How can we make Stormtrack better for 2011?

[Jason Boggs]

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.

No, you're confusing that with Sean Casey talking about being off track.

Seriously, I agree with most of the ideas here. Stormtrack used to be a lot better, but we can always try to make it as good as it once was.

 

[John Wetter]

I think ST is on pretty solid footing right now. The biggest thing at times is to hold the tide when a bunch of new people come on and don't read the rules or much of anything before posting away... And frustrating other users. But, that hasn't been much of a problem of late, though I'm sure the sign-up numbers are down this time of year.

I'd agree that we should continue to enforce a requirement for full names, and would probably take it a step further to get rid of sudo-names.

The rules in the forecasting sections are fine as far as I see. If someone reads the rules, they should be able to understand what's going on.

The only possible real change I'd see would be to add a photography section, but that could also tend to divert discussion, but probably no more than the B&G already do at times.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

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.

I guess I was thinking of a section where we do our own hosting of the photos, (with dimension limits) that will keep the bandwidth off of this board as it should be.

The only possible real change I'd see would be to add a photography section, but that could also tend to divert discussion, but probably no more than the B&G already do at times.

In its own section it could be ignored by those who didn't want to view it.

 

[Jeremy Jones]

Coming from a somewhat new member...The one thing that really appealed to me about this forum, is the professionalism that is expected out of everyone here. It's not just an "Anything Goes" forum. On a couple of other non-weather forums that I frequent, people can post anything they want with no repercussions. Heck, you can't even ask a serious question without the fear of nasty comments in return.

I actually like the fact that Religious/Political issues aren't allowed to be expressed here. Just for the fact, that not everyone shares the same beliefs,
and to be honest I visit this site for Weather related information, not to read what some Ya-hoo has to say about his political or religious views. Just leads to people arguing and E-fighting in my opinion.

 

[Jesse Risley]

I actually like the fact that Religious/Political issues aren't allowed to be expressed here. Just for the fact, that not everyone shares the same beliefs,
and to be honest I visit this site for Weather related information, not to read what some Ya-hoo has to say about his political or religious views. Just leads to people arguing and E-fighting in my opinion.

The prohibition against sectarian religious and partisan political discussions was dropped at the beginning of 2010, being allowed in the Bar and Grill, which is the non-weather section of the site where general discussions are permitted.

If you glance at the text that follows the sub forum title "Bar and Grill," that little disclaimer no longer appears. The decision to allow those types of discussions exclusively within the Bar and Grill was a result of this same type of a thread for 2010, though it was noted that the decision to do so would be revisited in one year, which is right now. As a moderator, I can attest that the decision to allow those types of discussions has, for the most part, not been as big of an issue as I thought it was going to be. However, if the membership feels it hasn't been for the best, there's nothing saying it can't go back to the way it used to be.

 

[Wes Carter]

I'm really liking the idea of using VB 4.0, Joomla, or Wordpress to enhance the features especially on the front page. One thing that I would love to see (but it is asking a lot) is to have people volunteer to write articles occasionally in the spirit of the original magazine.

The Stormtrack Library is greatly underutilized in my opinion. There is not an easy way to get there if you don't know about it. There are also a lot of dead links in the library. I think that if we cleaned it up a bit and started adding new content it would be of great benefit to those of us that are working on our forecasting and chasing skills.

Any improvements that are made are going to cost money. I think that discussion on new ways to painlessly raise revenue to raise the quality of the site are also in order. One thing I have thought might be of benefit is to set up a store in Stormtrack. With the Stormchasers television show the public demand for all things chasing is at an all time high. I think it could be done with little to no investment if it were set up something like the Ebay and Amazon resellers programs. Have a store set up where people can add chaser DVD's. T-shirts, books, and anything else to their cart. They can pay, then Stormtrack can take a maybe 10-15% consignment fee and forward the remainder of the funds and the shipping charges to the seller(s) who are then responsible for shipping the goods. There are issues with this method as well if the seller does not ship the goods, but I'm sure with this bunch there are some other good ideas which might work better. I'm just sowing the seed of discussion for this idea.

 

[Robert Dewey]

One thing that I notice that does bring down the quality of ST (at least IMO) is the lack of substance in some of the posts. Even though the rest of the forum doesn't have the same quality standard that the TA has, posts like this (as an example) really bring down the rest of the site:

"i herd theres going to be a snowstorm in nebraska check the nws afds!!!1"

The quality of the site was way higher back when I joined the forum in 2004. Of course, there are a lot more members now...

 

[Steve Miller]

I agree 100% with the upgrade to the latest version of VB. The possibilities for growth of this forum are endless but all the forum bells and whistles in the world won't help if the content here continues to slide. Veteran members have dropped like flies. I think if Tim V is going to continue to lay claim to the ownership of this place, he should be here contributing regularly. Visibility means a lot and more interaction with the group would likely help. Storm chasing has always been hierarchical and now that almost every "name" who once posted here has been recruited to other mediums, the leadership on ST is nil. Why not put forth some effort to attract some of these leaders back? It will take the work of board ownership to accomplish this.

I like things the way they are regarding names, (most)posting rules and, like Jason, I also suggest the implementation of a pay model. Forums I am involved in covering other interests of mine, have a $10-$30 yearly fee. There has to be something in it for the user though. Paying the member fee allows me to gain access to private areas, gives me more inbox room, a bigger avatar, no waiting between searches, no banner ads, etc. etc. etc. If the forum needs money to improve, this should be considered. If members can't afford to pay a yearly fee, well, they get banner ads, regular-size mailboxes, etc. Simple. Like anything, you have to pay to play.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

I know that there is quite a bit of internet traffic that gets people to read ST. But it can also be helped along by 'tagging' it. For example, notice that this thread has no 'tag' or 'tags' on it. On the Ham forum I moderate on, the mods have been so instructed to tag any noteworthy/newsworthy thread. Readership on that forum has increased by 400% (verifiable) over the last two years alone.

It is one thing to appease members; it is another thing to get readers, attract public interests, and possible new members.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Since I've only been here since late 2008, I'm guessing the demographic breakdown of the members is much different now than it was when I joined and in the years before I joined. One thing that makes this forum great in my opinion is that there is a mix of experienced and/or knowledgeful meteorologists, storm chasers, NWS personnel etc. and less experienced and/or less knowledgeful novice meteorologists, storm chasers etc.. There is a wide spectrum of people in here in terms of knowledge and experience regarding weather, so there's lots of room for educational and intellectual discussion. I like the changing of the "beginner" topic to the "educational forum" topic some time ago. To keep the site great, we need to hold on to those more experienced and more knowledgeful members (it seems to me a number of them have left or stopped posting since I've joined). I think the influx of new members is steady and does not need to be changed.

Also, what happened to the redesigning of the Stormtrack logo? There was lots of discussion about it last year, but nothing ever came of it.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Stormtrack seems like a bit of a revolving door. We have some experienced chasers, and then they either get bored with ST as they are the ones doing most of the contributing and not getting much out of it, or they bump heads with someone and get frustrated and leave. Meanwhile there are new users joining, they learn the ropes, are out there for a few years, and eventually they are the ones contributing until they get bored/frustrated. It would be great if there was more incentive for the experienced people to hang around. At the same time, I think we also get reloaded with with knowledgable/experienced people all the time. There are plenty of chasers on here climbing the rungs, and graduating met students who are taking the places of people who leave. I'd love to retain everyone, but some people seem like they just want to move on. Often times its the ones who have been here the longest who are the ones doing the most griping, stirring the pot, and ruffling feathers. I can't say I'm sad to see them go. You get out of Stormtrack, what you put into it, as that's what its all about. Quality posts encourage other quality posts. I hear a lot of "Stormack isn't what it used to be," mainly by people who used to read the forums when they were first starting out, and maybe don't realize that they are the ones now in the position to be taking charge by leading the discussions and contributing back to the forums instead of expecting everyone else to do it for them. To those long term users and chasers that do stick it out and have valauble contributions, I applaud them and defintely think we need to encourage them to stay as much as possible. I like Steve's idea of paid subscriptions or yearly subscriptions. Stormtrack is definitely worth it if it improves quality, retains membership, and weeds out some of the trouble makers not devoted to chasing.

 

[Bart_Comstock]

I like things the way they are regarding names, (most)posting rules and, like Jason, I also suggest the implementation of a pay model. Forums I am involved in covering other interests of mine, have a $10-$30 yearly fee. There has to be something in it for the user though. Paying the member fee allows me to gain access to private areas, gives me more inbox room, a bigger avatar, no waiting between searches, no banner ads, etc. etc. etc. If the forum needs money to improve, this should be considered. If members can't afford to pay a yearly fee, well, they get banner ads, regular-size mailboxes, etc. Simple. Like anything, you have to pay to play.

Steve this is a great idea and I fully support it. The added revenue could help spur innovative features and really help the site grow. I also agree with not making it so that you do not have to use your real name as your username. If one is really worried about what they say on here getting back to their employers then they need to use common sense just like one must do on sites like Facebook. Removing the requirement that one must use their own name will open the door to more trouble.

Normal person + anonymity + audience = total a'hole.

Need proof of that? Just go browse the comments on almost any video on YouTube.

One way to keep older users and promote better discussion would be to make some more restrictive rules regarding post content and revive the beginner area. Bellow you will find some ideas I have that would help with enhancing post quality without alienating or scarring off new users that are still learning.

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General Weather changes:
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Educational Area ----> Any user can post and no question is too dumb but this thread should be reserved only for educational threads.

General Weather Discussion (Beginner Area) ----> Unseasoned users who are new to chasing and meteorology in general. This forum will not have strict rules on post quality and will follow the current guidelines in place for the General Weather forum.

Advanced Weather Discussion ----> This will include all forms of weather with the exception of tropical weather and winter weather. To have access to here would require some form of verification which could be an essay and it would be the responsibility of the sitting moderators to approve applicants. This forum will be more moderated than the Beginner Area. Think of it being a in between the TA and Beginner Area forum that will promote more advanced and will require that posts include more quality content. Simple posts that only copy and past links and add little to the discussion will not be permitted.

Winter Weather ----> Same as it currently is.

Tropical Cyclones ----> Same as it currently is.

Storm spotters ----> Same as it currently is.

Photography/ videography discussion ----> This will be reserved strictly for the discussion of "how to" topics involving photo and video equipment and how to shoot storms, damage, and chasing b-roll. This will promote much more in depth discussions about the art of photos and videos and will also be a great educational tool for learning how to shoot storms.

Equipment ----> Same as it currently is.

Marketplace ----> Same as it currently is.

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Target Area Changes:
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I would also like to see two new target area forums made.

--> Forecasts & Nowcasts Tropical Cyclone <-- (restricted)
--> Forecasts & Nowcasts Winter Weather <-- (restricted)

Both of these will have just as strict rules as the current target area forums and will promote high quality forecast discussion and real time meaningful updates on tropical cyclones and winter wx which the current winter weather and tropical cyclone sections do not provide. Reports and discussions for both above will fall into the current post-storm discussion forum. The current forecast and nowcasts sections will stay the same and so will the post-storm discussion area (with the exception that hurricane and winter weather reports and discussion will be allowed.

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These are my PROPOSED changes. Do not take this message as an official moderator note. Let me know what you guys think of this proposal. We all have to remember that at one point in time we were noobs ourselves. While pushing the site more towards the central destination in the chase community for high quality academic posts is a desirable goal we need to not forget our roots. We still need to welcome newer and uneducated members and have an environment in place that lets them learn and yet still preserve high quality and academic discussion.

When I first joined Stormtrack I had just started actively chasing for my first time and was just out of high school. I was drawn by the posts chocked full of advanced discussions and the great forecasts. I was afraid to post in the beginning as I really didn't feel comfortable with out a beginner area to jump into. If not for Stormtrack I doubt that I would be nearly as successful of a chaser as I currently am. I would really like to bring that side of ST back.

 

[Mike Smith]

I am a member of trainorders.com which has a very limited free version and charges, if I remember correctly, $26 for annual membership. They post a lot of video and it is high resolution, streams much better than YouTube and, if appropriate, is easy to upload to your desktop.

I would support paying stormtrack for these and other additional features.

Mike

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

I would agree with those that want to see less restrictions on videos and photos. Some very talented and hard working photographers here - getting better all of time too. A dedicated section to photography and learning that skill could prove beneficial as well as entertaining.

 

[Jason Foster]

Normal person + anonymity + audience = total a'hole.

Yes...real names should continue. I still would like to see full first and last names, changed only when duplicates occur (the Steve Miller situation).

I guess I have been back and forth with the photo section idea. I see B&G threads as enough, but I see it seems that it is a growing desire for a separate section.

A front page, traditional site page in the old style with links to resources, like the library page is greatly needed. Yes, we have pointed it out in the forum often, but nothing like getting that stuff up front and center. I also will answer a lot of questions without folks wanting to sign up and ask a few questions and then leave. It will however, get deeply interested folks to ST and sign up.