Meaning. I left several years ago due to the direction it was headed. Figure I would stop back in. Maybe give it another shot.
A few years ago a thread would be buried 5 pages deep in no time.
Now…several days and its the same threads on the first page. With little response.
Mass banning? Or did people just leave? Or am I crazy…lol. Possible. But looks like 2 hrs since the last post.
Meaning. I left several years ago due to the direction it was headed. Figure I would stop back in. Maybe give it another shot.
A few years ago a thread would be buried 5 pages deep in no time.
Now…several days and its the same threads on the first page. With little response.
Mass banning? Or did people just leave? Or am I crazy…lol. Possible. But looks like 2 hrs since the last post.
What direction was it headed?
I think it has gotten more diverse. Years ago, a lot of guys were more forum specific. They only shown up in the bass, walleyes, or general. Now, you see guys posting in many of the forums including the hunting.
birddog, it is different… I equate it to the old hardware store where you knew where everything was and there was always a familiar face to help figure out what you needed… to it now being a superstore… lot’s more aisles, a ton of more stuff, more people shopping, with a totally different feel. Sure there are some of the old faces here, but alot more new ones which is natural progression 
it is what we make it I guess !!! Welcome back 
(FWIW, I also think sites like Facebook, have really diminished the “intimacy” that sites like this used to have, I have a bunch of friends on Facebook, that I originally met here)
I just joined this week and have found those that do participate to be friendly. However, the traffic level does seem to be a little light. Some of the forums that are typically busy on other fishing sites are pretty quiet here.
[/quote]
Everyone saw you come on so we stopped talking and logged off……BOOM
Probably everyone is actually hunting and fishing instead of trolling sites that are heading in the wrong direction. ZAM!
Are you crazy? ZING
Yep… Zam…boom…zing
That’s the direction it was headed. Too many… Go have your coffee and join a adult conversation.
Thanks G….I see your still hanging and a few of the other friendly faces. And lots of new ones. Yes the format has changed alot..diversified. It was odd to see the general discussion getting very little press. When it used to be nuts with replies. Nice to see some of you guys are still around.
Looking at the average age of forum goers years ago in my searches i just figured most got too arthritic to type, or the catarcts disabled their vision to see the screen, and that’s assuming their nursing homes even have internet! 
Looking at the average age of forum goers years ago in my searches i just figured most got too arthritic to type, or the catarcts disabled their vision to see the screen, and that’s assuming their nursing homes even have internet!
” />
Low blow.. ” /> …You’ll be “seasoned” sooner than you think.. 
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Low blow.. ” /> …You’ll be “seasoned” sooner than you think.. ” />
Just having fun. If it wasn’t full of seasoned anglers full of knowledge I wouldn’t be here! 
Just having fun. If it wasn’t full of seasoned anglers full of knowledge I wouldn’t be here!
I asked the same question a couple of months ago. James responded and said that there is more traffic then ever, it’s just going elsewhere other then the forums. I find it very hard to believe, but he would know I guess. You can’t dispute the fact that many, many of the old guys that hung around before are either gone or rarely show up. I know I don’t post as much because of that.
Oh well, that’s life I guess.
Because I belong or have belonged to a few fishing sites in my time, it isn’t just this site. I’m only speculating but since many sites have 2 or 3 times more lurkers than members, the old guys realized how many of their waters were getting burned by knowledge or good reports on the fishing boards. I based that on how many of the board studs all retreated to Facebook. Who knows?
I noticed that once the new site was launched it slowed down on the posts.
Also every forum I watch has slowed down over the past few years. It is likely a trend with lots of lurkers but few posters. I post very little. I am on here often. Facebook is so easy to post pics many get their fix there and have no reason to frequent here now.
I lurk a couple other sites here and there, and if someone would tell me where there is more traffic let a guy know!
It’s a slow time of year, like stated above its prime time for all outdoor activities, add in the fact it’s been a tough bite all year on the river and many lakes, doesn’t leave much for guys to post reports of their successes.
I’ve shot a gun probably 2x in the last 10 years, but it’s interesting to see the Hunting side really get active. Some regular posters on here are absolutely stocked with knowledge and experience and seems only smart to diversify the site, old adage is “don’t put all your eggs into one basket” scenario. One day I will get into it and the info gained now will help cut the learning curve as it did the fishing side.
Bottom line, if you can find anything better go for it, but I cant, and as Toby Keith says…..
I ain’t as good as I once was
But I’m as good once as I ever was
Car group I am in closed the forum and is now Facebook only. Facebook, good or bad, is killing Internet forums.
I am actually surprised by IDOs social media following, when I compare it to the activity on the forums that have slowed down since the change over. I could be wrong, but their YouTube, Facebook etc footprint seems to be growing.
The sites down here aren’t very active either.
There are some apps I use that are active. People will post pictures of any fish. But that doesn’t explain this site slowing down. This site really wasn’t about that.
I think it’s just the way it is as the internet matures.
Facebook. Hands down.
8 years ago when someone had something on their mind they would post I here. Whether that be a question, or a picture, or an observation,, it went to sites like this. Now people do that on facebook. Of course there are other reasons and many are mentioned above but I’d put the weight of this on FB.
Facebook. Hands down.
I used to be pretty active on FB but deleted my account after many years of membership when they started doing psych experiments on their users without proper consent (in debate). They tried to see if they could manipulate the user’s News Feed by injecting feed items that were negative to see if that would cause your successive posts to be more negative than usual. FB apologized but many considered it the final straw that broke the proverbial camels back and left FB forever. I do miss my friends and family posts but I won’t be a part of FB anymore.
So my participation on IDO forums is an important social network to me and do go through spurts of activity here. I can’t say whether forums are an antiquated concept or not but I like them. I read other forums but don’t participate in them as a poster. Just a reader.
I was not involved in the old site very long so I cannot contribute to the before and after traffic levels.
I find so much of the stuff that people post on FB to be mindless. I don’t see how it replaces a forum for back & forth dialogue.
changes to forum style is what kills a message board regardless of whether the change improves things or is worse.
I like the forum change here but that it required everyone to kind of reregister I think hampered it. google analytics may show tons more traffic to the page but the forums seem very down.
you guys are right as well. there are numbers of facebook pages that I follow that are specific to my locale, as well as to the fishing I do. its much easier to just see them in my feed condenced into 1 funnel. anonymity is lost certainly but I don’t think people care as much.
still there are fishing forums that I see that are growing or at least the post count is increased.
walleye first is all but dead,
WC is thriving more than it was 7-8 years ago.
the one forum that seems to be dying from a similar change that ido is hso. the change they made absolutely killed the forum.
Welcome back.
I think the forum is still pretty dang useful. I agree, a lot of competition from social media and other things competing for people’s attention.
If you want to see a long thread again, just put “Mille Lacs” and “DNR” in the same post. 
Also, I think member’s attention kind of shifts for one reason or another. Take this year, I’ve had a terrible year as far as hunting. I had to cancel my varmint trip in June due to work overload. Just had to pull the plug on a pheasant trip due to wife’s work schedule. Stuff changes year to year.
It’s still good. Stick around.
Grouse.
the old guys realized how many of their waters were getting burned by knowledge or good reports on the fishing boards.
Stop talking about Suzuki like that. He’s getting better. 
Ha. I agree its probably the competition at play here. And changes.
Wow, you are still around. I wonder what happend to you when I’m looking for the christmas lights at the side of 65 between Nashwauk and Togo.
I think it’s just a slow time, just wait until the first ice posts start popping up! Another thing I’ve noticed about these forums, is that a lot of the people that post here are often actively outdoors over the weekends instead of at home on the computer. It always feels like there are more posts and responses coming in during the week when people are pretending to work! Stick around and I’m sure you will still like the show.
I would lean the other way… on weekends when out and about, it is WAY easier to be connected to IDO and all other internet, with the advancement in smart phones and the carriers plans making it affordable. In the past (when I say past, for me, I mean prior to 2010) IDO was a ghost town on weekends, except a few smart talkers… and Monday morning was like Christmas morning every week, checking who caught what or shot what.
I got a job I actually like going to recently…
That’ll reduce post count and forum visits by about 9X for me.
Plus, i’m not 300yds from the river now; so i just go fishing more…Much more.
Not to mention, it’s “Fall Hiding” time for this guy.
I wonder if we just ran out of SPAM jokes
Fall turn over time historically is a slower time.
But the forums here are exactly the same as the way they’ve always been.
A person gets out what a person puts into them.
No-Joke.jpg
BK.. here is an easy tell… what was your post count when the old site went down… how many since then ? 
I will say with the new site, there seems to be alot more SPAM in here…..
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