the questions and technical would just generate masses of posts in the main section, at least categorising posts will elimimate clutter.

That is of course if things pick back up here.

Southern Dandy

Steve wrote: »

Most of them are still up, they get about the same amount of posts per year as we get per day.

Haters gonna hate.

We're actively discussing the less sub-forums thing, I agree it would benefit the forum.

Do you mind going into more detail what yaw'll are thinking?.

bushball

maybe just revamp the stickies in some of the forums as theyre outdated, someone said it here already the m9 takedown guides pictures have stopped working and the manufacturers thread is just old

CpcRc

If questions and technical were in the main section I would read them more. As it is I don't really bother visiting those sub forums most of the time.

Rooky1

Although I agree it all needs a bit of a spring clean, I like the Sub-forums as they are now.
To be honest it puts me off reading when the Airsoft front page is full of new posts.
Thats just me, but I'm a bit odd anyway:rolleyes:

S.E.A.L.s

Rooky1 wrote: »

Although I agree it all needs a bit of a spring clean, I like the Sub-forums as they are now.
To be honest it puts me off reading when the Airsoft front page is full of new posts.
Thats just me, but I'm a bit odd anyway:rolleyes:

It's not just you matey, dumping a load of threads on the front page puts me off too and would be confusing for many people I'm sure

Also, I like the Sub's as they are now and would like a spring clean / refresh of current threads

matty1994

Id find it easier if adds are withdrawn or sold or closed that they should be deleted, ive seen threads from 2 years ago pop up on the adverts section that have already been sold

YbFocus

I'm also a fan of the sub forums as they keep the place looking cleaner. They just need a bit of a refresh

Rooky1

matty1994 wrote: »

Id find it easier if adds are withdrawn or sold or closed that they should be deleted, ive seen threads from 2 years ago pop up on the adverts section that have already been sold

I agree it can sometimes be a bit of a pain, but it does have big advantages the way it is at present.
Traceability for one. A lot if the time items get sold on from one member to another, this can be easily found out with a bit if searching.
Honest sellers. Most guys on this forum are great to deal with, but there is always an odd one or two that are here to try and rip you off or are complete time wasters. This goes for sellers and buyers.
With the feedback thread and seller/buyer history you can get a somewhat decent picture of what that person will be like to deal with.

Just my thoughts:-)

Southern Dandy

Why can't we sell items on other sites?. While in might be a small number I think it would draw more people here. While they are selling they might browse a few more sections.

S.E.A.L.s

Rooky1 wrote: »

I agree it can sometimes be a bit of a pain, but it does have big advantages the way it is at present.
Traceability for one. A lot if the time items get sold on from one member to another, this can be easily found out with a bit if searching.
Honest sellers. Most guys on this forum are great to deal with, but there is always an odd one or two that are here to try and rip you off or are complete time wasters. This goes for sellers and buyers.
With the feedback thread and seller/buyer history you can get a somewhat decent picture of what that person will be like to deal with.

Just my thoughts:-)

It's for this reason I prefer buying Airsoft items from boards and not Bookface, as there is normally a trail, also, more often than not a search will reveal all and if something has been missed, someone will PM a heads up or warning to help you out

Cannot remember how many times someone has helped me in this way and have always been very grateful for the help from everyone

Hopefully this will never change

brenak47

I see it all on the facebook sites.The same item is on three different sites with three different people offering asking so its then just left for the seller to see who comes up with the cash first and then doesn't have the decency to let the others know its been sold.At lest with here u know once u have agreed a sale with someone its pretty much yours.

Gatling

brenak47 wrote: »

I see it all on the facebook sites.The same item is on three different sites with three different people offering asking so its then just left for the seller to see who comes up with the cash first and then doesn't have the decency to let the others know its been sold.At lest with here u know once u have agreed a sale with someone its pretty much yours.

On Facebook you don't Get the strict fps rules on sale or trades you get on here ,
With sales on various sites personally I've seen a good few sales that had multiple asking prices and try to pull off an auction where sellers say ohh I've been offered more than asking on another site so you have to match the new asking ,
You get track sellers on here to as pointed out in earlier posts which is a bonus

Southern Dandy

I think "Airsoft sites" should be got rid of.

It is never used either that or replace it with unbiased info about various sites around the country. What it has to offer, pricing etc. You can and remove then new sites popping up and deleting the ones that close.

thermo

Southern Dandy wrote: »

I think "Airsoft sites" should be got rid of.

It is never used either that or replace it with unbiased info about various sites around the country. What it has to offer, pricing etc. You can and remove then new sites popping up and deleting the ones that close.

Are you refering to the sticky? Im currently looking at that and trying to compile a complete list of irish, sites , retailers and gear suppliers.

Southern Dandy

thermo wrote: »

Are you refering to the sticky? Im currently looking at that and trying to compile a complete list of irish, sites , retailers and gear suppliers.

All of them yes, they are never used, vast majority are locked, there is one for HRTA, last posted one was from Hilltop from june .

Just seems like dead space. Leave the retailers as it is so they can carry out business as normal.

Maybe like you said create a sticky of sites, etc maybe with pricing what they have to offer and all that.

CpcRc

If people like sub forums then I would suggest using a feature I see on another forum. On the main page there is all the sub forums and a recent thread area. The recent thread area has a few tabs. One for all recent threads, this is the longest list with all the most recent threads across all sub forums. All other tabs are of the main sub forums and are shorter lists. This way as soon as you get to the forum you can see the last 10-15 threads that were commented on.

S.E.A.L.s

CpcRc wrote: »

If people like sub forums then I would suggest using a feature I see on another forum. On the main page there is all the sub forums and a recent thread area. The recent thread area has a few tabs. One for all recent threads, this is the longest list with all the most recent threads across all sub forums. All other tabs are of the main sub forums and are shorter lists. This way as soon as you get to the forum you can see the last 10-15 threads that were commented on.

This is an interesting suggestion and do you have a screenshot please?

Gatling

CpcRc wrote: »

If people like sub forums then I would suggest using a feature I see on another forum. On the main page there is all the sub forums and a recent thread area. The recent thread area has a few tabs. One for all recent threads, this is the longest list with all the most recent threads across all sub forums. All other tabs are of the main sub forums and are shorter lists. This way as soon as you get to the forum you can see the last 10-15 threads that were commented on.

I think its safe to say that board.ie won't be changing the over all look or the layout of one forum to suit a few posters ,dont think they will copy another site either ,

Lemming

S.E.A.L.s wrote: »

This is an interesting suggestion and do you have a screenshot please?

Gatling wrote: »

I think its safe to say that board.ie won't be changing the over all look or the layout of one forum to suit a few posters ,dont think they will copy another site either ,

You all know that boards already has a feature like that right? And has done for quite some time. The tabs (Latest Posts, My Forums, My Threads, etc) on the front page can be filtered ...

S.E.A.L.s

Lemming wrote: »

You all know that boards already has a feature like that right? And has done for quite some time. The tabs (Latest Posts, My Forums, My Threads, etc) on the front page can be filtered ...

I'm fully aware and still interested in seeing how other forums present content

Southern Dandy

Glad were getting the ball rolling lads, nice to see the tutorials stickied.

S.E.A.L.s

Southern Dandy wrote: »

Glad were getting the ball rolling lads, nice to see the tutorials stickied.

It really is nice and by magic of the interwebs it's done, many thanks to the users and Wizard Mod's of Boards for making this possible

Hooray

DeBurca

S.E.A.L.s wrote: »

It really is nice and by magic of the interwebs it's done, many thanks to the users and Wizard Mod's of Boards for making this possible

Hooray

It just goes to show how many people check it as it was done on the 8th (Friday) around noon by Thermo
Maybe the reason that it was never stickied was nobody asked for it to be done !!!

S.E.A.L.s

DeBurca wrote: »

It just goes to show how many people check it as it was done on the 8th (Friday) around noon by Thermo
Maybe the reason that it was never stickied was nobody asked for it to be done !!!

Cannot admit I check that thread everyday like a crazed teen now can I

Southern Dandy

DeBurca wrote: »

It just goes to show how many people check it as it was done on the 8th (Friday) around noon by Thermo
Maybe the reason that it was never stickied was nobody asked for it to be done !!!

The idea was suggested by me months ago, seals continued posting info every now an again and the idea was forgotten about until recent.

Forgotten by all now I am saying, not pointing the finger at people.

DeBurca

Yes I remember the suggestion being made last January but many many suggestions are made on many many threads

Yes it is a good to have it there and it will be an asset to many but as I said nobody asked for it to be stickied

TheDoc

NakedDex wrote: »

He's like an ex. He left me, but he still shows up now and again, and makes me miss the happier days...

Same, we had plans man, such glorious plans.....When airsoft was a simpler place

There was a question about would older heads come back etc. and similar to Lemming I still come by frequently, less then old, but atleast twice a week and read what's what. Just isn't obviously as interesting to me personally considering the shift in dynamic and demographic. Nothing overly wrong going on here anymore, but I think it is just because all the clashing personalities left, and perhaps with it was some of the more established discussion and experience. Not to say new stuff is bad or anything. That is a boards trend all over for communities, typically they will spawn and fester here, but in time they just branch out and go elsewhere.

Happened with just about any gaming community I got involved with on boards, after a while, people have different ideas and wants, and it just breaks from there.

I don't think I'd ever really come back fully fledged. And it's not even down to specific things like MODs or anything, I'm over that whole ordeal, and it just doesn't bother me at all anymore, but the reason being there isn't enthralling debate being silenced.
Like I guess for example this thread not so long ago might have been molested by moderation, but so far it's being fairly lax, mature and good chat is coming from it. Mud slinging hasn't started, probably won't, but there was times when bringing up this sort of debate was not allowed ( and thats not against the current mod team btw, the issue stemmed back pretty far)

But when I look myself now and my relation with airsoft.

I kinda found myself wander into a group of gamers that were like minded and are just a group of mates going out for a brap. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but it just did. They knew me, I knew them, and I just started playing in that site more and more.
There is a dedicated little group on Facebook where we chat about when we are going out, new gear, guns, camo, fixing stuff and the likes, and it's basically just an evolution. Rather then be involved in an en mass community, I'm pretty much involved with a like minded group, and I think that's just the way alot of things go to be fair.

I'm not out trying to promote milsim and debate/discuss with everyone it's merits. If you want to skirmish good luck to you, if you want to milsim fair play. I do both, Skirmishing more then Milsim. I'm using hi-caps now when I would have cut my dick off previously at the thought. It's just a change as time goes on. I tried to wage the milsim war, and lost. People here just want to skirmish and have fun

It just so happens this all happens on Facebook. Simply put it's the ease of access for the majority of the group. Personally as I've said 100 times, I hate FAcebook for community stuff, but you get to live with it.

I still hear all the gossip, I hear about all the illegal stuff, the cowboys, the scumbags, the drama. I just pretty much don't get that interested in it anymore. I don't avoid it if it get's in my face, I just go out to play, drool over new kit etc. like the majority. It's just an evolution that everyone has gone through, or will go through. When your involved in something for so long you just take stock of what you want to do and don't want to do.

S.E.A.L.s

madmaxi

S.E.A.L.s wrote: »

Toss a grenade in the middle & you get man of the match

S.E.A.L.s

madmaxi wrote: »

Toss a grenade in the middle & you get man of the match

My plan has been exposed, no time, pin out and leg it... :pac: ...