Well, my drill instructor in basic training said 5% and used a somewhat less polite description, but 
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Beyond epic! Sustaining PugSki into the Future!
- Thread starter ScotsSkier
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Well, my drill instructor in basic training said 5% and used a somewhat less polite description, but
Yep. For Sure.........If I remember correctly the description had an A and H somewhere in the prose.
Phil and I talked about my view of the ski forum product lifecycle a couple years ago when this place was in the planning stages. I think that hobby/interest forums are in their golden years and waning in popularity in general. People are spending less time chatting to friends across computer keyboards and more time chatting to friends across mobile Android and iDevices. I think as forums die out, and way more are dying out than growing post 2015, I believe the future is in merging the handheld applications with the discussion areas. Yes, people will still want to use computers where convenient to do so, but I don't even take a computer traveling unless work requires now. I'm way more invested in the gadget and utility app functions on my phone than the discussion forums when away from my work desk.. and now even at my work desk my personal computer use has gone way down in favor of phone utility.
AI and voice recognition might help overcome the pains involved with typing on phones. VR keyboards that work like Wii sensors will be sweet. Anyway, plan for that. My guess is in 5-10 years this type of forum will be few and far between.
AI and voice recognition might help overcome the pains involved with typing on phones. VR keyboards that work like Wii sensors will be sweet. Anyway, plan for that. My guess is in 5-10 years this type of forum will be few and far between.
@Pete in Idaho thanks for the caution and kind words.
@crgildart one of the reasons we are working with this platform is because it integrates so well with image and video from social media sites that are a little more immediate, as well as quick uploading of photos from your mobile device.
We realize that things are evolving at a pretty quick rate but we hope that we'll find the balance between the worlds.
@crgildart one of the reasons we are working with this platform is because it integrates so well with image and video from social media sites that are a little more immediate, as well as quick uploading of photos from your mobile device.
We realize that things are evolving at a pretty quick rate but we hope that we'll find the balance between the worlds.
I totally agree. I made similar comments in the past. I think of PugSki as a community, not so much as a forum. We are mostly using a convenient kind of media, perhaps in 2 years we will have moved to something else, or generate this content in other ways, it's all good ... as long as I cna grab a glass of wine with some of you now and then, after skiing together
I think skiers are a different animal. As long as there are folks willing to rap about anything skiing related, there will be a place for this forum. I just don't get these kinds of discussions from my friends for some reason!
Agree, when you have skiers talking in August about their winter obsessions it is sort of a special addiction. When a skier and family from southern California can meet a stranger in northern Idaho and have a good time skiing, then a ski forum becomes special.
...or a girl from Michigan finds herself living in Tahoe because the forces pulled her there, a ski forum becomes special.
People are definitely preferring to use their smart phones for their social media access over computers. I certainly am. I have a small Chromebook at home, which I find easier to type on, but haven't used my computer in years now. I believe sports and hobby forums still have a future, but they will have to embrace mobile formats to survive. I find Tapa Talk very easy to use and really appreciate forums that support it. The old EpicSki mobile app was also very user friendly, but I do find PugSki somewhat inconvenient on my phone. The main issue being too many links too close together when trying to select posts to read. I like the open discussion that a forum format encourages. Similar conversations on media like FB just don't flow the same way, and of course lack moderation. The main advantage of FB is the ability to directly upload video from a phone without going through a third party. We live in a world of convenience, and will tend to choose the easiest route where possible. The forums that embrace ease of mobile use and support media directly, should continue to thrive.
How would the huge growth of Reddit figure into the "forums are dead/dying" thesis?
Holy... Just found out EpicSki is gone. It was an amazing resource. Wish there was at least a read-only archive for referencing the reviews and the discussions. Seemed like whenever I had a question during ski season, EpicSki was always the top search result.
Good to see the members seem to be moving en masse to a particular forum (wasn't liking the idea of migrating to a certain other forum, with a less serious user base...).
Good to see the members seem to be moving en masse to a particular forum (wasn't liking the idea of migrating to a certain other forum, with a less serious user base...).
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I anticipate a lot of posts like this come October-November . . .
About cgrildart's point -- I don't take a computer travelling, but I do take a large tablet with a third-party case that provides a physical keyboard. I'll read on my phone and make short posts, but if I have more to say, I will wait and use the tablet.. (Or the computer if at home/work.) In my experience, a big screen and easy typing makes it worth carrying an extra device.
In fact, now that I think about it, I bought the tablet in preparation for a ski trip.
In fact, now that I think about it, I bought the tablet in preparation for a ski trip.
Or when someone moves hemispheres to get access to more skiing largely from being involved in a forum...... yep, special.
