the decline of Reef Clubs nationwide

[Cake_Boss]

I used to live on these forums, life happens and we get busier. Personalities clash and some people move on. Seems people my age aren't spending as much on hobbies that aren't RC.

Talking with my younger coworker, he's also noticed a decline of forum activity on tuner forums as people migrate to FB groups. He's stating it's convenient because he's already on FB. Maybe it's a platform issue? Is there a way to make the FB post a new thread on the forum and the replies (FB or forum) are integrated into both the FB post and MASC thread? The issue with FB groups is the absence of a search feature. Typing the same information for the same question asked 12 hours apart by two different people starts to wear on people. For me, half of my replies started being a copy and paste of me using the search bar for the exact question being asked. It turned into me searching for them and getting annoyed with it. So I stopped coming around.

Anyways, I remember manning the ReefStock booth. The most memorable thing was that most people had never heard of MASC. Some had been in RMRC and didn't like the infighting so they didn't do clubs anymore. The booth was an awesome place to tell the masses about the local reefing scene.
Having a strong FB presence would be a definite must, the personnel in charge of it would need to give a quick answer there and direct people to the forum for the detailed answers.
I think it's silly not to use every avenue at our disposal to gain members.

Hope this made sense, fell asleep twice while writing this.


Sent from my iPhone using MASC mobile app

 

[MuralReef]

I too used to spend a ton of time on the forum. I still check daily, usually multiple times. I do find the app really user friendly. I agree with all of the previous comments that the biggest contender for our attention is FB. We can post anything from here onto the FB page but not the other way around. I think we have gotten better within the last few months about hosting regular meetings, but the process still needs some work. I think one thing that might help is to have regular standing meetings(like CAS), but that doesn't always work for whomever is hosting. I do think the forum is a great place to find information, but the most knowledgable people aren't always available to post or choose not to. I do like the idea of hosting more quick short term contests or auctions. I think the DBTC program has been making a comeback, but I know that I am bad about making sure to cut frags and pass them on once they grow out. There is still a lot of good here and I think that we can continue to grow, but we do need to keep up with the changes and evolve to survive.

 

[zombie]

On that same note, perhaps there is a way to automate posts from certain subforums to automatically post to a MASC facebook page and direct them back here. DBTC and events would obviously need to be included and maybe the classifieds too. Then people get enticed by the free stuff and events to create a profile and then get sucked in naturally.

Sent from my SM-G965U using MASC mobile app

 

[SynDen]

Thanks for all the input everyone, keep it coming.

Anyone happened to be a Social Engagement pro, or know one, that will work for peanuts, or maybe corals, or maybe a BOD position? I try to push stuff to FB as much as possible, but frankly I'm pretty horrible at 'social' stuff. So, certainly could use the help from the community to strengthen our presence there.
Sadly there is no way, that I know of, to automate sending or receiving from Facebook. Facebook is fairly guarded about stuff like that. So it has to come from us as a group
That being said, everyone does have the ability to share posts to FB with just a few clicks. It the share button at the bottom of every post. Use it liberally
You can also login with your facebook account, if you set up your external accounts, but that about the most we can do with FB integrations.

 

[jda123]

I do not really have any brilliant ideas about why local clubs decline, except that once people get competent, they tend to disappear from daily activity and just lurk... However, I do not want anything that I post going to Facebook.... ever. I cannot support a platform that is either so complicit or incompetent (has to be one, right?) to allow the mistruths that have gotten into their system without any remorse and only enough action to keep from getting called again in front of congress. If you do go this way, please post a banner on the front page and give some warning so that people can stop contributing if they want - there are more people than just me who feel this way.

 

[Cake_Boss]

I do not really have any brilliant ideas about why local clubs decline, except that once people get competent, they tend to disappear from daily activity and just lurk... However, I do not want anything that I post going to Facebook.... ever. I cannot support a platform that is either so complicit or incompetent (has to be one, right?) to allow the mistruths that have gotten into their system without any remorse and only enough action to keep from getting called again in front of congress. If you do go this way, please post a banner on the front page and give some warning so that people can stop contributing if they want - there are more people than just me who feel this way.

It's things like this that pose the challenges. I agree with your thoughts on FB but we are wanting to pull the traffic onto the forums. How do we keep a top contributor like JDA active while also engaging the FB audience?

I want my cake...and chow down too


Sent from my iPhone using MASC mobile app

 

[quackenbush]

I think simple, regularly scheduled events could help. Nothing fancy like the two major events every year, but vendor sponsored events like Stone and MBC and Gonzo and no doubt others have hosted in the past. Plus meetings a members houses like the recent Halmus expo. Other than the two majore events, there seems to be a momentum issue around meetings.

So have 6 per year - every other month. ReefEd, Reef Stock, 2-3 vendor hosted events, 1-2 member hosted DBTC events.

OH. Swap Meet! Clean out your stuff and trade and sell. Annual swap meet.

I think regular events are a key to building some club momentum.

 

[quackenbush]

I think simple, regularly scheduled events could help. Nothing fancy like the two major events every year, but vendor sponsored events like Stone and MBC and Gonzo and no doubt others have hosted in the past. Plus meetings a members houses like the recent Halmus expo. Other than the two majore events, there seems to be a momentum issue around meetings.

So have 6 per year - every other month. ReefEd, Reef Stock, 2-3 vendor hosted events, 1-2 member hosted DBTC events.

OH. Swap Meet! Clean out your stuff and trade and sell. Annual swap meet.

I think regular events are a key to building some club momentum.

Maybe it's time to drop to 1 major event per year. And a booth at the ReefBuilders show.

Maybe embrace smaller, more intimate clubs with smaller, more intimate meetings. And I think frag swaps and equipment swap meets are going to bring folks out.

 

[jda123]

Think of something to get the established folks back out of the woods. You can never have enough front runners and noobies to keep a club thriving... they come and go too much. ...so think of a way to get the people who have had tanks for years and years to contribute again. Do not worry about making things too easy to use... if it people are not willing to find an app or web page, then they will never stick.

I have suggested this before, but we were able to get about 60 threads going with people who were once active, but started to lurk, but doing a $1000 limit year-long build and grow off. We had really nice prizes like cash and gift certs and not equipment and stuff that they might not want to use. I have posted rules for this somewhere on here.

As for Facebook, either sell your soul or have some integrity, but do not try and do both. I am disgusted with the 2018 vibe of explaining away real issues just to get some gain like somehow the end justifies the means, but you might not agree. Twenty years ago, few would have even thought for a minute about supporting a shady company for any gain of any kind. If you do not agree with me, then that is cool too... to each their own.. if nobody else cares about this, then I can just disappear into the minority. I do not know what age this cuts off, but Facebook is fading with young people... I only have high school kids and college age kids and they think that it is a joke... if you want to reach them, then use Instagram or create some real articles and publications since they like to read them some real journalism articles. (Off topic, but did anybody else watch Last Week Tonight which outlined FBs role in racial tensions and even some genocide in Myanmar (what used to be Burma)? Disgusting.)

 

[SynDen]

Think of something to get the established folks back out of the woods. You can never have enough front runners and noobies to keep a club thriving... they come and go too much. ...so think of a way to get the people who have had tanks for years and years to contribute again. Do not worry about making things too easy to use... if it people are not willing to find an app or web page, then they will never stick.

I have suggested this before, but we were able to get about 60 threads going with people who were once active, but started to lurk, but doing a $1000 limit year-long build and grow off. We had really nice prizes like cash and gift certs and not equipment and stuff that they might not want to use. I have posted rules for this somewhere on here.

As for Facebook, either sell your soul or have some integrity, but do not try and do both. I am disgusted with the 2018 vibe of explaining away real issues just to get some gain like somehow the end justifies the means, but you might not agree. Twenty years ago, few would have even thought for a minute about supporting a shady company for any gain of any kind. If you do not agree with me, then that is cool too... to each their own.. if nobody else cares about this, then I can just disappear into the minority. I do not know what age this cuts off, but Facebook is fading with young people... I only have high school kids and college age kids and they think that it is a joke... if you want to reach them, then use Instagram or create some real articles and publications since they like to read them some real journalism articles. (Off topic, but did anybody else watch Last Week Tonight which outlined FBs role in racial tensions and even some genocide in Myanmar (what used to be Burma)? Disgusting.)

Well tank build off is coming Was going to kick it off at Coral Extravaganza but thinking it would be better to start it at Reef Ed in the Spring instead.

I like the Instagram idea, we havent tried that one much before, and likely some integrations I could add in for that

 

[timnem70]

You know. When great things happen people tend to not post. When there are issues, posts abound. Maybe, including MASC members are doing everything right! Hurrray for us!. It is sad that posts now only come at about a few a week now...


Sent from my LG-LS997 using MASC mobile app

 

[Jeremiah]

MASC needs to be more active on social media. I feel like Facebook is basically like the little chat window you guys created, it works as a micro forum. When we had a lot of people online it was nice you could ask quick questions or have a conversation. Facebook does that to an extent. One question, can facebook groups have key words added so they show up in searches? I search for colorado reef and that doesn't show up MASC. If we could add the key word reef somehow that would help with random searchers.

Getting that to take off as the main place people post will flow into the forums also. As well as people showing up at shows and new members.

The facebook page will help the forum in the long run. Then it gets people posting in MASC facebook group instead of the other facebook pages. Whenever we have an event we should make sure to go over to the other pages and advertise. It is really simple for someone on one page to start following ours. At any event during raffles or periodically we should be mentioning the facebook page as well as the forums.

Maybe keep an add in the for sale section on craigslist advertising the clubs facebook page and forum. We can still keep the you can't post for sales on the forums till you have whatever requirements, but people looking for used equipment on craigslist don't necessarily know about the club.

Obviously the other ideas is something in addition to keep people in and engaged, but first and for most is getting and keeping the club name out.