forum make over

[Mark Cowdrey]

Thanks for all the work the BoD is doing regarding website merging & upgrading. I believe it is an appropriate priority. I suggest that if the threshold donation is $1 that at the point of payment there is an explanation in no uncertain terms that this amount is appropriate only for those without the wherewithal to contribute a responsible sum, such as $20 or more.
Thanks,
Mark

[Jim Ostergard]

Mark, You are right on. I think anyway we can send the message that the effort to keep all this going does have a cost. Sure there are times when none of us are pulling in much money but geez even when close to tapped out seems one can find twenty bucks. And of course something more generous is contributing to a community that is giving back how many fold?

[Eli]

I agree. As long as you can look around before you have to pay. And I pretty sure if someone was that down and out others would sponsor them I know I would. Is a sponsor some one option possable. Eli

[dominiquer60]

“I see some value of this organization being a part of a larger organization. I think there would be a long term benefit, both saving overhead costs and gaining greater exposure, to actually being a part of and integrated into a larger type of community. Because for me, though draft power is a huge part of my vision for the future, it is in fact only a single arrow in the quiver… I wonder if the DAP organization would lose some control, but gain a much broader influence in the sustainable farming/logging community.”

Part of what the website change is going to do is to clarify the fact that DAP.com (this website) IS already part of a larger organization. Draft Animal-Power Network (DAPNet) is a larger organization in the sense that we maintain this site, create events in the northeast of the US, print a newsletter, maintain a data base all while educating others and providing resource connections. The couple hundred members and a few sponsors of DAPNet has allowed us enough keep this site going. With thousands of registered members on DAP.com there is such huge potential to take this good site and and make it a great one, keep all that we have an build on and add to it in a big way.

Any one who is not aware of DAPNet, please scroll to the top and click on “Draft Animal Network” button to learn about the rest of our organization. When combined the information from both sights will be blended together so that it will be one bigger happier easily accessible family of draft folk in one place not 2 or 3 (we also own a site for our large event Draft Animal-Power Field Days).

I am really excited by all of your support.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Mark Cowdrey 39385 wrote:

… if the threshold donation is $1 that at the point of payment there is an explanation in no uncertain terms that this amount is appropriate only for those without the wherewithal to contribute a responsible sum…
Mark

Mark, If I valued this site at $1 per year I would wonder why I was wasting my time visiting. But everyone is different. T

[Andy Carson]

I suppose the $1 or more donation could be thought of as how much is the website worth to you. It is certainly worth a lot more than that to me as a single service. I think it is more accurate to this of this donation as how much do you support DAPNet’s mission. Erika is right to point out that this is only one arm of what DAPNet does. I will admit that the website forum is the part that I think about most. Still, I place a huge value on the upcoming DAP field days and know that these types of grand unifying events are fundamentally important in a mulitude of ways. Although I may not go to smaller local events in person, I believe in the concept of them and look forward to some day when some are held close to me. My donation to DAPNet represents the value I place on all these things together. I understand that not everyone prioritizes the same way I might, but I believe this is a minor point compared to the value of being unified. These forum changes attempt to solve many current and potential problems, not the least of which is that we currently have a DAP.com membership and a DAPNet membership. Currently, these two groups are very different in size, generate different amount of money, and there is only a small percentage of the DAP.com members that are DAPNet members. To make it more complex, there are also several DAPNet members who do not go on the website. This gives the appearance of being two groups, when really our values are very very similar. These forum changes bring these two seemingly separate groups together in a more fundamental way, which we expect to increase communication and cooperation towards our mutual goals. Compared to these grand strategic objectives, I think the $1 or $20 issue is pretty minor. That said, if everyone gives only $1, I think it is a sign that the concept is not working and we are not communicating effectively.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Countymouse 39433 wrote:

… I think the $1 or $20 issue is pretty minor. That said, if everyone gives only $1, I think it is a sign that the concept is not working and we are not communicating effectively….

And that we have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.

[Carl Russell]

I think it will make things a lot easier to understand when folks have to access DAP.com through a DAPNet website. Then it will be clearer that this forum is presented by this larger (context) organization. Not that one would HAVE to be a DAPNet member, but that it would be presented under the umbrella of the official organization. I think this will also clarify for some, how their membership in DAPNet is appropriate to the use of DAP.com.

I also think that the monetary requirement, while fiscally responsible, is also about creating another filter that would require a human to perform, so that posting members could be mechanically screened by whether or not they could complete a financial transaction. The $1 minimum is just that, some financial transaction that separates you from a robot spammer. It will be interesting to me to see how well that works. Those spammers obviously seem to be able to make some money doing what they do…. somehow, and I know that sometimes it appears that a real human actually sets up the accounts, then at a later date the robot takes over with its electronic onslaught. I wonder if $1 will be enough to stop them from trying???

When does the fundraising begin? And, is there a particular link to respond specifically to this initiative?

Thanks, Carl

[Anonymous]

@dominiquer60 39408 wrote:

Part of what the website change is going to do is to clarify the fact that DAP.com (this website) IS already part of a larger organization. Draft Animal-Power Network (DAPNet) is a larger organization in the sense that we maintain this site, create events in the northeast of the US, print a newsletter, maintain a data base all while educating others and providing resource connections. The couple hundred members and a few sponsors of DAPNet has allowed us enough keep this site going. With thousands of registered members on DAP.com there is such huge potential to take this good site and and make it a great one, keep all that we have an build on and add to it in a big way.

Erika, thank you for this clarification, as a member of both I have to admit I have not fully understood the relationship between the two. With the joining of the two groups “officially” I wonder if you won’t see a rise in membership in DAPnet as the connection between the two entities is better clarified. I wouldn’t be surprised if many members of the forum site are completely unaware of DAPnet, and that had they better understood the connection between the two would have also joined DAPnet in addition to the forums.

John

[Jeroen]

Five months later and with the new website I found it interesting to reread this discussion. Being a longtime reader I enjoyed the buzz on the forum, where since the change I find it very quiet. Is everyone on facebook now?
Technically everyone should agree the change is a step backwards. The old forum, while not modern, had the basic functionalities, while this one seems to have been put together in a hasty way. Bugs are not fixed, pictures still nog accesible, etc. Strange to see the message that we are going to have to pay to post, because of the huge resource costs, after reading two months that the forum has been online for a week…
Hope things can be fixed for the better (or maybe go back to the old forum tool) and that there will be more to read and enjoy.

[Jim Ostergard]

Jeroen,
Interesting post. While I am not in agreement about paying I don’t fine the new site grabs me the way the old one did. I too have had a sense that discussion is way down and wonder what that reflects is anything.

[dominiquer60]

“where since the change I find it very quiet”

I am not disagreeing with you, but it is hard to tell how much is quiet from the changes and what quiet is from the normal summer lull in conversation, because many are out working and leaving good conversation for the dark side of the calender.

[Carl Russell]

Recognizing that it requires a serious time commitment, most sites like this have at least one Moderator that acts as host, starting discussions, boosting posts, and generally creating a welcoming environment to inspire sharing.

It would also be the responsibility of such a person to make sure that the amenities like photo-sharing, links, and messaging are functioning to the liking of the participants, and acting as a go-to person for concerns and interests.

Without this, leaving it up to folks to read for themselves out-dated information, and to just decide on their own that the forum is not meeting their needs, will just lead to a ever-diminishing cycle.

Carl

[Jeroen]

I agree, most forums even have several moderators, often with each their own section to moderate.
But now there has been a change to another tool with the integration of forum and website which I think the DAPnet payed for (?). After several months the forum is not working as good as the old one (technicaly) and a lot of unfinished things (if you want to have it work like the old forum). The fact that its quiet then is a shame after all the work that went into it.

[near horse]

IMHO – some of the reduction in activity here can be related to the increased activity on the facebook page.

[Author]

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