57 replies to this topic

[firemedic238]

Is the a reason that the "banner topics" haven't changed in weeks? I noticed that the same 5 or 6 people are posting but, the topics seem to be moving very slow. Just wondering.

[john]

you mean the front page? I have been slacking lately on blogging. I am always looking for an extra hand if people are interested.

As for the forums, things have been slow for sure. A lot of the regulars seem to have left, for a variety of reasons. We're always looking for ideas to evolve the site, so if you have thoughts on what we could do, we're listening! No ideas are too outlandish.

[Darth Lefty]

I came back to the forum when there was something Folsom-related to talk about other than an election. Those turn everyone into monsters.

The front page is still hacked from last June so far as I can tell.

[Steve Heard]

I think it's a combination of things. We've lost some members due to political fighting on the forum, and wouldn't you know it, each side blames the other and claims that the negative posts all come from the dominating 'other side', and they've got plenty of proof, no matter which side they're on.

When I ask folks who haven't posted in a while why they aren't, they almost always reference the political fighting.

For some, however, I think it's just run its course and they've moved on.

I'd like to see it come back. There are lots of fun and interesting things to talk about out there.

[Terry]

I think it has something to do with better weather, too. In the winter, people spend more time indoors, thus online. Now that weather is more conducive to outdoor activities, less time online.

[SacKen]

I miss all the Folsom specific info I got here in the past. That seems to have dwindled to almost nothing and is what sets MyFolsom apart from other communication formats on the intertubes.

In general, I just think it is the Facebook effect. People post info and have "conversations" there instead. Debates are more friendly since you know the person on the other side. No more anonymous name-calling and rhetoric regurgitation. Easier control of those you want to never hear from again. I just think the anonymous web forum format has been superseded with one that more closely matches the personal relationships and conversations this format - and those that forums like this made obsolete - have been trying to replicate since the internet was born.

I don't know if there's anything that could bring it back other than going back to MyFolsom's roots that make it unique. The forum needs to get back to having a lot of good information about what's happening in Folsom. Restaurants opening/closing, events, city council misbehavior, all of it. Especially with South of 50 development looming. MyFolsom was the only place where people were keeping an eye on things. I have no clue what's going on now except for some large land purchases over there, which tell me that development is coming real soon.

I miss the Folsom insight! Unfortunately, it takes people coming back and posting that info when they have it. We may be too far down a path where those with the info are long gone.

Oh... and spel chek wrks on teh Facebook

[asbestoshills]

Several REASONS people don't post anymore.
THe forum is hard to access due to hackers or bad design (perhaps a little of both), not sure what.
A BIG ONE. I use my ipad/phone 4 to 1 to my laptop and the app is horrid and accessing it on my phone is a pain and it doesn't have the all of the current forum posts. In fact, I believe the moderator mentioned before he still wanted traffic to the full site accessible only thru a computer?WTH? If I can't access it thru my phone/ipad forget about it;)
LASTLY, having a mostly male, white, Republican poliical view point over saturating the forum is not most people's cup of tea considering we have a democrat as the President.

[TruthSeeker]

I think it's a combination of things. We've lost some members due to political fighting on the forum, and wouldn't you know it, each side blames the other and claims that the negative posts all come from the dominating 'other side', and they've got plenty of proof, no matter which side they're on.

When I ask folks who haven't posted in a while why they aren't, they almost always reference the political fighting.

That's a cop out, nobody can blame the politics section, it's very well hidden so UNLESS people go there on purpose, they only have themselves to blame for sticking their head into the political section. It's pretty easy to avoid, just don't go to that sub-forum = problem solved, so they cannot use that excuse any more. It's got to be something else.

I found that this site named Ad.afy11.net loads with every page, likely for advertisements and it's slow as molasses, makes for a painfully slooooow user experience.

[asbestoshills]

BTW, moderator why do I have 10 warning points? What is this and why wasn't I notified? The only time I have ever been warned was during a political discussion with a poster. In the details section I clicked it said unknown? Why do I have 10 and no reason given and more importantly I never received notification on any warning except the one time someone messaged me thru this account? I never even heard of warning points. I can only hope the people who have offended me in the past got the same warnings b/c this is the first time I have had a Scarlet A put on my icon. I can feel the love.

[Dartmore]

I'm not a big poster, but I've been a reader for the past four years. I too have dropped off reading through myFolsom.com for two reasons mentioned. There's a ton of mean-spirited bashing on the forums, and from what I see the front page news section has been hacked for about a year. Not fixing it says it's not worth fixing.

Love to see myFolsom come back to be strong local voice.

[caligirlz]

I have to agree with Steve. Not only was there a lot of blaming each other, but there was a lot of animosity towards the mods who were trying to moderate.

Plus, I've been busy with other things. I check in now & then, but not daily like I used to.

[cw68]

I agree with SacKen and Steve. I miss all the local info that was provided and I avoid posting because of the mean-spirited political threads.

When I moved to Folsom, I met some great people, many of whom are my closest friends and many of whom I remain friendly with today. It helped to make this town my home. It's something that can't exactly be replicated with FB.

I think part of the reason for the decline is that we each only have so much time for social media. MyFolsom now competes with FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

[caligirlz]

A BIG ONE. I use my ipad/phone 4 to 1 to my laptop and the app is horrid and accessing it on my phone is a pain and it doesn't have the all of the current forum posts. In fact, I believe the moderator mentioned before he still wanted traffic to the full site accessible only thru a computer?WTH? If I can't access it thru my phone/ipad forget about it;)

I use an iPad at times. It's frustrating to use on the website (I've never used an app). Apparently the keys don't make as good as contact as with my macbook and I'm constantly having to press harder, repeatedly for capitol letters, and fixing spelling errors. I prefer to use it for cruising, and if I want to post, I grab my macbook.

LASTLY, having a mostly male, white, Republican poliical view point over saturating the forum is not most people's cup of tea considering we have a democrat as the President.

This is the type of comment that fans the flames. It is not my experience that we have a mostly male, white, Republican political view point. At least not historically since I've been around. Now, yes, because that profile has basically, IMO, ran off most of the others. The discussions have frequently turned into personal attacks.

[Thinkingoutloud]

I left becuase I got tired of having to defend every little thing I said. Annonymous posting is just too easy for folks to bash. And it's not just political. I got called stupid beucase I inquired about painting my brick. You can only take so much of that crap before you figure out it just isn't worth it.

[john]

I'm not a big poster, but I've been a reader for the past four years. I too have dropped off reading through myFolsom.com for two reasons mentioned. There's a ton of mean-spirited bashing on the forums, and from what I see the front page news section has been hacked for about a year. Not fixing it says it's not worth fixing.

I'm still looking for solutions, I have literally asked everyone I know and have successfully stumped everyone. I'm not happy about it. The issue is only evident behind corporate firewalls. I am considering moving off of Wordpress completely for a bit to see if that does it. It would be a big task no doubt.