What Can We Do?????

Posted by: cxt

What Can We Do????? - 06/06/13 11:36 AM

Folks

Recent discussion on "where are they now?" got me thinking.

The site ain't what it used to be. Traffic seems to be down--at least in terms of postings. I have always found the site to be of great value to my practice--heck if this level of information had been available to me prior it would have saved me years of wasted time.

A number of people that used to be quite active, no longer post.

So I wanted to ask if anyone had any ideas about we might go about turning things around.

What can we improve?

What might we do about contacting the folks that no longer post?

Could we combine some specific forums?

What is going wrong with the site we might be able to fix?

You can't see it but I'm giving a deep bow of respect the mods/posters whom have been keeping things together over the years--just wanting to see what I/we can do to help.
Posted by: jabber

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/06/13 06:19 PM

Hello,

I haven't been on this site for a few years now and had a few minutes free so decided to check in.

I`m only guessing here but maybe the dreaded Facebook `like` button has some impact on loss of traffic...it seems to me that a lot of people today aren't interested in things they can`t advertise as part of their life.

Plus everyone has a website now....heck I even have one just so I can understand how to build/maintain one (tragic affair that it is).

Please don`t boo me out of the ring when I say this...after such a long time I return and the website looks exactly the same as it did before and though it was up-to-date at the time possibly it no longer is (sorry).

Anyway its great to see names that I recognise even though I mostly came here as a reader. I hope I`m not causing offence by giving my not-very-informed opinion.
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/06/13 10:56 PM

Hey! You showed up, guy. :-) Hope you can hang around.

I worry about Facebook. Got caught in it myself a couple years back and struggled mightily to get loose. They kept pestering me. Saying I had callers, or whatever; and why had I not been posting? (Cause I wanted "loose")

Facebook is a cross between fly paper and a leech.
They are there to sell advertising space. Period.
Guess it is something everyone has to discover for themselves.
Posted by: aplant

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/07/13 11:06 AM

Hey,
I've not been contributing as long as many here, but I am a long time reader of the forums. I used to love the debates on here about 10 (wow) years ago. At that time I felt too....unqualified and was too reserved to contribute. The debates definitely influenced the direction of my training and the way I thought about MA.
Anyway. Here are some unsorted opinions:

-I think some members seem reluctant or perhaps even intolerant of debate. I think a good debate is a huge part of what makes a forum interesting. It can be entertaining AND informative.

- Perhaps we should be encourage a little more confrontation?

And some ideas:
-How about a "Topic of the Month" in the MA talk forum in which everyone is encouraged to contribute to?

-Another similar idea would be for Mods the more popular forums to have a monthly controversial lead. E.g. Karate is poorly suited for children. Boxing is unnecessarily dangerous. MMA is unethical. And so on.

- I used to read (but no longer really do) the articles on the site. Why not use these as a post as they appear. Some are definitely controversial.
http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=24
http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=717

-A short debate between 2 members which is then opened up to everyone?

-A kull of the 'dead' forums, or at least a consolidation so as not to loose past threads.

-The Mods of the forums might like to bring up debates about upcoming events. Obvious examples being Boxing bouts and MMA.

-Perhaps the Mods might take it in turns each month to be some kind of 'conversation starter/question asker/old post digger' type person. (More work for the Mods I know...)

-Agree to disagree to agree to disagree.

What do you think? smile
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/07/13 03:42 PM

aplant

Good ideas--thank you for them!!!!

I esp like the idea of a "controversial" topic discussion. If nothing else it might spark ideas and get people thinking about their assumptions.

I know it helps me.

Maybe we could have a new forum The Martial Skeptic or something like that, and each month we could take something a member is "skeptical" about and really hash it out.

Sure some things have already been done to death--but over a decade of time there may be a whole new group/s of people that have not heard it about it.

What does the group think??

Does it sound interesting and useful?

Is it worth a shot?
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/07/13 10:23 PM

Universal obedience to a single set of mandated rules is enough to kill most any discussion.

I would like to hear both or all sides.
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/08/13 02:12 PM

iaibear

Good idea--the more POV's on a subject the better.

What do you think about a different member taking the lead on a question a month?
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/08/13 10:33 PM

I would not object.

Is that a good enough answer?
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/10/13 07:20 AM

Works for me.

The fact so few people are weighing in might be an answer in and of itself.

Still might be worth a shot though.
Posted by: Dobbersky

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/10/13 07:35 AM

I agree with this, Good Ideas from aplant too.

I do like this forum and love the fact we can get on so well, we can even have heated discussions at times but we just leave them in that thread and get on with the rest of it.

I think FB would bring in some new members though?

Could some of the MODS, send emails to some of the older members to invite back to the thread or have threads with default notifications unless unsbscribed manually.

Maybe send a bulk mail to ALL members via their emails advising "Hot Topic" of the day or week etc?
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/10/13 05:10 PM

Dob

Good idea/s!
Posted by: Zombie Zero

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/11/13 09:49 AM

Hey everyone!

Even though I don't post very often, I want you to know that I am paying attention. There are some good ideas here, and I will certainly give them the attention they deserve.

I'll talk to Rip, and see if he can implement Facebook into the site.

In fact, as I was typing this, I looked at Facebook, and it seems fightingarts.com had a page created at the end of May. I'll look into it more before posting the link here.

Z
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/11/13 12:10 PM

Zombie

Thanks man!

BTW, I'm sure that you were paying attention. IMO the Mods do a good job around here--always have.

Just trying to see what I/we can do to help out.
Posted by: Zombie Zero

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/11/13 12:34 PM

It's very much appreciated, cxt.

My opinion is that the site should be user-driven. Your feedback is always welcome. If there's something you want, it should be here. If not, it should be taken out.
Posted by: jabber

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/13/13 09:31 AM

I think the ask ANY question in the newbies section is a great idea.

When I used to come here everyday I was afraid to ask a question for a number of reasons.

It all seemed so high-brow and with little skill for writing it can be hard for some people to express what they mean (though I did want to learn so read a lot).

There appeared to be zero tolerance for typos, spelling. grammar (too much pressure to perform IMO).

Its nice to see this welcome and relaxed post for newbies.
When someone has a question to ask because they have burning ambition/curiosity for their new-found MA the last thing they want IMO is to trail through old/dead posts from the past when their passion is newfound and full of excitement.

I mean who wants to ask granddad about physical romance? No one.
Advice and opinion needs to be alive..to keep interest alive.
Even if it involves pasting the same link over and over again, at least the individual feels the response has been made to them and their needs met.

I`m not rushing for once so hope there is clarity in what I say.
I`ve found in the past that I spent too much time analysing my answers. deleting them. leaving. Because it was all too daunting.

As we get older we can become jaded, intolerant and impatient when the opposite is needed. Especially in these times of fast fixes and lots of competition (as every dojo has its website).

I used to live and breathe for my class and then afterwards for FA.com. This place was a hive of activity and could be once again...

PS
I usually edit to edit my typos, spelling, grammar etc.
This edit is to say I haven't - sorry if lack of commas jar the eye!
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/13/13 01:58 PM

jabber

Won't hear me upset over spelling/etc. WAAAYYYY too much glass in my particular house for me to be throwing stones at it. smile
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/13/13 10:27 PM

<< When someone has a question to ask because they have burning ambition/curiosity for their new-found MA the last thing they want IMO is to trail through old/dead posts from the past when their passion is newfound and full of excitement. >>

I'm with you. That was a real turn off when I started in here. Never did find those dead sea scrolls.
Posted by: Leo_E_49

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/14/13 04:12 AM

I think we should have a Facebook page that links back to this forum. Maybe a Twitter account too? Not sure what we would tweet though.

We could try hosting Google hangouts discussing topics and post them to YouTube if you guys want to share your opinions on topics with a wider audience. We'd have to create a FightingArts YouTube account for this probably?

Maybe posting a weekly poll would allow people to express their opinions without fear of reprisal?

Also, I think that the forum is pretty well hidden from the FightingArts main website. I think the first time I got here was by accident. Maybe making the link to the forum more prominent would help?

The forum itself seems like it needs an upgrade too.
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/14/13 01:04 PM

Leo

Good idea/s!
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/14/13 01:06 PM

Folks

Starting to sound to me like we have a good bag of workable ideas....a good start anyway.

Whom do we contact to start getting these ideas firmed up and enacted?
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/18/13 07:14 PM

Just got back into town.

What can I/we do about getting some these ideas implimented?

Happy to do what I can.
Posted by: Zombie Zero

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/19/13 09:44 AM

I'll put these ideas into an email to Rip, and see what he thinks.
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/19/13 11:15 AM

Zombie

Thank you.

Happpy to do what I can.
Posted by: sunspots

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/23/13 11:40 PM

Just adding my $.02 here...

I was away from this site for quite awhile, because I was away from Martial Arts for quite awhile... Long story not worth repeating...

When I came back to this site, it looked pretty quiet, and I wondered where all my AKK buddies had gone. Would love to get some lively discussions going again...
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/24/13 12:10 AM

<< Would love to get some lively discussions going again... >>
We all would
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/24/13 07:00 AM

BUMP
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/24/13 10:49 PM

What I am afraid of is if/when I come on with some question of how to resolve the various disparate forms of instruction, in my case, for Aikido. Then some well experienced Aikidoka will come in trumpeting the virtues of "TRADITIONAL" instruction.

I have personally experienced three completely different forms. With my personal inabilities, I prefer drilling into muscle memory, because for me it works and it sticks. Demonstrations simply do not register with me unless they are identically repetitious. Moving concepts just are not something I am built to grasp. I have never in my life seen 3D.

Would established MA experts be able to grasp such an inability without trampling all over the possibility it exists?
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/25/13 10:04 AM

iai

Maybe--but that IMO is what would be good about such a question.

It sparks conversation and we can have a discussion about it.

They are free to post "traditional" instruction and you are free to make your points.

Might be helpful to have the discussion.

Provided it didn't get you into trouble with folks.

I can relate--I want to have a in-depth discussion on children in the martial arts--everything from the focus on kids as a business model to the claims of its benefits--wrote an article on it. But I'm concerned that it will upset many of my peers in my organization.

They will see it/read it as if I'm knocking THEM personally--I'm not and that is not my intention.

But somebody always takes it the wrong way.

So I can kinda see where you are coming from.

BTW--I LIKE the muscle memory approach--it works for me as well.
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/26/13 08:44 AM

It took me years to "figure out for myself" where the two main theories of Aikido instruction I have encountered are "coming from". Now both seem valid. A case could be made that both "teaching the test" to get it into Muscle Memory, and "traditional" demonstration of variations to let the student "figure it out for himself" are valid.
How well both work depends on the students adaptability. I grew up in the old way. Adapting was hard. Two Haiku:

In school the teacher taught, the student learned;
then took a test to prove it.

Sensei demonstrates endless variations.
Just what am I to learn?
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/27/13 10:21 PM

FYI I will be away from my iMac until @ 7/7
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/28/13 12:16 PM

iai

I get it--SHOW me how to do something, I may or may not "get it."

Let me get my hands dirty DOING IT and chances are that it will stick.
Posted by: iaibear

Re: What Can We Do????? - 06/28/13 05:50 PM

I can't do something. much less practice it, unless I know what to do.
I nearly got in an altercation a few years back with a wonderfully patient
sensei who did not have a clue what I was talking about.
A demonstration
Him, "Did you see it that time?"
Me, "No"
Another demo
Him "Did you see it THAT time?"
Me, "No. Just what am I supposed to be looking at?"
Him, "Everything!"


BTW Happy 4th of July
Posted by: THEFOREVERMAN

Re: What Can We Do????? - 02/19/14 08:35 AM

Is there a way that we could notify or advertise so more people can get on here?
Posted by: THEFOREVERMAN

Re: What Can We Do????? - 02/27/14 09:22 AM

Please excuse my rudeness for a moment. This probably won't happen again but... Like I was saying in the last post here(check it out)
http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=436197#Post436197

Anyways- FB, I have one, only used it once, but I realized 90% of the people on there are either crazy, mean/rude, not wise in any way or just plain ignorant. And if you get any of those on here it would be a fire fight. Arguenpment would rise and so on. The ignorant people may get taught a few things on he about fighting and they may go to school or on the street and beat up a innocent person for no reason. Again I apologize for any offensiveness.

THEFOREVERMAN
Posted by: angellily

Re: What Can We Do????? - 10/17/16 12:51 AM

Hye
good ideas here.
Regards
angellily
Posted by: Nikei

Re: What Can We Do????? - 11/07/16 01:13 PM

This is my first time posting here, but i have been following this website since 2005, my high school days haha smile

I am a serious practitioner of Chinese martial arts, particularly baguazhang and mizongquan, although i have broadened my mind by researching other martial arts and their points of view to help myself improve. I tend to look down on the modern sports direction that gungfu is taking, so i am trying to find old and legit ways of training.

I think this website is great as it is, bringing new people from Facebook might be a double edged sword, it will certainty create more activity, but most of them are too rude and egocentric for this site smirk they will just create a bunch of hate.

In my opinion i think this site should stay like a "hermit" place that is not widely known, so only a very dedicated practitioners who develop spiritually, mentally and physically could interact with each other and help each other develop further.
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 11/07/16 09:41 PM

Interesting POV. Seriously.

Love to the site re-bound, come back to life etc etc.

But its quite likely that multi-style sites have come and gone.

Replaced by style specific and organization specific and even school specific sites.

I always liked the idea of people being able to compare styles and notes etc.
Posted by: cxt

Re: What Can We Do????? - 11/07/16 09:41 PM

Interesting POV. Seriously.

Love to the site re-bound, come back to life etc etc.

But its quite likely that multi-style sites have come and gone.

Replaced by style specific and organization specific and even school specific sites.

I always liked the idea of people being able to compare styles and notes etc.