ST's Future Discussion

[Adam Lucio]

Maybe its just time to let it go then. Storm chasing is evolving in such a weird way. There are more cliques than ever it seems, as radical tornado tank noob-ness seems to be driving a further gap between them and old-school style vets.

Even in my beginning days I took an older approach, and back then it was all about learning the ropes of the weather and thats all this forum was loaded with. Now with the way technology has changed the game whenever newer chasers ask me for advice its always "what cell carrier should I get and how do I keep my data going when Im out there." and those are questions I have terrible advice for because im a tech tard. I would contribute more if the subject material wasn't increasingly about technology...and thats no real fault to the new generation, its just the way the world is evolving, and people like me and the older vets will become increasingly obsolete in those topics.

Starting up another forum is probably pointless, as several attempts at that have failed in the past. The FB group is probably the best way to go at this point

 

[Jacob Ferden]

I've posted in this thread a few times over the course of the past month, and I've been watching this situation unfold.

In all seriousness, my overall stance on this has not changed. I think it needs to die. It's clear that he's not going to give up ownership of the site. That is his business. For the sake of storm chasing discussion, the only course of action that has even a chance of working IMO is to abandon the "Stormtrack" part of the equation and start fresh with something else. That might work. It might not work. But it is entirely clear that Stormtrack as we knew it is essentially dead. I say, accept it and move on.

This, in all likelihood, concludes my 5 1/2 year participation on this site. If Dan comes up with an option that looks palatable, you may see me there at some point.

Have a good day.

 

[Brett Roberts]

I'm interested to see what Dan (or others) can come up with in terms of a replacement forum. But I do agree with Adam in that this idea has been tried before on multiple occasions. Even several years ago when forums were more in-style than today, none of those attempts ever even made it out the gate due to a lack of interest/participation.

If nothing else, a new forum that's backed by a solid consensus of folks in this thread will finally answer the question: was ST's downfall inevitable, or largely a result of neglect by the owner? I've always tended to believe the former, even though I'm as disappointed as the rest of you in what's transpired the past couple weeks here.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Im going to paste an email I sent to a couple of guys this morning.

Ok guys, some of us have struck on something that looks like it will happen next year. Myself, Skip, Shane A, Rob H, and J Wilcox were doing a lot of chatting in the chatroom last night about how to create something that not only chasers will enjoy, but the general public as well. So here's the idea roughly, and feel free to add anything.

So essentially, we want to do podcast of sorts. We want to have a weekly live show with Skip, me, Jennifer Brindley, and who ever else is up for it as hosts. We can discuss current weather chat, controversy subjects, have call ins, tech talk, etc. Then, have special shows during the season for forecast discussions of upcoming events, and another special show for post-event recaps that involve picture showcasing, video clips, and even chaser call ins of those who chased.

We've discussed using Hangouts to have the hosts come togetger, then YouTube to live stream to the masses. We decided YT had the better benefits of streaming. There's a live chat box for the users while streaming. We can use the chat for questions or topics during the live show. Also, as soon as you stop streaming, the show will be archived on the channel. So people who missed it or want to watch again can just browse the channel.

We basically thought about what the forum really is. Boil it down, and all it is is weather theory topics, forecast discussions, post event showcase, and technology talk. Right now this was a brainstorming idea we had in 1 night, so the outline is pretty rough. If viewership is high, then we really might need a website to tie into it. That's where your site can come in, Dan.

The way I see it, we need to stop splitting off into different little groups and come together. We were all united with one common love for weather. We need to come back to that and leave the feelings in the past. I think everyone can be a part of this and help out positively. Again, any constructive criticism is welcomed. If you guys have stuff to add then message me or Skip. Also, forward this to other members or people that might be interested.

P.S. If you guys wish to add me to Skype so that we can discuss this easier, just add me. Username : maxigrinderwedge

 

[Jon Strebler]

I read through this entire thread and it seems to me that some people still care about this site so I would hate to see it go. I know that the storm chasing community is increasingly fractured and most people have moved over to Facebook, but I personally still enjoy the forum style site. I'm an unknown chaser and don't have a blog or chase page, but I wouldn't mind sharing photos or chase stories on here. We need to find ways for more interaction and I think Now threads are a good place to start during storm season. I would be all for posting updates on here while I'm out chasing to keep people informed and I'd imagine that would get some interaction going.

Also, I would be somewhat wary of the thought that social media will doom sites like this forever. A point may come that Facebook will become so saturated with chase pages that people will simply get tired of it and slowly move back to the forum sites and the personal web sites. Chasing got to the point where the masses were interested in it, but like everything else that interest will wane which may change how chasers interact with each other. A big issue is the cliquish and competitive style chasing and eventually that will run its course once the reasons behind it diminish. In the end, a lot of people may gravitate back to stormtrack if they are spending less time on social media. We may have lost a generation of chasers to social media, but at the very least it would be nice for newer chasers to have a place like this to come to and talk shop.

 

[Steve Miller]

ST requires a cash injection and a revenue model in order to succeed. It requires a staff of volunteers whose hands are not tied and a decisionmaker who is present to lead the charge and set an example to all. ST requires a VB upgrade and the social tools within it enabled so the gap can be bridged between the forum/site and competing social platforms. ST requires integration of many of the fabulous ideas that have been shared here in this thread and threads before it.
I have been more than forward in the past about my interest in this site and its future. That has not changed. I have the capital to make it happen and a reasonably good track record for making projects work in the weather space... So, Tim or anyone else, please feel free to message me if interest is there in furthering this site.

 

[Jason Boggs]

I'd love to see this happen, but good luck with getting in touch with Tim. Seems he's fallen off the edge of the earth again. In order for ST to ever succeed again, it will have to be turned over to someone who cares.

 

[John Olexa]

Aside from glitches i'm not sure it matters who is running the site. It all comes down to participation! Even before the recent problems participation has been down. This forum has everything needed; a place to post non-weather topics , hurricanes, winter, photographs, chase accounts plus more. What more is there? Without people posting you got nothing and I'm not sure that's something that can be fixed here. I'll hang until the very end because I've been here from the beginning. I just don't know what can be done to this site that will bring in more people.

EDIT: Right now "There are currently 109 users online 14 members and 95 guest". How do we get those 95 to join?

 

[Tim Vasquez]

I apologize -- I got sidetracked by some family issues this past week or so, and also right now is the runup to Christmas. This has all been really bad timing. I was also very anxious about coming back to the site because I knew this discussion would be well underway and that fielding all the issues would be time-consuming (my response back around Thanksgiving took about 5 hours to compose). The frustration is definitely understandable and I don't want to stand in the way anymore. So let's talk about my exit and handing the site over, and to whom.

In addition to being able to run vBulletin, whoever runs the site will also need to have basic Linux, FTP, SSH, and network skills, since the site simply does not run without problems on shared hosting plans. I would ask we begin a discussion on who is able and willing to take this on. I think this needs to be transparent and out in the open so everyone gets to see what is going on. I expect in the end that myself and the moderators will have to convene and make the final call since it is clear to me that there are already factions with different thoughts on how the site needs to be run, but perhaps there is someone who gets all-around support or a person none of us had considered.

I am sorry that I was not able to serve out these last several years with the energy and dedication that I gave to the forum in the earlier years. I always did try to do what was right, but after having been hit by a freight train of family & personal problems over the past few years, I made the mistake of trying to keep the status quo by trying to service all of my responsibilities rather than triaging things. It's easy to look back on it now, but at the time I kept thinking it was only temporary and that in another month or two things would be fine and I could fully take care of all my projects and responsibilities. I don't know if I can convey how easy it was to fall into that line of thinking, but that is indeed what was going on. As I can't even be assured myself that things are getting better until I see consistent proof of it happening, I am ready to go ahead and avoid any further risks and put Stormtrack on better footing.

 

[Tim Vasquez]

Aside from glitches i'm not sure it matters who is running the site. It all comes down to participation! Even before the recent problems participation has been down.

That has always been my view, too, and is the main reason I have hung around for so long. In the end, Stormtrack is not about me. It's all about the users, their expertise, and their chase activities, and no one really needs me around unless the site is going down (which it did, I know) or the users are fighting and the mods can't effectively break it up. However I do know "participation" is where I have personally failed the site.

I do agree that putting a few key users in charge of all technical aspects of the site definitely needs to be done (even with a new person in charge). That's something we can address within the next week to crashproof the site. Any mods who want to serve in this capacity please let me know.

 

[John Olexa]

I do know "participation" is where I have personally failed the site.

for the record I don't want it misunderstood. When I was talking about lack of participation I was talking about us the members Not you as the owner just in case it was taken that way.

 

[Stephen Levine]

My feelings began to sour about ST when so many threads over time were coming out, filled with fear and negativity. Too many conversations about who did what to who; chaser irresponsibility, paranoia about "authorities" severely limiting or even banning storm chasing, too many severe judgements in my view about the newbees, pining for the old days when there weren't so many chasers out there, and so forth.
The negativity was really getting me down. At one point this year, I remember there being two separate threads going on at the same time with these negative discussions.
There also seems to be elements of chaser envy popping up from time to time.
For me storm chasing is a journey in to awe and joy, combined with lots of intense challenges. With all the negativity I saw, the spirit and feeling of innocence and community so prevalent in earlier days of the online ST, and especially the printed ST under David Hoadley/Tim Marshall seemed to be fading like a sunset.
I always found the Reports section interesting, and the questions for beginners section had good posts as well.
The key I think is regenerate innocence and joy; inspire awe and a sense of community -regardless of what we chase and how long we've chased it.
Regardless of what happens with this site, it's my hope we can still keep in touch to discuss/plan for chaser conventions and other important events.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I have no concerns with the issue of who is running or owns the site. In fact, if another site were to be necessary, I would not accept the position of owner or admin, for the record. I don't have time for that and I'd run into the same issues as Tim. Supporter and contributor, yes, but not owner/admin. I have no ulterior motives. I care solely about the community and how a site can serve it. I care only about the ability to move forward and start working on rebuilding a central community. I'd prefer that to be here, but to have a fighting chance, we need changes from the status quo.

A financial backer would be beneficial. Servers, upgrades, software and data transfer are not free, so funding to cover those costs have to come from somewhere. That's either going to be from member donations or dues, or a financial backer. If it's the latter, I don't see an issue if there is a business motive from said backer if it allows us to move forward. Every one of us has a job that gives us a paycheck because our employer has a business motive. Facebook is certainly cashing in on everyone's participation there (and collecting or personal details on a scale that a storm chasing site never will).

We're in the social media era right now, but forums are clearly viable. There are many still thriving. I agree with the comment that many will soon tire of the fractured nature of social media. That's the hope. There needs to be a place established to welcome people back once they get to that point. I got there a couple of months ago.

 

[Jon Strebler]

I have been thinking about ways that we can create interactions on here that would invite chasers to participate and I came back to one of the original things that stirred my passion for storms and storm chasing which were case studies. I've always been somewhat of a history nerd and I really enjoy reading people's interpretations of events. I can remember trying to find any information available on the Plainfield tornado and the archives for this site were what brought me here in the first place. I know most of us enjoy case studies, and people such as Jon Davies used to have some excellent ones, but what if we could put together collective case studies on this site.

For example, we have a severe weather event that either falls short or exceeds expectations. I know that most of us want to know why so we should bring our collective reasoning together and come up with explanations. I think having Stormtrack case studies that we can all be involved in would be a great way to bring the community together. I know some people are hesitant to give away forecasts because of the so called 'klingons', but I think we can all agree that dissecting an event afterwards would have some great benefits. I really think a case study like discussion after events would bring people here. I miss reading ones like Davies used to put out there, and I see some promise in going that route as a storm chasing community. I know people such as Skip do this on their own in some ways with chase summaries from time to time, but I think it would bring interest if more of us could put some time into doing that on this site.

It's just something to think about. On top of that, if financials are an issue to keeping this going then I would happy to help out as long as we can come up with a positive direction for Stormtrack.

 

[Tim Vasquez]

We're in the social media era right now, but forums are clearly viable. There are many still thriving.

This is 100% on the mark. As it is, I'm rarely on Facebook or Twitter, but there are many flourishing forums elsewhere out there that I'm still subscribed to and follow. Also you have Reddit, which is a highly active venue right now and is in many respects is much more like a forum than anything else. Because of that, there may be a future for Stormtrack on Reddit, depending on how long Reddit stays around (which still looks to be for a long time). I have been sitting pre-emptively on the /r/stormtrack subreddit since last winter to prevent it from being repurposed (the same fate that fell on the stormtrack.com domain back in the late 1990s), but I fully intend to pass this subreddit on to a trusted person once we figure out a way to cultivate a Stormtrack presence there (whenever that happens).