Will plots grow without QDMA?

[broom_JM]

Will plots grow without QDMA? Yeah, just like they always have.

What will NOT grow, as quickly, is a knowledgeable base of landowners who are able to quickly separate the advertising hype from the reality of both food plots and habitat development. The existing community won't suffer much from the dissolution of the QDMA Forums, but our ability to provide unfettered truth and even a certain amount of wisdom has become fractured. Until one forum or another moves to the forefront, these sites will be largely used to preach to the choir, while new or would-be converts tend to remain lost in the wilderness...so to speak.

 

[buckvelvet]

Now for another view...

In total, no! I would contend that more folks new to food plotting had significantly accelerated success because of the QDMA forums. With their demise, what will happen? There was no single source as large and respected as QDMA for information on deer management and food plotting. More Google searches hit QDMA than anywhere else for this subject matter. Users will end up distributed over a variety of forums and it will take years at a minimum for any one forum to emerge as dominant. Since eyes will still be vectored to QDMA and the message will now be managed to be more sponsor friendly and less critical. Fewer new folks to food plotting will find sites like this than the QDMA forum. They will have a longer journey to success. So, the end result will be fewer acres of successful food plots. :eek:

I think you esteem the 'old' forum way to highly. This forum and the deer one newly created will find folks just as easy as that old club one did. People will be just as educated here as they were there. QDMA is not the only source for 'deer' related activities.

Believe it or not people hunted before that club was ever organized, I know MIND blown right?!

 

[John B]

I dont think Jack is talking about the content as much as he is talking about the accessibility to the info. High traffic sites will show up first on a google search which means the info here will be harder to find for anyone not already associated with the site. It will "rate" higher on google(or any search engine) as everyone adds to their posts and over time be easier to find for anyone just getting started.

That said, I was growing food plots way before i ever got on a forum.

 

[bueller]

Will plots grow without QDMA? Yeah, just like they always have.

What will NOT grow, as quickly, is a knowledgeable base of landowners who are able to quickly separate the advertising hype from the reality of both food plots and habitat development. The existing community won't suffer much from the dissolution of the QDMA Forums, but our ability to provide unfettered truth and even a certain amount of wisdom has become fractured. Until one forum or another moves to the forefront, these sites will be largely used to preach to the choir, while new or would-be converts tend to remain lost in the wilderness...so to speak.

As buckvelvet just quoted Yoder, you also hold the four letter forum too high up on a pedestal. Sure there were a ton of members over there but how many were either spammers or people who have since moved on and no longer read/post there. Of over 12,000 members only 300 or so people have signed up elsewhere. I'm sure others are reading and not signing up just like they did at the forum. This is the internet instant gratification age. Information is at the fingertips of everyone all the time. Those looking for it will find it.

 

[yoderjac]

I think you esteem the 'old' forum way to highly. This forum and the deer one newly created will find folks just as easy as that old club one did. People will be just as educated here as they were there. QDMA is not the only source for 'deer' related activities.

Believe it or not people hunted before that club was ever organized, I know MIND blown right?!

I think you may misunderstand me. I don't deem the quality of the information provided by forum member higher on the old QDMA forum higher than here or Cutman's forum. My point is that information was in a repository that was well recognized by the public and ranked very high in the search engines. When some newbie Googles something to do with a food plot issue he is having or technique he is considering, QDMA forums are always near the top of the list. They also recognize QDMA as a well respected organization with a good reputation. While insiders like us may see a lot of tarnish in recent years, that is not the case with the general hunting public. So, there is a high probability the guy will click the link and get good solid advice.

Now, the expertise is much more distributed across multiple sites. That brain drain over there started when this forum was created by the first large group to become disenchanted with QDMA and of course ended with the lockdown of the QDMA forum. Now when a newbie Googles some topic, this forum and Cutman's forum will be listed fairly low and they have just as much chance at landing on some forum aimed at pushing product.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

I dont think Jack is talking about the content as much as he is talking about the accessibility to the info. High traffic sites will show up first on a google search which means the info here will be harder to find for anyone not already associated with the site. It will "rate" higher on google(or any search engine) as everyone adds to their posts and over time be easier to find for anyone just getting started.

That said, I was growing food plots way before i ever got on a forum.

Yep, you got it. Forums, QDMA or here, don't give folks experience. Like you, most folks who are knowledge started long before QDMA or other internet resources were around and learned slowly making lots of mistakes along the way. There is even a thread on here dedicated to those mistakes. Resources like this, simply help more new folks move up the learning curve a little faster by learning from the mistakes and successes others are willing to share.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[wiscwhip]

Now when a newbie Googles some topic, this forum and Cutman's forum will be listed fairly low and they have just as much chance at landing on some forum aimed at pushing product.

I would tend to disagree, Google "habitat forum" and see what comes up. Do it in a "private window" and clear your cache so it is not skewed by your "preferences". Habitat Talk is 3rd down from the top, the first QDMA Forums link could only manage 5th on that list. I'd say a simple Google search WILL get them here pretty quickly and moving forward it will only get better. So it all depends on what you search for.

 

[wiscwhip]

One question though, what happens to the searches when the QDMA site is erased? Are they still top searches, just with broken links at that point? If so, that sucks for folks.

 

[bueller]

I think you may misunderstand me. I don't deem the quality of the information provided by forum member higher on the old QDMA forum higher than here or Cutman's forum. My point is that information was in a repository that was well recognized by the public and ranked very high in the search engines. When some newbie Googles something to do with a food plot issue he is having or technique he is considering, QDMA forums are always near the top of the list. They also recognize QDMA as a well respected organization with a good reputation. While insiders like us may see a lot of tarnish in recent years, that is not the case with the general hunting public. So, there is a high probability the guy will click the link and get good solid advice.

Now, the expertise is much more distributed across multiple sites. That brain drain over there started when this forum was created by the first large group to become disenchanted with QDMA and of course ended with the lockdown of the QDMA forum. Now when a newbie Googles some topic, this forum and Cutman's forum will be listed fairly low and they have just as much chance at landing on some forum aimed at pushing product.

Thanks,

Jack

Funny I just googled "planting a food plot" and "food plot for deer" and the first page had exactly zero links to the four letter forum. I think the "newbies" will be just fine.

 

[dsinwi]

I'd be open to a land tour also. If for no other reason than to get an outsiders opinion on my place and some of my thoughts. Stand placement and how I hunt it, etc. Others can sometimes see things some of us can't, or at least that's been my experience. I only have 40 acres but who knows what ideas could be uncovered.

Small world. I'm in Clearfield township.

 

[wiscwhip]

Just curious, east or west of Hwy 80? I'm guessing west since the majority of the township is west of 80. Our old place was between Hwy 58(old County Q) and Hwy 80 north of County A. Very near the turn to the Buckhorn Bridge.

 

[kabic]

One question though, what happens to the searches when the QDMA site is erased? Are they still top searches, just with broken links at that point? If so, that sucks for folks.

What will happen is when someone does a search for QDMA forum, they will get this site because QDMA seems to be in every other post.


Edit: Never mind that is already happening

 

[yoderjac]

Funny I just googled "planting a food plot" and "food plot for deer" and the first page had exactly zero links to the four letter forum. I think the "newbies" will be just fine.

I doubt that is how a newbie would query, but perhaps I'm wrong. It doesn't really mater. The situation is what it is and it is now time to make the best of it.

 

[buckvelvet]

No more 4 letter word mention in ANY thread titles or posts before I lose my lunch.

 

[wiscwhip]

One way to increase traffic is if anyone is a member of any other QDM/hunting/habitat forums, make sure you include a link to this place in your signature line!

 

[wiscwhip]

No more 4 letter word mention in ANY thread titles or posts before I lose my lunch.

:p :p :p I only used 3 of those letters!

 

[wiscwhip]

Especially if you ask questions on different plant ID's that you don't know, current vs future stand setups, and how changes could affect you moving forward. Lots of variables to discuss.

 

[buckvelvet]

we can do a land tour at my house, I have 1 acre.

There is my house, here are 10 fruit trees, this is supposed to be grass but it doesn't grow in beach sand, yes thats moss, I don't know why I didn't attach the garage to my house, no i understand why crappy flowers grow but I know why the raspberry bushes go nuts, well next place. :)

 

[dsinwi]

Due west from the intersection of 58\80.

 

[kabic]

No more 4 letter word mention in ANY thread titles or posts before I lose my lunch.

QDMA QDMA QDMA
it's like Beatlejuice saying it 3 times not only summons, but makes it go away