Is this forum losing members, or losing interest?

[chefjeff]

nothing ever gets resolved and nobody will change their minds.

(snip business advice).

This is NOT true. Plenty of us, perhaps all, have changed our minds about certain subjects here. Also, many things get resolved, maybe not inside any one thread, but certainly in the bigger picture of pool, because of threads here.

I hear this "nobody change their minds" (sic) all the time, yet the evidence of it being wrong is quite visible if one merely looks for it. I've been pm many times from posters saying that I have helped them change their minds on certain subjects or they took certain actions based on a suggestion I made. Multiply that by the thousands here and there ya go.


Jeff Livingston

 

[john coloccia]

This is NOT true. Plenty of us, perhaps all, have changed our minds about certain subjects here. Also, many things get resolved, maybe not inside any one thread, but certainly in the bigger picture of pool, because of threads here.

I hear this "nobody change their minds" (sic) all the time, yet the evidence of it being wrong is quite visible if one merely looks for it. I've been pm many times from posters saying that I have helped them change their minds on certain subjects or they took certain actions based on a suggestion I made. Multiply that by the thousands here and there ya go.


Jeff Livingston

I change my mind all the time based on what I read here and elsewhere.

 

[chefjeff]

I change my mind all the time based on what I read here and elsewhere.

Good for you. An open mind that expands is usually a good thing.

I've met many people and pros only because of this site. Being older, I know that the times before the net were extremely limited because of costs, in terms of knowledge and experience and relationships. Now the only limit on getting value from azb is one's thinking and acting, and that can be changed this minute.

You're new here so you are still in the azb learning curve, so to speak. Enjoy it and get as much out of it as you can while you can, is my advice. Who know what the future holds?

Jeff Livingston

 

[SJDinPHX]

...........?

Learning to express yourself without pissing off 95% of the reader's is the main sticking point IMO!..It requires a certain amount of tact, diplomacy and self-deprecating humor..This is an art form, never quite understood by John Barton, and several others of his ilk!

PS..I have tried to perfect my insults to reflect my feelings, without most of my 'targets' even knowing I'm talking about them..(above post excepted of course :grin

 

[pt109]

Good for you. An open mind that expands is usually a good thing.

I've met many people and pros only because of this site. Being older, I know that the times before the net were extremely limited because of costs, in terms of knowledge and experience and relationships. Now the only limit on getting value from azb is one's thinking and acting, and that can be changed this minute.

You're new here so you are still in the azb learning curve, so to speak. Enjoy it and get as much out of it as you can while you can, is my advice. Who know what the future holds?

Jeff Livingston

I agree with you, Jeff....I have became enlightened many times on AZ...
....did a few 180s.

I feel that people that always think the glass is half empty will not find any forum satisfying.
there are a lot of good things here...if all one finds is crap....
....maybe the problem lies within.

BTW, did you finally change home States?

 

[Black-Balled]

67.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

 

[chefjeff]

I agree with you, Jeff....I have became enlightened many times on AZ...
....did a few 180s.

I feel that people that always think the glass is half empty will not find any forum satisfying.
there are a lot of good things here...if all one finds is crap....
....maybe the problem lies within.

BTW, did you finally change home States?

View attachment 428283

No, I changed races:

Or should I say, I now identify as black...err colored, no, Af Am...nah, white?....no no no....I know....Human. I know identify myself as human....and I gotta pee. Which door is for humans???


Jeff Livingston

 

[Keith E.]

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?

I am just curious, because I see a lot of views on many threads, but not many members replying to the threads (compared to the amount of people who viewed the thread).

Are people just uninterested in replying to a thread, or are they too scared to post their thoughts on topics that made them at least interested enough to view the thread that they clicked on to read?

I also see threads that are many days old, but only on like the 2nd page (that tells me that the main forum is kind of dead).

What do you think?

Why are there not more topics being posted, and why are only the same group of known members (not sure how many that is) only replying to most of the threads?

Is this forum community really that small?

Thanks for any thoughts about this.

I personally check for the OP, title, etc. before I open a thread. The ones that are (normally) guaranteed to not be viewed or commented on by me are driven by the aforementioned qualifiers of OP & title. I can (again, normally) save myself some time because of the post having at least one of the following qualities:

Not interesting
Some older member peeing and moaning
Some newer member peeing and moaning
Someone trying to add to their post count
Someone saying something to generate a bunch of views
I don't feel the need to comment on everything that I read
I hope that the more silly/useless/etc. posts will die if no one stirs them

Keith

 

[Flip_dat_Quarta]

I used to post much more on here when I was first up and coming as a player (under a different username). I thought this forum would be filled with many semi-pro speed players whose brains I would like to pick on certain subjects.

I quickly realized that most of the people on here aren't very good players to begin with. In fact, most of them are very closed minded retirees that are just bored and want someone to talk to.

For every 1 good informative reply, you will have at least 15 responses that make you want to pull your hair out. It's too easy to get caught up in that mess.

I still start a thread here and there to contribute but for the most part I try not to fan the fire.

 

[JB Cases]

I shall translate what John is trying to say:

I am an "industry member" and therefore should be allowed to say all the stupid ca-ca I want without being challenged. Anyone who disagrees with me should be immediately banned by the moderators. But they allow posters who don't know as much as I do (in John's case that would be everyone) to disagree with me which I consider to be trolling. People attack me. Wah. Wah. Wah.

Lou Figueroa

Nope, as usual you have not understood a thing about what I was saying.

(interlude, you can come to OKC and play one pocket for $20,000 ten ahead)

But let's take YOUR behavior for example. You have constantly engaged in name calling, defamation, slander, and harassment of many members and been ALLOWED to get away with it.

ALLOWED. You have been chastised publicly a very few times over in the past seven years or so.

Anyone can go through your past posts and see how you have perpetrated that trolling behavior. Behavior that would have gotten you booted from many groups I participate in. But on here you have been allowed to constantly display trolling behavior.

It is because of people like you and worse than you that people like me don't bother to hang out here much. So what you really mean is that YOU WANT the ability to harass anyone you choose with no constraint and those targets should simply suck it up.

I have never asked for ANY special privilege because of my status as an industry member. I don't want protection from harassment because of being an industry member I want protection from harassment for everyone which would THEN make it a nice space for industry members and professional players.

But the fact is that low level amateurs like you have used this forum to troll and harass and thus run off those who actually do have the type of knowledge that the members of this forum could benefit from. And it is knowledge that people DO benefit from but not here....instead on Facebook because there they have more control to protect themselves from trolls.

You see Lou, you can disagree without being an odious troll who defames. I participate in discussion on many forums where we have civil disagreements. But YOU revel in being defamatory and insulting. So when you're allowed to do that with no censure people get tired of dealing with you.

If you want to make a bet on whether I am right or not we can bet $1000 and let a fully independent researcher got through your past posts and see if you haven't been active in behavior that can be defined as trolling and harassment. Any time you're ready to bet we can arrange it and if I lose I will never characterize your behavior this way again.

You have the mouth, do you have the heart to back it up?

 

[JB Cases]

Learning to express yourself without pissing off 95% of the reader's is the main sticking point IMO!..It requires a certain amount of tact, diplomacy and self-deprecating humor..This is an art form, never quite understood by John Barton, and several others of his ilk!

PS..I have tried to perfect my insults to reflect my feelings, without most of my 'targets' even knowing I'm talking about them..(above post excepted of course :grin

In a self-deprecating dick measuring contest I am positive mine is the shortest.

 

[JB Cases]

For example this type of comment should not exist. It should be the norm that consumers could expect to get qualified answers from those who are intimately familiar with the subject instead of the exception. Because of the climate members are surprised to get answers from industry members.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=5604861#post5604861

That some of you don't understand what the attraction would be if this forum were a hub where consumers and amateurs could interact with professional players and industry professionals peacefully is quite sad in my opinion. Even the most altruistic person loses interest when a toxic environment is allowed to exist. And to be clear a toxic environment is when toxic people are allowed to pervade a forum.

On my forum where we have 20,000 members we have a "be cool" rule. If you're not cool by virtue of being constantly annoying to the rest of the membership you're gone. You are invited to take your toxicity anywhere else. Many members here who are not cool have been banned by our membership for this reason.

 

[AtLarge]

... I have a cue for sale, but I can't even find it ...

This one, perchance: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=414206

 

[blusteel]

No, I changed races:

Or should I say, I now identify as black...err colored, no, Af Am...nah, white?....no no no....I know....Human. I know identify myself as human....and I gotta pee. Which door is for humans???


Jeff Livingston

:rotflmao1::rotflmao1:
You two get a gold star (or should be banned).

 

[lfigueroa]

Nope, as usual you have not understood a thing about what I was saying.

(interlude, you can come to OKC and play one pocket for $20,000 ten ahead)

But let's take YOUR behavior for example. You have constantly engaged in name calling, defamation, slander, and harassment of many members and been ALLOWED to get away with it.

ALLOWED. You have been chastised publicly a very few times over in the past seven years or so.

Anyone can go through your past posts and see how you have perpetrated that trolling behavior. Behavior that would have gotten you booted from many groups I participate in. But on here you have been allowed to constantly display trolling behavior.

It is because of people like you and worse than you that people like me don't bother to hang out here much. So what you really mean is that YOU WANT the ability to harass anyone you choose with no constraint and those targets should simply suck it up.

I have never asked for ANY special privilege because of my status as an industry member. I don't want protection from harassment because of being an industry member I want protection from harassment for everyone which would THEN make it a nice space for industry members and professional players.

But the fact is that low level amateurs like you have used this forum to troll and harass and thus run off those who actually do have the type of knowledge that the members of this forum could benefit from. And it is knowledge that people DO benefit from but not here....instead on Facebook because there they have more control to protect themselves from trolls.

You see Lou, you can disagree without being an odious troll who defames. I participate in discussion on many forums where we have civil disagreements. But YOU revel in being defamatory and insulting. So when you're allowed to do that with no censure people get tired of dealing with you.

If you want to make a bet on whether I am right or not we can bet $1000 and let a fully independent researcher got through your past posts and see if you haven't been active in behavior that can be defined as trolling and harassment. Any time you're ready to bet we can arrange it and if I lose I will never characterize your behavior this way again.

You have the mouth, do you have the heart to back it up?

Translation: I am a loser and I hate it when anyone points that out. (Insert additional abundant and typical JB whining AND a stupid bet.)

Lou Figueroa

 

[Z-Nole]

Losing members?? Probably. Losing interest?? Not really. The interest for many has shifted to old men trying to find new and clever ways to call each other dickheads. A few of you really have a talent for it, and sometimes I get a chuckle out of it and think, ok, he's definitely the tallest midget today! But every once in awhile even these guys pull out a gem like an old story or something I haven't seen before which makes it worth sifting thru the crap like above.

And the funny pic thread is just hilarious.

 

[JB Cases]

Translation: I am a loser and I hate it when anyone points that out. (Insert additional abundant and typical JB whining AND a stupid bet.)

Lou Figueroa

One more example of name calling and ad hominem attacks common to trolls. And another example of your lack of heart to back up your mouth.

Ok, fine you got me, my $2000 to your $500. Surely you can dredge up $500 worth of "heart" to fire it at a neutral analysis of your posting behavior.

Maybe you need to make some phone calls and arrange a group of backers?

Or maybe on this one the backers know you are straight up booking a loser and wouldn't bet a quarter on you.......

 

[billiardthought]

One more example of name calling and ad hominem attacks common to trolls. And another example of your lack of heart to back up your mouth.

Ok, fine you got me, my $2000 to your $500. Surely you can dredge up $500 worth of "heart" to fire it at a neutral analysis of your posting behavior.

Maybe you need to make some phone calls and arrange a group of backers?

Or maybe on this one the backers know you are straight up booking a loser and wouldn't bet a quarter on you.......

I miss the days when you still lived in China and had internet problems. Heck I miss the days you purposefully forget to check AZB.

 

[justinb386]

Justin 1 reason is its summer another reason is theirs a couple A+ players that show up and about always
win the tournament so alot of people don't bother coming to the tournaments in the summer.
Also they might not add money but it's a 100% pay back they keep nothing all the money paid in to the tournament goes back to the players.

You would know all this if you actually came in and played some pool and got to know the people their, theirs alot of great people that come in their.
Also theirs action in their every day , but you would no this if you can in and supported the local room instead you like to talk crap about it. You just don't no what the hell your talking about once again.
This is all related to post 48 sorry members I didn't link it together

I did not mean to say anything bad about Bank Shot (other then the impression that I get, from not seeing anything going on, when ever I visit the place). It is a really nice pool room (love the tables). Yeah, you make a good point about the tournaments (it is because everyone plays even, without any spots). Maybe the tournament would get a much better turn out if it was a handi capped tournament (like an A ranked player would need to give a C ranked player the 7, 8, and the breaks, for example). Then there might be better tournaments, but you are right, in the summer, probably not. I do know that handi capped tournaments get really good turn outs though, if they are run fairly. It is nice of Bank Shot to give 100$ of the money back (they are not taking any money out for green fees, or for their time to run the tournaments).

 

[lfigueroa]

One more example of name calling and ad hominem attacks common to trolls. And another example of your lack of heart to back up your mouth.

Ok, fine you got me, my $2000 to your $500. Surely you can dredge up $500 worth of "heart" to fire it at a neutral analysis of your posting behavior.

Maybe you need to make some phone calls and arrange a group of backers?

Or maybe on this one the backers know you are straight up booking a loser and wouldn't bet a quarter on you.......

John, calling you "a loser" is not an ad hominem attack. It is just a factual statement.

Lou: 1
John: 0

Lou: + $10,000
John: - $10,000

Lou Figueroa