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The day the Forum died

Allen Stark

The Forum died for me 4/3/18. It has been resurrected a couple of times, but it seems to be on life support.

4/3/18 my wife got her hip[ replaced and while I was in the waiting room I logged on the the Forum and it wasn't there and there was an ambiguous message. It finally came back to  no fanfare and we were told it was a necessary update. Activity on the forum was low. It was updated again to more fanfare but activity was still low. I inquired about it and was told Forums were an outdated system. This surprised me as the other forum I frequent (for DnD) has gone though similar updates and is vibrant. I am' repeating again on the Forum, my theory and solution. When the Forum was vibrant anyone could post and we were getting posts from all over the world. One person from another country said it was THE best source of information for masters swimmers. Now it is restricted to posts from USMS members only saying it is a perk of membership. It would be a much better perk if it was a vibrant  site and good marketing for USMS. Imagine asking about finding a workout in another country and having someone from there answering. That used to happen. 

I know USMS staff monitor the Forum, please open it up, I can practically guarantee it will not drop enrollment. Has anyone said ,since 4/3/18, "I'm joining USMS for the Forum.". Open it to the world and someone might.

  • Hey, King Frog!  I would have replied sooner if I hadn't been in Spain and Portugal, and away from my computer.  Aside from a few Forumites who attempted to make my life miserable, I loved the Forums from my early years as a USMS member.  (I can't believe I have been a member for 15 years now!)  I miss some of the Forumites like Doug Jelens who added so much-- especially humor!  Back then, if I posted a video asking for a critique, you weren't the only one to respond; there were many.  Thanks for always being there for me, King Frog!

    I also miss the layout of the former Forums.  It was much easier to follow.  Remember the Smilies?  They were awesome!  I can't even use my preferred font anymore; it switches to this boring one when I post.

    Jim Matysekj, I also miss you!  You did a great job!!

  • I just joined USMS this week - I wonder how the forum used to be... because there doesn't seem to be too much activity on here, just based on my experience as a beginner!  Apparently there are 100,000 accounts on here but not much discussion.

  • in reply to David Hickey

      , welcome to USMS! Happy to help answer any questions we can. 

  • in reply to Kyle Deery

    so here’s the question, why not open the forum to questions from the general public. I think I’ve made it clear why I think that’s a good idea

  • Thanks for the post Allen!

    I also remember the old forums...there were so many people, and I got to meet many at different meets over the years.  I still remember the first time I went to the New England Masters SCM meet in Boston one year...was such a fun atmosphere.

    I still keep in touch with many people I met through the old forums on Facebook today.