Has the forum had its day?

[Bob Bacon]

I am retiring (redundancy) from my job with the RFEA on 30^th Oct 2015! This means I will be able to devote a lot more time to the forum, which I believe is much needed.

The Forum has long been regarded as the heart of the Royal Welch Fusilier’s community, a place where users come looking for answers and get those answers from other peers who share the same interest. However, when we first emerged, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ were just a twinkle in the eye. Some of the benefits we offer are no longer as necessary, especially the social aspects; with modern social platforms you can choose who you make friends with. Secondly, much of what happened in the forum has now shifted to social media. It may not be what we intended but when we created an official Facebook page and Twitter feed many members migrated and now use those platforms as the place to find answers or bring up issues.

This does beg the question has the forum had its day or do we need to rethink?

The first problem is that many people have stated that they find it difficult to register, log in and/or find information. Having looked at the number of forums and sub forums we have I can see why.

The second problem is that those new to the forum (known as newbies) often don't know the rules either written by us or the unwritten (almost secret) rules created by the long-standing members of the community. Newbies often post questions without first looking to see if the question has been asked before. Rarely is a question new in a forum, so not searching first can immediately put the 'newbie' at odds with the self-appointed 'guardians' of the forum.

The third problem is that people have different expectations from the forum and that can create issues. Some just want to come into the forum, find the answer and then get back on with their life. Conversely there are some who spend hours in here, in fact so much time it makes one wonder if they actually have a life to go back to!

The benefits of the Forum – It offers a number of benefits to the community using it. It is free, accessible to everyone, has the potential to create a massive resource of answers, which can be found easily via powerful search tools. A by-product is that we have created a community and helped build friendships. But the forum is more than social gatherings, for many it has proved an invaluable problem solving resource, but as already pointed out it often takes a lot of work to find those diamonds in the dirt as one trawls through the misinformation, opinions and diatribe.

Technology and social media has evolved and we must do they same if we are to stay relevant and prove useful for future generations. Suggestions on how to revamp and modernise the forum would be greatly received.

[5haron]

Firstly - congrats on your retirement and good luck :D

This is a poser. We have some of the same issues on CG.com but without the social media extensions. Visits aren't much less but activity is. People have started CG fb and twitter feeds but unfortunately, these are not appointed admins so that makes it harder to control.
I think a lot of people, especially infrequent media and pc users find it much more difficult to manoeuvre in fora and that often leads to visits of a "necessary" nature - answering questions, looking for people etc. People are also wont to embrace the "quick fix", also a phenomenon of the age we live in, or being overwhelmed by the amount of info on here. There's a lot and it might discourage people from participating.
I'm also guilty of using the fb pages as opposed to visiting the forum. Mostly because fb is always on my phone and I don't need to search for the link or site.
Wish I had answers, Bob.I do know that when the forum was buzzing with activity, it was a very social place to be. Always someone in the chat-rooms and always someone online, even in the wee hours (AU, CA, USA, NZ). Like you said, you;d have to have a lot of time and not much of a life to be constantly available. I know my availability decreased when I started a new 40 hour job.
Perhaps a silly question but how difficult would it be and is there funding for an app?
A "how to improve" questionnaire /poll?
Anyways, if you need actual digital help - give us a yell.

[Paul Davies 701]

Hi Bob

I think the Forum is a vital part of the RWF/RW family. I know there are a lot of members who don't use Facebook or Twitter that rely on the Forum for the information it provides and to keep up with old friends. Perhaps you could make it more user friendly and not so busy by refreshing/revamping and discarding any of those inactive sub-forums or even consolidate them into just a few significant and more commonly used sub-forums. Perhaps make the vital information such as Branch contact details easier to find etc. Obviously these are just suggestions but all-in-all i definitely think there is a need

[dutchman]

personally I don't use facebook so the forum is great for me but if the majority wish to end it who am i to argue as I put no time into it i.e. running it and before I finish congrats to bob on retiring and also on a great job on the forum

[sixties]

Please no more talk of quitting, as long as i am alive i will always use this site. I dont use facebook much as it is my wives. plus who are the real friends when you want them certainly not the social media.much
I & other people i know & speak to, know you & the team will do what you think is best.

[sixties]

A Questionnaire/poll, Yes.

[sixties]

You said what i wanted to say Paul in my reply.

[welchboy]

Well I am a relative newbie compared to other members. So here is my 5 penny worth. The site is very good, regulated and provides a wide range of topics, and news which is usually only relevant to the if I may use the phrase, RWF Family. I have been helped in my research which would have provide much more difficult had I used other sites. The site is not difficult to navigate if one takes ones time looking at all the options of the site. I do not use face book or twitter. I do look forward to using this site for a long time to come, and a thank you for those people who had the vision to set it up and keep it running.

[Gwyn Nicholas]

Congratulations on your retirement Bob.

it is true that Facebook in particular, has become the meeting place for many people now in various groups with RWF links. I often see questions arise in these groups such as the whereabouts of an individual and I have tried to direct the posers to this site. There are those who's simply find the site to difficult to navigate, ( whether from lack of computer confidence or can't be bothered to try, is debatable) so dont bother.

From a personal view, I found that discussions on various subjects became fewer, a part of the forum that I particularly enjoyed. That is not down to the Forum but rather those who no longer take part for whatever reason. That said, I still enjoy visiting the site, reading the posts, flicking through the photo gallery etc and would be sad to see the site disappear. Facebook and the rest may be the easy choice for today but it does not have the quality and class of this Forum.

[ivor43]

hi all.
i have been a member of this forum for about 8 years.and i do not and will not use the facebook page or twitter. i believe ''social media '' is not a suitable format for this type of forum being Military. also being as it is a members only group. Social Media is an unregulated gossip media which is getting to self important for it's own good. i believe it should be severely curtailed.


ivor