Lon's "State of the Website- 1st Quarter" For Avatar-Forums

[txen]

Originally Posted by Txantsulsam Fyawintxu

Well, one thing is for sure... The overall feeling of family has weakened in AF now and I honestly can't go there anymore. I simply cannot tolerate the energies there anymore. If I stayed, I would have been stifled and suffocated trying to shift through all the useless posts just to find a diamond in the rough topic somewhere out there in the left field... Here feels like a much better place to me. It may seem like I'm bashing AF, but I'm not. It's just, somehow more competitive and filled with repetition of the same old superficial posts instead of the feeling of unity and love that we once knew there. This is what I'm sensing from the overall energy emitting from the site and in no way am I trying to insult it. I just wanted to make that clear for everybody here... And I hope it helped clarify certain issues that have been in my mind as of late...

I guess that I have a bit thicker skin. I still find plenty of those gems over there even still. I will agree that the vibe here is much much better. In some ways there are a few users over on AF that I connect to well, and somehow at times I feel that less here. There is still a lot of good.

After talking to Lon and seeing where he is coming from I see little hope for the long term survival of AF. He wants it to pay for itself and he is claiming that it is losing money. Some of those changes are there to make it easier for new members to feel at home. Those would be the removal of the post count and ranks. I just don't see it working. I think the changes have in the past and will continue in the future to drive users away. That's not a way to make a profit as far as I can tell.

On a different topic, it's good to see you back. I was kind of bummed when you disappeared on what I gather was some traveling. I was happy when I saw your return recently.

Oel ngati kameie ma tsmukan.

[Txum_kali'weya]

Originally Posted by xcrunner08

As far as post count goes, well I don't care if he removes the posts from the games section. I always found it annoying for people to boost their post count with "Count to a million" threads. And to be honest, threads like that PROVE his point, that people do care about post count and use it as a sort of status symbol.

not always true.

i was in the forum games section a lot on AF, but it was because i wanted to, not for post count. if it was just that, then i would have more posts here. But unlike AF, the topics in the other forums are too good and i havn't been in the forum games section. Who even pays attention to post count anyway?

[Vauktu]

Originally Posted by Txum_kali'weya

not always true.

i was in the forum games section a lot on AF, but it was because i wanted to, not for post count. if it was just that, then i would have more posts here. But unlike AF, the topics in the other forums are too good and i havn't been in the forum games section. Who even pays attention to post count anyway?

The problem is some see it as a status symbol. It gives more incentive to go "cool lololol" every thread just to get a higher post count. Due to the increasing number of members visiting the forum, this is starting to become more of an issue, and with everyone +1'ing, it degrades the forum and makes it unpleasant to read.

I don't completely agree with the removal of post count, but I don't necessarily disagree with it either. It has it's good effects and bad.

[Human No More]

Originally Posted by Txantsulsam Fyawintxu

Well, one thing is for sure... The overall feeling of family has weakened in AF now and I honestly can't go there anymore. I simply cannot tolerate the energies there anymore. If I stayed, I would have been stifled and suffocated trying to shift through all the useless posts just to find a diamond in the rough topic somewhere out there in the left field... Here feels like a much better place to me. It may seem like I'm bashing AF, but I'm not. It's just, somehow more competitive and filled with repetition of the same old superficial posts instead of the feeling of unity and love that we once knew there. This is what I'm sensing from the overall energy emitting from the site and in no way am I trying to insult it. I just wanted to make that clear for everybody here... And I hope it helped clarify certain issues that have been in my mind as of late...

Exactly what I felt. I felt it for a while before what happened though.
Meaningful threads, understanding, truly deep posts, people sharing their real feelings, were all becoming rarer

[Human No More]

Originally Posted by Vauktu

The problem is some see it as a status symbol. It gives more incentive to go "cool lololol" every thread just to get a higher post count. Due to the increasing number of members visiting the forum, this is starting to become more of an issue, and with everyone +1'ing, it degrades the forum and makes it unpleasant to read.

I don't completely agree with the removal of post count, but I don't necessarily disagree with it either. It has it's good effects and bad.

I think that it was a bad idea. Removing post counting from the forum games, well, that wasn't quite so bad.
Not everyone played to just postcount++ though, I know I did occasionally, but I also enjoyed them. Same here, I enjoy the games.

Removing it entirely though, particularly with ranks and donations as well, and it's impossible to see who is a long term member and who joined 5 minutes ago, which is definitely a bad thing.
I wonder if there's any backlash over it, I should probably take a look.

As for the post info being on the side, I have to say, it just doesn't work on AF, it just looks bad... The sidebar on the main page is worse, it makes the main page look unbalance and ugly.

[Txum_kali'weya]

What sidebar?
*goes to AF*

[Txum_kali'weya]

What...is...that...?

WHAT HAPPENED THERE?!?!

the "forum" mentioned in the URL is a link...

there is nothing but ads on the front page...
*visits a thread...*

aaand they put The stats on the side...
now the page is streched out. Why not put the sig on the other side? it not being parallel with the stats looks bad...

I think i might do the unheard of... log out.
i have never done that. ever. not even with the first change.

[Drewan]

Ewya save us--I just went there & was presented with a lot of junk & this in the centre:

Avatar-Forums Homepage  RSS Feed

There is no content in this section

I clicked on the Community Section:

Community  RSS Feed

There is no content in this section

Looks like sad---very sad only comment on AF.......

I think that I might just remove the AF link from my bookmarks---I feel very depressed & sad right now.

[zongtseng]

Well, the front page is obviously not ready yet. That being said, I don't know why the domain is being sent there instead of the forums until it IS ready. I hold out hope that AF will return to it's glory days, but it is unsure at best.

[Txum_kali'weya]

i was thinking it was very unlikely at best...

[Helicoradian]

Well I just checked out AF and things have certainly *changed*

It's depressing to think back to January and remember what it was like I can understand Lon's concern to keep AF's operating cost in the green, but geez it seems so commercial now which doesn't really fit to well with the spirit of the movie. I still hope everything goes well for Lon and AF, but I don't know if I'm gonna go back now What used to be our little piece of Pandora is now just a forum with a Avatar theme.

[Drewan]

Originally Posted by Helicoradian

Well I just checked out AF and things have certainly *changed*

It's depressing to think back to January and remember what it was like I can understand Lon's concern to keep AF's operating cost in the green, but geez it seems so commercial now which doesn't really fit to well with the spirit of the movie. I still hope everything goes well for Lon and AF, but I don't know if I'm gonna go back now What used to be our little piece of Pandora is now just a forum with a Avatar theme.

Well--I am thinking that our little part of Pandora has moved from AF to Tos--I too remember my relief finding like-minded people that I could talk to...saddens me to see it in the state it is now & I am VERY glad to be here at Tos--


THANK YOU TO ALL THE ADMINS HERE AT ToS!!!! I will help in any way I can to keep ToS a good home for Avatarians!!!!

[Leonopteryx]

Originally Posted by Drewan

Well--I am thinking that our little part of Pandora has moved from AF to Tos--I too remember my relief finding like-minded people that I could talk to...saddens me to see it in the state it is now & I am VERY glad to be here at Tos--


THANK YOU TO ALL THE ADMINS HERE AT ToS!!!! I will help in any way I can to keep ToS a good home for Avatarians!!!!

Donating works

[Helicoradian]

Originally Posted by Drewan

Well--I am thinking that our little part of Pandora has moved from AF to Tos

It has very thankful to have this place.

[Grif]

Yah I think I'll be moving here, my ad block program can only go so far in making the website presentable.