comment - ozzu getting a little boring?

Its probably just me (I hope), but I feel that Ozzu isnt as fun and inviting as it used to be. Initially this was such an awesome place to learn from, meet people, and a select few posters kept me mesmerized with their coding skills and web design insight. Now all of that is gone. I find that its always the same people posting in the same places, and the topics and posts just seem to get repetative. Apart from the technical threads, there's nothing of interest here to me. The fun area, Posting Games, seems to annoy me more than cheer me up. A few of the topics in there are turning more into conversations than posts. I also find the General Discussion topics are a little too blah to take part in.

This is nothing against the members or the site itself, but for some reason the appeal to me is lost. It could also stem from the fact that I've never actually needed help with anything (not trying to be cocky) so I dont really have much to keep my interest. Most of my problems are solved through search engines and my friends. I cant recommend any changes, because Ozzu is pretty solid all around. There's really no basis to my rant, just my thoughts on the place. I'm just finding it hard to be as active on the forums as I'd like to be, basically because its seems like every new day @ Ozzu is the same old same old. Regardless of my thoughts, however, this is still a great webmaster forum and one I'll be part of for a while to come. End rant!

Interesting sense of irony -- you are one on that list for me.

*smiles -- you should have seen OZZU when there were only ten or 15 regulars posting to each other most of the time. I guess the general board and games never affected me because I never viewed them as part of OZZU's purpose. I always joined in the ones that interested me and pretty much ignored the rest outside of moderating. Maybe that's why it never gets boring to me. Never was my intent to have OZZU cheer me up or distract me. I've always viewed OZZU as the most beneficial webmaster tool and resource on the internet and that more than anything keeps me here everyday.

I've also seen seasonal trends and some periods of the year are more interesting and active than others. I'm a lot like you, in that I seldom feel the need to ask for help in solving problems. When I do, you can be sure I've checked every resource I can first.

The beauty of OZZU though is that there are people that need us. That makes the day worthwhile, and that's where I find my "cheer" - always in doing my best to help others that need it more than I do. Without people that feel that way, OZZU would have fallen into the internet's black hole long ago.

I have slightly started to feel the way as daremedy here. It seems that Ozzu has just lost something that made it a really special place to come to. That dosnt mean i dont want to keep visiting as it has been and i am sure will always be a Very good place to come to.

I'll be honest with you, The funny thing was the "never ending story" was an interesting topic as it kept my creativity skills going and i was learning alot from that. It may sound really odd, and i know it is classed as a posting game, but it really made Ozzu interesting in that i was being creative with some of the posts being posted.

I admit i am not the most knowledgable member on Ozzu and i would need alot of help with certain things. The fact i am not really working my current site at the moment i have not really felt the need to post. I know when i get my new website up and running believe me i will be all over the place, and this will give me a good reason to come back and post more.

Like ATNO said though, its probably just a seasonal thing as alot of people will be spending time outdoors and not on the computer much and i dont believe we are getting the same volume of visitors at the moment therefore making these kind of websites quite quiet.

Just a quick look at the stats page shows a bit of what's happening:
http://www.ozzu.com/statistics.php

613flavah and I combine for 45% of the 5300+ posts this month. Simply tells me the regulars just aren't posting that much. People have to remember, that a handful of folks don't make the community. It's when everyone participates that it stays exciting and growing.

Another look at the stats show the drop off in posts in March and April. Last year both months were flat. May and June pick up -- slight drop off in summer and back to normal when fall hits and school starts and outdoor activity falls off. Plus spring break, etc don't help, and I know several members have other projects absorbing their time.

The key here is not to wait for others to post. If you're here and can contribute somewhere then do so. If the posting games and general board topics are boring and not up to snuf, then be creative and make some new ones. Not much doubt in my mind we have some of the most creative and skilled people around the world as members here.

Daremedy, I hope some of what I'm saying helps. Take it from someone who's been around the block several times at a variety of communities.

As a side note, it has been frequently noted that there is an interest for OZZU to include tutorials. Well, that's never been dropped from the table, but to create an established page or whatever that is already full of good tutorial content, we need tutorials to start with.

Many members seem to wait to post until a question is asked that their skills permit them to answer. On the other hand these same members are quite capable of writing extremely good quality tutorials in relation to their skills.

Our boards do not need to be limited to answer questions of posters with problems, which in essence is what they are. It would be quite acceptable and in my opinion preferable to see the design forums populated with tips and tutorials.

Prime example: the NT Authority Shutdown thread:
http://www.ozzu.com/mswindows-forum/authority-system-rpc-exploit-worm-read-now-t1337.html

At over 93,000 views, this is currently the most viewed topic at OZZU, yet it was never posted as a question, but rather helpful advice.

Take a look at Windows Tricks and Shortcuts:
http://www.ozzu.com/mswindows-forum/windows-tricks-shortcuts-t1858.html

Again, not a help solve a problem topic but rather great advice.

These types of posts would certainly be a welcome breath of fresh air to our community, but again it comes down to the participation of the members to contribute. I think you'd find the staff much more spurred to motion to develop a tutorial section for OZZU if we had some good meat and potatoes to make it worth doing.

Thinking about it, I'm sure you're right, both of you, its just a seasonal thing. In fact, honestly, the lack of time I'm spending here has caused me to spend more time creating and experimenting with some web design techniques that have always interested me. And most of those ideas came from the sites I've been privelaged to look at and review here on Ozzu, so its not all bad.

Regarding your reply about tutorials ATNO, I often keep "notes" when I design sites or experiment with things, a lot of them amounting to some useful tutorials. In fact I just finished a site that incorporated XML, PHP, and SQL, all within a CSS layout. It kept me up for nights at a time just because I couldnt find actual examples rather then syntax definitions. I suppose Ozzu could use a bit of a change of pace from constant question threads to some more solution threads. So keeping that in mind, I'll definitely try and incorporate some of what I've learned with these boards.

That's the Spirit!

ROFL! That's funny coming from someone who has been here less than 6 months and probably only after things started taking a downward spiral here? Coincidence ...perhaps?

Oh, i am sorry i posted

Don't be sorry, just don't expect the likes of daremedy or myself to take enjoyment out of topics like this one you got such enjoyment out of:



It is threads like these which are exactly the types of repetitive nonsense which have made browsing Ozzu a much less enjoyable experience - for me anyway. I have no problem reading about peoples views on politics, sport, history, or whatever.

It is not for me to say - I am just one voice - what type of content belongs in Ozzu or not, but the focus is noticeably shifting from what I perceive it might have been at it's conception.

Please elaborate. How is the focus shifting?

Hi Bigwebmaster. OK I will elaborate/re-phrase my comment.

When I said the focus was shifting, what I meant was that the focus of the poster was shifting - not Ozzu's.

I know there is a lot of valubale webmaster resource on here - and people (including myself) continue to get their problems solved thanks to many of our members. And, I get no better feeling than helping others out too. However, a seemingly growing number of posters, esp. the newer ones, seem to come here simply to play these (again in my opinion) mindless 'games' and back-and-forth threads which would be better suited to a site whose focus was this type of content.

I have no problem with this content being on those types of sites, but Ozzu is surely - for lack of a better phrase - above that?

Please dont get me wrong. I agree that these games are pointless and stupid. I agree with all you say in that alot more newer members are doing this, i myself am included.

Its not all that bad though, is it? Some of these posts have been here alot longer than the likes of myself and other newer members have been. Ozzu still provices alot of good help some of which I, personally, have learned alot from.

Its just seasonal, i am sure.

I wouldn't say bad, but when I do come here it is a little frustrating to have to sroll through pages of these threads and posts to find just a few which provide interesting conversation.

Yes, I agree with you that many of these originated before you - and probably myself - joined here. It just seems to have snowballed over the months I have been a member.


The only thing that could be seasonal is the overall number of posts, I do not agree that content is seasonal.

That is one reason we moved all of the forum games to a nonpublic forum on ozzu. Only registered members will see those threads which helps make it so people simply do not signup because they want to play those games. Unless they are a member they will not even see them.

I believe the only 'focus' problems you are referring to are in the General Board and Posting Games area. Are you seeing this problem in other forum categories at ozzu which comprise the bulk of this community?

We do get many mindless members joining, and that is something every forum unfortunately has to deal with. We do our best to control these members and take the necessary actions if they become disruptive.