A few of us have been around long enough to remember a time when this was the only quality surveyor's discussion board. The option was one run by a magazine. The initial activity level on the one operated by the magazine was good but then it began dwindling. As that level of participation dropped the number of new threads dropped until there were only three or four new threads per day to catch the interest of those who dropped by. The magazine killed the discussion board as it was not producing enough income to fund itself.
We do not want this to happen with this site. You who only read but never add material to be read by others need to speak up.
Still waiting on my roasted Llama.
Proof that there are a few of us who go back a long time.
Sold all of the llamas but could "borrow" one from a neighbor.
We have reached the limits of our knowledge. Especially you young guys!
I have to be honest. The new format just doesnt work as well for me..But I will start a NEW THREAD!!!
I agree about the new format. I really liked the way Surveyor Connect was setup.
I agree with dmyhill.
There is a lot of amusing chit chat on Reddit r/Surveying and plenty of high fives for career achievements, but you have to dig for the technical substance.
The technical substance is here, on this site. Nowhere else. Quality over quantity.
I do not understand why the volume of new threads went down with the new format. It seems easy enough to me.
This is about the 4th time I've logged in since the format change. Honestly... the new format is horrible. I can't follow it and don't understand the layout. There is no value in this forum anymore. Sorry...but just being honest. It will die if left in this format.
I have to say that every time the site has been revamped, I have liked it less.
I understand the reasons for needing to upgrade the platform as time goes by - I remember Wendell saying the old platform/system was becoming too slow - not secure - not optimized for smart phones - etc - and I am super grateful for his mega volunteer efforts - but like I said - each upgrade has made it less personal, friendly and easy to navigate for me. But I still use Excel from 2000 and Cad from 2007, so there is that...
I like sites where it's easy to spot SUMMARIES of new threads and threads I've marked as being ones that I want to follow. The initial view in this place has so much text from selected posts that I can't spot what's interesting. (How do they get selected? I don't know, and if someone tells me, I won't remember.)
I will echo the comments about not liking the new format. It is time to pull the plug on whatever life support this site is on.
agree with above. I do not like social media but do like professional online discussion.
myself and many others go back to Mark Deal's original site with robust discussions. my take is that it cost money to host these sites and that the host needs income from advertising. I get it.
I have promised to meet up with several surveyors on this and predecessor sites whom I call friends but have never met in person - I hope to before we are all gone.
Wendell, you likely know where this site is going. Just look at the metrics. Not sure what the fix is.
I just wanted to chime in as an advertiser. I've been using RPLS.com for a short time but truly appreciate the valuable discussions and connections it fosters within our industry. While I understand concerns about the current activity, I believe in the community that's built here and am committed to supporting its growth.
If there's anything I can do as an advertiser to help encourage more engagement, please let me know. Let's work together to keep RPLS.com vibrant and continue to serve as a hub for surveyors everywhere. I am sure Wendell would be happy to hear any suggestions. Do you think the layout is the main issue, or are there other factors that should be considered?
Looking forward to more great conversations!
