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Should it stay or should it go?


Gary

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This forum has now been operating for more than a decade.

warrington-worldwide will be undergoing a major over haul in the next few weeks and we are wondering if the forum still plays a role.

So many people now use their own social networks and engage with us via twitter and facebook and linkedin in the business world one wonders whether the forum has served its purpose?

Before making a decision I would like to hear the thoughts of our readers.

The new look site will allow a comment facility under each news item - which again could detract from use of the forum.

Are you happy and content with the forum, should we upgrade it (again) or just rely on comment facility and the social networks and bid a fond farewell?

Over to you guys.....

 

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After working a fourteen-hour day yesterday, I decided I’d earned a beer. Unshaven and in my scruff, I though what the hell I’ll just go to my local because it’s tacky and there’s normally nobody in there anyway. To my horror, the place had been tastefully upgraded and was actually full of people enjoying a very pleasant night out which was a bit of a shock because year or so ago, we were taking bets on how long the place would last.

 

The thing is that every business no matter what, always follows a basic law of growth, stability and eventual decline. Some are here today and gone tomorrow while others might run a hundred years but there are no exceptions to this law. I see this at companies every day and the critical point occurs where stability replaces growth due in the main to the owner of the business loosing interest and motivation. At this point unless something is done, the business starts to decline and it’s almost impossible to recover so soon after it fails.

 

This forum is no different. It’s grown, gone steady for a few years and now it’s in terminal decline. Even at this late stage, it could, rather like my local, be turned around into something better but my guess is that there’s insufficient enthusiasm and willingness for this to happen. Great shame. :cry:

 

Last one out turn the lights off please.

 

Bill :)

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I have not been a member as long as many that still regularly attend,  drifted away to the Facebook site Warrington Memories which I find increasingly boring - not much in the way of discussion and very stringent cod of behaviour, I doubt if many of the members of this forum would last 24hrs before being banned. I have occasionally 'nipped in here' and of late probably visited much more often than I have over the kast twelve months or so, and sad to say it's the 'same old, same old' squabbling and vitriolic sniping, so although I loved this forum when it was in it's prime, put it out of it's misery Gary, if it was an animal you would have it put down. :(

PS. Forums appear to have had their day anyway.

 

I have changed my point of view from that above, see my later comment!.

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Great to hear the facility to comment under news stories will be coming back as it all went really quiet when that was stopped as comments on there sometimes resulted in more discussions on the forum about the same too.

So yes it's gone quiet on the forum and not as many people post on it now and it's become a bit stagnant but maybe that's partly down to the fact that topics are often somewhat hijacked and turned into 'the same' discussion about the 'same' thing.  The squabbling must put a lot of people off when they read especially those who are thinking of joining.  Non members clearly DO read though as the topics views are always high.

Anyway for what it's worth I think it should stay.   At least you can (sometimes) have a decent debate or conversation on here about things unlike facebook.  Infact I was seriously considering packing facebook in all together as it is starting to drive me insane. 

If the forum DOES go will it go completely?  It seems a terrible shame to loose everything that's been put on it over the years and there's an amazing amount of really interesting info from local issues through to the history section.  Infact I've noticed quite a few people on facebook referring to links on here about things recently and I'm always looking back on old topics for info.

It's ok putting things on social media sites but it's more of a momentary discussion/topic and once the days gone they are forgotten about and pretty much lost and it's virtually impossible to have a decent conversation on there.

Google can't search facebook things either but info on here is found and returned when you are searching for something specific and Warrington Worldwide always comes up.  Surely removing the forum and it's contents would result in less hits and views for the site in general which wouldn't be a good thing.

Why not just leave the forum running until June and see how it goes after all Gary haven't you just renewed and paid for the licences for another 6 months :wink: 




 

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Dizz, you have made some valid points and after due consideration I agree with you!, although I have never really participated in mainstream Facebook other than looking at family pages, as you say what topics there are on FB scroll out of site within a few hours and as you I am thinking of packing it in. Your suggestion regarding running for another 6 months is a good idea, perhaps the guidelines on here just need a bit of tweeking to discourage outright personal attacks from taking place, let's face it there is a vast difference in light banter and downright insulting remarks!. I don't condone the introduction of rules that drive everyone away that would be completely and counter productive however there should be some type of social control.

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All good points and agree with everything said but the issue here is not whether a discussion forum is better or worse that other forms of social media but whether or not Gary is willing to continue with it. I suspect Gary’s interests seem to lie elsewhere these days and the forum has probably become a bit of an embarrassing burden that he could do without. So even if the forum were to be left on autopilot, without change and some active promotion, it would only be delaying the inevitable.

 

Bill :)

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I must admit i am no longer an Avid poster like i used to be and as an ex Moderator on here i know how hot it used to get but that was in the good old days :mrgreen:

I moved onto Facebook as a lot of my Fellow Ex Servicemen are on there and it is a good way to keep in contact with them no matter where they are and this Forum unfortunately has always been a Battle ground and always will be and has no doubt on more than one Occasion caused Gary Grief.
The forum is more or less dead but its still a good place to meet and to exchange views and comments good or bad,I would miss it and i would miss the Posters on here...Personally if i were Gary i would get rid too much trouble and very little or no return..

Leave it untill its due for renewal and if its not improved then close.. no use in wasting money and who knows maybe it will pick up again..

Maybe its possible just to transfer this to FB? 

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I must admit i am no longer an Avid poster like i used to be and as an ex Moderator on here i know how hot it used to get but that was in the good old days :mrgreen:

I moved onto Facebook as a lot of my Fellow Ex Servicemen are on there and it is a good way to keep in contact with them no matter where they are and this Forum unfortunately has always been a Battle ground and always will be and has no doubt on more than one Occasion caused Gary Grief.

The forum is more or less dead but its still a good place to meet and to exchange views and comments good or bad,I would miss it and i would miss the Posters on here...Personally if i were Gary i would get rid too much trouble and very little or no return..

Leave it untill its due for renewal and if its not improved then close.. no use in wasting money and who knows maybe it will pick up again..

Maybe its possible just to transfer this to FB? 

I am very fortunate that Dizzy deals with what little grief we get these days - and out of all our moderators she has stood the test of time and been a great voice of reason on many occasions - and totally impartial.

It is amazing that since I put this post the forum has become more active than it has been for a long time.

We may look at trimming it down and closing a lot of the topic areas which receive little attention.

The stats for the forum are stll pretty impressive and seeing as we are paid up until June no point closing.

Open to suggestions on how we can imrpove it - as long as Dizzy is happy to implement any good ideas :lol:

We do have a facebook page for warrington worldwide where we post a lot of our stories which we share with other groups and twitter when appropriate.

I have SIX twitter accounts and lots of facebook groups to manage :(

I think it is fair to say this forum has stood the test of time a lot better than most - and that is down to you guys!!! :P

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