How can we make Stormtrack better for 2011?

[Tim Vasquez]

Now that we're in the doldrums, I thought I'd toss this question out there -- how can we make Stormtrack better in 2011? I'm not just talking about technical changes, but also ideas for making Stormtrack more relevant and useful for the severe weather community and what its role might be alongside other social communities like Facebook, Storm2K, CFDG, etc.

Do you see other communities growing at the expense of Stormtrack, and do we need to be concerned about that or not? Do you feel that our moderating style, rules, and so forth have been productive in growing our community or do you think our approach comes across as too heavy-handed? What are some features, policies, rules, or rule deletions you'd like to see? Do you like vBulletin or do you prefer other kinds of message boards?

I think the only real restriction we face is labor. We don't bring in enough money to create paid positions, and special jobs that involve a lot of work (like working on the front page) tend to go neglected after awhile, even among those people who were enthusiastic at first. So if ideas are floated that involve volunteer positions, we probably won't be able to implement them. But there are many other aspects of Stormtrack that can be adjusted heading into 2011 -- from the technical to the philosophical.

If there's one thing that's clear, it's that online social communities change markedly over the span of several years. The core audience of Stormtrack and their needs are much different now than they were in 2004, and in 2004 were much different from 1999, so I think it's important to make sure we're moving in the right direction and that the site doesn't lose relevance simply because we're not changing with the times.

Anyhow this is not a roundtable for things that will be changed overnight, but is more of an attempt to put us on the right train tracks for the 2011 season and afterward.

Tim

 

[Robert Dewey]

My main use of ST has shifted toward forecast discussion; mainly winter and severe, or unusual synoptic setups. I'm a meteorology buff all around, and ST has more of a community feel than other forums that may be more dedicated to either one of those categories- real names and strict moderation are a big help. I do see a lot of forecast-oriented discussion on Facebook, but it's more in the way of one-liners and quick comments. I enjoy reading a much more detailed discussion, which ST facilitates.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

Now that we're in the doldrums, I thought I'd toss this question out there -- how can we make Stormtrack better in 2011? I'm not just talking about technical changes, but also ideas for making Stormtrack more relevant and useful for the severe weather community and what its role might be alongside other social communities like Facebook, Storm2K, CFDG, etc.

Just so long as it stays focused on all those subjects that relate to chasing directly as it has; as the 'hunters prepare for the hunt'. I have no complaints about ST content or relevance. Other forums seem to follow ST's lead, at least the ones that I look at. Dare I say it - it all seems to 'spin up' from here . . .

Do you see other communities growing at the expense of Stormtrack, and do we need to be concerned about that or not? Do you feel that our moderating style, rules, and so forth have been productive in growing our community or do you think our approach comes across as too heavy-handed? What are some features, policies, rules, or rule deletions you'd like to see? Do you like vBulletin or do you prefer other kinds of message boards?

I've been a moderator on a Ham radio forum for the last two years, and we aren't nearly as heavy handed with infractions as this site is. The rules are a little confusing, and I have found that it may inhibit people posting. It takes much less effort to correct the mistakes made by members than it does to correct the mistakes and give an infraction. People demonstrating blatantly poor attitudes twards other members should receive 1 day bans. Not sure of your policy regarding combative behavior.

On that Ham forum I work on, we also have a 'secret room' for paid members that requires a 'thick skin' to use. Politics isn't something that should be oppressed; this is America and free speech is important. Too many sites suppress this aspect, and I think it is a crime and a shame.

On a positive note, you surely don't have a spam problem as I have seen; keeping membership monitored has made this site a fine example of keeping it together.

I think the only real restriction we face is labor. We don't bring in enough money to create paid positions, and special jobs that involve a lot of work (like working on the front page) tend to go neglected after awhile, even among those people who were enthusiastic at first. So if ideas are floated that involve volunteer positions, we probably won't be able to implement them. But there are many other aspects of Stormtrack that can be adjusted heading into 2011 -- from the technical to the philosophical.

Enthusiastic can be capitalized upon - by appointment. It could become a competition that proves quite beneficial.

ST policy concerning making moderators by election, appointment, and rotating in from the membership pool are ideas that seem to work out fine here. Perhaps members with 2 years on the forum can be called upon for voluntary moderation for three months. This will take a load off of those moderators who have other responsibilities - it might not be fair for them to carry a load for so long. Not sure what your present policy is - btw. One additional idea for the storm season, perhaps those who won't be chasing that season can be called in to moderate - so that it can free moderators that will be chasing.

Overall, I would give ST pretty high marks as it stands . . .

 

[Jason Foster]

I wouldn't mind buying more PM box space....Always running at 98% it seems.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

First thing that comes to mind is a board like this is only as strong as its members.

The main thing that distinguishes this board from others is its members. There are plenty of forums out there that provide individuals enthusiastic about weather and/or chasing an outlet, but many lack the number/density of chasers in its member list. However, (it appears) over time more experienced and knowledgeable chasers seem to either be inactive or leave this board (I can think of a several off the top of my head). I believe this affects the quality of discussion in the forum.

So what could be done to further entice chasers to come (or come back) to this board?

What is the only distinguishing feature that differentiates this board from others with strong chaser density/numbers in its member lists? Other boards cite needing to block the general public from their boards to ensure freedom of discussion. This is based out of a fear of consequences at work due to what they might say on a board. I believe a few have even posted in B&G because they appreciated the privacy. Perhaps this privacy should be expanded to other parts of the board? Over time I have begun to appreciate this idea. Perhaps leave the educational section available to the public? I believe someone here said they wouldn’t be surprised if some posts by individuals may have real life consequences in the future. However, I believe you (Tim) voiced that you wouldn’t like Storm Track to head in that direction.

 

[Skip Talbot]

To me, the Target Area is shining point of Stormtrack. The pictures in the reports threads, and sharing thoughts in the forecast threads make ST extremely valuable. I think the rules are already pretty simple (post forecasts in a forecast thread, post first hand reports in a reports thread), but maybe they could be reworded so they are more concise/to the point? I would hate to see Stormtrack turn into a forum where members are reposting every tornado warning, every watch, or just frivolous wishcasts (I hope Springfield gets a storm!). I've seen forums like that and they are awful.

As far as handling posts that go bad in the Target Area, how about we make some simple changes to the infraction system. People seem to get so bent out of shape when they get one, when its really nothing more than a reminder of the rules. You aren't being fined, you aren't being publicly humiliated, no one is angry with you (at least I wasn't when I was a mod). I'd suggest renaming the Warnings to Reminders, and renaming the Infractions to Notices or something similar asthat's what they really are: a reminder that we have these rules, and a notice that your post was taken down and that repeated notices will lead to temporary loss of posting privileges because of the extra work you're putting on the staff (like having to clean out repeated target area violations). I think the rules and policies for more serious stuff like flamewars are good as is I think.

Tim mentioned that updating the site's frontpage content gets neglected. What if we had rotating editors, like we rotate the moderators around now. The editors could write up articles about what's happening in chasing, maybe using a blog like format or something. They could facilitate adding new graphics and photos to the frontpage

How about a dedicated chat client? The AJAX chat that we have now is nice, especially the feature that lets you embed pictures, but it seems a little cumbersome/laggy at times.

 

[Tim Vasquez]

However, I believe you (Tim) voiced that you wouldn’t like Storm Track to head in that direction.

Actually I don't have any strong feelings in that regard. I have heard some comments from NOAA employees mentioning that they're hesitant to post on our forum because of employer and privacy issues raised by posting their real names out in public. If that is indeed contributing to a brain drain problem, then it's certainly something we need to revisit. The only thing I'm averse to is closing off the board from the public, since that will put a serious dent in new signups.

Tim

 

[Jason Foster]

Any thoughts on the upgrade to version 4 of vBulletin. I haven't checked it out, but I wonder if that in itself has any bonuses or things to consider.

Does anyone still us 'groups'. I thought that might be removed since it seems no on uses it.

 

[Jesse Risley]

I believe someone here said they wouldn’t be surprised if some posts by individuals may have real life consequences in the future. However, I believe you (Tim) voiced that you wouldn’t like Storm Track to head in that direction.

Posts sometimes can and do have real-life consequences. I had something I posted on here early last season (2009) end up emailed to my boss in an anonymous email, and there were some minor repercussions for me professionally (I honestly have no idea who did it).

However, with that having been said, when you increase anonymity with something like forum pseudonyms, it can foster a more problematic posting attitude with some members. Tempering a greater divide between public versus private sections of the forum might be another approach, but that all depends on how much of the forum we want to be viewable by the non-registered members of the general public.

On another note, personally, I've never found the Target Area rules very problematic, even before becoming a moderator. What can or can't go in FCST, NOW and DISC threads is pretty straightforward if you ask me.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

I think the rules are pretty straight forward for those who will read them, maybe a bit more political and religious headroom in the B&G...

And the photography section for cameras and storm related photography tips and techniques .

 

[Jason Foster]

I think the rules are pretty straight forward for those who will read them, maybe a bit more political and religious headroom in the B&G...

And the photography section for cameras and storm related photography tips and techniques .

I could see a completely separate political/religious section with different sign-up than Bar & Grill

Another thing. On occasion, with the cameras outputting large image sizes...allowing the board to auto resize images. Pretty standard on other sites, especially auto forums (many of vbulletin too). If you want to see the full size...you just click on the image.

 

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

One of the challenges here (and other forums for that matter) is how many chasers are using Facebook for interaction with other chasers, etc.

While this forum is great, realistically no forum is going to be able to compete with Facebook although this forum has some significant advantages over Facebook, such as the quality of the forecasts, amount of information available to learn from, etc. Instead, however, I think it would be beneficial to embrace Facebook. To do this, I think adding at the very least a 'like' button to posts in certain forums (probably not the forecasting forum but maybe others) and maybe even 'Facebook connect' to make the login/signup process more seamless (I'm sure there has to be a plugin available for both of these for vBulletin).

 

[Jason Foster]

I still would love to enhance Stormtrack with a return to a print edition (which I'd be more than happy to lead), but I guess that's for a whole other thread.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

On a few different episodes of 'Storm Chasers'; I heard a few people refer to ST.
Never a reference to any other chaser site.
I think that says something positive.

 

[Darren Addy]

Any thoughts on the upgrade to version 4 of vBulletin. I haven't checked it out, but I wonder if that in itself has any bonuses or things to consider.

I think that upgrading to v4 in the off-season should be a priority. I would really like to see the ability to subscribe (via RSS) to individual threads and/or forums.

If the goal is to make ST more than just a forum, v4 allows for user blogs, for instance. Some features could be made available to ST Supporters only.

It really looks like v4 could be the engine to take ST well beyond a basic forum.