It gets 30-40,000 unique visitors a month.
Why don’t you get some threads going….

If there’s so many users why is it so quiet? Doesn’t seem to move for days.

I agree it seems very quiet, I even joined the club site a couple of months back in the hope thats where everyone was, and that it would be worth it..there’s been 1 post on there since I joined, and nothing seems to of been updated in 12 months,very disappointed!

I’ve been a user of this site under a couple of different usernames for the best part of ten years, and I’m sad to say the other forums on the web we to of streaked ahead lately

Well get some threads going then guys – it’s a free service and it’s what you make it….

@geepster wrote:

Well get some threads going then guys – it’s a free service and it’s what you make it….

Well said. Seems some want to come on here and let others entertain them.

I know what you mean fishaman…..I’ve been coming on here for a few years now as a guest (recently as a member)…It seems to me that 90% of posts always end up with the hijack “how did you get on yesterday mick) (or whoever)……just got a bit too clique for me.

@rjays wrote:

just got a bit too clique for me.

Clique???? Much less of a clique here than there is on other sites.

Well judging by the amount of time between people saying something that’s because there is no one here.

the site is only as good as the effort put into it…..its easy to moan that nothing has happened …make it happen ….you want matches ,arrange one get of the fence and do it.Total Fishing has lots of knockers.. lots that want it to fail…when matches were arranged support isn’t there. if any one wants a match at rolfs Pm me……..or the glebe……in fact anywhere…lets see how many want to fish and how many are computer anglers and key board warriors…..

Any forum is only as good as its members and the threads they open. If you and others dont take part and only read other people posts. Then it will always be quiet. You will be suprised just how lively this forum gets when the right questions are asked. Can even get a little controversal at times when new or different ideas are put forward. Always a good place to get quality information if you ask the right questions. There are lot of high quality match anglers who use this forum on a regular basis. If there are no threads. Then, those match anglers are not going to have much to say are they?

As for this forum being a clique. Sorry to disapoint you but the main clique went to a different forum a few years ago. It might be a little quieter at times than it use to be but some would argue that its a better, more user friendly forum than it once was because that clique left. A few of the original clique still post on here from time to time and they are always welcome as fare as im concerned. Nothing wrong with a bit of friendly banter as long as it does not get personal and people stay within the rules of the forum.

Larry, if you sort out a few matches on the likes of Rolf,s or the Glebe. Im sure they will be very well supported by members of this forum. I will support them for a start as i have always attempted to do. Almost every match organised though this forum that i can think of has always been well supported on those and a few other venues in the past. We have had 2 teams in the N/W intersite for at least the last 3 years as an example and shows that anglers do want to meet up and fish high quality venues and put faces to user names. The one sad thing that we lost when the clique left was a very good match organiser for this forum in BnF. I miss BnF for that one reason. He was also quite funny at times even if he hated me for having an opinon, lol

The site won’t ‘fail’ teepot. I don’t even know what ‘success’ actually is when it comes to fishing sites.
TF doesn’t make any money and neither do the other free sites with busy forums. I’m in touch with most of the site owners and we are all in the same boat. Busy site, no clear way to monetarise it. Labour of love.
I keep the forum side of the site going as a free service for people to use if they wish.
Lots of those people who knock it (and me) have used it to sell fishing tackle I know that.
There’s not the close community of perhaps 200 match anglers posting all the time that there used to be for sure, but then again I used to get so much grief from within the trade for things written on the forum you wouldn’t believe it. I don’t any more, not as often anyway.
Also there was always the regular criticism that it was far too cliquey (which it was); so you can’t win and just have to have a thick skin.
It’s not all about forums anyway, although a lot of people think it is.
Total-Fishing is for instance easily the best site for the video magazines of 27 that they are syndicated out to and I know that because I run the syndication.
It gets 10x the viewing figures some of the sites people think are busier – over 20,000 video views a month – so people are coming on here alright.
If people want to use the forum, that’s great go ahead. It’s free and it’s yours to use if you wish.
If people don’t want to use the forum but want to use other sections of the site like the video magazines, that’s also fine. The news on this site is also a strong section.
There are just as many people looking at the site and the forum as ever according to Analytics. But there are fewer actually posting than there used to be three years ago at the moment, which is interesting. Looking, but not posting.
I would like it if it were a bit busier again, i think. But the interesting thing is I’m not sure, because there was so much bad feeling about so often and I often got stuck in the middle that it often took over my life… and for what exactly?
I actually prefer the forum now on a personal level, although I do recognise that from a visitor level it’s not as challenging.
But a massively busy forum wouldn’t make any difference to my life other than probably cause me a load of grief from the trade, which I can do without as angling is my livelihood.
What’s important in working life is making enough to support your family. Free fishing sites categorically do not help you do that, and arguably hinder it by taking so much of your time.

😀 I use multiple sites under different names and I enjoy this site just as much as the others. I’d like more threads posted but hey ho times move on.

TF just has a different angle.

I’m one of the clique I guess as well 😮

You post something on here and it get 800 + views and 4 comments I do it regularly !!!! One thing I will say is I think people on the whole find the signing in process difficult, its easier to come on here not signed in and read other peoples stuff, Mods if you make signing in easier people will post !!!!

I also use several “match angling” sites and i deffo dont do clique……… loads will vouch for that! 😀 😀
Match angling in general is at a very low ebb at present with lots of lads feeling the pressure of keeping there job / paying the bills etc i guess?. A lot of lads i know just cant be bothered with getting involved with forums , they have a peep etc but thats all ……..maybe trends have changed ?

Just my thoughts 😉

It should auto log you in Ant – but i know some people have problems with some browsers. I use Google Chrome all the time these days and it works great. However, I can’t log in in Firefox even tho’ lots of people can. Go figure! The joys of the internet….

Anyway if anyone is having any trouble logging in at all, drop me a PM and I’ll look into it…. I can’t promise I can fix it, but I will look into it…

Double edged sword there though Geeps no log in no send you Pms, but im sure the lack of posting is largely underpinned with difficulties signing in, cant you make it no sign on just post ?

geeps wake up to the bigger picture as ive said before after the change over people couldnt get back on let alone pm you ????
as to to the recent knockers, iust from the dark ????side just check there joining dates ??????

I’m sorry but logging in is easy, just enter your login details. Are there many matches here then? Who runs them and how do you enter? Excuse my ignorance but what is the dark side?

this site has given me an answer to any query ive had over the years and i always visit 🙂

The dark side is another site that was set up by the old clique from this forum. Not a bad bunch of lads to be honest and several still post regularly on here. There are a few who spend too much time attempting to wind up and mess up threads on this site. Makes me smile to think how great there site must be if they have to come on here for a bit of unhealthy banter! Im pleased to say that this type of thing has happened less and less as times gone on. Quite a few regulars from this site where banned from the dark side for not kissing a%% or having an alternative view. There was a suggestion by a few regulars on here that one of the aims of the dark side was to destroy this forum. Not sure if that aim was true but there was a lot of come and join us type talk by those on the dark side and look how many of the top stars have signed up. As Geepster has pointed out. Based on the number of hits this forum gets. There are plenty of people using this forum. A lot more than on the dark side from what i can make out.

Not many matches being organised on this forum at the moment. Im sure there will be a few in the spring and summer once it warms up again. This forum does need a few people to start organising some get togethers again. However, if you want the answer to an angling question. Then, you will get an answer or three here. If your after internet organised matches. Then, the dark side might just be for you! Come to think of it. Im sure there is a reggieroach that posts on the dark side, lol

Just to add a little balance to that dreary picture of the “dark side” I can tell you that there’s plenty on offer,in the last few years I’ve made some good friends on there.
theres loads going on including weekly competitions that all you need to do is stick your name down,just to name a few things I’ve been luckily enough to win myself…
A days coaching with Steve Ringer
Garbolino bomb rod
Trevor Jeans nosecones

There’s a healthy match programme that you can enter what suits,a great chance for a get together and help bond the lads

Live Q&A sessions with the stars including the likes of Will Raison and other internationals, fisho winners etc brilliant if you have a specific question you want answering on the night.

There’s some quality anglers regularly posting on there so if your a reader rather than a poster you can pic up loads of sound advice

PTB I know there were some log in issues after the switch but I can assure you we did all that we could to try and avoid this and helped everyone back on who contacted us….
Any issues at all email me if you can’t PM – [email protected]

I had log-in problems when the site changed but Paul from the Admin team was superb at sorting it out, top marks!

Glebe 1 you failed to add the subscription fee of £10…

@larryteepot wrote:

Glebe 1 you failed to add the subscription fee of £10…

You are absolutely correct I did fail to mention it, that’s because the fee is £5,the same as previous years,it will be going up to £10 in January
So there’s still plenty of time to pay a fiver and get 365 days of probably the best fishing forum on the net.
I won’t have a problem paying a Tenner next year considering I bought a copy of Match fishing the other week, best part of 4quid for a load of adverts and a couple of articles, cover to cover in less than 10mins

I, like many others have been members of various sites including this one for several years and to be honest most of the topics have been covered loads of times.
New posters on a lot of the sites can be put down & put off from posting again.
I’ve seen responses like”not that old chestnut again” as a typical response to a question or observation, or “use the search facility, that’s been covered before”
It’s interesting that on most of the sites the “Tackle for Sale” section is usually the busiest, and this section also shows that many belong to all the sites, as the same items appear in all the for sale sections.
You will often also see the same thread topic posted on all the major sites , yet it will only develop on one or 2 sites , but often as a “converstion” between 2 or 3 posters.

I’ve been a member for a long time and a visitor even longer and this site is always the first fishing site I visit. It’s certainly not dead.
I don’t contribute much because I don’t feel I have the level of expertise. Also I don’t spend enough time on my computer to be able to contribute properly to debates. I’ve learned an awful lot though on techniques and tackle, and some of the venue advice I’ve been given on here has earned me money. I’ve even learned about how the other half live from the postings of Mick the Bookie. 🙂 I don’t come on here to make new fishing friends so I don’t miss the lack of matches or get togethers.
I did occasionally post a, what I thought was funny, joke on here but got fed up with the abuse from those self appointed arbiters of good taste that seem to patrol the boards looking for chances to take offence. I don’t particularly like being called a knob, although it was only Squeaky Roller and he’s from another board. Having said that I find this a very friendly board and not in the least cliquey.
On that subject, I wasn’t invited to join BNF’s site when it was set up and it had been running for some time before I was aware that it existed in a parallel world. I had a look but it seems you can’t read it without being a member so I’ll have to live without it.

i am not knocking the subscription..just stating there is one….£5 …£10 doesn’t matter……the value if you use the site is probably worth it….

That’s a very good point marcc, reference most things having been covered by the stalwarts and newbies being disinclined to ask because they will get ‘that old chestnut’ type reactions.

er…answer to the question ..is this site still alive…answer yes…got a faint pulse ..but still alive.. 😎

er…answer to the question ..is this site still alive…answer yes…got a faint pulse ..but still alive.. 😎

err…. :confused:

Fishaman, i answered your question on the thread you opened to try and be helpful. Im not sure there is much more that can be added to that thread. Any forum is only as good as the questons being asked in each thread. I, ve even suggested on this thread that the dark side might be the place for you if your after organised forum get togethers.

I use to look in on MFS until about a year ago. Sorry, but unless those boards have changed in there use in the past year. Its still very quiet on those boards and much quieter than the boards on this forum. The chat-box on that site is where most people post from what i, ve experienced but it might have changed. Im not knocking that site or any of the other foums. They just gets used in a different ways and they all offer something!

The first 20 threads on this part of the forum has had over 12, 000 views. This thread alone has has 30+ posts in just a few days. Seems busy to me when compared with the other angling forums i look in on including MFS, Talk Angling and Maggot Drowners.

How would you know how busy MFS is unless you where already a member?

It does not matter who i am. Im not the boss. Im just a regular forum user who has been using this ste for a long time. I, ve always tryed to use this forum in the way it was set up to be used and always try to be helpful if i can. Not sure im being a little tetchy in stating my point of view.

theme song for true blue….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK_Jya44V8Q&ob=av2n

no offense intended TB

I never take offense, Larry. Its only an angling forum, sometimes, lol Love the song by the way!

Fishaman you joined on December 9th and I must say you haven’t said much positive about TF. – anyone would think you had come on here with some kind of motive to knock the site because if you were just browsing it and weren’t impressed, why would you join? If there was no-one on here TF would not get over 20,000 views of the video magazines a month which is miles more than all the sites you mentioned because it’s more than any other site. These are not ‘bots’ viewing the videos – they are anglers – and if you know your web you will know that. Some sites have one strength, some sites other strengths. Why is there always seemingly an under current of trying to knock one site or the other? I just don’t see the point. I’m sure we are all working hard to earn a living and fitting in fishing as and when we can – we are all anglers, quite a few of us match anglers, and we should be on side with each other. I don’t even know why I’m rising to this because it’s pointless but just for the hell of it last month’s stats are below (Google Analytics).

how can people complain about a free site :confused:

NICE THREAD

@TrueBlue wrote:

I use to look in on MFS until about a year ago. Sorry, but unless those boards have changed in there use in the past year. Its still very quiet on those boards and much quieter than the boards on this forum. The chat-box on that site is where most people post from what i, ve experienced but it might have changed. Im not knocking that site or any of the other foums. They just gets used in a different ways and they all offer something!

The first 20 threads on this part of the forum has had over 12, 000 views. This thread alone has has 30+ posts in just a few days. Seems busy to me when compared with the other angling forums i look in on including MFS, Talk Angling and Maggot Drowners. .

If you’ve not been on any of the above boards and you’ve not been on MFS for over a year how do know any of them are quieter than here. Talk angling is pretty quite but Maggot Drowners and Match fishing scene blow this forum away, i’m sorry to burst your bubble mate but it’s fact.

The biggest thread thats been on here for as long as i can tell is this one, other forums are having 20 page debates, views are nothing if theres only 10 people ever having input.

People will always complain it’s in their nature. It’s not all about forums John I think people pick up a lot of info on here. But if you are only interested in using the busiest forum then that’s the only one you will use…

Talking about the “Dark Side” I remember the dark days, when every thread seemed to be hijacked and disintegrated into so called banter about short people who by their own admision ddn’t have much angling ability and added very little serious contribution. That was a real turn off. This site is a bit slow at the moment, I put that down to the time of the year, but imo its still the most informative and unopinionated (is that a word word) site of the ones I have viewed. A couple of weeks back I started a thread regarding an article in Match Fishing Magazine it received some great responses even the writer of the article added to the thread.
Does it really matter which appears to be the busiest site, as long as we all contribute to the one we enjoy the most.

@badger wrote:

Talking about the “Dark Side” I remember the dark days, when every thread seemed to be hijacked and disintegrated into so called banter about short people who by their own admision ddn’t have much angling ability and added very little serious contribution. That was a real turn off. This site is a bit slow at the moment, I put that down to the time of the year, but imo its still the most informative and unopinionated (is that a word word) site of the ones I have viewed. A couple of weeks back I started a thread regarding an article in Match Fishing Magazine it received some great responses even the writer of the article added to the thread.
Does it really matter which appears to be the busiest site, as long as we all contribute to the one we enjoy the most.

100% Agree 😀

Geeps .. you will always get the knockers… if he dont like it then he can go else where!!! . Its a FREE site , for the MEMBERS of this site if you swish to sign up and log on to use to there advantage. Alot of work goes into this site , and now you even have a video section. Geeps shouldn’t have to justify his results!!

Its like Marmite you either love it or hate it , and you dont have to come on here publicly putting it down..if you have any concerns then just pm Geeps .. or is it just a witch hunt to try and cause trouble??

@geepster wrote:

People will always complain it’s in their nature. It’s not all about forums John I think people pick up a lot of info on here. But if you are only interested in using the busiest forum then that’s the only one you will use…

I know Geepster, like you said earlier on and thats a great position to be as it’s only a side line to you, where as other forums are struggling and asking for membership fee’s, you ain’t.

I am one of the people that picks up alot of info, i just wished sometimes there was better threads that way people will stay on longer (me included) instead of having just a glancing look and moving on.

Thats no way a reflection on you mate as everything else is a great success especially the video side.

JohnC, would you please post the thread titles that have 20 active pages from any angling forum at the moment? Active being the key word. There might be a few 20 page threads that have been going for months or even longer and just added to over a long time.

Threads are the key to any forum. When an interesting thread starts on any forum. It normally does the rounds of most of the angling forums. Im not seeing anything outstanding at the moment on any site in that respect. Time of year im sure is a big factor in how busy forums are. Im also sure that the old faithful paste thread will turn up in the spring as an example and we will do the 20 page threads again in a matter of days on this forum.

@carpcruncher wrote:

@badger wrote:

Talking about the “Dark Side” I remember the dark days, when every thread seemed to be hijacked and disintegrated into so called banter about short people who by their own admision ddn’t have much angling ability and added very little serious contribution. That was a real turn off. This site is a bit slow at the moment, I put that down to the time of the year, but imo its still the most informative and unopinionated (is that a word word) site of the ones I have viewed. A couple of weeks back I started a thread regarding an article in Match Fishing Magazine it received some great responses even the writer of the article added to the thread.
Does it really matter which appears to be the busiest site, as long as we all contribute to the one we enjoy the most.

100% Agree 😀

Geeps .. you will always get the knockers… if he dont like it then he can go else where!!! . Its a FREE site , for the MEMBERS of this site if you swish to sign up and log on to use to there advantage. Alot of work goes into this site , and now you even have a video section. Geeps shouldn’t have to justify his results!!

Its like Marmite you either love it or hate it , and you dont have to come on here publicly putting it down..if you have any concerns then just pm Geeps .. or is it just a witch hunt to try and cause trouble??

I also agree 100%

Heres a question for you…… is it a case that the Forums are going quiet in genral a bit like the Magazine sales have also gone quiet….??

its the same chat doing the same circuit……as in how many times do want to read how to fish the pellet waggler .. or the method feeder….. or fish the paste…… and so on with questions / topics on forums …The same questions as in .. how to fish paste.. which pole should I buy ect….

Commercials are the base of what is now written as the canals and rivers are not popular amongst anglers as they once were….. Thers only so much that can be written about some of the methods that go around Commercials , as in theres only so many times a subject can be talked about on the forums that people can get there teeth into.. and for the magazine writers , that some like to slagg off find it hard to put depth into new material , but infact is not that new as they have covered that method in the past , its the same on here with anglers on the forums thinking up new topics and answering questions….. It can be a struggle……

Chat boxes can also be good.. but can also be the kiss of death on some forums as it takes anglers away from the topics .

At the end of the day Total-fishing is a free forum to use.. its no better and no worse than any other site… You Get out what you put in!!

Like Badger said where else can you ask a question regarding a magazine article and get a response from the originator of the article, that sort of put things into perspective Its still a good site this individuals need to contribute though, sod all the people who take the mickey out of you when you ask a question there just children, get posting it gives us all something to talk about.

John it’s a good job I’m not reliant on this site for my living, I’d be in big trouble LOL!! I would hate to try and earn a living for my family out of a free media website of any kind, fishing or otherwise. Advertising revenue is very hard to come by at the best of times, and this is the is among the worst of times I’ve known since being directly involved in the industry since 1990. Everyone who knows me knows I have always had to have a full time job – the result has of course been that I haven’t been able to put the time into the site that some would have liked me to. TF is a labour of love and that makes the criticisms pretty difficult to take at times considering the amount of time and money which has been invested. However, I do thank TF for giving me a thick skin!

I use more than one site, am still a paid-up member of TFC (still posting on it too) and am not sure it’s even valid to compare sites such as TF and MFS as if they are trying to achieve the same thing or appeal to all the same people.

The only things they really have in common is 1. they are web-based and 2. they share some users.

TF has historically been mainly a discussion forum and with the addition of the video magazine now has content that is unique to it (bloody good it is too, specially the Will Raison segment). It is not genre specific and has something for anglers of any persuasion from specialists to matchmen. It’s been around a long time and should be credited with the developments and evolution you see in other sites. As Geeps has pointed out the forum part of TF is no longer what it’s all about.

MFS has become a GB-wide match angling club that is based around a forum. It is more about fishing together with the discussions online just something to fill the time in between fishing. It already has 41 separate matches/events booked between now and next September (59 days of fishing including 2 x week long festivals, 8×2-day events and one-off matches) and this is before two of the more active regions have even really kicked into gear with bookings for 2012. It runs a national match league that has a major sponsor in Garbolino and around 300+ people will fish at least one match this year.

Is it really valid to compare them on this basis?

In terms of site usage (both sites) I can only talk from my own experience and as I’m only really interested in the match related threads – e.g. Dingdongs Xmas Thames Match thread on TF, I rarely read or post on other threads. There are very few match threads on TF – although I did run a couple of joint TF/MFS matches on the Thames back in September which got a bit of interest going.

So is the site still live? In my opinion yes, but it has changed from what it was and has become somewhere I personally come to less frequently and in addition to the main forum I use for the reasons given.

Right….I have been watching this thread grow with much interest and have decided the time has come to state my two-penneth……..for what its worth.
“Is this site still alive”?……………Very much so…….But…….As i have stated on here before…..its very quiet.This site has many veiwers who look in nearly every day……and i for one look in maybe 3 times a day just to see whats happening.In the last 2 weeks the site has become almost stagnant,and apart from this thread nothing else has stimulated much interest.
Whatever you think about the question originally asked,one thing it has done is,it has caused a flurry of activity across,not only this site,but also the others. The word has got around and even the creators and top posters of the “Dark side” have looked in to see the “perfect storm” brew……..They like our very own mentor(Geeps) love the debate as it stimulates all its veiwers.
We have had some wonderful threads on this site that have ruffled the feathers of many posters,some of which are great anglers and leading lights,but they still look in to see whats happening…believe me.
Wait till the butterflies appear and we will all be back on track……not only fishing……..but posting.But untill that time,i have just one more thing to say…….You can all…….FRO…..Massive lol.

Take care…….And i hope you all have a Merry Xmas. 😉 😉 😉 😉

I love this site and like many have learned much from other posters so thanks to all of you for that.
Of course its going to be quiet in Winter with many not venturing out, but we are one week away just about from the shortest day so we have lots to look forward to over the next few months as we gradually get some daylight and hopefully some warmth with it.
The site is only as good as its posters and many of the better known ones have stopped posting due to abuse so my advice is, if you cannot be respectfull and read carefully please dont come on here. Very much a case of less is more sometimes I feel.
Tight lines and best wishes for the holiday season.

@Fishaman wrote:

A couple of things to mention though.

With such a large loyal member base on here Geepster I would assume the club is doing well and coupled with the advertising revenue you must be doing pretty well from this financially ?
I cant see the club site but all the ads on this page are from well know companies and they mustb e getting loads of clicks.

Where can I find out about joining the club as Happy Dangler mentions it, is this place to go and find match anglers ? I am keen to be involved in the match side of things just not that keen to chat about football etc. Are all the guys on here club memebrs too ?

True Blue

U would assume the club site is doing well?
Since I joined about 4 months ago, there has been one thread started on the whole club site, so that makes this look mega busy
You seem like a prominent member, are you a top angler ? Would I recognise you from th mags ?
I look forward to meeting you on TF club matches, do you do coaching days ?

yes this site is live or you wouldnt be reading this. imo its a fun infomal and helpful site
i have been a member with dif names[ its my age were am i] for about 8 years and as with
all things you get quiet times keep the faith and have a good xmas
gazza [ps any one a rod for sale that bends or a float that goes under]

Lots of sites out there, no doubt some more active than others. Some that I have historically checked in on include Maggot Drowning, Talkangling, Yorkshire Fishing and the one that Zinky used to run (Anglingforums?)

This is the only one that I still look in on. You can usually get a sensible answer to a sensible question on here. Suck it and see…

All of the sites to me offer something slightly different. I wouldn`t go and start slagging one site off though. People come and go, some post and contribute loads, some just like to read and learn things off of threads started by someone else, there`s no problem with that is there? To me personally it seems like someone is just trying to wind up people who mainly post and come on here with this thread? Speaking personally I`ve always had my questions answered with great answers on here, and as for a clique? Where?

“its (sic) not meant to put this site down, after all with so many users looking at this site every month it will soon be as popular as facebook !
I find it very odd that the tens of thousands of viewers dont have anything to say though ?
Maybe they are all foreign language speakers ?”

Nice little wind up mate. Well done. Keep it up.

Are you posting this stuff on the other sites?

The thing is mate, I’m not remotely interested in how many people view this site. But if the owner quotes a number I’ve no reason to doubt him. LOOK – THAT MEANS YES.
I use it, and Maggotdrowners, because they provide me with useful information and aren’t cliquey. I can’t look on the other one because it won’t let me look unless I sign up. You say it’s a hive of activity, so there you are, it’s the site for you.
However,if you want to make sarcastic digs at the site and some of its posters, well, fair enough, it’s up to you. It passes the time when you’re not on the bank I suppose.

Look again Cheryl love. I did answer your question.

The last bit doesn’t make sense – the people who dont use it wouldn’t be defending it would they?

If you’re resorting to insults I’ll leave you to it. 😀

What’s the matter with you Fishaman. The only reason anyone got defensive is because you went on the attack and there you go again. You have been a member of the forum for less than a week and you’re attacking people already… plus effectively calling me a liar…. er??? What was that book again? How To Make Friends And Influence People….? Chill…. it’s only fishing.

I have some sympathy with Fishaman here (and not just because he said that I talk sense!) The forum is much less active now than it used to be, yet according to the stats, it has more users now than ever (“Most users ever online was 303 on 12 Dec 2011 19:51”). I can only think that there are a whole lot of lurkers out there, longing for some fishing banter in the off-season, but not posting. I am pretty sure that GP is not making the numbers up (what is the incentive for him to do this?)

I also think it is a fair point that lots of people come on here for more than just the forums and it is probably also fair to say that this is not the natural place to visit if you want to participate in online organised matches.

One other thought is that perhaps splitting the discussion across several forums (eg, the for sale board, Q&A, etc) has a dilutive effect and it would actually be better to have fewer forums with a higher level of activity? Having said that, I am pretty sure that GP split them because people used to complain about the number of for sale, etc threads mixed in with more general topics.

I still find that on the odd occassion that I post a (fishing related) topic, I usually manage to obtain a prompt and helpful response.

One last point on the approach Fishaman has taken – maybe he is bored so is posting in a slightly antagonistic tone to wind people up for a laugh? To be fair, as he says, it has provoked more posts than any other on this site for ages…

Yes I’m sure you are right Gary he’s just being controversial and sometimes that’s good. But he is a new poster and sometimes it’s better to ease your way in?

The forum is most certainly not the busiest it’s ever been no-one is trying to claim that. The only reason it has December 12th as the busiest day is that the whole forum was relaunched in July to put it onto a PHP platform. The old forum was out of date and on .asp. So Dec 12th was only the busiest day since the forum was relaunched.

Although we tried our best to avoid it, it was very complicated and quite a lot of users lost their log in. Perhaps the biggest affect of all is that quite a lot of users had forgotten theirs because it used to auto log them in. There was absolutely nothing we could do about that because of the switch to PHP.

The traffic has therefore taken a bit of a hit since July in terms of logged in members contributing to the forum. Although the stats show that they are still visiting the site.

As people contact me I am getting them back on. Those who have will confirm I’m doing this swiftly and in most cases it’s because people have forgotten either their username or their password and the email that’s registered is an old one so they can;t retrieve it. However, if they email me at [email protected] I will sort it out for them.

Fishaman I posted the November 2011 stats on page four of this thread only for your benefit. They are from Google Analytics. I kind of knew when I was doing it I was wasting my time and so it proved. But if you don’t believe Google Analytics which is the industry standard then I give up anyway.

I could also post stats on here to show that Total-Fishing.com gets over 20,000 views of the video magazines every month (https://www.total-fishing.com/tv-video) and prove that it’s by far the busiest of all the angling sites in that respect. But I won’t because it would be a waste of my time as you would not believe me.

Hey ho….

Member for a week and to me only signed up to stir things up 😡

Geeps – understood. 300 users online at once is still a lot though, isn’t it? Lots of lurkers out there not posting…

@redarmy wrote:

Member for a week and to me only signed up to stir things up 😡

I think we know him well,under another name 😉

“300 users online at once is still a lot though, isn’t it? Lots of lurkers out there not posting.”
Everyone lurks before they decide to post. My ratio of lurks to posts is about 500 -1
I only log on if I decide to post.

My password was not carried over on the conversion … but I’ve just bothered to get a new one sent and it was really easy.

IMHO the volume of traffic on the forum pages is way down – which is a great shame, as the most mature and thoughtful debate is on here, rather than MFS, Talk Angling or Maggotdrowners. Mind you, I’ve not signed up for the paid pages on MFS, so may be missing out!
Personally, I don’t want matches or prizes, and I’m not looking for advice very often …. but I do like a good debate with some diverse viewpoints! Whether that is fishing, politics or sport ….

Forum is as good as the threads posted …. so i is genuinly up to us!

Fishman whats your real name ? Reason im asking this is over the years Ive said some stuff on here which others did not like and Ive been picked up on it, ive stood looking at the leader board at White Acres festival when somebody has leaned over my shoulder and grimmaced ” is that you Anthony Waters huh, I know you “. I have had personal messages asking me not to make fun of products that assist pole anglers and not to riddicule bait companies. Now when I post I ask myself is it factual and will it cause offence, because you never know who you will run into and you dont always realise how much offense you are causing I certainly didnt ! Reason I ask whats your real name is nobody knows who you are whats the point in Mr nobody making a statement ? Not a dig just the way I see it. Anthony Waters

Evening all.
I am by no means an avid poster but I do view fairly frequently from a multitude of media – home pc, lap top, phone and work internet (therefore sometimes logging in and sometimes not). I have been surprised by how this thread has developed. I have a few observations…

Firstly it has proved and answered the question asked by Fishaman – yes people are using the forums and the website.

Secondly there has been a massive focus on the forum element which overall I would say isn’t the point of the Total Fishing website. There are lots of positive things offered on here – especially videos but also various forums, selling area, links to articles and angling shops etc and it doesn’t cost anything to browse. Plus it is easy to use and navigate (even to log in!). The forums, as mentioned above, are viewed, can be trusted to sell and buy things on and the language is well controlled.

Thirdly the mix of anglers is good. Recognised match-men – Steven Ringer, John Arthur, Giles Cochrane, Nathan Watson etc through to basic club anglers all come on here. Also from what I can tell there is a good geographic spread. This allows a high level of discussion if required and the new/less experienced anglers get to learn something.

YES I do think it is quieter on here at the moment but I think people are preoccupied with other things and in general the fishing has got harder over the last few weeks which isn’t conducive to lots of postings. Plus alot of people come on here to view what is being sold and then drop out again. Just the way it is.

Finally Fishaman you clearly know the internet well and are keen to get involved in match fishing – which is fine and positive. Additionally you question things, which is your prerogative and something I respect. However given some of the criteria that you desire don’t appear to be happening on this website then perhaps the easiest thing is to just go to another website/forum? If you want to stay then I’m sure the moderators will be happy to see you post either as much or as little as you like, as long as it’s considered and not meant to wind people up!

Hopefully this will be the last post on this thread and we can get back to talking about fishing which is ultimately why we come on here!

And just to quantify – I am not in any way linked to this website, have no friends posting on here, am not involved in the fishing industry nor do I know or have fished against Geepster.

Cheers
James Brown (my real name!)

If your James Brown then im Steve Gerrard 😎

Fair play people really do get worked up on these forums, but at the end of the day it should only be a bit of banter about, items of tackle, styles of fishing, rules and venues etc etc, surely not the forums themselves???
Everyone posts something daft or regretful every now and again, i know i have “mainly when drunk” but it’s all just bored literature while waiting for the next baggin session!
no need to have a big kung fu fight about it!!

@TrueBlue wrote:

If your James Brown then im Steve Gerrard 😎

LOL!

Very good Stevie G 😀

Hopefully fishamans run back to the school playground giggling with the other girls. Great wind up :confused:

If he was looking for a bite. Guess he just lost his rod :p

I hope he does return and gives this forum a good go. Could have saved himself a £5, 😡

@TrueBlue wrote:

If he was looking for a bite. Guess he just lost his rod :p

I hope he does return and gives this forum a good go. Could have saved himself a £5, 😡

If he does return…..will the real Fishaman stand up?…….Its not you Geeps…Is it…lol. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: .
2000+…….AND RISING. :p :p :p :p :p

I have been made aware who our agitater is and I’m very surprised bremes it’s not who you might think infact you would struggle to guess there identity he is a long standing member on here but doesn’t come on very often and is more likely to be found on another site.I’m sure the people running the other site will not be very happy either with a silly and childish attempt to stir things up.you know who you are grow up

@Reggieroach wrote:

I’m sorry but logging in is easy, just enter your login details. Are there many matches here then? Who runs them and how do you enter? Excuse my ignorance but what is the dark side?

How many times have you logged in …………………….3 times ????????

That is my real name chaps. You don’t joke about having a name like that. Trust me!

Well done prof.
You must do it again some time. 🙂

@Jimmy_bronze wrote:

That is my real name chaps. You don’t joke about having a name like that. Trust me!

If you think its difficult with a name like yours, Jimmy? Try being from Liverpool with the name, Steve Gerrard. The big joke is being born a blue. I worked in the main stand at Goodison Park before that sick note with my name had ever kicked a ball. Does my user name TrueBlue make sense now?

I feel good! :p

Haha TB, I know we shouldn’t rise to the sad plebs but I couldn’t resist 😀

I know the Professor well.

This post isn’t his style.

barty, it was obviously someone far less intelligent than the Prof 😉