Is IIS in Decline?

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by xelasnave

Sure some demand no politics or what they consider irrelevant in their world and they can achieve an absence of what they dont like by not opening threads they dont want in their world...so its simple really if you see "Trump the anti christ" dont open that thread and if you notice "another damn airplane thread" you can get even by posting an observation report☺.

Now lets say you buy a newspaper you get news fashion sport and "your stars" and many adds...do you read "your stars"? or the adds on stuff of no interest to you?
Of course you read what you like and leave the rest.
Why should here be any different.

Actually there is a difference Alex.
Whereas newspapers pay people to write their astrology drivel and other editorials etc.
IIS has a set of rules called the TOS that state what can and can't be discussed on here.
Mike has said it many times, "IIS is not a democracy."

While we allow some generic discussion about some political topics, we do not allow long specific discussions on politics, world domination by super-powers, what "Trump is up to" or any other world leader for that matter.
Other Astronomy forums don't allow it and nether do we.

Originally Posted by xelasnave

We all share a common interest and not one of us should forget that fact...if the place is in decline each of us could ask of ourselves..."Given that I am a member here how can I contribute?"
A report? A photo? A joke? The newest plane or grizzling about Trump is at least something...

Alex

We have a wide cross section of sub forums and topics of discussion on IIS.
It's up to each member to check and find info that is of interest to them.
As can be seen, some forums are more popular than others.
Imaging it seems is quite busy, whereas other sub forums are not as busy.
This is why we don't allow images to be placed in the Observation section, nor 'Chatter' to be allowed in Icetrades, etc, etc.
We have order to each section and it's up to the members to contribute to the sections they find an interest in.

We also allow other off topic discussion, like the aeroplane discussions and such ( which I enjoy BTW).
What we don't allow are posts "grizzling about Trump" Et Al (or America, or Australia, or you name it...) because they directly contravene the TOS set out by Mike.
I've been moderating here on IIS for over a decade and I know what Mike allows and what he doesn't.

Here's a direct quote from Mike a while back when someone got their nose out of joint because we deleted a crude joke.

Originally Posted by iceman

Nowhere does it say in the TOS that this site allows 'freedom of speech' or that it's a democracy. It never has and never will.

If you choose not to visit IIS because an inappropriate joke got removed, that's your loss, and certainly seems an immature response to me. What you may not find offensive, other people certainly did and certainly do.

That's why this site has rules.

... there are plenty of other forums out there to post and read jokes (crude and offensive or not), and to debate about global warming, politics and any other inflammatory topics that have no place on IceInSpace.
IceInSpace is unique - always has been and always will be. It's our rules, and our tolerance, and our friendship and community, that set us apart.

Good luck in your future.

So as long as I'm on the moderating team, I'll be applying the TOS rules as Mike has set out.
RB

[xelasnave]

Hi RB
I should not have refferred to politics and all you say is correct.
I was simply trying to make the point that if a thread is of no interest then dont open it.

And certainly there is a difference between a newspaper and here but again I offerred the example to underline my suggestion that one should read what they like and avoid critism of threads not to ones likes or taste.
And you certainly have done an excellent job over the years.
In the times I have overstepped the line you have been polite and I certainly have nothing but admiration for your work.

You make an excellent point that this place is not a democracy and thats the only way it should be really.
Long live Iceinspace.
Alex

[RB (Andrew)]

Thank you Alex.
Much appreciated.

RB

[xelasnave]

I encourage members to take some time to think about how lucky we are to have this place and to respect any mods call without getting cut or upset.
As I said perhaps concentrate on how to contribute in a positive manner.
Alex

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by RB

Thank you Alex.
Much appreciated.

RB

You are most welcome.

Alex

[cyberblitz]

The Image of the week hasn't been updated since 2016, the events calendar hasn't been updated since 2012, the IIS Astro camp hasn't been updated since 2015..
What gives???

[LewisM]

Already discussed: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=170402

It is a bit disconcerting when the events, images etc aren't updated, and the powers that be won't relinquish the capabilities to change this / update to someone else, yet never come to the site themselves .

[casstony]

IIS still seems plenty active even if the front page isn't changed. The glass looks half full to me

[xelasnave]

Some stuff gets neglected but its no big deal.
What we could do as members is start a thread photo of the week and that way we can decide what photo gets the nod.
As to the camp I dont know what to suggest.
I think the guys who run the site probably have enough to do and its not like its their paid job.
I suppose we could start another site where its professional with paid employees and membership fees or we could take the bad with the good.
Things come and go if it dies it dies but lets all hold its hand and do what we can as members to support it while it lives.
Mike has other interests and cant be here as he took the trouble to explain recently and I think we could thank him for not shutting the place down.
And think of the mods who put in to keep it going ... so lets be positive and be grateful there is anything at all for us.
I have been a member of two other sites that closed down over a decade ago and heck that was sad.

Alex

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by casstony

IIS still seems plenty active even if the front page isn't changed. The glass looks half full to me

Thats the spirit Tony.
Alex

[JA]

Originally Posted by cyberblitz

IIS - Is it a dying site

The Image of the week hasn't been updated since 2016, the events calendar hasn't been updated since 2012, the IIS Astro camp hasn't been updated since 2015..
...

What about all the things that ARE constantly being born, updated, produced and interacting?

For me, things are what you make them.

Best
JA

[dreamstation (James)]

I'm only a relatively new member and while I don't post all that often I do try to check in at least once a week. A lot has happened since I got into astronomy and joined IIS including building a house and having a baby. Throw in some long work hours and you have a recipe for very little spare time. Have only had the scope out a few times in the new place unfortunately.

[luka]

One way to find out if and how bad the decline is would be to look at the statistics, for example at the daily/monthly number of visits/posts. It should all be in the database.
There may be also seasonal variations...

To improve things, apart from posting more in the forums we should also look at ways to attract and keep new users. The 2-years old front page has been mentioned several times. While most of us know that the real action is on the forums and don't mind (much) the front page, new uses will definitely be turned off by it and may go elsewhere.
How about replacing it with a static image that possibly links to the imaging forum. Not the best but better than the current alternative, considering the difficulty to keep it updated regularly (as per Mike's explanation in another thread). We could also have a vote about which image to use.
And our 2-year old news section is best removed. It was a great idea but in its current state it is not helping.

Also a comment regarding the decline of the interest in visual astronomy. The sub-forum "Observational reports" is our one and only sub-thread. It would make sense to "elevate it up" to the level of other threads instead of keeping it buried. It may help to make it more prominent. I only noticed it today after all the years

[luka]

Originally Posted by glend

Yes, lots of suggestions could be made, but as Mike has pointed out, he does not have the motivation or time to revamp the format, update stuff, etc. It is his perogative, as we can't change things, and it seems he will not delegate it.
This website is a business, all those ads down the right side generate revenue I assume, the power to generate change likely resides in the hands of the advertisers. If the ads dry up, i would bet the site would be revamped or closed down. As it stands right now, what is the incentive to provide the solutions to all these suggestions?

I was actually suggesting getting rid of the stuff that need continuous updating. It would be once-off change to the front page.

And the incentive - users. Make the site more attractive and people will come and stick around for longer. More users = more money from ads.
Otherwise, if the site is in decline, once people are gone it will be difficult getting them and also the ads back.

[Shano592 (Shane)]

Originally Posted by casstony

IIS still seems plenty active even if the front page isn't changed. The glass looks half full to me

I'm fully in line with this.

Granted some things are set so that only the Iceman can edit them. Still, they aren't critical to the running of the site. Image of the Week is easy enough to click past, though it has been a treat to log in to a new image in the past.

For mine, my interest waxes and wanes with the clouds (and their appearance over successive New Moons). I recall 3 or 4 years ago, there was an 18-month period where I didn't even touch my scope, because of the poor run of clouds. I would log in to IIS maybe every 3 or 4 weeks at best, and I know I went a good 3 months without even doing that at one stage. On the other side of the coin, earlier this year, the New Moon weather had been fantastic, and my appearance here was a lot more frequent.

I also upset/confound one or 2 people with my brand of humour and wordplay... but I don't take others' responses personally... I'm made of stiffer stuff than that.

I think it comes and goes. I have recommended people come over to visit from Whirlpool and they have. We have seen old members returning after large blocks of time off recently. I'll go silent for the busy period at work, and come back in a couple of months.

More people will keep coming, and we just have to have the welcome mat out for them.