State of the 'Nation

[Pseudonym]

Hey guys. I figured it was about time we sat down for a little chat.

 

I think most things are now working properly with the new website software. There are still a few tweaks to be made, but things are generally working well. At least, I think so - what do you reckon? Now you've had a chance to use the software a bit, how do you find it? Better on mobile? (Please say yes!)

 

However, we obviously have an issue with how quiet the place has become. It goes without saying this is not ideal, and we need to address this. We need to get people interacting and engaging on the forum again. Particularly the young guys, as lately our demographic has been getting older and older. This has some advantages, as the rest of you wrinkled old coots have experience and wisdom on your side, and you're very valued members indeed - but we need young people too!

 

The good news is that I'm confident we can do this. We now run on modern, mobile-friendly software (finally!), so that's one major obstacle taken care of. And across the board, gym sports - whether bodybuilding, powerlifting, crossfit, etc - have never been as popular as they are now.

 

I also think there's a real need in the NZ fitness industry for a forum like ours. A neutral platform, independent of all the politics and commercial alliances, to give a voice to local gym junkies and athletes (whatever the code) - and allow people to call bullshit where necessary. Facebook/Instagram are huge, but on those platforms everything gets fragmented, so there's no single place to hear the voice of the people, and good information gets buried instantly.

 

So how do we build up the Gymnation community? I'm going to be promoting the site as hard as I can, through as many avenues as I can... and I'm open to any suggestions you guys may have! Here's a few of my thoughts:

- Add a new resources section for quick beginner's "how-to" guides (this one's underway already)

- More competitions to attract new members

- Giveaways to entice old members back

- Partner with other companies to use their networks to spread the word

 

Finally, and most importantly, I just want to say thanks to all you guys who've stuck by us over the last year or two. It's been a bumpy ride, and it's not over yet, but your support is really appreciated. I don't say it often, but you're a pretty awesome bunch.

 

So keep doing what you're doing, post lots in your journals, say nice things to the newbies when they sign up, and we'll make the Gymnation community better than ever.

 

[maccaz]

Agree. Works very good on mobile for me at least which has made me more keen to contribute. 

 

Some sticky posts would be good as would how we used to have those beginners dieting cutting/bulking for dummies articles. More than once iv been keen to refer people to these and found they dont exist any more 

 

Like articles explaining macros, calories, surplus, deficit. Really spell it out for beginners. These were invaluable to me when starting out and iv aeen a few people join and get swamped with too much conflicting info. 

 

Other ideas

beginners gear sticky

Blood tests ticky 

Beginner bodybuilding sticky

Beginner powerlifting sticky

Beginner gym in general sticky, basic movements etc

 

 

These things that people enjoy and get hooked on the site rather than coming on not finding what they want so asking stupid questions. 

[Pseudonym]

Cheers for the reply Maccaz. That's exactly what we're looking at doing. Basic articles in plain English, but written by people who know what they're talking about.  Then once we've got the basics covered, we might add some more advanced articles in there too.

 

By the way, what do you guys think of our homepage? Can we improve it? I'm thinking of dropping the calendar box (or moving it elsewhere) and replacing it with an Instagram/Facebook feed, so we can see what the community is up to. Hopefully more people using a #gymnationnz hashtag will eventually mean more people coming back here. But does it need a bigger overhaul - do you find it overwhelming with too much info? Or is it about right?

 

Also, is anyone using the new Activity Stream feature? What do you think of that?

[Daz69]

I believe it's been said before, but a tolerance of new members inexperience and lack of knowledge, people don't come here to be ridiculed or made fun at.. There is at time a gang type mentality where older members bully newer members off the forum.. They may at times ask stupid questions that could be answered by a simple google search, but there are ways of enlightening people without taking the piss..

 

Each new member lost is one that won't be coming back, or bringing their friends..

 

Moderate insults quickly, rather than leaving shit fights to escalate would be my advice..

 

Although all the popular forums seem to be quiet at the moment... people seem to like facebook and instagram..  

[Skeletor]

I've found it easier on my mobile for sure. I had noticed it was quiet in here and haven't really been checking in much myself because there was just no new interesting articles to read. New members are definitely what you need.  There's  a good group of Powerlifters in here but it lacks the bodybuilders and crossfitters etc. I think if you can get a good group of these to regularly post on here then the numbers will increase. Maybe even aim some comps directly at them. Get them involved and bring friends and make them feel they can post and ask questions without getting trampled.  I'd even go so far as to suggest a guide to using steroids safely , tips, hygiene,  doses, first cycles because let's face it , a lot of younger guys are using it now without any real knowledge .  It's a good site it just needs more younger guys coming through. 

[tyreguy]

There is a nucleus of guys on here that are carrying  this forum along quite nicely.  We need more gurus across the board lol. 

[Realtalk]

The forum isn't dead as such. The amount of active posters isn't huge at times. But the amount of views and people who follow the forum, check up on it and have a read is massive. You don't have to join or sign on to follow, not even with the aas section like you used to have to (not sure why that changed actually?).  Pretty much everyone who competes in PL and BBing reads this forum. All federations. It's about translating that into getting people posting. There is no lack of awareness of what gymnation is anoungst the types of people you want to attract. Trust me when I say that. Most people just like to read and don't like contributing, put 1000 people in a hall and run a number or debates of different subjects and it will be the same people discussing every one even if they don't know what they are talking about they like to contribute everyone ekse would rather just listen (read). That's like talkback radio, the audience is massive but it's the same people calling all the time.

[bang_bang]

I'm getting this mess on my desktop which isn't that bad I just can't read the top threads title.

 

Also when I swipe back out of a thread it takes me back about two weeks so I have to hit the gymnation logo at the top to refresh everytime I read a thread it's annoying as f*ck. 

[Pseudonym]

41 minutes ago, bang_bang said:

I'm getting this mess on my desktop which isn't that bad I just can't read the top threads title.

Eww... I'd say that's pretty bad. What browser are you using, and what's your screen resolution?

 

41 minutes ago, bang_bang said:

Also when I swipe back out of a thread it takes me back about two weeks so I have to hit the gymnation logo at the top to refresh everytime I read a thread it's annoying as f*ck. 

Bugger. I thought we'd fixed this one. I'll take another look at it.

[Bruce Al]

I also get that mess too but i think its Bcos im using safari and am told its no good. Cell Phone works fine.

[bang_bang]

Not sure it's the computer at work  

[Bruce Al]

20 hours ago, bang_bang said:

Not sure it's the computer at work  

Do you know if your computer at work uses safari?

[Michael Knight]

The problem with this place is the over protective mother style moderation. 

 

What's the point of having a message board where you can't say anything controversial. 

[Pseudonym]

On 15/12/2015 at 8:09 PM, Bruce Al said:

Do you know if your computer at work uses safari?

It looks like it's an old version of Internet Explorer. I'll have a play over the weekend and see if there's anything we can do, but unfortunately there's a limit to how far back we can support.

 

1 hour ago, Michael Knight said:

The problem with this place is the over protective mother style moderation. 

What's the point of having a message board where you can't say anything controversial. 

That comment confuses me, Michael. What controversial stuff have we stopped you from saying? We don't have that many rules, and what we do have are mostly so the forum doesn't get into legal trouble - no defamatory posts, etc. Apart from that, all we ask is that you don't abuse each other. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

[Michael Knight]

Sometimes people need to be abused. 

I'm not big on sitting round the camp fire, holding hands and singing songs.