Forum Names

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Glenn Bartley
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:37 pm

Forum Names

Post by Glenn Bartley »

Okay, I put some thought into this. I had been debating putting this in this forum or into the bitching and moaning forum, but figured it was better here. This is an opinion about your the site's forum names, yet it is not irreverent (certainly not meant to be), so hopefully this is the right forum.

I think the names of some of the forums are confusing, or just not outright conducive to getting the type of threads you hope to get in them. Other names of forums, or parts of forum names, are just downright offensive (LOL) to us non technical types. Even though I said that last in semi-jest, some forum name parts are not all that appealing to non tech-weenies like me, and my bet is there are lots of us here.

Let me give examples and explanations, and lease let me say I am just telling you guys this to try to help promote a healthier, more prosperous website, one that keeps going, that keeps attracting new people (both shooters and prospective shooters), so our community will grow (and please do not be offended because I call it our community, I know you did all the work). Here goes:

When one signs onto the forums, one sees several forum groupings. The first group of forums is called:

The Gun Counter

Under the gun counter grouping, you have 7 sub-forums. Those are:

1. Gun Talk and Tech
2. Ammo Talk and tech
3. Gear Talk and Tech
4. Hack, Slash and Strike
5. Shooting Talk, Tech, and Training
6. Protect and Defend
7. Beginner's Luck

I do not know if you realize it, my guess is that you do not, but just the titles of at least 4 of those areas is a big turn off to guys like me, and is probably much more of a turn off to new or prospective shooters. Yep, it is the word TECH repeated in 4 of those forums titles that is a big turn off. If you want to speak about technical aspects of guns, as some sort of a gun guru or techie place, why not put it in a SINGLE FORUM. Better yet, I think (yes this is just my 2 cents, and you sure get a lot for 2 cents from me, LOL) you would be better off attracting new forum members, other shooters and non-shooters, by eliminating the word TECH from any forum name, but from a purely technical forum. It is a scary term to many wanna be shooters, scary also to new shooters, and just plain too geeky to shooters like me who do not care too much about technical specs of guns (preferring to use them rather than to create them - read the Tommy Knockers by Stephen King to understand what I mean).

Note, I do not think it a bad term, but one that needs a forum or two, not more, and in its own section. That way you have a general guns forum that is more user friendly to those of us who are not all that technical. As for me, I am not anti-technical, I just don't want technical stuff too mixed in with general stuff, r with tactical stuff, or with range reports, or with general talk about why I like a gun; and I am as positive as positive can be that others, many of them, are likewise.

Now to things not involving the word or idea of TECH. You have a Gun Talk & Tech, and a Shooting Talk, Tech and Training forums. Look at the descriptions of both, then tell me, where would I place threads on range reports, my shooting experience with a new gun. As per your own descriptions of those two separate forums, it seems that such talk would be appropriate to both forums. It may be better to have a Gun Talk forum (talk about guns in general), A Range Report Forum (talk about how you shoot, how other shoot, about ranges in your area and so forth), and a Gun Tech Forum (to talk about gun maintenance, gunsmithing, technical aspects of firearms).

Then when it comes to ammo, why not have just an Ammo Talk forum, instead of ammo talk and tech. Heck, why not get rid of the word 'talk' too. Maybe I am being too picky, but talk is the general meat of a forum, so why put it in the forum name; and besides that, why put it inn as Ammo Talks and Tech, is talk about ammo all that different than talk about technical aspects of ammo? By having a name like you do, I think you are making less technical people reticent of being included.

On the other hand, a thread name like Hack, Slash and Strike is rather sexy (not really sexual in any way, but sexy baby - you know what I mean). It is attractive to even those of us who do not know squat about the technical aspects of a knife, but who find edged weapons a good alternative or addition to guns. It is just more user friendly, no matter at what level the user finds him or herself. Protect and Defend is likewise. You could have made it Protect and Defend Talk and Tech (there certainly are both aspects of BS and technical methods) but you did not make it so; and probably for a reason whether you realize it or not. You are technical in a hardware and sort of way, others are technical in a software sort of way. Being to technical in either kind of blows this type of forum out of the water, having it balanced is the way to go, and leaving out the word 'tech' is the way to do that. It would work for other forums, I think, better than the current names they have.

I would suggest you have forums geared to:

Guns In General

Gun Tech Forum (technical aspects of guns, gunsmith, assembly, disassembly, and so on)

Range Days (in general, and basic shooting training))

Tactics and Training (covered by Protect and Defend)

Shooting Gear (non-gun, all gear related to shooting but not guns themselves)

Ammunition (commercially bought and reloaded, no need for the word tech as any talk about ammo is at least semi-technical)

Beginner's (as you already do have)

Heck you already have a TECH Talk

No offense meant, your site to do with as you please. Just trying to be productively helpful. I am along for the ride, but hopefully can make suggestions in the hopes this site will become better than the rest. I hope this is helpful, if not just take it with a grain of salt as you swim in the salty ocean. Please be aware, I placed this in a forum, instead of in a PM or email to the site guys, because that way others can give input if they feel likewise. If you don't want to change, of course it is up to you and fine by me, just suggestions on my part.

All the best,
GlennB
When I look in the mirror, I am happy to see, some of that nine year old boy, who used to be me.

http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/
Fivetoes
Posts: 1466
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:21 pm

Re: Forum Names

Post by Fivetoes »

I don't put that much stock in the forum names as I just use the "View New Posts" button.
When I start a thread and get it in the wrong forum the moderators will move it if it is important to them.
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