Who is online at 11 AM EST:

FA.com 21/177 = 12%
MA planet 108/297 = 36%
ebudo 64/180 = 36%
budoseek 21/75 = 28%

Assuming that the quality and number of posts are probably the same (haven't checked), that many members visit all the sites...it must be that some 'find their home' at one of the sites. Mine is here.

Being reflective here: what is 'it' about the site that we find of value (and that others have not) that we are looking to spread the word about? Whatever 'it' is I'm sure it can't be canned and sold. But I would like to attract others to FA.com.

Comments?

Like you Harlan, my home is here.

I feel that this forum has many more genuine people involved on it. I like the way in which we can express our views and get others opinions on it without being abused like some forums members on other sites do.

I have never been to any of those other forums, are they worth my time?

For me, I think it comes down to two things: Familiarity and friendliness here.

I am not really familiar with all the forums you have mentioned, but I visit one of them fairly often and have noted the others. In that case, the conversation "there" is often times a bit more academic and focused with some really...really knowledgable posters, who will call crap, "CRAP." At least from a semi-traditional background.

In any case, I just normally peruse, so being there or here is less a matter of ultimate destination than sight seeing both venues.

The only one of those forums I know a little bit better is Budoseek. I haven`t been there for a long time though. I think one reason for how much you like the forum is how it is constructed. I think I liked the looks of FA more than Budoseek, it looked simpler too.
I have to agree that the posters here are friendly. There are also some pretty knowledgeable posters here.

I sometimes think we have too many individual forums here - some of them could be amalgamated, so as not to diffuse the conversation so much. It's just annoying that you read pretty much the same material in both the Martial Arts Tales and Stories forum, and the Self Defence Forum, with non SD stories usually being posted in the General Forum... And with Health and Nutrition, Strengthening and Stretching, and Body Mechanics, they are all intimately linked. Same with Internal Arts amd Meditation/Philosophy. I dunno... I just think the forums would feel more 'peppy' if there were less places to post, but more content when you entered them. Especially as I end up having to give similar advice in Strengthening and Health and Nutrition...

I understand how you feel TimBlack, as some of them could quite rightly be linked with one another. Although what would happen to the person who wanted to look on solely stretching threads and if it was linked with strenghtening forum they would struggle to maybe find a particular article that is on stretching.
I understand what you are saying a feel that some could be linked in with one another as it would make them more active. I reckon we should have a poll about it saying, which ones could be linked in with one another.

Tezza and TimBlack -



I see I should make you both Administrators for a few days......

Sorry Matt

I understand the hard job you have. I was just thinking out loud about what could be changed.
Although I think you have got it perfect the way it is becuase there is a forum suited for everyone on here
So keep up the good work