Is this forum losing members, or losing interest?

justinb386 said:
Yeah, I see very few young people playing pool (not even just for fun, and very few playing pool seriously) within the last 10 years (around the area's that I have lived). The leagues are filled with nothing but older guys too (very few that look to be in their 20's, from what I have seen). Louisville KY has around a million people in the metro area, and the pool scene here seems very dead to me. There are tournaments at Bank Shot downtown, but I think they rarely get more then 10 players in them. I went to their 9 ball tournament a few weeks back, and 5 players entered. It is really sad. I think the main reason is because there is no added money though (it is just not worth anyones time to play). People have much better things to do with their time.
Click to expand...

If this is the case then they shouldn't play, you cant build a business on the backs of pool players and you really cant afford to add money to pots for them. They don't spend much money back in return and you don't get customer base back for your efforts.
 
Since you asked... This is my first post/reply in over 2 months and only my 4th in 2016.

I've been visiting AZB for well over 10 years (I'm guessing) and finally became a member about 4 years ago.
Up until about a year or so ago, I was practically a daily visitor to AZB... mostly in the mornings during coffee. My postings started to drop off first about 2 years ago.

A few months ago, I also thought about the "what and the why's" that I only poke my head into AZB about once a week or less, and only for a few minutes most of those times. I reflected back to when "The Billiard Channel" first showed up on Roku. I was hooked (for awhile). I found it entertaining to watch challenging matches and such... while being somewhat annoyed by the barrage of repeating commercials. Then I grew disinterested because there was rarely anything "new and fresh" about it anymore.
I realized that AZB (after over a decade) was now having that exact same effect on me. Mostly the SOS and all too often (in a major election year) people are wanting to drift away from billiards to play "kick the can-dadate" in the "Main Forum"... NPR has definitely sprung a leak.
It just seems to me that there used to be more meat to this site (pool related) to hold my attention. Now I can catch up about once a week in a matter of minutes and be on my way. And now I look at this thread that finally caused me to post again, and I see what catches my attention the most around here.
To me, AZB has become that old favorite pool hall that I once couldn't stay away from. Lots of action, fast level tables, with smooth clean Simonis cloth. Then it seemed that the tables weren't being cleaned or well kept, there were beer stains and holes in the cloth, and it just wasn't the same ol' place. The atmosphere had grown a bit stale.
So, I've found more comfortable places to spend my time, just like a new favorite poolroom (no not Faceless Book either)... but I still visit to that ol' hangout occasionally, hoping someday to find it restored back to the comfortable shoes that used to fit so well in my life.
Even with all of the sideline bickering on AZB from several years ago, we all shot together on the same tables here, sharing the same love for the sport and basically living it together.
There's an old saying... "If it ain't broke don't fix it". But that's not the case with billiards today and so it bleeds into AZB. By many measures it is fractured all to hell. Most pool halls have closed or become drinking hangouts with tables on the side. AZB is victim to that fallout and there may not be a fix for what is broken here... without driving even more people away.

See you all in about a week or so... and hire someone to vacuum the DAMN tables around here. I like clean hands when I shoot.
 
Yes it is losing interest and members...........

I always post ans and help anyone that asks for it.

I used to post cues that I make but when I post picturew of a nice cue that has 4 points with veneers and inlays in the butt............ I get 1 or 2 comments .......... then I see someone that has posted a plain jane or a sneaky pete and they get 30 comments along with oooooo and aaaaaahaaa....... I lose interest....

Over the past years i have seen nasty assholes that are self proclaimed experts in cue building ........... criticize methods used by me and other cue builders.

And then their nut huggers looking for a pat on the head from the "expert" chime in with nonsense about how right he is....... and most of them don't even build cues...........

Why would I continue to contribute????

I go elsewhere...........

Kim
 
The Perfect Circle

In my opinion Pool has almost made the perfect circle.

The circle is a cycle of birth and death and I think its ready for its rebirth to occur.

I think everything that could be tried to resurrect Pro Pool has been tried and failed or at least languished so when all other options fail what do you do?

You give thanks for the Amateur League Systems and take the time to expose kids to Pool.

People are greedy for a great part so they don't see how getting kids into Pool benefits them personally and that's absolutely true but.....Industry People just might.

I know there is the BEF and other things but that's not in every neighborhood. If a pool hall is going to make it, it will not be able to count on the uninvolved regular everyday player.

They are going to have to cater to the Pool League Player in some way. Those players have children.

If you want to be in the Pool business, youre going to have to go where there are people who want to do business with you.

Diogenes said:
Since you asked... This is my first post/reply in over 2 months and only my 4th in 2016.

I've been visiting AZB for well over 10 years (I'm guessing) and finally became a member about 4 years ago.
Up until about a year or so ago, I was practically a daily visitor to AZB... mostly in the mornings during coffee. My postings started to drop off first about 2 years ago.

A few months ago, I also thought about the "what and the why's" that I only poke my head into AZB about once a week or less, and only for a few minutes most of those times. I reflected back to when "The Billiard Channel" first showed up on Roku. I was hooked (for awhile). I found it entertaining to watch challenging matches and such... while being somewhat annoyed by the barrage of repeating commercials. Then I grew disinterested because there was rarely anything "new and fresh" about it anymore.
I realized that AZB (after over a decade) was now having that exact same effect on me. Mostly the SOS and all too often (in a major election year) people are wanting to drift away from billiards to play "kick the can-dadate" in the "Main Forum"... NPR has definitely sprung a leak.
It just seems to me that there used to be more meat to this site (pool related) to hold my attention. Now I can catch up about once a week in a matter of minutes and be on my way. And now I look at this thread that finally caused me to post again, and I see what catches my attention the most around here.
To me, AZB has become that old favorite pool hall that I once couldn't stay away from. Lots of action, fast level tables, with smooth clean Simonis cloth. Then it seemed that the tables weren't being cleaned or well kept, there were beer stains and holes in the cloth, and it just wasn't the same ol' place. The atmosphere had grown a bit stale.
So, I've found more comfortable places to spend my time, just like a new favorite poolroom (no not Faceless Book either)... but I still visit to that ol' hangout occasionally, hoping someday to find it restored back to the comfortable shoes that used to fit so well in my life.
Even with all of the sideline bickering on AZB from several years ago, we all shot together on the same tables here, sharing the same love for the sport and basically living it together.
There's an old saying... "If it ain't broke don't fix it". But that's not the case with billiards today and so it bleeds into AZB. By many measures it is fractured all to hell. Most pool halls have closed or become drinking hangouts with tables on the side. AZB is victim to that fallout and there may not be a fix for what is broken here... without driving even more people away.

See you all in about a week or so... and hire someone to vacuum the DAMN tables around here. I like clean hands when I shoot.
Click to expand...
 
Diogenes said:
Since you asked... This is my first post/reply in over 2 months and only my 4th in 2016.

I've been visiting AZB for well over 10 years (I'm guessing) and finally became a member about 4 years ago.
Up until about a year or so ago, I was practically a daily visitor to AZB... mostly in the mornings during coffee. My postings started to drop off first about 2 years ago.

A few months ago, I also thought about the "what and the why's" that I only poke my head into AZB about once a week or less, and only for a few minutes most of those times. I reflected back to when "The Billiard Channel" first showed up on Roku. I was hooked (for awhile). I found it entertaining to watch challenging matches and such... while being somewhat annoyed by the barrage of repeating commercials. Then I grew disinterested because there was rarely anything "new and fresh" about it anymore.
I realized that AZB (after over a decade) was now having that exact same effect on me. Mostly the SOS and all too often (in a major election year) people are wanting to drift away from billiards to play "kick the can-dadate" in the "Main Forum"... NPR has definitely sprung a leak.
It just seems to me that there used to be more meat to this site (pool related) to hold my attention. Now I can catch up about once a week in a matter of minutes and be on my way. And now I look at this thread that finally caused me to post again, and I see what catches my attention the most around here.
To me, AZB has become that old favorite pool hall that I once couldn't stay away from. Lots of action, fast level tables, with smooth clean Simonis cloth. Then it seemed that the tables weren't being cleaned or well kept, there were beer stains and holes in the cloth, and it just wasn't the same ol' place. The atmosphere had grown a bit stale.
So, I've found more comfortable places to spend my time, just like a new favorite poolroom (no not Faceless Book either)... but I still visit to that ol' hangout occasionally, hoping someday to find it restored back to the comfortable shoes that used to fit so well in my life.
Even with all of the sideline bickering on AZB from several years ago, we all shot together on the same tables here, sharing the same love for the sport and basically living it together.
There's an old saying... "If it ain't broke don't fix it". But that's not the case with billiards today and so it bleeds into AZB. By many measures it is fractured all to hell. Most pool halls have closed or become drinking hangouts with tables on the side. AZB is victim to that fallout and there may not be a fix for what is broken here... without driving even more people away.

See you all in about a week or so... and hire someone to vacuum the DAMN tables around here. I like clean hands when I shoot.
Click to expand...

That was pretty well said, Diogenes.
Just for the folks out there in radio land, the original Diogenes was a cynic who would carry around a lamp in the daytime, claiming to be looking for and honest man. Since I am an honest man I can tell you that I got that information from Wikipedia.
Never-the-less, you make some good points, and welcome aboard, again. :smile:
 
Much of the good advice and conversations I've had from this site have been via PM, e-mail and phone, and I'm very grateful to the guys that have taken the time to help me out. Lots of guys don't like posting anymore because of the jerks that just like crapping on everything.
 
whammo57 said:
Yes it is losing interest and members...........

I always post ans and help anyone that asks for it.
I used to post cues that I make but when I post picturew of a nice cue that has 4 points with veneers and inlays in the butt............ I get 1 or 2 comments .......... then I see someone that has posted a plain jane or a sneaky pete and they get 30 comments along with oooooo and aaaaaahaaa....... I lose interest....
Over the past years i have seen nasty assholes that are self proclaimed experts in cue building ........... criticize methods used by me and other cue builders.
And then their nut huggers looking for a pat on the head from the "expert" chime in with nonsense about how right he is....... and most of them don't even build cues...........
Why would I continue to contribute????
I go elsewhere...........
Kim
Click to expand...

Kim, when you would post a picture of one the cues you had made, weren't you looking for a pat on the head, too? Just wondering.
I have posted stories on this place that I thought were pure gold, but never got a whisper. At other times I have thrown out a one-liner and got greenies out the ying-yang. There's just no way a person can truly figure this place out. It is what it is. :)
 
Learning how to make cues

whammo57 said:
Yes it is losing interest and members...........

I always post ans and help anyone that asks for it.

I used to post cues that I make but when I post picturew of a nice cue that has 4 points with veneers and inlays in the butt............ I get 1 or 2 comments .......... then I see someone that has posted a plain jane or a sneaky pete and they get 30 comments along with oooooo and aaaaaahaaa....... I lose interest....

Over the past years i have seen nasty assholes that are self proclaimed experts in cue building ........... criticize methods used by me and other cue builders.

And then their nut huggers looking for a pat on the head from the "expert" chime in with nonsense about how right he is....... and most of them don't even build cues...........

Why would I continue to contribute????

I go elsewhere...........

Kim
Click to expand...

Hi Kim

I only wish I could make a cue that looks as good as the ones you make ......
Over the years I have learned allot from allot from people in Ask the cue maker .
section..

I very much liked the threads you did on the UV finish .

Because of you and other members I enjoy the freedom of making my own cues..

I have struggled with different finishes for years.
Because of you and others I don't as much .
To new to say I got it figured all out but you have helped me...

Thanks for not giving up on me.
 
whammo57...That is some beautiful cue work! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

whammo57 said:
Yes it is losing interest and members...........

I always post ans and help anyone that asks for it.

I used to post cues that I make but when I post picturew of a nice cue that has 4 points with veneers and inlays in the butt............ I get 1 or 2 comments .......... then I see someone that has posted a plain jane or a sneaky pete and they get 30 comments along with oooooo and aaaaaahaaa....... I lose interest....

Over the past years i have seen nasty assholes that are self proclaimed experts in cue building ........... criticize methods used by me and other cue builders.

And then their nut huggers looking for a pat on the head from the "expert" chime in with nonsense about how right he is....... and most of them don't even build cues...........

Why would I continue to contribute????

I go elsewhere...........

Kim
Click to expand...
 
Just check they wanted-for sale, the first four threads I looked had either no pictures or no price. Now I go to facebook when I am looking or browsing.
 
mortuarymike-nv said:
Hi Kim

I only wish I could make a cue that looks as good as the ones you make ......
Over the years I have learned allot from allot from people in Ask the cue maker .
section..

I very much liked the threads you did on the UV finish .

Because of you and other members I enjoy the freedom of making my own cues..

I have struggled with different finishes for years.
Because of you and others I don't as much .
To new to say I got it figured all out but you have helped me...

Thanks for not giving up on me.
Click to expand...


I too have learned a lot from ask the cue maker.......... on this forum............. I will continue to offer any wanted help to anyone............. I am in my 6th year of building cues and I still search for more to learn and experience...............

thanks for the kind words

Kim
 
john coloccia said:
Much of the good advice and conversations I've had from this site have been via PM, e-mail and phone, and I'm very grateful to the guys that have taken the time to help me out. Lots of guys don't like posting anymore because of the jerks that just like crapping on everything.
Click to expand...

You would think that some of the people on this forum would try and help others coming down the road without making them feel un-wanted.

I think that some of the "jerks" as you call them have been muzzled fairly well and they have slacked up on their posting. Maybe that's why some feel the forum has declined in interesting posts. ;)

Summer is a slow time, with people enjoying the weather and a chance to soak up some much needed Vitamin D.

JoeyA
 
And the winner is---

I refrain from posting very often because of the constant negative posts and posters.

I do read AZB most days, but usually don't respond.

There is a difference between discussing a topic, disagreeing on a topic, and being mean, nasty and spiteful .

Most of the time, the few ruin it for the many.

Mark griffin
 
whammo57 said:
I too have learned a lot from ask the cue maker.......... on this forum............. I will continue to offer any wanted help to anyone............. I am in my 6th year of building cues and I still search for more to learn and experience...............

thanks for the kind words

Kim
Click to expand...

Kim,
If the cue in your photo is indicative of your work, you have LOTS OF POTENTIAL, especially if you have only been building cues for 6 years.

JoeyA
 
Mark Griffin said:
I refrain from posting very often because of the constant negative posts and posters.

I do read AZB most days, but usually don't respond.

There is a difference between discussing a topic, disagreeing on a topic, and being mean, nasty and spiteful .

Most of the time, the few ruin it for the many.

Mark griffin
Click to expand...

Aloha Mark,

When is your new place opening in Vegas? I want to go check it out.
 
justinb386 said:
Do you think that this forum is losing members, or less and less people that come here care to post comments (replies) on the threads that get created?
Click to expand...


Here is a sample of some of the silly questions Justin B has asked....
Obviously this guy likes to dream up questions and try to make each thread as long as possible.
He loves it.
It's about the attention......I guess.


----------
Is this forum losing members, or losing interest?

The highest end (most expensive) Meucci cue ever made?

Pool halls and weekly tournaments in Winston Salem NC?

Who are the greatest players who you have ever seen, who had an ugly looking stroke?

If you wanted a lesson, by gambling with any player in the world, who would it be?

Is it true that many pool rooms offer free table time to league players?

Why are SE (South East) cues so rarely available for sale?

I wonder why so few members or lurkers visit the WTB section.

Have you ever transitioned from a long pro taper to a short stiff tapered shaft?

How is the pool scene in Wichita Kansas?

How well known are Omen cues made by Pete Ohman compared to other cue makers?
-------------

For more silly questions by Justin B go here:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/search.php?searchid=17848443

I just copied a few from just the FIRST page of all his threads.
 
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9Ballr said:
Here is a sample of some of the silly questions Justin B has asked....
Obviously this guy likes to dream up questions and try to make each thread as long as possible.
He loves it.
It's about the attention......I guess.
For more silly questions by Justin B go here:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/search.php?searchid=17848443
Click to expand...

Tell me something, 9Ballr, your signature at the bottom of your profile says, "Shall NOT be infringed. OK?" Exactly what do you mean by infringement? Is it free speech?
If it's free speech then your infringing the hell out of Justin's, or at the least impugning the hell out of it.
Don't forget. This is a forum.
 
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