Where do we go from here?

[Flyin6]

I have been watching traffic fall way off on our website. Whereas one year we eclipsed 4 million views, we receded to just over 3 million last year and this year we will likely end just over the 2-million mark.

While viewer participation has been waning, the costs have skyrocketed. We now pay around a thousand dollars to maintain operations for the coming year. Given the fact that participation is less than half what it once was, that makes us something like 4 times more expensive to operate vs my perceived impact.

I think the lines are starting to cross over on that subjective chart where one considers effort expended vs net return.

I did not get the IT help I needed to migrate the site over to something more cost-effective and I am not technologically capable of doing it myself.

Perhaps reality is about to kick in here, and perhaps our days may be numbered.

I wanted to keep the forum an open place where people post the things they are doing, but I can look at Instagram posts by many of the members here and find a vibrant conversation going on there vs what we have here. I do think we have allowed people to voice their opinions and we have honored the Lord, so there is that. And perhaps the days of the websites are coming to a close except for the most active of the forums. We do not seem to have that going on here.

So as we close in on the eventual renewal, I will let all of you know my thoughts, but the warning flag has been hoisted.

I feel that we need to move all this over to an Instagram-like setting, but at most of those places I feel the Lord will be stifled, and without being able to control content, we will probably see curse words, flaming and nasty pictures at a new venue. That's just my feeling, and I could be wrong. Should we continue to decrease with respect to activity, we will come to a close at the next renewal.

[Sammconn]

Well shoot.

Keep me posted chief.
I don’t do any of the social crap.
Have a Facebook and only use it to keep in touch with a few.
Was debating ditching it even.

So wherever we end up.
Let me know, cause like the rest I’ll miss this if it ends.
And I’ll have to learn some new crap too. Lol.

[TexasRedNeck]

Probably a sign of the times, Chief.  Wholesome Christ centered conversations are rare these days.  There is a core group here that can still exchange thoughts, support and ideas on other media.


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[Flyin6]

Probably a sign of the times, Chief.  Wholesome Christ centered conversations are rare these days.  There is a core group here that can still exchange thoughts, support and ideas on other media.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What I was thinking, and that is good for us.

And that has been a blessing into my/our lives

But

Bigger picture:

I always fancied that the way we conduct ourselves here and share in a healthy manner just might rub off on others. It's what you do that others focus on...Much more than what you say.

I really won't know what the disposition of all this becomes until the time arrives. I think conditions will dictate what should be self-evident.

[Flyin6]

How odd that today I posted this message about declining views.
and
today
We just got the highest-ever views at one time.
3,316 at a single time!

Sure, they were almost certainly web spiders, but odd how it happened today...

A sign???

[JR]

This has crossed my mind several times lately. Hate to see it happen but I also don't see the use required to keep going.

Hate to loose the forum and stories, I am not a text guy unless I must, FB is for selling-buying things.

Heck, haven't even got my foundation poured yet!

[DDS]

I can probably count on one hand how many times I've posted/commented on something, but I've been here since day 1. I do not partake in any type of social media stuff, but I religiously go on this site daily. I'm a man of few words, but I'll surely miss this place if it ever goes.

[stlaser]

Don & I have been discussing this for a bit now. Initially I agreed it may be time to throw in the towel. I threw him some idea’s yesterday evening about how to help the site evolve while staying the same. We’ll see where this goes but I think it needs packaged differently as times are changing and as much as we hate social media it is a necessary evil I think in order to reach those whom could use this site. As Don stated, let’s use the enemies infrastructure against them. Teaching an old dog a new trick, with that said if you value this place now is the time to speak up and maybe volunteer to be a bit more involved. That could be ten minutes a day. The core group is good and no one wants to lose that. My 2 cents

[JR]

Would like to see it stay around.

[cj7ox]

I also would like to see it stay. I don't often have time to visit every day, but when I do have time to "get online" this is always the first place I go.

[Flyin6]

Sean has suggested I/we start an Instagram site that somehow links discussions to here. I am not savvy about how to make that happen, but I can learn. One concern is that here we can be outspoken about good and Godly things whereas my experience on FB is that those conversations or those critical of lefty topics are throttled. Not very "free speech" oriented, but that is my experience.
Secondly, there are some growing fees to maintain this site. I do not feel comfortable with just a few shouldering that burden, but I also do not want to take away any blessing.
It is a lot to sort through at the moment. I welcome any and all ideas so I can ultimately disapprove and do what I want to do in the end...!
Ha, gotcha. Seriously, I'm open to ideas about how to make us bigger/better/more approachable, and more God-centric.

[Mrwoody]

I'm with JR,CJ,and The DDS. I would really miss this site and do check it at least once a day if i have internet.  I don't use instagram but do check fakebook occasionally.   I think Don needs to start another Oil Change , thats when the site gets busy.

[Flyin6]

I'm with JR,CJ,and The DDS. I would really miss this site and do check it at least once a day if i have internet.  I don't use instagram but do check fakebook occasionally.   I think Don needs to start another Oil Change , thats when the site gets busy.

Steve-I love it!
Thought of changing the fluids on the Jeep. Change from 0W-20 to 0-60 in the form of a 6.4 hemi. That would likely get folks going.

[oklawall]

With life I have been absent recently. I will also miss the site if it is gone and would love to see it stay around.