A bit of a poll / open discussion...

[TheCurly]

I want awimb to return to it's former glory - How do I achieve this?

Hosting is becoming super expensive, and frankly if people desert awimb the way they have been doing it'll simply become too expensive to host, and never mind former glory, it'll just disappear.

I know that social media has overtaken forums to a certain extent, but we're better than that aren't we?

I want input from you lot - speak now please - how can it be improved?

I tend to disagree with the social media thing.
I log on to Facebook in 10 minute spats and let's face it Twitter has become one big market place with people selling their wares.So I think a forum still has relevancy.
I would look at the "lurker" angle and encourage them to join in.I mean,who logs on to a forum and has no urge to join in and voice their opinion?
Perhaps put a temporary ban (a day/a week) on lurkers that don't post?

[Sir C]

I tend to disagree with the social media thing.
I log on to Facebook in 10 minute spats and let's face it Twitter has become one big market place with people selling their wares.So I think a forum still has relevancy.
I would look at the "lurker" angle and encourage them to join in.I mean,who logs on to a forum and has no urge to join in and voice their opinion?
Perhaps put a temporary ban (a day/a week) on lurkers that don't post?

Yesterday a chap posted 'Is it worth me participating or is it a closed shop?' and I wondered whether we do appear cliquey to lurkers. We have mainly known each other for donkey's years, after all. But then I thought, nah, it's always been like that.

Maybe people just don't dive in like they used to? Perhaps they need an invitation?

[Burney]

Yesterday a chap posted 'Is it worth me participating or is it a closed shop?' and I wondered whether we do appear cliquey to lurkers. We have mainly known each other for donkey's years, after all. But then I thought, nah, it's always been like that.

Maybe people just don't dive in like they used to? Perhaps they need an invitation?

I think we're like a Desmond's-style West Indian barber shop. Everyone in here clearly knows one another and keeps rehearsing the same old themes, indulging in the in-jokes and generally having the same old discussions and arguments. However, that's probably quite intimidating to any potential new bod and they consequently shy away.

In the old days, there were more voices on here, so it was easier for new people to join in as they could slip in almost unnoticed amidst all the noise. Now if we have a new person, they are instantly scrutinised.

Maybe the best thing would be if the likes of us ****ed off and allowed new voices to emerge?

[TheCurly]

I think we're like a Desmond's-style West Indian barber shop. Everyone in here clearly knows one another and keeps rehearsing the same old themes, indulging in the in-jokes and generally having the same old discussions and arguments. However, that's probably quite intimidating to any potential new bod and they consequently shy away.

In the old days, there were more voices on here, so it was easier for new people to join in as they could slip in almost unnoticed amidst all the noise. Now if we have a new person, they are instantly scrutinised.

Maybe the best thing would be if the likes of us ****ed off and allowed new voices to emerge?

Just had a quick look...there are 68 people viewing this forum as we speak.Take away the half dozen or so that are posting and you have 60 people interested in the Arsenal but for some reason won't join in.Personally I don't understand why,surely it can't be because they're frightened of someone calling them a ****?

[Pat Vegas]

Just had a quick look...there are 68 people viewing this forum as we speak.Take away the half dozen or so that are posting and you have 60 people interested in the Arsenal but for some reason won't join in.Personally I don't understand why,surely it can't be because they're frightened of someone calling them a ****?

On a separate note. Not 1 but 2 f ucking stickys! It's almost like they want Wenger to leave now.

[Maravilloso Marvo]

Maybe the best thing would be if the likes of us ****ed off and allowed new voices to emerge?

I'm happy to state that the reason I left the board was purely down to Berni/Burney. And judging by a thread I saw the other day, I am not the only one.

I agree completely with those making the point that taking threads off on a tangent and two people having a chat that is best suited to PM is not how a modern day forum successfully runs. It was fine back in the olden days when there were enough active posters to sustain that, but those days have gone now. New posters will only join and become active if threads are well maintained. Threads are not a conversation like in the real world, they are a discussion on a topic created by the OP. If you want to talk about something off topic, start a new thread.

I used to use Awimb back in the early days to hear news first (this was where I first heard TH had signed for Barcelona). Those days have gone due to social media, but that doesn't mean online forums don't still have a place, they just need to evolve. I just hope Awimb didn't spend too long on outdated technology, losing its way and is now beyond saving.

[Burney]

I'm happy to state that the reason I left the board was purely down to Berni/Burney. And judging by a thread I saw the other day, I am not the only one.

I agree completely with those making the point that taking threads off on a tangent and two people having a chat that is best suited to PM is not how a modern day forum successfully runs. It was fine back in the olden days when there were enough active posters to sustain that, but those days have gone now. New posters will only join and become active if threads are well maintained. Threads are not a conversation like in the real world, they are a discussion on a topic created by the OP. If you want to talk about something off topic, start a new thread.

I used to use Awimb back in the early days to hear news first (this was where I first heard TH had signed for Barcelona). Those days have gone due to social media, but that doesn't mean online forums don't still have a place, they just need to evolve. I just hope Awimb didn't spend too long on outdated technology, losing its way and is now beyond saving.

Was this the time I bullied you by making you obsessively accuse me of being modd and then you got embarrassed when you realised what a prick you'd made of yourself and ran away and hid like a precious little snowflake?

[Ash]

New posters will only join and become active if threads are well maintained. Threads are not a conversation like in the real world, they are a discussion on a topic created by the OP. If you want to talk about something off topic, start a new thread.

Heavily modded (did you see what I did there?) forums where posts off topic to a thread are removed and culprits threatened with bans and so on are dull as **** though. Implementing such a regime would probably kill the place off completely, even if I would prefer not to have advanced foodcùntery threadjacks all over the place.

I do take the point about the old treeview making it easier to ignore the threadjacks though. I already miss ignoring BGM and LA's rugby threadjacks.

[R.C. Celebrating the return of Trophies]

Yesterday a chap posted 'Is it worth me participating or is it a closed shop?' and I wondered whether we do appear cliquey to lurkers. We have mainly known each other for donkey's years, after all. But then I thought, nah, it's always been like that.

Maybe people just don't dive in like they used to? Perhaps they need an invitation?

Meh, I just got bored with the page jumping around and fecking adverts obscuring everything. Also had a bit of jip getting on relaunch so did one. Yes it was a bit cliquey but I used to butt in anyway.

[AFC East]

Hmm reading today's threads some of the language here goes beyond edgy non-PC chatter into the pretty ****ing unwelcoming.