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Never seen OTR this quiet


Need4Sheed
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OTR is still improving slowly but surely. At one point we were getting 80 posts per day and like 56 members online everyday, and it has jumped back to 200-250 a day to 70 members online a day. Give OTR a few months and we should keep improving.

 

So what exactly happened to the website? When I joined and saw that it was pretty quite, I just assumed it had always been like that and that it was probably a new website.

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So what exactly happened to the website? When I joined and saw that it was pretty quite, I just assumed it had always been like that and that it was probably a new website.

 

Maybe a year ago or something we had at least 100-110 members on a day and at least over 400+ posts, I think we got hacked or something and never fully recovered, the lockout also screwed us a bit. We can definitely reach that level again, we usually have the same 30 or so dedicated members visiting the site at least everyday so it will never die.

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Maybe a year ago or something we had at least 100-110 members on a day and at least over 400+ posts, I think we got hacked or something and never fully recovered, the lockout also screwed us a bit. We can definitely reach that level again, we usually have the same 30 or so dedicated members visiting the site at least everyday so it will never die.

 

Hopefully it gets more active again. It's always more enjoyable when there's always atleast decent amount of people on to talk to and discuss things basketball.

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This community grew up together for about 6-7 years, by now most of the core members are in college and aren't able to post as much. The quality is still top notch though, which is what I mostly care about.

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I'm starting to get a little pissed off, because just the other day, I did a scan for URL's through the PM system, and it brought back a LOT of results.

 

I also got word a month ago that, when I put up the mock sign-ups, and I required everyone to have an AIM (to post it), there was one guy who went in and took those AIM addresses, and got in touch with members who are not exactly dedicated OTR posters, to lure them elsewhere.

 

The one thing I don't like is a site feeding off of another...sites that do everything others do, rip the look, the idea, and most importantly, the members...because no matter what, newer sites will ALWAYS have an advantage, as they can find ways to offer what the older sites do, PLUS it's a bit more exciting because, well, it's a new site. Some hand out things like writer and forum mod positions, just to bring you in (and keep you there), some remind you that you can be their best poster (and more notorious) if you leave the older site...and all of that is spamming.

 

So, I really don't know. Yeah, we were hacked in 2009, and I lost maybe 1/3 of our fanbase from it (that I counted...that was just among the more active posters). I have no idea who said what, but the hack was not due to the board software, or any openings in any roster or player pages I coded...it was in a file provided by our host, which is why that host lost almost every customer I knew.

 

The lockout wasn't that big of a deal. Members returned. Pre-lockout, we were already struggling, due to the factors above.

 

The other thing I know is...members who are banned from here (for legitimate reasons) run elsewhere and completely trash OTR, and it's allowed for a while, just long enough to let it soak in among their entire community...and then, to keep a positive reputation in the eyes of outsiders, it's wiped away.

 

I've been doing this since January 2005, for seven years. I know how it all works. I've PUT UP sites that, eventually, stabbed us in the back. I've skinned sites that have done it as well...free skins.

 

I'm just glad to say that, whatever happens with OTR in the future, I never had to buy anyone out, merge with anyone, do anyone dirty, or take a shortcut to create and maintain what I have had for years. OTR's structure comes from our very own posters, who were never forced to register here. That, and having the smartest basketball community around, means more to me than having 300 active posters who rack up 2,000 posts per day with nothing to show for it, aside from their board statistics.

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I'm starting to get a little pissed off, because just the other day, I did a scan for URL's through the PM system, and it brought back a LOT of results.

 

I also got word a month ago that, when I put up the mock sign-ups, and I required everyone to have an AIM (to post it), there was one guy who went in and took those AIM addresses, and got in touch with members who are not exactly dedicated OTR posters, to lure them elsewhere. (...)

Who that is?

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It's funny because if you asked me I wouldnt even know if there are any other bball forums out there.

That's just it. A lot of those boards (bball and general sports) will go target active members from other sites...individually. It would be more difficult for you to find out about them because of the way they recruit.

 

Plenty of boards just died out, due to inactivity...and I'm talking maybe 2-3 members on in a day (that bad). Twitter has been a big problem. Fans of the game would rather tweet everything from their phone, as they watch, instead of post in game topics...and where do many of us get our breaking news? Twitter, because it usually breaks there before anywhere else.

 

OTR should have hit its flatline three years ago, but we have guys who continue to work hard and show at least a little activity here. I have tried new skins and banners over and over again, even a new board update, and it never proved to be the key in an increase of activity...just a lot of work for nothing. We have had guys come in and go haywire, posting topics and replying to everything, and yet, days later, we found ourselves back at this point.

 

The little things...the spamming, for instance...and then Twitter and Facebook, those are tearing us up.

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That's just it. A lot of those boards (bball and general sports) will go target active members from other sites...individually. It would be more difficult for you to find out about them because of the way they recruit.

 

Plenty of boards just died out, due to inactivity...and I'm talking maybe 2-3 members on in a day (that bad). Twitter has been a big problem. Fans of the game would rather tweet everything from their phone, as they watch, instead of post in game topics...and

where do many of us get our breaking news? Twitter, because it usually breaks there before anywhere else.

 

(...) The little things...the spamming, for instance...and then Twitter and Facebook, those are tearing us up.

That's why Šhãłïq HATES Twitter. <_< We should like hack their site. For good.

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