How

[N1tew0lf1212]

How can we make this club pop again. It seems like when I first started out this club had major following and an abundance of stuff going on. I have not become a member quite yet due to the ups and downs of this club. I do feel as if there hasn't been a whole lot of activity. Anyway to help change that to get more participation. It doesnt have to be all about DBTC or coral sales and equipment. R2R is great but having a local community seems to be more efficient when needing help guidance or getting things done. I was very active on other forums up until recently. Just feel as if this club could be booming again. Looking back on posts there was a lot of activity up until the 2020 pandemic. Any way we are able to kickstart it back into a very active community. Lets bring this back to all its glory and kick around some ideas on how to make it pop again. Whatever happened to the app for IOS. Still in the process? Just spitballing here idk just trying to see how one could help restore the glory to this amazing club and bring a spark to light it up again. Or maybe I am missing something. Idk let me know everyone just trying to help.

 

[MuralReef]

How can we make this club pop again. It seems like when I first started out this club had major following and an abundance of stuff going on. I have not become a member quite yet due to the ups and downs of this club. I do feel as if there hasn't been a whole lot of activity. Anyway to help change that to get more participation. It doesnt have to be all about DBTC or coral sales and equipment. R2R is great but having a local community seems to be more efficient when needing help guidance or getting things done. I was very active on other forums up until recently. Just feel as if this club could be booming again. Looking back on posts there was a lot of activity up until the 2020 pandemic. Any way we are able to kickstart it back into a very active community. Lets bring this back to all its glory and kick around some ideas on how to make it pop again. Whatever happened to the app for IOS. Still in the process? Just spitballing here idk just trying to see how one could help restore the glory to this amazing club and bring a spark to light it up again. Or maybe I am missing something. Idk let me know everyone just trying to help.

I use the IOS app. We’ve talked a lot about rejuvenating the club but it seems that there’s a lot of apathy around participating beyond showing up. We’ve hosted here twice since I’ve moved. Any ideas are welcome. One thing we’ve talked about is a holiday dinner.


Sent from my iPhone using MASC - Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado

 

[Kayvon]

It looks like the economy is taking a toll on the hobby. The major forums aren't as active as they have been in the past. I think it'll bounce back when the hobby as a whole bounces back.

 

[SynDen]

Ya IOS app is no longer available on the app store, although if you had it downloaded before it will still work fine. Tapatalk support is horrendous and has never responded to my multiple inquiries to get it republished on there. Alternatively, if you must use an app, you can just use the Tapatalk app. That being said there really is no need to use an app to see the site, as it is fully responsive to mobile. Many of the custom links and such aren't available in the app either but are on the regular site.
If you really want to revitalize local clubs, then find a way to kill facebook groups. Facebook has been the primary culprit in bringing down many clubs around the nation over the last 10 years or so, and it continues to eat away at it. MASC is one of the few that has managed to weather through most of that but its still always there slowly eating away at the base.
Other then that, the holidays is pretty typically the slowest time of the year in the club but we will be having more meeting and such coming up, likely after Jan.

 

[jda123]

IMO, there are a lot of people here, they just don't post. You put something out there for free or cheap and dozens of people PM you.

Group buys and discounts and stuff used to be huge, but with things being good for half a decade, stores have not been offering these... they will probably come back.

Facebook sucks. Would rather never talk to anybody than use it.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Idk was just spitballing....what about localizing the masc as a whole and do regions? Like masc Denver, masc northern CO, etc. Again idk there are a lot of people everywhere in CO and making the club meetings in denver can be difficult for many. As for myself I have 3 kids and my wife works when I dont. So some things are hard to do anyways let alone travel to and from at an hr each way takes a whole day. Again not sure what we can do but willing to try and show support in anyway possible. I would love hosting a meeting but tbh nervous to only because I am only 2 yrs in the hobby and still learning quite a bit. (My kids wreck my house daily so theres that too lmao) so yea was just trying to figure out how to make this site pop again. I hate facebook and never get on it so yea I kinda understand but kinda dont lol.

 

[Biohazard989]

Social media killed the forums. I recently quit social media and man it's like a ghost town everywhere

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Social media killed the forums. I recently quit social media and man it's like a ghost town everywhere

Yea i have not ventured into social media for 4 yrs now best thing I ever did.

 

[rajah]

I agree about facebook... if all of the people posting on the CO reef facebook groups instead moved over to this forum, it would be really lively here. I see waaaay better advice posted here but get the sense many beginners may not know about the MASC forums.

I've resorted to facebook myself when trying to move some common coral or anemones (BTAs). Easy to move stuff there that doesn't seem to draw many takers on here, but I avoid it to the extent possible.

 

[Visualsnow]

I left Facebook and I still float around Discord and Instagram. Discord servers are very much alive and the largest one I sit in usually has 800-1000 people online in any one time, across freshwater and saltwater. I find them to be very efficient and effective for communication and sharing information and while I do enjoy forums, I struggle to post on them when I can text someone in the club or reach out to someone via email or another digital chat service. I post on here when I want to offer something specific to Colorado, but what I've found is many of the people doing crazier things like breeding or propagation, coral spawning, light testing, equipment deals, and product deals are doing them and being found and shared via discord. If you would find it valuable, I'm happy to share that information here whenever I get it, but I also don't want to seem spammy here unnecessarily.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

In all honesty the post was to spark and ignite this club a little. I hope it wasnt taken negatively by anyone. Just really want to gain my friendships and what not with people local to where I am

 

[SynDen]

It was not taken that way at all. We welcome the enthusiasm and are certainly open to ideas to getting ppl more involved, but frankly this isnt a new topic and one that has been plaguing clubs around the country for many years.

 

[Visualsnow]

If I had to guess, as the hobby waxes and wanes, clubs tend to do better as stores tend to do worse, and that dichotomy more or less flip flops based on the economy.


As far as if anyone ever needs an answer or help working through a problem though I'm always around via text and my name is Kyle. I don't typically answer my phone if someone tries to call and isn't in my address book already.

720 256 6978

I don't know much about sumps or refugium because I haven't run one personally but I enjoy chatting too.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

If I had to guess, as the hobby waxes and wanes, clubs tend to do better as stores tend to do worse, and that dichotomy more or less flip flops based on the economy.


As far as if anyone ever needs an answer or help working through a problem though I'm always around via text and my name is Kyle. I don't typically answer my phone if someone tries to call and isn't in my address book already.

720 256 6978

I don't know much about sumps or refugium because I haven't run one personally but I enjoy chatting too.

Pleasure meeting you Kyle name is Brandon. I am hopeful that we can start doing more on the forum totm, picture contest, secret santa maybe stuff like that again just spitballing here. I saw that there was member run contests and stuff to keep it lively some years back now but am seriously hopeful. As soon as I see some other things start to pop again i will def. become a member. Again truly hopeful it starts popping again....

 

[jda123]

Even the large forums like r2r are having to give away things for people to update their tank threads and stuff. Of course bribes and work, but are not free. People are kinda over seeing boxes in empty tanks in living rooms although actual tank threads are cool.

A build thread of the month DBTC could be cool where if you are selected build thread of the month (or every other month) then you have to give a frag of something nice to the next person who wins. If you want to pick me first, I can come up with a Limited Edition Acro or something that not too many people have... or Scott has plenty enough that he might not mind me volunteering him. ...just create or update your tank thread on here, talk to people and winners can be chosen by the board moreso for activity and being cool rather than have a Copplino type of tank.

 

[jda123]

We did a contest a while back for a $1000 budget tank. It drove some activity, but waned as the year went on. It turned out to be harder for many than they thought, but I think that people might have learned some stuff from it.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

My 20g tank was a budget build. Moreso leftover parts and pieces from a previous column tank that did not have the style or room needed but still budget equipment and frags from the frag tank hybrid til i can get my 200g rolling. I did see that contest but with work and other life issues happening did not know when we were going to get the 20g rolling. Finally after an over night shift i said screw it and got it done. Just didnt get it in time or I would have totally entered. I think the photos are the easiest thing to do (wife hates that my camera is full of pictures of the tank and not her and the kids lol) but she understands this hobby has done a lot for me. Ive been sober for 4 yrs and in the saltwater coral game for 2 yrs. This has literally helped me switch from being an alcoholuc to a caring loving individual for my family and will always have a special place in my home for what it has done to bring us all together as a family. From the kids picking fish to coral to my wife wanting to venture into this hobby with a smaller tank and her own fish. Its been awesome and helped rejuvenate our family.

 

[SynDen]

We did a contest a while back for a $1000 budget tank. It drove some activity, but waned as the year went on. It turned out to be harder for many than they thought, but I think that people might have learned some stuff from it.

Lol Ya, in the end it was only you and me left after the year.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

So....what do we think? Is there something I can do to help with this promoting starting etc. or should I just leave masc the way it is. Either way no big deal I guess willing to help anyway I can. Let me know looking forward to seeing a kind of revamp and spitshine so to speak.

 

[SynDen]

I am sure there will be plenty of opportunities to help out throughout the year, ill keep you in mind for stuff as things come up. Although overall the best way to help is to be active, be engaged, and start conversations/posts that get others engaged.