The Colony

[The Stig]

Brother Izzy and TunnelRat asked me to post these questions to membership given some internet issues they are having....

* What do you, the member of shtfready.com, want from the Colony?

* What direction do you want to see the website go?

* What do you want to see more of?

* Should we keep on as is and quit worrying about it?

Here's what's brought up these questions....

We have a great core group of posters and a nice group of lurkers. We get good threads and everybody gets along both on the side, and in some cases, in real life.

But we seem to just keep limping along without any real growth. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe we shouldn't change and thing and just enjoy what we have.

But with all that said, the staff doesn't want to miss any obvious changes/tweaks we could make to improve the website.

We've got a great staff, an advisory counsel and a good core group of members. But what we don't have is great participation. Is this because of a lack of content? A lack of a specific type of content?

So we, once again, want to touch base with the members and see what you think. Is the colony fine as is or do we need to make some changes?

[eagle326]

I tend to believe we are good the way we are. We may not be adding a lot of new members like other sites but we have a stable colony as it is now. We as a colony respect each member and actually think of each other as family and treat each other as such.
The information here is first rate and given out in a manner conducive to the betterment of every member. We don't berate people for their questions as some other sites do. We instead post links to past post that may help the person in their search. Some of us are just not as computer savvy as others in posting pictures or links or other things.

I believe it's better to have a quality group in the colony to help nurture each other and help where and when needed. Sure a larger membership would be nice but on the other hand a good quality group of steady members willing to do what it takes to grow in the ways of surviving everyday and or SHTF situation is invaluable in the long run.
The staff here is light years ahead of other sites I've been on. Our membership may grow slow ; but the turtle also moves slow yet still gets to it's destination in the end.

[helomech]

I have yet to find a large forum group that I like. I have been on many forums that start out great, then get to big and I end up leaving it. Bigger is not always better. I wish it was a little more active, but not so big problems start coming up.

[robsdak]

* What do you, the member of shtfready.com, want from the Colony?

just more participation. that said, we all get busy with life and so on. like me, i am here reading/lurking, but i don't always have something to say.


* What direction do you want to see the website go?

the direction it is going in is fine. we aren't growing by leaps and bounds, but is that a bad thing? like helomech said, i have seen the crash and burn.


* What do you want to see more of?

BOOBIES... no, wait not that kind of site. : ) a good question. refer back to question/answer #1


* Should we keep on as is and quit worrying about it?


i wouldn't not stop worrying about it, just don't make it a full time deal. you/we/us are doing fine. just my opinion. it and a $ 1 will get you a cup of coffee.


my thoughts....

i am a member over at BCUSA as well, which i am sure i am not the only 1 here. but it has a totally different vibe/feel to it. here just feels like 'home' there it's like i am 'guest' in someone's home.

[msomnipotent]

* What do you, the member of shtfready.com, want from the Colony?

I just want a place where I can learn from others without hearing, "Oh, you stupid, stupid woman!!". This site and the members have far exceeded my expectations.

* What direction do you want to see the website go?

I think it is fine as is.

* What do you want to see more of?

I would like to see more product reviews.

* Should we keep on as is and quit worrying about it?

YES.

The more people there are, the more weirdos we have to deal with, and not just weirdos like me but REAL weirdos that constantly cause trouble. I'm going to be very sad the day we get a member that just can't wait for TEOTWAWKI because it is going to be so awesome and they are going to be some sort of superhero. We all know better than that. We are definitely a case of quality over quantity.

[Possom]

I like the way this forum is set up. I am not as active as I should be but I enjoy reading the threads.

One thing I would like to see would be more conversation about sustainable food sources. Raising rabbits for meat to supplement your preps, chickens for eggs, a goat or two for milk/meat or a cow or two for the same.

Not necessarily homesteading, most homesteading sites I have been on are a bunch of city folk who bought a couple acres of land and a new tractor and think they are farmers.

I do think that most preppers would benefit from investing in some sort of livestock.

[Sniper-T]

Quality over quantity any day. The family feel and the diversity of experiences are what make this site great.

However, maybe it is exactly that that makes it difficult to get more lurkers to join in in conversations... feel like an outsider? Maybe we as a family should be more proactive with newbies, ask questions, find out what makes them tick, help them open up more. I belong to other sites as well, and felt awkward posting when I have 4 posts and most others are in the thousands. Or when there is a genuine rapport etween members in the thread.

Maybe as simple as spending a little more time in the welcome thread, getting to know them (assuming they wantto share, of course)

Or maybe I'm talking out of my ass?

Keep on, keeping on!

[robsdak]

* What do you, the member of shtfready.com, want from the Colony?

I just want a place where I can learn from others without hearing, "Oh, you stupid, stupid woman!!". This site and the members have far exceeded my expectations.

* What direction do you want to see the website go?

I think it is fine as is.

* What do you want to see more of?

I would like to see more product reviews.

* Should we keep on as is and quit worrying about it?

YES.

The more people there are, the more weirdos we have to deal with, and not just weirdos like me but REAL weirdos that constantly cause trouble. I'm going to be very sad the day we get a member that just can't wait for TEOTWAWKI because it is going to be so awesome and they are going to be some sort of superhero. We all know better than that. We are definitely a case of quality over quantity.

wait? what? you mean i got my Superhero duds out of storage for nothing? LMAO!!! couldn't resist.

[2die4]

Thank you guys for the input.

[ak474u]

Quality over quantity any day. The family feel and the diversity of experiences are what make this site great.

However, maybe it is exactly that that makes it difficult to get more lurkers to join in in conversations... feel like an outsider? Maybe we as a family should be more proactive with newbies, ask questions, find out what makes them tick, help them open up more. I belong to other sites as well, and felt awkward posting when I have 4 posts and most others are in the thousands. Or when there is a genuine rapport etween members in the thread.

Maybe as simple as spending a little more time in the welcome thread, getting to know them (assuming they wantto share, of course)

Or maybe I'm talking out of my ass?

Keep on, keeping on!

This. It would be nice to see more traffic, I've been one several times lately and there were no new threads or replies for hours at a time. I bounce from other sites (news mostly) back and forth to keep up to date on new posts, and sometimes there's not much to see. I do also blame myself as I don't post a great deal of content either. I've been trying to ignore really negative stuff, it pisses me off, and it makes me meaner than I already am which effects home life.