Why I'm here...

[yoderjac]

I posted this on the QDMA forums tonight:

There is currently no forum on the web related to deer habitat management that has the credibility, visibility, set of knowledgeable core users, and critical mass that the QDMA forums have. Since they are ending, folks have to decide where to focus their support. It was not an easy choice for me.
I just wanted to pass on where I am headed and the criteria I used to get there.
First, let me say that I didn't have the luxury of taking the time I would have like to before making a choice. The fact that I wanted to preserve valuable information in form format meant that I had to make a choice now or risk losing the kind of access I need to these forums to easily extract the information I wanted to save.
My concern is that folks with our common passion will be distributed across so many different places that no place will achieve the critical mass and visibility to succeed. It is inexpensive to start a new forum on shared hosting but without a plan, both technical and financial, to move well beyond that and critical mass can be defeated by sluggish performance.
In order to achieve critical mass, the forum must draw nationally in my opinion. So, I eliminated forums with regional names. The names themselves will limit national level participation by many.
I'm also concerned about commercialism driving site content. So, the next thing I did was eliminate any forum that included advertising other than having a specific board for commercial ads.
I also wanted to see a significant group of core knowledgeable users dedicated to regular participation. I then wanted to see a path to critical mass.
I wanted to see some level of financial commitment or plan to ensure the platform could grow to support a growing user base presuming critical mass was eventually achieved.
It came down to two candidates for me:
deerhunterforum
and
Habitat-Talk
Deerhunterforum is new and started with a group of well respected core users here. It was started in the last few days.
Habitat-talk was started by another group of knowledgeable QDMA core forum users that became disenchanted with QDMAs position on an issue in their region. So, while it has been functionally regional, it has no regional information in the name and thus has the potential for national reach. It was started in early 2014.
I ended up choosing Habitat-talk. With over 900 members and a couple years under its belt, it is further along in hitting critical mass than Deerhunterforum. Both forums have a great group of core folks using them. John Walton who owns Habitat-talk has assured me he personally has the intent and financial wherewithal to upgrade form the current shared hosting environment the whole way to a dedicated server if and when that becomes necessary. Deerhunterforum is still too new to expect to have a long-term funding plan in place.
So why not just use many forums? The way I use forums is not to just post willy-nilly. I monitor every thread I post to and provide follow-up posts as needed to support folks using the thread. I can't do that across multiple forums. I do, as time permits, read a number of forums and I will be reading and watching Deerhunterforum as much as possible.
Others may have different criteria or analysis, but these are mine.
Thanks,
Jack

 

[Native Hunter]

Welcome Jack. So glad to see you here.

 

[Lot2Learn]

You and the other new members are already making a positive contribution!

 

[John-W-WI]

The forum is only as good as it contributors. Glad you choose to setup camp here.

I'm personally blown away by the contributions you and others have made here in just a short few days. It's hard to keep up! :)

I hope deerhunterforum.com does well too.

-John

 

[Merle Hawggard]

Great to have you here Jack. I've really enjoyed keeping up with what all you're up to.

 

[Tree Spud]

Jack ... welcome and well said!

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Glad you an others chose HT Jack! No ill will toward Deerhunterforum. Respect what those guys are doing by blazing their own trail. Like you though I can't keep up with multiple forums. I almost gave up on forums when some of the best jumped ship. Glad to see things back on track.
Tks John an Bill. I'm pretty dang excited about the group of habitat junkies we got these days:)

 

[nitro27]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Your post makes perfect sense and I tend to agree, Jack. I guess I don't take posting responsibilities as seriously as you do (which maybe I should). I just contribute when I can make the time and something interests me or I believe my addition helps. If I'm late in a response or simply miss it all together, I'd rather not, but seem to be more OK with that than you appear to be. So, I'll likely split my time between 4 (this one, cutman's. checking in on MI Sportsman's when I can and a more private forum that I just plain really like/consider the fellow members buddies). I like that this forum seems to be evolving into QDMA's replacement, where most from QDMA seem to be migrating. Still, I just want to help those that have helped me so much over the years, regardless of where they are (so long as I have enough time left over that I can still get enough real work done to pay the bills....I know it sounds cheesy, but it feels good to slightly repay those that purposefully and simply by accident have done so many great things for me. Besides, my mommy (great woman) raised me that it's only right to help those that help you). Glad you made it over here, Jack. I enjoy your input and our occasional debates.

 

[yoderjac]

25% of the sections are Big Rock Trees. How is that not advertising? I would assume your issue with ads would be any dialouge that runs counter would not be allowed. I would assume the same issue would appear when the owner actually sells trees to habitat guys.

This reply was posted to my thread on QDMA forum and since it is now read-only, I'll post my response here:
Bat Man,
Hope you get a chance to read this. There are several kinds of advertising that can be used. One is for the forum operator to sell advertising and have ads be included in the forum. I'm sure you've seen many forums like this. The other kind of "ads" are not formal paid for advertising but come from forum users trying to promote their products and services. My preference for the latter is to have forum rules and a designated section for these kinds of posts. Posts of this nature outside that designated section would be moved to it and the user warned and dealt with over time like any other rules violation. My second preference is for the rules to require full disclosure of any commercial associations. This gives forum users the ability to promote on any forum but gives readers of the forum the transparency necessary to properly weigh the posts. This is harder to enforce.
My concern with advertising is whether it influences editorial decisions about content. As long as the admin and moderators allow the full spectrum of points of view to be posted, then I'm fine. John has been very up front and transparent about the business he operates. He tells me that Bill has the authority to handle the day to day operation of the forum including content decisions. I see this as similar to the firewall that news outlets try to establish between the owner and editor/reporters. It is rarely perfect but generally does the job.
So far, I've seen nothing here that gives me any indication of undue influence exercised by John. I'm not what you mean by 25% of the sections are Big Rock Trees? Of 16 forums, 2 are Big Rock Trees and of 5,283 discussions, 10 are in the Big Rock Trees group and of 100,852, only 61 are in the Big Rock Trees Group. I'm not sure how you arrive at 25%.
I'm new here so maybe there is more going on than I can see, but so far everything looks above board. If I'm wrong and in the future I see something unsavory going on I'll shout it out as I have in the past.
Thanks,
jack

 

[bat man]

. I'm not what you mean by 25% of the sections are Big Rock Trees?
jack

There exists 4 sections. 1 section is Big Rock Trees. 1 divided by 4 equals .25. Move decimal 2 places you get 25%.

 

[yoderjac]

There exists 4 sections. 1 section is Big Rock Trees. 1 divided by 4 equals .25. Move decimal 2 places you get 25%.

A very skewed way to view the amount of forum focused on promotion.

 

[bat man]

A very skewed way to view the amount of forum focused on promotion.

You asked. Figured I would answer your question. Thank you for your interpretation of my observation.

You are the one that said:

I'm also concerned about commercialism driving site content. So, the next thing I did was eliminate any forum that included advertising other than having a specific board for commercial ads.

Yet you landed at a site that does not meet that criteria. Was just trying to help you out.

 

[yoderjac]

Bat man,

you are right. I found no forum that met 100% of my criteria. So far, I see nothing that indicates that commercial interests are driving site content here, but again I'm new and the site it new so tiem will tell. So far, I'm happy with what I see.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[buckvelvet]

Welcome to the forum jack.

The QDMA sucks, that is all. :)

 

[yoderjac]

Welcome to the forum jack.

The QDMA sucks, that is all. :)

I would not go that far. They have done a lot of good work over many years. While I don't think their decision to close the forums was in the best interest of the membership or the mission of QDM, it was in the best interest of QDMA and they do have a fiduciary responsibility. They are not the first large conservation organization to drop public forums from their communications strategy. This is part of a trend. I think it is only fair to commend them for the good work they have done in the past and the good work they will do in the future while making it very clear that I can no longer support them the way I have in the past.

I think the time for criticism of QDMA is behind me as is aggressive support for them. It is now time for me to move on and do what I can to support the QDM mission using the borums graciously provided here.

 

[buckvelvet]

Qdma is a club where the folks on top are fat n happy, with little regard in for the interest of its core 'membership'.

If you can't see that by now you never will.

Anyways enjoy HT its a good spot for habitat enthusiasts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[yoderjac]

Qdma is a club where the folks on top are fat n happy, with little regard in for the interest of its core 'membership'.

If you can't see that by now you never will.

Anyways enjoy HT its a good spot for habitat enthusiasts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Perhaps I wasn't clear. I haven't here nor did I there paper over the organization's faults. Those faults are the reason I can no longer actively support it. I'm simply saying that those faults don't erase the good work they have done over the years spreading the message of managing deer, not for trophies, not for high numbers, but for a healthy herd in balance with the habitat. My point was simply that for me, it is time to let it go and move forward. Others may still need more time...

 

[bat man]

Perhaps I wasn't clear. I haven't here nor did I there paper over the organization's faults. Those faults are the reason I can no longer actively support it. I'm simply saying that those faults don't erase the good work they have done over the years spreading the message of managing deer, not for trophies, not for high numbers, but for a healthy herd in balance with the habitat. .

I would disagree wholeheartedly with the above. QDMA's refusal to counter state agency agendas, and often support them is not balancing deer with the habitat. It is turning your back on the very hunters that pay the dues. Social deer management has little to do with balancing habitat with the deer, and more to do with political interests dictating wildlife policy.

 

[yoderjac]

I would disagree wholeheartedly with the above. QDMA's refusal to counter state agency agendas, and often support them is not balancing deer with the habitat. It is turning your back on the very hunters that pay the dues. Social deer management has little to do with balancing habitat with the deer, and more to do with political interests dictating wildlife policy.

That position presumes society is not part of the habitat which I don't accept. I'm not sure I know enough about the regional issues to take a position on that topic, but even if QDMA made a poor choice in that case, it is simply an example of another fault and still does not erase the good they have done. I don't intend to be a defender of QDMA but I do try to take a balanced view.