mbjoer Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Perhaps biggest trigger for new threads is new reps. I seem to note that there are not that much on that front at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Lani, I think a lot of it has to do with the following two factors; First, the economic downturn has forced a lot of guys to cut back, or in some cases, stop their purchases of new watches. Its really hard to write or contribute anything new when you don't have anything new to write about. Second, and I think this is a major issue, is that rep manufacturers have come such a long way in the past few years in providing watches that are really 99% in comparison to the gen. We have become spoiled, and I have seen an attitude form amongst newer members in where they wont even consider a watch that has anything more that the slightest flaw. When I started in this hobby the best watch you could get was probably about 80% in comparison to the gen, and a lot of dialogue was generated in pointing out exactly what the flaws were, and coming up with methods as to how they could be modded. The UPO was a perfect example. I've seen countless threads about substituting genuine parts, all very interesting stuff. The watches today are almost perfect right out of the box. You don't need an expert to point out that the only flaw on a graham diver is that the seconds needle is orange instead of red. The fix to that issue is equally as mundane. When the Skyland was released there were literally dozens of posts from early buyers, and the one or two minor flaws were easily picked out. When I eventually picked up my Skyland, I wrote a very comprehensive review, but I've yet to post it, simply because I've got nothing new to add to what has already been said a thousand times. It seems to me that we have seen a shift in purpose. From being a site that provided useful information that aided members both before and after a purchase, to being a site that simply aids members in their purchasing decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 (edited) Excellent post Andreww! Point1: You are probably correct but do we know for sure that people are buying less replicas now or buying less expensive replicas? One should think that replicas should become more desirable considering the economic downturn? Point2: Your probably even more accurate on this one concerning the most popular watches and that aiding is the prime objective now...but that was what TRC became also so its not a completely new thing That being said replicas have along way to go still and we must help in that process. More focus on brands like A. Lange and brands that so far has few replicas is still warranted.... I think RWG is now TRC (= a mature and civilized community)and lack of excitement is keeping the posting down. What is needed is new and vital members and maybe a change in style.....I remembered when the new RWG (this site) was created there was a lot of discussion to what extent a lot of posts was good or bad....members have to in some way feel that they are being rewarded or have higher status for posting a lot (even if that is to some extent silly also). This is a virtual place and people have to believe in the dreams and hype going on to become more active.... Edited September 3, 2009 by Gran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 members have to in some way feel that they are being rewarded or have higher status for posting a lot (even if that is to some extent silly also). This is a virtual place and people have to believe in the dreams and hype going on to become more active.... I think when you start paying too much attention to post count, you start to get threads like this... OP - So what is the best Skyland, V2 or V3? Reply 1 - Both very good reps but the V2 is slightly more accurate. The V3 is cheaper though. Reply 2 - V2 is better Reply 3 - V2 Reply 4 - +1 on what reply 1 said Reply 5 - The V2 is better but the V1 is cheaper Reply 6 - Hey Reply 3 how you liking that new strap I sent ya? You get the picture. Boards like RG may have a lot more activity as of late, but the content is suffering just as much as it is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 OK! thats that then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Excellent post Andreww! Point1: You are probably correct but do we know for sure that people are buying less replicas now or buying less expensive replicas? One should think that replicas should become more desirable considering the economic downturn? I can only speak for myself, but my financial situation has got so bad that even the Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Good feedback and too bad about the economy TeeJay I guess were sort of spoiled up here in Norway as the crisis has not hit as hard WildWest might be going too far agreed...we certainly wouldnt want to kill or drive out the natives (most of what I write is tongue in cheek or allegory in case you wonder).... but this should at least be frontier and a place of wonder Best wishes Gunnar (Send Out The Clowns) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 I can only speak for myself, but my financial situation has got so bad that even the Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 You get the picture. Boards like RG may have a lot more activity as of late, but the content is suffering just as much as it is here. Yeah, v2 is better. +1 Wear it well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Yeah, v2 is better. +1 Wear it well. Love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Im in the same boat Teej. I think that If money were not an issue I likely would be buying gens. Money has always been tight for me, but we've always got by, and there has always been a bit left over at the end of the day for such luxuries as reps. Over the past year however it seems like its a struggle just to cover the basic necessities, and that there is never enough left for extravagances. I think that the nature of the rep hobby is simply more suited to the middle class, not the wealthy, and its the middle class that has really felt the pinch lately. I find it a little difficult to say I can't afford new watches when I just magicked $1000 out of my ass for a Moon Watch, but it's definitely the case for me, but oddly enough, I've felt like this since my missus gave up her job in Paris and we went from two very decent salaries to ... oh, wait, maybe that's it. If I sent Mrs Pugwash out to the workfarm, maybe I can start getting a Rep or two a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 So we need the women after all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 have to in some way feel that they are being rewarded or have higher status for posting a lot (even if that is to some extent silly also). This is a virtual place and people have to believe in the dreams and hype going on to become more active.... Who was it who has a singature pic that said "The Higher you post count the longer your penis" I took that to heart i realy did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Who was it who has a singature pic that said "The Higher you post count the longer your penis" I took that to heart i realy did! Aw, you small guys will never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Good feedback and too bad about the economy TeeJay I guess were sort of spoiled up here in Norway as the crisis has not hit as hard WildWest might be going too far agreed...we certainly wouldnt want to kill or drive out the natives (most of what I write is tongue in cheek or allegory in case you wonder).... but this should at least be frontier and a place of wonder Best wishes Gunnar (Send Out The Clowns) Thanks for the good wishes, and indeed, it's a shame about the economy, but it's good to hear that not everywhere has been as badly affected I know what you mean there about the 'new frontier', and I quite agree with you. That said, until people are in the position to buy more, or get involved with more projects, I think things might remain fairly quiet... In addition to my planned GMTIICSub project (which needs four watches for me to butcher ) I'm also going to have a Tudor Snowflake project in progress as well, and that will be the subject of an upcoming review (of a part) but I don't want to say too much yet, as it will spoil the surprise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Im in the same boat Teej. I think that If money were not an issue I likely would be buying gens. Money has always been tight for me, but we've always got by, and there has always been a bit left over at the end of the day for such luxuries as reps. Over the past year however it seems like its a struggle just to cover the basic necessities, and that there is never enough left for extravagances. I think that the nature of the rep hobby is simply more suited to the middle class, not the wealthy, and its the middle class that has really felt the pinch lately. I would totally agree there. The upper class has had enough money to ride things out, the low class gets government benefits to support them, but the middle class, has been well and truly turned upside down... Not enough assets/savings to ride things out, too much income to qualify for government support... Personally, I think the easiest way to solve the issue, is to give every person in the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rckh Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Dear Lani: I haven't post since 17th Aug......why? 1.) the new upgrade just clear all my trade-history which I hardly build it up by all these years. I'm very angry with that. 2.) the pointless reputation system made me avoid to post or I'll get another negative reputation in my profile if someone don't agree with my post.I'm not sure how many members clearly understand the reputation system is related to our post not related to our trade history...We should encourage to post more freely, right? But seems it's not right now. I miss the "star-rating" good old time. 3.) There're less & less good or super reps release; I haven't buy any watch 2 month already. So; there're less review than before. I miss the good old time; my platinum membership will expire on next week. But I'm not sure whether I'll pay for it or not. Best Regards, Raymond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 I find it a little difficult to say I can't afford new watches when I just magicked $1000 out of my ass for a Moon Watch, but it's definitely the case for me, but oddly enough, I've felt like this since my missus gave up her job in Paris and we went from two very decent salaries to ... oh, wait, maybe that's it. If I sent Mrs Pugwash out to the workfarm, maybe I can start getting a Rep or two a month. $1000 or Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 I miss the good old time; my platinum membership will expire on next week. But I'm not sure whether I'll pay for it or not. Best Regards, Raymond You've been an amazing asset on this board, and I know I would hate to lose your activity here. I think anything you sell here would be backed by a reputation that you can easily refer to through past sales and members who have bought from you, even if the reputation system isn't there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraithride Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 As I stated in another thread, I've definitely noticed a drop in new posts lately. By lately, it's been since the upgrade. I know that when the upgrade first came out, i felt very disoriented, and things just didn't feel like they used to. The other forum felt comfy, like home. With the change, it just didn't have the same feel to it, and I noticed almost immediately that the number of posts went down. I assumed it was due to the first challenges of getting things up and running, followed by people just needing to get used to the place. I've been waiting for people to return and for posts to increase, thinking "today will be the day". It does indeed feel like there are less newb questions in the general discussion area. It seems that some of the threads that would generate the most replies and that real forum family closeness, were responses to people who were very new, and had the typical questions about "who has the best" "how do you know who to buy from" "what should I expect with customs" "what is an A7750?" etc. Those used to hit multiple pages in a heartbeat, and you saw genuine enthusiasm from our members supporting the newcomers. Maybe we're a victim of our own success? Have we created so many how-to guides, and made the information so accessible that people find it without asking the old time questions? I always enjoyed when veterans would take the time to answer questions of newbies, even when they have been asked hundreds of times before - not just the default "learn how to search.". I can tell you the posts i look forward to the most are when members are getting a new watch, discuss why they picked it out, and the eventual review. I love reading watch reviews and getting opinions on how people think they measure up. Regardless if it's a new sub, PO, pam, or the new UN, it's always great to see the excitement when people get a new watch and start talking about it. Maybe we're buying less due to various reasons. Perhaps we could start some kind of, for lack of a better word, contest. Like a newb questions of the week. Encourage new members to ask questions, and those that generae responses or ask a good question, get something - no idea what though... Anyway, just my $.02US WR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 RWG has become to civilized (That is showing too much evidence of moral and intellectual advancement being too humane, ethical, and just to damn reasonable) ...it does not have the new frontier and gun slinging attitude anymore...... Um, I think you have the wrong RWG Gran, The "wild west" is still there Who knows, but RepGeek is generating over twice the postcount of here. They allways did Pugsy but a lot of it is drivil. I gotta put it down to the new V3 format. The number of members on line has never recovered since the change over. Gone from 230+ to around 120 or so on average. The Users on line to total users ratio is under half of what it was pre V3. Those actualy here are not posting as much either. One big factor in this is(IMO)the lack of the "new posts" box. It's replacement only registers new threads, not posts making it very hard to keep track of replys without going to the trouble of "subscribing" to each post. While opening a thread page is now lightning quick a refreash of the index page can take forever and result in a half loaded page. Another possibility is that folk are using the "improved" PM system to hold private chats instead of posting since it's allmost a chatroom now. That's just a guess but admin could see how much traffic there is in PM. Browser issues may also be having an effect since with IE it is necessory to fine tune the settings to get the place to work and that may be beond some folk. FF works a lot better as does Chrome but the majority of internet users are still on IE naturaly (damn you Bill Gate$!). As I said over at RWI the other day, RWG2 is geting far less trafic than it deserves ATM and I hope you guys work it out 'cause it's a slippery slope. I expected a dip after the changeover but the recovery seems a long time in comming. Let's hope it comes soon. Comparisions to TRC are a little worrying. I hate to thnk this place would ever become no more than a searchable data base! Regards, Col. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 I hate to thnk this place would ever become no more than a searchable data base! Search has to work well for that to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star69 Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 yep ! i miss a loot of members ?! where are they ? don't think they all ended up on RG anyway there are some new members with exploding post-counts - maybe they can raise the traffic a little bit ..... cheers, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 I realize that I am somewhat still a noob here, but I have started to notice a bit of a disturbing trend as of late that may be scaring off the noob community. I realize it is just bad form for your first or second post to be "Who has the best sub?", but some people I find are a little too quick to flame the noob questions and state "Use the search function. It is your friend". Before the upgrade, the search engine was superb. Since the upgrade, I find the search engine very difficult to navigate through. Considering how much I used it before the upgrade and loved it, I cannot imagine being a noob now and trying to find some useful information through every single thread that comes back in the search results. I think it might be time to start pulling back the flaming posts a little bit and really step up to start helping the noobs who are brave enough to dare ask such questions as "V1, V2 or V-super-advanced-incredibly-amazing" Additionally, there have been quite a few people who have been quite quick to jump on people's sales threads practically calling them scammers - members who have been respected veterans for quite a while and have a superb sales reputation. Certain tones of writing that have seriously gotten out of hand and caused quite a bad feeling between members. I'm no super poster, but I love to contribute when and where I can and I love the feedback, advice, and general good vibes from everyone here who has helped me out with all of my little projects. Just thought I would share my 0.02 RED 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star69 Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 so - 5 posts today - did my duty cheers, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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