Top instructors like Tor Lowry are way too busy.
Can AZB Win Back Top Pros and Instructors?
- Thread starter SpiderWebComm
- Start date
Late to the table but thanks for the post SpiderWebbComm. A lot of worthwhile people have been missing here for a long time.
I'm not a social media person. In fact my kids and grandkids kid me about being a technological dinosaur. However, I do realize how much I'm missing, especially about pool.
Double edged sword here as moderators don't really do a great job of moderating the fools who create the problems but the management needs the volume to keep on existing.
I do know that the forums are not as creative as they once were but I don't think that we will be lucky enough to recapture the old days. I have never heard a positive comment about the changes to the "For Sale" forum but the new format still exists.
I was very surprised when I read the first few comments on your post.
Good luck to you.
I'm not a social media person. In fact my kids and grandkids kid me about being a technological dinosaur. However, I do realize how much I'm missing, especially about pool.
Double edged sword here as moderators don't really do a great job of moderating the fools who create the problems but the management needs the volume to keep on existing.
I do know that the forums are not as creative as they once were but I don't think that we will be lucky enough to recapture the old days. I have never heard a positive comment about the changes to the "For Sale" forum but the new format still exists.
I was very surprised when I read the first few comments on your post.
Good luck to you.
A few comments:
Attacks on FB are even more common than attacks on forums such as this, IMO. Did you guys ever read the comments on FB public posts. I follow gym type posts a lot, and even with people using their real names on FB, they are cursing at each other and calling each other idiots on a regular basis.
Ease of use: On FB, you can upload a video of your practice shot, or a picture of a shot, or a picture of a bracket, or anything like that, and its super easy. These forums make it a pain in the ass to do that. 15 years later, and its the same difficult process. I'm actually surprise Vbulliten has not improved this process in 15 years.
Pros participating: do pros in other sports every participate on their sport's forums? I doubt it. In the 15-18 years or so since AZ has been around, there have been a scattering of pros that were participating "like one of the regulars". Those included Incardona, Schmidt, Sarah, Mills, Bertram, Strickland, Taddemy, and McCready. I might have missed a couple. The other pros would come on once a year and ask for sponsorship money, then disappear.
Here is another point on pros. They don't build a brand on here, whereas they do on FB. If they have limited time to interact online, why would they choose AZ instead of FB? An AZ thread gets buried in a few days. A post on FB gets rebroadcast to thousands with the likes and the shares in a matter of days. Or, a video on Youtube gets the same action as on FB, just over a longer time period.
Instructors on here: many of them don't even give advice to someone asking, and instead have a canned response of: "go see xyz instructor in your area and they are worthless if they don't video tape your session".
How are other Vbulliten forums handling competition from FB, Youtube, etc?
I'm actually completely off of FB as of about 6 months ago, but I was on it for 10 years prior, and it was very easy to use.
One thing I think the forums have an advantage of, is you can search for information. I follow another forum for cnc machines, and use that feature a lot to learn about different topics.
Edit to add, the moderation on this forum I will disagree with others and say its "too strict". Many members have been banned that were great contributors for idiotic reasons, imo. Superstar was one such poster. I think letting posters be a bit brash and controversial makes the forum more fun and lively.
Attacks on FB are even more common than attacks on forums such as this, IMO. Did you guys ever read the comments on FB public posts. I follow gym type posts a lot, and even with people using their real names on FB, they are cursing at each other and calling each other idiots on a regular basis.
Ease of use: On FB, you can upload a video of your practice shot, or a picture of a shot, or a picture of a bracket, or anything like that, and its super easy. These forums make it a pain in the ass to do that. 15 years later, and its the same difficult process. I'm actually surprise Vbulliten has not improved this process in 15 years.
Pros participating: do pros in other sports every participate on their sport's forums? I doubt it. In the 15-18 years or so since AZ has been around, there have been a scattering of pros that were participating "like one of the regulars". Those included Incardona, Schmidt, Sarah, Mills, Bertram, Strickland, Taddemy, and McCready. I might have missed a couple. The other pros would come on once a year and ask for sponsorship money, then disappear.
Here is another point on pros. They don't build a brand on here, whereas they do on FB. If they have limited time to interact online, why would they choose AZ instead of FB? An AZ thread gets buried in a few days. A post on FB gets rebroadcast to thousands with the likes and the shares in a matter of days. Or, a video on Youtube gets the same action as on FB, just over a longer time period.
Instructors on here: many of them don't even give advice to someone asking, and instead have a canned response of: "go see xyz instructor in your area and they are worthless if they don't video tape your session".
How are other Vbulliten forums handling competition from FB, Youtube, etc?
I'm actually completely off of FB as of about 6 months ago, but I was on it for 10 years prior, and it was very easy to use.
One thing I think the forums have an advantage of, is you can search for information. I follow another forum for cnc machines, and use that feature a lot to learn about different topics.
Edit to add, the moderation on this forum I will disagree with others and say its "too strict". Many members have been banned that were great contributors for idiotic reasons, imo. Superstar was one such poster. I think letting posters be a bit brash and controversial makes the forum more fun and lively.
Definitely agree. I use the search feature a lot for data, info, photos that I'm trying to find.
iusedtoberich said:
Disagree on this point.
You can't get the full Earl experience through a keyboard. Now if there was an AZ live like FB live.....
I hate I missed reading Earl's opinions on here.
How about we just get Joe Rogan to be Earl. I think he’s got it down.
I would love to read Earls opinions.
Funny Story, I was talking to a coach at an event and I asked about 5 hour and the kids and what he advised and he answered, I can't answer that. Turns out they can't yea or nay it do to liability reasons and referred to the giant list online.
So I'm kinda wondering if the instructors here could take on some liability they might not want to take on for free?
Nevertheless their thoughts or comments on "that shot at 10:39 in the video" would help spark more conversation. But when it comes to the point of giving free advice that sticks around forever, I don't think they should do that and actually if they aren't already restricted but their school they should be restricted from giving free advice here which might add more liability for AZ. granted I don't know how that could happen..
I would go on to suggest that the Pros and instructors actually create a complete internet presence which could have an ask a question product. I used to do that and it worked pretty good. Then their comments can lead back to their site where they can get paid for their skills.
I did suggest "know your customer" to the admin and if that's possible it would reduce the fake accounts and trolls and allow the Pros and Instructors feel more comfortable.
JC
Coos Cues
The truth is people on this site as a whole don't much care about pros or instructors.
Not enough to ever pay them for their knowledge.
They would rather be stuck at a 450 fargo than part with a dollar to learn how to be better. And it's weird too because pool is the main hobby of a bunch of them. They live and breath it until it's time to pony up. You would think they would want to get better at it.
JC
do you do your part?
Gary,
A lot of people complain about the moderation but there is one public moderator here now I believe and maybe a few hidden ones. There is a button on every post to report the post or use that button on the thread starter and report the whole thread. That calls a problem thread to the mod's attention that they might not have read. As a moderator other places I didn't read every post on every thread that seemed bland. Those that don't report problem threads have little basis to complain about moderators.
In over thirty years on the internet I doubt I have reported a half-dozen threads and that was mainly helping friends who were admins or mods so I have no claim to high ground about reporting threads but I don't complain about poor moderation either.
If people would report threads that need attention moderation would improve dramatically. Usually there are about three people reporting threads. Those three people stir crap and then get butt hurt when they can't finish it and report posts. They are like tattletales in grade school so they rarely get their way.
Hu
Gary,
A lot of people complain about the moderation but there is one public moderator here now I believe and maybe a few hidden ones. There is a button on every post to report the post or use that button on the thread starter and report the whole thread. That calls a problem thread to the mod's attention that they might not have read. As a moderator other places I didn't read every post on every thread that seemed bland. Those that don't report problem threads have little basis to complain about moderators.
In over thirty years on the internet I doubt I have reported a half-dozen threads and that was mainly helping friends who were admins or mods so I have no claim to high ground about reporting threads but I don't complain about poor moderation either.
If people would report threads that need attention moderation would improve dramatically. Usually there are about three people reporting threads. Those three people stir crap and then get butt hurt when they can't finish it and report posts. They are like tattletales in grade school so they rarely get their way.
Hu
howdy
Does Lowry play one pocket for friendly wager? if so I have cue and will travel.
Does Lowry play one pocket for friendly wager? if so I have cue and will travel.
1 pro post, 1 candy from a baby request. Can't make this up.
CJ Wiley already has this.
JC
Coos Cues
What self-respecting human has?
Remember the old days of floating SPAM?
People used to dump ad's all over the internet not even slightly related to the forum. Getting those gone as soon as possible discouraged them. Those I zapped instantly when I had the power to do so, if not they were reported. Other than that and helping friends with putting out little fires before they became big ones, naah. I might have reported a poster for chits and giggles when they were spastic reporters, I don't remember. Always tempting. Never reported a thread because I couldn't handle the heat.
As a former Admin and owner it is often funny what goes on behind the scenes. A friend and owner of another site with multiple forums burned down somebody that richly deserved it on my forum. Then he promptly contacted me and apologized. He knew it had to come down. I told him it would have to come down as soon as I saw it. Told him it was going to take a few hours for me to see it!
Hu
People used to dump ad's all over the internet not even slightly related to the forum. Getting those gone as soon as possible discouraged them. Those I zapped instantly when I had the power to do so, if not they were reported. Other than that and helping friends with putting out little fires before they became big ones, naah. I might have reported a poster for chits and giggles when they were spastic reporters, I don't remember. Always tempting. Never reported a thread because I couldn't handle the heat.
As a former Admin and owner it is often funny what goes on behind the scenes. A friend and owner of another site with multiple forums burned down somebody that richly deserved it on my forum. Then he promptly contacted me and apologized. He knew it had to come down. I told him it would have to come down as soon as I saw it. Told him it was going to take a few hours for me to see it!
Hu
A guy on the Eurotour just quit AZ, and there is a debate about getting bigger pros? What a joke
What kind of person would report a post? Any post?
JC
Let's say -some one put up a post with the title
'JC (insert your real name) stole my cue and masturbated in the middle of the street' and it was a total fabrication, you'd like it left up?If no one reports it, It will be up quite a while