Never being one to sit and let the site get stagnant, I have been thinking of some new ideas lately. Namely, I have it in mind to turn the entire site into being a message board. There would be some technical stuff for me to deal with in making it happen, but I really think that with the use of private forums (where only certain people could post) and archives etc, I could transfer all of the existing site content into a message board format. The main page would just display the latest message in a private board that only I could update.
When it comes down to it, why do you come to the site? You come to see what's new in the message boards. The first time you came to the site you probaly checked out the articles and got a laugh at the barni zone, but after that, the rest of the site really doesn't get much attention compared with the message boards.

So what do you guys think? I would really like to hear honest opinions on this.

thanks

-Rob

No Rob. I like the Barni schiest and fishing tips on calicos, halibut, the pictures etc. You always seem to add to it. In my opinion, that stuff is integral. The message boards do take a massive majority of the hits but the rest of the site is what makes calfishing.com calfishing.com. Revamping is OK but removing your site's character is bad!

I agree. The information contained in the main body of the site is what attracts people to the site. Then they visit the boards and ask for more detailed info. At least thats the way it happened for me!

I agree. While we regulars may not look at that other stuff on a regular basis it's what drew me to the site and I'm sure it's had an effect on all new visitors. The message board is a huge chunk of the site but I think it works great as it is.

And Rob... I know exactly what you mean about stagnate. It's tough not to want to work on your site and change things for the better, etc. - especially with such a successful site as yours. I go through that all the time with my sites.

***********************

You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

Rob,
Keep in mind that a lot of folks who are looking for "calico bass fishing in california" are just starting out. This site is one of the only ones that offers some good info for those who are just getting started in stuff like sandies, calicos, halibut, etc. It's also nice to be able to point people to the articles who ask a question about halibut on plastic on the boards. If you ditch the articles, we'll get a lot more people asking stuff on the boards which were in the articles, and I like it how it is right now, where we can point em to the article, and then maybe they'll try it out, come back and ask a more refined question. It keeps the board flowing.
-Brian

I more or less agree with the majority on this one Rob. The site provides a great source of information for newbies and forigners internationally as well. I have referred many fellow tubers to your site for the information privided within, not just for the great personal opinions on the message boards. Keep the info and continue to make improvements and tweaks when needed. It's a great site. Keep up the good work.

Terry G.

Rob, I pretty much agree w/ everyone else. Things are setup well.

Amish Ed

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Sounds like the consensus is to leave things how they are. That's cool by me!
I have some ideas for an article on jig fishing I have been thinking about for a long time now. I think it's about time to start writing it up ...

Rob, What I read on the msg brds are the opinions of "others". The content of the articles is mostly "Rob" and that is what makes this site yours. "Msg brds only" alters the identity of the site. Fresh articles would enhance the site, as would updates to the existing ones.

Rob there are a few massive things you could tackle if you wanted to. My ideas are more database intensive than CGI oriented however.... Creating searchable and browsable databases for some "things fishing" would be VERY cool.

An example of what I'm thinking of is: "Fishing spots in California". Imagine an image map that links say marked spots along the Santa Barbara County coastline to lists of and statistics for fish caught there...along with dates, baits used, etc. It would effectively be a graphically oriented web-based person independant fishing log. You also could require valid account status to post to it.

That would be very cool IMHO. If you like this idea but want help with it, I might be able to help out starting this summer...but don't hold me to it! =P

man Frank I have some cool ideas for the site too but it's tough just because I don't have time to really get after it. I work a full week for Sun, I fish about every other weekend, and it's just too hard to dedicate the time to really get things cooking. It's cool though, the message boards keep everyone going and I get an article or two up every so often. That said ... IF you get something cool going with fishing and cgi etc, I'd love to see it and could help integrate it into the site. Despite how slick the site may look, I am actually a terrible programmer and know very little about html or cgi =)

Rob,
I agree with everyone else. The way I found this site was because i put on a search for calico bass fishing and this came up. The site is full of interesting and informative stuff. By the way, are you planning on doing anymore tips on the saltwater section? Maybe a yellowtail article or something.
Thanks,
Tommy

I got the coding and db skills to do that Rob np...not tryin to push it on ya! I might up and do that this summer in my spare time IF people seem interested in the idea of a searchable database of saltwater fishing results. I like the idea myself....

Yellowtail article...now thars an idea! Them's ornery critters that go for the rocks. I remember my sister and I bagged a couple down Ensenada way a while back on a boat full of salty but very friendly mexican locals. What a blast!

I can't count the times i've referred folks to articles on 'how-tos' on your site (even did that at the fred hall show tonite). Don't remove them please! I enjoy reading them myself--you can never know enough.

This is just an idea and I don't know what it'd take to pull off,probably way to much.
How about an area in which people can post semi-permanent info. Such as stuff about where they live, fish; who they might like to fish with(Newbies, Jr's, Experts); what they fish for; how they fish; when they can fish; how to contact them; what do they fish from (bank, tube, yak, private boat, cattle-boat, etc). Then maybe organize it so if I(or whoever) wants to say, fish Anderson Lake for bass on a Sat. from my tube with any kind of lures, I can check who else does this and maybe call or E-mail them an invite to meet me there. I think contact info, location, and species should be searchable and cross referencable.
Just a long winded thought!

Tight lines,
Wade

Wade
I like your thinking. I don't know if you have seen the member profiles on the bassntubes board
http://www.bass-n-tubes.com/member_profiles/index.html
Maybe I can rig up somehting like that for the site.
I will see about it next week. I'm off to Clear Lake tomorrow after work. Time to hook up!!!

Hey Fongster ... don't be giving away all my secrets. Oh wait, I posted them on the internet :-)
Wish I could come by and hassle you and Larry at the big hammer booth!

-Rob