The Real Challenge for DR1 Forum

Status
Not open for further replies.

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
Monday through Thursday, Dolores and her team present a summary of DR related news. Most of it has the potential for vibrant debate amongst those that actually live here, and in particular our much reduced Dominican members in the community.

Just like most days for the past two years or so, the news from this Thursday gets by passed and ignored.

Are we a Dominican anglophile community with a core agenda relating to DR or not?

I suspect not anymore.

Some posters from here and overseas have dictated the mood and only the strife of OT matters now.

Thank you jahjahwarrior for injecting some much needed DR travel input but it is too late.

Thank you Ogre for saying what many, many in the community think, but it is too late.

Thank you ww for reminding us of the root cause of the decline.

carlos...you are new Mod. here. Show us a reinvigorated fresh enthusiasm, such that we can have debates that don't fit the norm about DR much more often, without the constant bickering and political emphasis here in your Forum. And maybe use the daily DR1 news as a basis. Every story Dolores and her team posted Thursday should have at least one comment to provoke discussion amongst those of us who spend most of our time, if not permanently, in DR. It is up to the community, if it still exists, to work with the management to generate debate and try and ignore the obvious trolls.
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
The owners should concentrate on the 39 DR forums and not the one non DR Forum that has and will continue to destroy all sense of harmony and DR relevance and surely even more after 1st June.

But all the energy is to try and keep about two dozen combatants happy in OT.
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
The owners should concentrate on the 39 DR forums and not the one non DR Forum that has and will continue to destroy all sense of harmony and DR relevance and surely even more after 1st June.

But all the energy is to try and keep about two dozen combatants happy in OT.

With all due respect, you have no idea what goes on in the background and what is being done to promote the DR related forums, so let me give you a few numbers to put your "assumptions" into perspective.

We have 76,158 registered members and 470 or 0.62% of those members have access to OT.
The other 75,688 have no clue about the OT forum, what it contains etc.

The DR related forums have by far the largest engagement, dwarfing the OT forum by a MASSIVE amount.

Based on the last 4 months traffic from Google Analytics, the OT forum represents around 0.22% of the total DR1 page views and 0.41% of total forum page views. The other 99.59% of forum page views and engagement are in the DR related forums.

If you want me to remove your access to the OT forum so you can focus more on DR relevant threads and posts, let me know via PM.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
As you well know , numbers such as you cite cannot describe a mood....

Quantity and quality are not described or determined by equal means.

Personally, I remember logging on in the morning and having more than a page of new posts to
sift through .
That doesn't happen any more.

This would indicate to me that the general activity is lower - perhaps even membership is lower.
Active participation surely drops when the number of new threads/posts drops.

I say this without access to numbers.

Quality ?
I have said before that the mood of the OT permeates the entire culture.
A new standard has been created , IMO -- a lower one

Hopefully, others will comment and add their views to this thread.
Freedom to do so has not been well received prior - from my experience.

Perhaps the answer to your question to me will come forward here -
I hope so,
although it will be hard for those who are in agreement with this thread to do so if they have already jumped ship.

===================================================
Robert Robert is offline
DR1
Join Date
Jan 1999
Posts
23,911
Post Thanks / Like
Default
Quote Originally Posted by william webster View Post
The Ogre has it right and expresses the sentiments of many ....

Please list the many. Are we talking 3, 10, 100, 500 posters?
 

Timotero

Bronze
Feb 25, 2011
689
29
48
Ok, I’ll bite for those of us not in the know. What’s OT? And what happens June 1st?
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
Monday through Thursday, Dolores and her team present a summary of DR related news. Most of it has the potential for vibrant debate amongst those that actually live here, and in particular our much reduced Dominican members in the community.
Just like most days for the past two years or so, the news from this Thursday gets by passed and ignored.

is there any particular reason that you as a poster cannot start threads to discuss news that interest you?
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
Monday through Thursday, Dolores and her team present a summary of DR related news. Most of it has the potential for vibrant debate amongst those that actually live here, and in particular our much reduced Dominican members in the community.

Just like most days for the past two years or so, the news from this Thursday gets by passed and ignored.

Are we a Dominican anglophile community with a core agenda relating to DR or not?

I suspect not anymore.

Some posters from here and overseas have dictated the mood and only the strife of OT matters now.

Thank you jahjahwarrior for injecting some much needed DR travel input but it is too late.

Thank you Ogre for saying what many, many in the community think, but it is too late.

Thank you ww for reminding us of the root cause of the decline.

carlos...you are new Mod. here. Show us a reinvigorated fresh enthusiasm, such that we can have debates that don't fit the norm about DR much more often, without the constant bickering and political emphasis here in your Forum. And maybe use the daily DR1 news as a basis. Every story Dolores and her team posted Thursday should have at least one comment to provoke discussion amongst those of us who spend most of our time, if not permanently, in DR. It is up to the community, if it still exists, to work with the management to generate debate and try and ignore the obvious trolls.

You make some interesting points and I have felt for a long time now that this forum is not getting the level of participation by many who use to input info and comments and now seemed to have lost interest. There are many many threads that go without input for weeks and months. As far as the news updates all you have to do is search the Dominican Today website to get the same news updates daily. You can start your own thread based on these. I assume this is where Dolores is getting her info. I think we can spot the obvious trolls who add nothing to the discussion and come to forum uniformed. I guess the bottom line is that you have to power to jump in or opt out on a daily basis. You can agree or disagree or stay on the sideline but if you comment than you have opened up yourself to those who want to make a point or counter point or want to steer the discussion away from the original statement. That's life on the internet in this age of "discussion". Basically many who comment on social media go by the mantra I'm not always right, but I'm never wrong. Sad but true. So, you have a choice to participate and take it all with a grain of salt or stay silent. You still have that right. I could be crass and say don't let the door hit you on the way out but that is really not the point. This forum exists to be a public service and a medium for discussion. Unfortunately, many hi-jack the thoughts of others, never answer the questions asked or make any attempt to add anything of substance to the discussion. We all know who those individuals are and you can either ignore them or stop participating. That's the beauty of the internet. It's up to you. Don't look to others to solve your forum delemas. Participate or not. Jump in or move on.
 
Last edited:

Luperon

Who empowered China's crime against humanity?
Jun 28, 2004
4,510
294
83
There is an obvious reason for the decline of the "regular" forums. I have talked personally to a few long time members, some now dead and they all agreed.
 

Luperon

Who empowered China's crime against humanity?
Jun 28, 2004
4,510
294
83
Ok, I’ll bite for those of us not in the know. What’s OT? And what happens June 1st?
Tim, if you respond to this post, I will personally, magically give you access to "off topic" forums in which you can discuss politics etc and You will see the ridiculous June 1st rule.
 

the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
83
0
Monday through Thursday, Dolores and her team present a summary of DR related news. Most of it has the potential for vibrant debate amongst those that actually live here, and in particular our much reduced Dominican members in the community.

Just like most days for the past two years or so, the news from this Thursday gets by passed and ignored.

Are we a Dominican anglophile community with a core agenda relating to DR or not?

I suspect not anymore.

Some posters from here and overseas have dictated the mood and only the strife of OT matters now.

Thank you jahjahwarrior for injecting some much needed DR travel input but it is too late.

Thank you Ogre for saying what many, many in the community think, but it is too late.

Thank you ww for reminding us of the root cause of the decline.

carlos...you are new Mod. here. Show us a reinvigorated fresh enthusiasm, such that we can have debates that don't fit the norm about DR much more often, without the constant bickering and political emphasis here in your Forum. And maybe use the daily DR1 news as a basis. Every story Dolores and her team posted Thursday should have at least one comment to provoke discussion amongst those of us who spend most of our time, if not permanently, in DR. It is up to the community, if it still exists, to work with the management to generate debate and try and ignore the obvious trolls.

i am very respectful of your concern for the present and future of the site in general, and maybe OT in particular, but it is a work in progress, and it will always be. i am bewildered to contemplate that the OT forum could have been completely overrun by a bunch of hardcore, right wing guys , most of whom do not even live in the DR, and who have not even visited in quite a while. i have used my recent travails with certain people here to assess what i see as the realities, and the possibilities, and to prognosticate on what comes next.

first of all...let us face realities. OT is a tale of two sides. nothing more, nothing less. one side wants to ventilate social realities, the other wants to shut them up. well, no discussion of life, politics, economics, social interaction, criminal justice realities and reform, immigration, foreign policy, the arts, commerce, education, history, and myriad other subjects can have any worthwhile outcomes if certain people here get their wish and shut the other guys up. as people here must have realized by now, i am not going to wither up and go away because a bunch of guys want me to. Robert and my death are your only salvation from me. oh..i forgot...the ignore button.

so, all you guys who want honest discourse need to allow all sides to be heard. even cellphones get the privilege of spirited debate between Robert and AZB.

prognosis? recurring crises like the current state, with certain guys folding the tent, and walking away.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
I think one of the downfalls is that since some of the 'old style DR1 members' have departed,
we are devoid of the valuable knowledge they had and shared.

Questions that beg answers are left begging....

The resource pool is more shallow these days -- IMO

For DR information - but not for social causes -
there we are overloaded !!
 

Luperon

Who empowered China's crime against humanity?
Jun 28, 2004
4,510
294
83
i am very respectful of your concern for the present and future of the site in general, and maybe OT in particular, but it is a work in progress, and it will always be. i am bewildered to contemplate that the OT forum could have been completely overrun by a bunch of hardcore, right wing guys , most of whom do not even live in the DR, and who have not even visited in quite a while. i have used my recent travails with certain people here to assess what i see as the realities, and the possibilities, and to prognosticate on what comes next.

first of all...let us face realities. OT is a tale of two sides. nothing more, nothing less. one side wants to ventilate social realities, the other wants to shut them up. well, no discussion of life, politics, economics, social interaction, criminal justice realities and reform, immigration, foreign policy, the arts, commerce, education, history, and myriad other subjects can have any worthwhile outcomes if certain people here get their wish and shut the other guys up. as people here must have realized by now, i am not going to wither up and go away because a bunch of guys want me to. Robert and my death are your only salvation from me. oh..i forgot...the ignore button.

so, all you guys who want honest discourse need to allow all sides to be heard. even cellphones get the privilege of spirited debate between Robert and AZB.

prognosis? recurring crises like the current state, with certain guys folding the tent, and walking away.
Exibit one, see above.
 

the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
83
0
I think one of the downfalls is that since some of the 'old style DR1 members' have departed,
we are devoid of the valuable knowledge they had and shared.

Questions that beg answers are left begging....

The resource pool is more shallow these days -- IMO

For DR information - but not for social causes -
there we are overloaded !!

you can get all the information you ever wanted on this site. there are guys here who can give you the answer to just about any question you might have. this is probably a one of a kind site in the entire world, as far as availability of information goes. i am sure that with the exploding phenomenon of retirement migration, many countries such as Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama will have similar sites, but i do not subscribe to the theory that the knowledge base was greater 7 years ago. maybe people today prefer to just go straight to google for their answers today. there is a person here who can give you the answer to almost any and all questions.
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
is there any particular reason that you as a poster cannot start threads to discuss news that interest you?

As you no doubt have noticed, I do regularly start topics in forums across the board.

There were a number of us that did that reporting the daily news stories in DR.

But, we have the basis of developing the main forum with each and every one of the news stories posted Monday through Thursday, and the drift of my OP was that the energies of the management should be to devise a formula such that those stories can be commented upon rather than an extra post at the end of the news for a particular day.

My question again. Is this a forum about DR or not? Is was a first base for those planning to visit DR to find out information? Is that still so?

Where is the information these days? To any newbee the site must seem dead.

And another reason why people are not posting these days in the regular forum is well known. There are some who do not like others and troll them beyond OT.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
you can get all the information you ever wanted on this site. there are guys here who can give you the answer to just about any question you might have. this is probably a one of a kind site in the entire world, as far as availability of information goes. i am sure that with the exploding phenomenon of retirement migration, many countries such as Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama will have similar sites, but i do not subscribe to the theory that the knowledge base was greater 7 years ago. maybe people today prefer to just go straight to google for their answers today. there is a person here who can give you the answer to almost any and all questions.

As you well know....
I and others resort to 'offline' answer seeking....

Much of my advice is given offline... when people ask me directly for help.

The public forum is not very welcoming... as I see it.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
i am very respectful of your concern for the present and future of the site in general, and maybe OT in particular, but it is a work in progress, and it will always be. i am bewildered to contemplate that the OT forum could have been completely overrun by a bunch of hardcore, right wing guys , most of whom do not even live in the DR, and who have not even visited in quite a while. i have used my recent travails with certain people here to assess what i see as the realities, and the possibilities, and to prognosticate on what comes next.

first of all...let us face realities. OT is a tale of two sides. nothing more, nothing less. one side wants to ventilate social realities, the other wants to shut them up. well, no discussion of life, politics, economics, social interaction, criminal justice realities and reform, immigration, foreign policy, the arts, commerce, education, history, and myriad other subjects can have any worthwhile outcomes if certain people here get their wish and shut the other guys up. as people here must have realized by now, i am not going to wither up and go away because a bunch of guys want me to. Robert and my death are your only salvation from me. oh..i forgot...the ignore button.

so, all you guys who want honest discourse need to allow all sides to be heard. even cellphones get the privilege of spirited debate between Robert and AZB.

prognosis? recurring crises like the current state, with certain guys folding the tent, and walking away.

Exibit one, see above.

Precisely -

here we are trying to talk about the general forum's problems and Mike comes back with the OT and he won't go away.

Mike - it's about the rest of the forum , not the OT so much.
Does the OT influence the values and direction of the others - Yes

But can both be preserved - if so , How?

If the answer is No - what then ?
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
With all due respect, you have no idea what goes on in the background and what is being done to promote the DR related forums, so let me give you a few numbers to put your "assumptions" into perspective.

We have 76,158 registered members and 470 or 0.62% of those members have access to OT.
The other 75,688 have no clue about the OT forum, what it contains etc.

The DR related forums have by far the largest engagement, dwarfing the OT forum by a MASSIVE amount.

Based on the last 4 months traffic from Google Analytics, the OT forum represents around 0.22% of the total DR1 page views and 0.41% of total forum page views. The other 99.59% of forum page views and engagement are in the DR related forums.

If you want me to remove your access to the OT forum so you can focus more on DR relevant threads and posts, let me know via PM.

Sometimes threads that I have opened in the General Forum have been moved to OT such as one I can think of in relation to the environment. Those threads were borderline DR related.

And there is a lot of interesting news that with a less hostile membership could be discussed with reason in OT too.

I have simply said that you and your moderators have been trying for a few years to deal with the OT crowd and their trolling and arguing and I am pointing out that the root cause is politics, race and religion discussions.

As DRob says, why do people in this community want to discuss these subjects over and over when there are so many other internet forums where one can vent and avoid creating animosities. I have made my suggestion that the above topics be ring fenced in quarantine so OT becomes a genuine extension to DR1 for those members that qualify to discuss topics which are just out of the DR related topic zone.

Clearly some enjoy the constant bickering over politics race and religion on this forum.

I think your figures above indicate OT is not a money earner in the actual sense because of views, but it certainly a major cause of the decline of the community interaction and the lack of GF posts. You only have to track your active member count and then look at the number of active people that do post and take note of those that are not posting much anymore.

Anyhow does it matter?
 

ctrob

Silver
Nov 9, 2006
5,591
781
113
Tim, if you respond to this post, I will personally, magically give you access to "off topic" forums in which you can discuss politics etc and You will see the ridiculous June 1st rule.


You are very powerful! But I think you scared him away.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.