Quick 2 question user survey

[John Q. Public]

I'm thinking about expanding the site, adding features and possibly forming some kind of alliances with other sites and I'd like to open this up to the people it would matter most to. So:

1. What other LOCAL sites do you read on a fairly regular basis? I guess sites like MaxPreps would count since it can be made fairly local. Please name anything, whether it's related to what you come here for or not. If there's one you don't really want to share on the board, feel free to PM me.

2. What kind of features would you like to see added to the site? I added the scoreboard and the Football Pool last year and I tried to add a shoutbox but dropped it because it was so buggy. This year I'd like to expand outside of the message board. Possibilities could be things like user blogging, photo blogging/picture posting, shopping, restaurant, travel, electronics reviews, game recaps, food, gardening or conservation pages.... Or? Probably lots of possibilities out there that my feeble mind is missing, so let's hear them. I'm open to most anything and some kind of revenue sharing arrangement could be possible if anybody's interested. One stipulation there is that I don't want to draw a "problematic" element to the board. And please don't use this to ask for message board features (unless it's something really different) or to complain about the moderation. Is there something you really like on some other site? Maybe we could work it in. Again, PM me if there's something you don't want to share on the board or something you're interested in doing. I'm open to most anything.

[Fordama]

Other than Maxpreps, i read OCsidelines quite a bit.

Fordama

[John Q. Public]

Thank you.

Woohoo! We're shooting 1 for 125! C'mon guys. I know you're out there. I can see you. Sort of.

At least try to take a shot at #1. Ya see, we're sort of a largish fish in a smallish pond of local, independent websites. What I'm looking for is other sites we can develop symbiotic relationships with. We share with them and they share with us and we all benefit. There are probably people reading this who fit the bill. Whether they're sports sites, news sites, gardening sites, cycling sites, training or nutrition sites, food blogs, whatever, please let me know about them.

[frankieboy1]

Scout.com Golden State Preps board (heavy coverage of northern LA county/Ventura County
Rivals southerncalifornia preps (heavy IE coverage)

[Omar Bongo]

I don't know if it qualifies, but ESPN has localized news...I check out ESPNLA every day
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/

[John Q. Public]

Interesting. I hadn't noticed that Scout has DIY and gardening pages. I guess for the same reason that Fry's has a grocery aisle and Karl Malone had an 18-wheeler, in case that "basketball" thing didn't work out.

I'm curious of anybody reads any of the local news sites, like the HB Independent or I think there's one in Rossmoor, maybe a couple others - or any of the local city blogs. There are a few around, usually sort of rabble rouser kind of sites.

Another thing I'm interested in - there's a guy in the East San Gabriel Valley who tweets police calls. Now, I'm not going to pass judgement but a lot of people find his page really useful. It's great for finding out what all those sirens were about or why that helicopter's been circling around. Does anybody know of such a thing in OC?

[pattywannamack]

I don't really read any other local boards.

As far as features are concerned, the only thing that I think is important for a website is a large audience. I remember in the ocvarsity days and the early occonnect days we had a ton of users representing all sorts of different schools (both public and private) and it seemed like there was more discussion on non-highschool related things as well. As time passed quite a bit of that audience naturally decayed, but in my opinion it has made the boards a lot less interesting to read simply because there are fewer perspectives and insights to be encountered here.

I am not exactly sure if that was helpful as I don't think you really can do too much about that JQP, but I guess what I am trying to say is that I am in favor of any ideas that you think will help garner more users or activity.

[John Q. Public]

Any input is helpful.

I'd love to get more non-Trinity people back in. I went to public schools and I know they care as much about their teams as anybody does. We have a few but it seems to be a kind of lonely place for them. Unfortunately, the challenge to getting more people is that you have to start by getting more people. Nobody's going to stay if they don't see any activity that appeals to them. Some sort of blog posts, featured forum posts or guest posts could possibly help with that, as could some kind of outreach - or even (dare I say it) some very targeted advertising or promotion. We might have a little bit of a budget this year, so it isn't out of the question, as is at least "tipping" the mod(s) somehow. (Plural because we could really use one or two more, especially for Sports)

I'd like to do the same type of thing for the non-sports side, as well. I'd love to get some people in here who are interested in something other than beating the same couple dead horses. But that's probably more of a challenge than attracting public school fans. Facebook and Pinterest sort of have a lock on that crowd. And, again, we can't get new people unless we have some discussions that appeal to them. Gotta work on that. I'm trying to brainstorm on that but trying to brainstorm by yourself isn't all that effective.

[MDDad]

While the input of non-Trinity League fans has always been a little low, I think it took a major hit when the Sunset and South Coast Leagues were moved out of the Southern Section's top division. Now there is less reason for those folks to interact with the regular posters. Of course, if you really wanted to jack up the sports side, you could always invite Tank back. Much like an abused kitten, he'll sidle up to anyone who puts out a bowl of milk.

One thing that would improve the forum overnight is the removal of that ridiculous Orange County Area Scoreboard. I'd guess almost half the time the scores are wrong, or the scores are backwards, or the scores are right but the teams are wrong, or both are right and the sport is wrong. Other than irritation, there's really no other value in that eyesore.

[crayegg]

What originally drew me, and I suspect many others, was the entertainment value. People like Cockroach, Nug, even Big Stank and many others, were very creative and entertaining. Of course they did not follow "The Rules" and personal insults, if not all out flame wars, were the norm. But Damn, there was some funny and entertaining stuff in all of that. Very little of that remains.

[MDDad]

I agree completely, cray. People come to messageboards in numbers because they're looking for fun and diversion, not because they want to be members of Parliament. This forum is what's left when you suck the life and spirit out of a site by over-moderation and by making the rules more important than the content. If only the government here would listen.

[Hanna]

I liked the format of the old eltoro chronicles, where you could reply directly to one person. It used to be possible to do this here with the quote, but once it was gone...




I think that Brooke is having the closer thing to a blog with the Monarch butterfly that I do enjoy visiting.

[Fordama]

I liked the format of the old eltoro chronicles, where you could reply directly to one person. It used to be possible to do this here with the quote, but once it was gone...

I miss that function.

Fordama

[John Q. Public]

Tank, Max, Cockroach, et. al. were entertaining but I'd like to have the time back that I had to spend cleaning up after them. OC Varsity probably would, too. NO board - at least none with a lifespan measured in years - is going to put up with half of the stuff they posted. Tank has been gone for 3 1/2 years but he's still at #6 in topics started. Trouble is that most of them were drive-byes. He probably still leads in Topics Deleted. Sorry folks, but ya gotta have rules. Boards self-destruct without them.

[John Q. Public]

I liked the format of the old eltoro chronicles, where you could reply directly to one person. It used to be possible to do this here with the quote, but once it was gone...

I liked that format too, but I don't know of any software that's been updated in the last 10 years or so that even has it as an option. Reddit does it but they wrote and maintain their own. Most would take a "void your warranty" kind of hack to accomplish it and you'd be on your own to keep it secure.

I think that Brooke is having the closer thing to a blog with the Monarch butterfly that I do enjoy visiting.

I agree. Those would be ideal for featuring, either on the forum, on the main page or as a user blog. Even better, they use pictures, they're very "shareable" and they appeal to the kind of people I think we could use more of.

[RoadRunner]

Tank, Max, Cockroach, et. al. were entertaining but I'd like to have the time back that I had to spend cleaning up after them. OC Varsity probably would, too. NO board - at least none with a lifespan measured in years - is going to put up with half of the stuff they posted. Tank has been gone for 3 1/2 years but he's still at #6 in topics started. Trouble is that most of them were drive-byes. He probably still leads in Topics Deleted. Sorry folks, but ya gotta have rules. Boards self-destruct without them.

Funny thing is Tank still lurks on this board...he is always on other boards talking about OCConect...I recently was able to get this photo of him...

[Troglodyte]

I wonder, John, with the open freewheeling bloggy type format like Facebook and Twitter formats, and their apparent success, maybe you could become a tycoon too...
I know they got most of their money from selling data from the posters, which they more than willingly keep supplying to those entities, maybe you could graduate from a non profit enterprise..

[John Q. Public]

Hey! There ya go!

Trog - young guy like me, used to drive boats, veteran, conservative, lives in HB with a Thai harem. That's gotta be worth somethin' to somebody! I don't know who, but somebody. Anybody got the number of the local Bentley dealer?

Facebook amazes me. It does everything that Classmates totally blew back in the earlier days of the web. You sign up for it using your real name, you voluntarily give it your location, your age, where you went to school, what you studied, what you do for a living and then you tell it your interests and activities and Lord knows what else. All stuff you'd never give to anybody else and you'd raise holy hell if this site were to ask any of it. Stuff you'd say "Why in the Hell do they need to know that?" if anybody else were to ask it. And yet, millions of us gladly do it with Facebook. And we all know that they sell it to whoever will pay them for it. And here I am, swearing to absolutely protect what I know about you, which isn't much more than an IP number and an email address (that's probably expired for some people). Zuckerberg deserves every penny he's made, if only for that feat.

[MDDad]

Agreed, JQP. It's fascinating that people will happily reveal every private aspect of their lives on public sites like Facebook and Twitter, yet scream bloody murder when the NSA collects phone numbers they have called and stores them in a database that nobody will ever see.

[Parrotpaul]

We also control our own pages in FB. We control who sees what and what posts stay or get deleted. There is also a certain pleasure carrying on friendly sharing kinds of stuff with people you taught 40 odd years ago...people you worked with for several decades...friends from high school, friends and colleagues who have migrated to other geographic areas and other areas of endeavor.

I thoroughly enjoy my gardening endeavors, and I like to share my stuff on FB. It's very well accepted...mostly from Mainers and LWV folks. There are political posts and blogs...but very little time is spent pursuing political discussions to any extent. FB let's me be the teacher I always loved being. I like to share stuff with people both for my gratification and for whatever I can give to people that may broaden their experience and make them smile a little. I think my favs on FB are former students from the 1970's and 80's. They're all grown up, and some even have grandkids...but it's a connection that has enriched and enhanced my life, and, I like to think, it has enhanced their's as well..