NJFishing.com Members Only Sub Forum??

[Gerry Zagorski]

This came up on the freshwater forum and am considering it but wanted to vet it out here first.

The idea here is to have a private forum that only registered members have access to.. If you were not a registered member or a sponsor on the site you could not view this forum.

The thought here is that there are many people who like to contribute more perhaps sensitive information don't necessarily want to share that information with the world, only people who are members here.

This would be a catch all sub forum so you could post just about anything fishing related in it.

Please weigh in on the poll and cast your vote. I'd like to hear from both members and sponsors and feel free to elaborate on you reasoning.

Thanks

(BTW - I can tell who voted for what so no gaming the system. If you are a sponsor or member please only vote in your sections)

[HDMarc]

The idea here is to have a private forum that only registered members have access to.. If you were not a registered member on the site you could not view this forum.

The thought here is that there are many people who like to contribute more perhaps sensitive information don't necessarily want to share that information with the world, only people who are members here.

I think that a Members Only Forum is a good idea specifically for the reason you mentioned Gerry.

[tropics]

Gerry you would still have the members that only post when they need info.

[Leif]

That would be cool Gerry. Almost like when the whole thing started with that crazy message board!

Leif

[FASTEDDIE29]

Definately something that needs alot of thought. Continue to make money and gain sponsors. It's going to be hard to make everyone happy. Some guys blackout there pics and don't give to much info on where there fish were caught. That's fine, that's the way it should be. Definately changing my posting strategy this year so certain spots that I love won't get hammered with people that keep and kill everything. PM's are a great tool, just need guys to use that option more often when it comes to specific spots. Going to be interesting!!!

[Gerry Zagorski]

That would be cool Gerry. Almost like when the whole thing started with that crazy message board!

Leif

You mean this old thing Leif :)

http://web.archive.org/web/20020326000627/http://njfishing.com/

[Polelock]

Are there any other requirements to view the members only section? Post count?

In 20 seconds, a lurker or guest can register and have access to it...

[CadiShackFishing]

Gerry, I think it's a great idea, however does this mean all the members are just going to post on the private pages only? I think it will increase the member pool but will it make the public section obsolete? I think you should leave it the sponsors as I think they benefit the most from the public traffic. Just me thoughts. :)

[acabtp]

i think you should make the freshwater, saltwater north, and saltwater south forums visible to members only. then delete/suspend accounts for people that don't post a minimum of say, 5 posts, in a year (very very reasonable).

leave the rest of the forums visible to everyone so guests can still see the classifieds, charter boat trips, recipes, etc. maybe add a boat reports section if the sponsor boats want to post their daily reports visible to everyone.

this seems best to me because it not only fixes the issue of all the lurkers getting the info that members are posting for other members to see, which everyone hates and is why this question came up, but it also provides an incentive for non-members to register and participate if they want to see the great info on here.

[Leif]

You mean this old thing Leif :)

http://web.archive.org/web/20020326000627/http://njfishing.com/

That's it!!!!!!

BAHAHAHA! That was great! You could put that board back within this board. It's like a crazy fishing version of Twitter! You were ahead of your time Gerry.

Leif

[frugalfisherman]

Too many sections already

[Duffman]

You mean this old thing Leif :)

http://web.archive.org/web/20020326000627/http://njfishing.com/

Ahhhh!!! the good old days!!! Miss it. "from the helm of the pop pops toy" Halloween bassing in masks, and sports talk....lots and lots of sports talk, good stuff for sure!!!!....:D

FWIW, would love a members section. Read all the posts in the FW section, and see you wouldn't be able to control how many posts would allow a "member" to access a members only section. That's the problem. Anyone can register for one day and grab info.

Personally, I'd somehow make it to a X number of posts per day, per year or total number of posts that worked out to something like 2 or 3 a week.

Cant make it a low post count as anyone can pull the old "nice job" "thumbs up" BS to boost their post count.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Ahhhh!!! the good old days!!! Miss it. "from the helm of the pop pops toy" Halloween bassing in masks, and sports talk....lots and lots of sports talk, good stuff for sure!!!!....:D



A who could forget the Adventures of Fireball :eek:

[shrimpman steve]

I think that's what PM's are for.
IMHO the simpler the better. But would not care that much either way.

[TAB95]

Are we 4 years old?
If you don't want the public to know, don't post it. If you want to send info to certain people than pm them.
If this is a website dedicated to giving people interested in fishing salt / fresh water then allow access. I don't know if anyone is paying attention but this sport / activity / hobby is fading. We need to promote not exclude. Stop the non sponsor posting before considering this decision. I fish many non sponsor boats and NEVER post my trip because I'm not giving free advertisement. If I was a sponsor I would be upset that you would limit access to the best NJ fishing forum.

Just my opinion

[Reel Class]

I voted.

[Fishfish]

Agree with Tab95! I don't remember? Uh-oh! Non members can read, but cant post... correct? The PM feature is already there and especially if you don't want spot burning then don't post your secret spot. If you don't want others, non members, to have access to info on this site, then I think you will deter increasing membership. I believe I did read posts on this site for a little while before joining. Why would any fisherman/woman not want to join? I also think that most into fishing love to share their info and stories. Isn't that a big part of fishing? With the PM feature, I just don't see the point. What else wouldn't NJFish members want non members to see?

[PaulNreel]

If a private sub board is meant to keep information private it wont work, it always leaks. To be truly private it has to be kept to a select few, the PM mechanism will do that. Remember a crafty lurker can spoof Gerry (no disrespect here) and get access to the private information. Keep is simple and open, use PM for Private Messages.

[makosnax]

Why not just call it the Van Staal members only club. Im going to assume my sharing of a particular spot has something to do with this new idea. There is actually a reason why I shared that information, and this idea of a members only club is part of the reason why I did such a thing. When the guys out on that particular spot scurry into a defensive formation to prevent others from going out there, there are repercussions to be paid. Show a little courteousy next time time and these so called secret spots will remain that way. Not starting trouble, just saying.

[team heat]

I ws under the impreeion that this site was formed to let fisherman have a forum where we could all share our ideas with each other.When i post i want everyone to see it.The private message system is the perfect tool to use if you do not wish to share info.I vote no.

[SaltLife1980]

I like the idea but i say there must be a min post count.. Would keep the people from making a account just to make it so they can view the member only forum..

[Joey Dah Fish]

I'm Switzerland on this. I also say if it ain't broke don't fix it too.

[Pennsy Guy]

If you're going to do a minimum post count, I feel the posts should be "real" as in reports, not bs "nice job" posts, as was stated, just to reach the minimum....yea sure, go ahead and post the 2 worders, they just won't count toward the min....

[HDMarc]

What's so difficult about becoming a member if you're so interested in seeing what's going on here anyway? I've seen posts from people who say that they have followed njfishing for quite some time but only until they see something that struck a nerve that persuaded them to sign up so they can throw in their 2¢. Like Gerry stated, if it reduces the chance of some booger eating dork from hacking in to the server and making the site act up like it did a few months back, I say limit what nonmembers can see as an incentive to do what the rest of us have, join the club.

[AndyS]

What TAB said. PM feature is for insider trading.

[acabtp]

What TAB said. PM feature is for insider trading.
we still need way more PMs for that to be a viable option

[Gerry Zagorski]

Are we 4 years old?
If you don't want the public to know, don't post it. If you want to send info to certain people than pm them.
If this is a website dedicated to giving people interested in fishing salt / fresh water then allow access. I don't know if anyone is paying attention but this sport / activity / hobby is fading. We need to promote not exclude. Stop the non sponsor posting before considering this decision. I fish many non sponsor boats and NEVER post my trip because I'm not giving free advertisement. If I was a sponsor I would be upset that you would limit access to the best NJ fishing forum.

Just my opinion

Great minds think alike TAB :)

[Gerry Zagorski]

we still need way more PMs for that to be a viable option

OK you finally wore me down. Now that we have moved hosting companies and have a lot more storage capacity, I increased everyone's PMs up from 50 to 100.

[Cindy Sea]

How about a sponsor section only. been thinkin about that for awhile

[Sharkyispy]

Submitted my vote, just feels like it's getting "too far into the weeds" here. PM's, phone calls, emails all work fine for any "private information/conversations" members want to share/have off line....as called out, register, meet the posting requirements and you're then "in" so it;s then seen anyway....believe it would also detract from the board posts...my .02

[Gerry Zagorski]

How about a sponsor section only. been thinkin about that for awhile

Dave - Due to the limitations of the software package we have, the only distinction I can make is registered or non registered users.

We certainly could put up a section where we say it's for sponsors only, but it would not be private so everyone would be able to see the post and although we can say it's a sponsor only forum registered members could still post and reply in those posts.

I also think if we did this the only people visting that section would be our sponsors so now your are posting your reports up in mutiple forums which is a PITA for you and for our readers.

Don't think this is a good idea but maybe I don't understand what and why you would want a sponsor only forum for.

[hartattack]

A section where only the "cool kids" post will dramatically reduce the # and quality of posts in the un-cool kids section. But hey - some may feel that's cool :cool:

[Jay]

I'm Switzerland on this. I also say if it ain't broke don't fix it too.


I agree 100%. Gerry, it's just more headaches for you. I say, leave it as is. Just my opinion......:D

[Capt. Debbie]

Gerry,

Aside from possible slams of sponsors, what secret information do you think is being withheld? Most members don't even know most other members. So the privacy aspect is not addressed even in a members only board.

If you're looking for electronic security there's better ways to do that. Even members can inadvertently pass on viruses on stuff they unknowingly got elsewhere.

So I am not sure what "members only" does that is positive.



This came up on the freshwater forum and am considering it but wanted to vet it out here first.

The idea here is to have a private forum that only registered members have access to.. If you were not a registered member or a sponsor on the site you could not view this forum.

The thought here is that there are many people who like to contribute more perhaps sensitive information don't necessarily want to share that information with the world, only people who are members here.

This would be a catch all sub forum so you could post just about anything fishing related in it.

Please weigh in on the poll and cast your vote. I'd like to hear from both members and sponsors and feel free to elaborate on you reasoning.

Thanks

(BTW - I can tell who voted for what so no gaming the system. If you are a sponsor or member please only vote in your sections)

[Fishfish]

As I asked prior, what is it that 67% on the 85 members that voted don't want the non members to see? As we are all assets to this site, the telling is in the 6 out of 7 against with only one sponsor in favor of a member only section. They help pay the bills. This is like keeping non members out like Googans.



View Poll Results: What are you thoughts on a member only section of the board?
I'm a sponsor and would support a member only section of the board 1 1.18%
I'm a sponsor and would not support a member only section of the board 6 7.06%
I'm a member and would support a member only section of the board 57 67.06%
I'm a member and would not support a member only section of the board 21 24.71%
Voters: 85.

[EyesOnFirstAve]

As a sponsor, I would prefer to keep it the way that it is. Its just easier for me to look and post on one forum versus having to do so on several. I think that private messages would be a great way for members to share private or sensitive information. :)

[acabtp]

OK you finally wore me down. Now that we have moved hosting companies and have a lot more storage capacity, I increased everyone's PMs up from 50 to 100.
thank you, thank you, THANK YOU :D

[sportfishingusa]

Whats the point? IMHO is just taking up more space, if it isn't broke do not fix it.. This place is incredible, do not screw it up! lol

[jmurr711]

Whats the point? IMHO is just taking up more space, if it isn't broke do not fix it.. This place is incredible, do not screw it up! lol

gotta agree with my babygirl on this 1

[Wilson]

The way the board used to look like Oct. 2000.
You can't read the posts but it's a little different then the current one.
Leave it alone NO ADS though:)

http://web.archive.org/web/20001012113542/http://www.njfishing.com/ceilidh/ceilidh.html

[reefsquater]

I would suggest, looking long term, an App that users could chose private or public on their posts. Also, if there was a check in feature where you could see who is on what charter/party boat, etc that would be cool.

Fishbook like Facebook.

IMO the www boards should stay public with user registering as you do unless user controls could be added.

[Fishin Polski]

No membership!!!:

[Pennsy Guy]

I would suggest, looking long term, an App that users could chose private or public on their posts. Also, if there was a check in feature where you could see who is on what charter/party boat, etc that would be cool.

Fishbook like Facebook.

IMO the www boards should stay public with user registering as you do unless user controls could be added.

I voted yes but wouldn't want to mess with a site that works great as is. While everyone has a cell phone, we all don't have smart phones so no apps for us....this from someone that still uses "snail mail" for bills......my 2 cents...