What happened on 12 February 2020?

[Axe Man]

The landing page for WOOF states the following:

Most users ever online was 1,020, 12-02-2020 at 09:44 AM.

This date rings no bells for me. What on earth happened on a Wednesday morning a few months back that caused such an influx of traffic?

[bornadog]

That is a lot of people, especially for a morning

[GVGjr]

The landing page for WOOF states the following:

Most users ever online was 1,020, 12-02-2020 at 09:44 AM.

This date rings no bells for me. What on earth happened on a Wednesday morning a few months back that caused such an influx of traffic?

Unfortunately it's not people that are causing this level of traffic. They're actually 'bots's that scan websites and try to join
We get a number of bots joining the site and I clean that up each week. Our simple security measures block 99.5% of it

The biggest day I can recall in terms of posts being generated in recent years was around the Brendan McCartney sacking.
I think we had something like a 1,100 posts on the one day and 3,500 to 4,000 for the week.

We used to regularly get more than 200 posts per day every day but those days are unfortunately long gone

[Axe Man]

Unfortunately it's not people that are causing this level of traffic. They're actually 'bots's that scan websites and try to join
We get a number of bots joining the site and I clean that up each week. Our simple security measures block 99.5% of it

The biggest day I can recall in terms of posts being generated in recent years was around the Brendan McCartney sacking.
I think we had something like a 1,100 posts on the one day and 3,500 to 4,000 for the week.

We used to regularly get more than 200 posts per day every day but those days are unfortunately long gone

Thanks GVG, I thought that it may be something like that.

I seem to recall at one stage our most users online was the night of a national draft, which at least made sense.

[GVGjr]

Axey is right about drafts we normally get a kick in contrbutions

Here are some numbers by day by contributions (posts) from Oct 2014 when McCartney was being moved on

October 05, 2014

226
October 06, 2014

333
October 07, 2014

338
October 08, 2014

366
October 09, 2014

980
October 10, 2014

1070
October 11, 2014

369
October 12, 2014

423
October 13, 2014

568
October 14, 2014

478
October 15, 2014

969
October 16, 2014

655



And now for the month of May 2020

May 01, 2020

54
May 02, 2020

69
May 03, 2020

72
May 04, 2020

111
May 05, 2020

50
May 06, 2020

19
May 07, 2020

21
May 08, 2020

21
May 09, 2020

20
May 10, 2020

38
May 11, 2020

55
May 12, 2020

76
May 13, 2020

70
May 14, 2020

38
May 15, 2020

33
May 16, 2020

30
May 17, 2020

26
May 18, 2020

64
May 19, 2020

32
May 20, 2020

36
May 21, 2020

39
May 22, 2020

49
May 23, 2020

19
May 24, 2020

17
May 25, 2020

85
May 26, 2020

65

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Interesting that the number of posts are down so much.

Have we not had an influx of new members in recent years? Wonder if it's something we could pose to the club, almost as their 'official' fan forum to try and generate new contributors.

I know that personally my contributions have dropped significantly over this time and it's predominately due to time - though I still check the site daily.

[Eastdog]

Hopefully that will pick up soon once the season gets underway again.

[soupman]

Could the gradual decline be due to something bigger, like the maturation of most of the posters on here.

I mean if you consider the vast majority of the regular posters have been posting on here for 10+ years, maybe we've just seen a lot of posters change from enthusiastic posters who just want to be part of any discussion to older posters who are more inclined to only post when they feel they can add to the discussion? I know that's certainly a change I've gone through having joined here as a teenager and now being in my 30s.

This could also be combined with a change in mindset since the premiership. After 2016 perhaps a few of us have "lost the hunger" as such and are more relaxed supporters now, and maybe even our poor performances since the flag that would have previously riled us up and gotten us making more posts pre premiership now just leave us a bit flat.

We've also potentially struggled to bring in an abundance of new "talent" potentially because a) we seem to spread through word of mouth more than anything and everyone has exhausted their Bulldog friends already and b) as a new poster there aren't a bunch of topics you can ease your way into, aside from some of the post match threads.

Having said that this is still the best forum in terms of well thought out discussion I frequent and still has a fair bit of activity so the bar is still set pretty high here.

[Twodogs]

Facebook kills sites like this too I think. It's much simpler while you are on FB to post to check the proliferation of Western Bulldog fan sites than check on or to have to register on WOOF.

[Twodogs]

Having said that this is still the best forum in terms of well thought out discussion I frequent and still has a fair bit of activity so the bar is still set pretty high here.

Could that be a problem in itself perhaps? Maybe it's easier to go on one of the FB sites and say something like "Yay I love Libba" than to read through posts on WOOF?

[bornadog]

Facebook kills sites like this too I think. It's much simpler while you are on FB to post to check the proliferation of Western Bulldog fan sites than check on or to have to register on WOOF.

Are those Facebook sites moderated? The ones I have seen (haven't looked for a few years), there were some very nasty people on them.

I don't like any forum, or social media where people get personal and attack you, and that is the beauty of this forum. We may disagree about someone's view point, but very few times in the last 14 years have there been too many personal attacks, and if there were, the moderators quickly shut it down.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

There's certainly a level of competition which didn't exist 10 years ago.

There's multiple large supporter groups on Facebook, BF will always attract a large audience, you've got Instagram/Twitter for quick 'news grabs' and discussion and the AFL and its clubs have all dramatically improved their content in that time.

Soup's post above about the maturity of our posters rings true. Ultimately the key is bringing in a steady influx of new contributors, and how this can be done. I do wonder if it's something that could be put towards the club - particularly in the current space.

[Axe Man]

Facebook pages make Big Footy look like a Mensa meeting, absolute cesspool, our club included (with the exception of Rocco's page of course).

I've got nothing against Facebook either, use it daily, but I don't get involved in any discussions on fan pages and the like. There are some good footy pages to follow for a laugh, or some nostalgia, but certainly not for serious discussion.

[comrade]

Some good points made about the increased competition for our attention. I think WOOF is better off as a smaller, more mature platform for the reasons that have been raised.

I'm still all for paying/donating to the site to help cover costs, maybe even set up a WOOF patreon account or something similar. I'm sure those that visit the site daily would be happy to pay a few bucks every month to keep it ticking over...

[craigsahibee]

Could the gradual decline be due to something bigger, like the maturation of most of the posters on here.

I mean if you consider the vast majority of the regular posters have been posting on here for 10+ years, maybe we've just seen a lot of posters change from enthusiastic posters who just want to be part of any discussion to older posters who are more inclined to only post when they feel they can add to the discussion? I know that's certainly a change I've gone through having joined here as a teenager and now being in my 30s.



Good use of the word "most" ;)

[GVGjr]

Interesting that the number of posts are down so much.

Have we not had an influx of new members in recent years? Wonder if it's something we could pose to the club, almost as their 'official' fan forum to try and generate new contributors.

I know that personally my contributions have dropped significantly over this time and it's predominately due to time - though I still check the site daily.


That's been the problem, plenty of people have joined in the last 3 years but less than 12 of them post regularly. I try and contact all the new members and some are very blunt that they have only joined to read what others are saying and are very unlikely to contribute to discussions. We've picked up some good contributors but we are losing vastly more than are joining and participating each year

It's will be interesting to see if the numbers improve once the footy returns but for the site to going to be into the 2021 season we would need a decent bounce to happen this year.
There are some other options I can look at as well but participation is everything to a site like this

[Remi Moses]

There’s fickle fans on all club websites
Then there’s Facebook after a win or loss
Takes it to a whole new level of fickleness

[GVGjr]

There’s fickle fans on all club websites
Then there’s Facebook after a win or loss
Takes it to a whole new level of fickleness

I don't for one minute believe WOOF members are fickle at all but the numbers are factual in terms of participation

[Bulldog4life]

That's been the problem, plenty of people have joined in the last 3 years but less than 12 of them post regularly. I try and contact all the new members and some are very blunt that they have only joined to read what others are saying and are very unlikely to contribute to discussions. We've picked up some good contributors but we are losing vastly more than are joining and participating each year

It's will be interesting to see if the numbers improve once the footy returns but for the site to going to be into the 2021 season we would need a decent bounce to happen this year.
There are some other options I can look at as well but participation is everything to a site like this

In regards to losing posters G. I have been here for over 10 years and have seen a lot of "regular" posters leave in that time. Any thought to reaching out to these G or is it finito!

[GVGjr]

In regards to losing posters G. I have been here for over 10 years and have seen a lot of "regular" posters leave in that time. Any thought to reaching out to these G or is it finito!

I've done that as well. I contacted 25 posters earlier in the year with more than 500 posts on the forum since they joined who had stopped contributing and got 3 responses all pretty much to the negative in terms of coming back in any meaningful way

One of the challenges for discussion forums like this is when it started 80% of members had their own desktop PC and the other 20% posted when they could from their work PC with proper keyboards for typing and a lot of members put in a lot of effort.
Years later society, and therefore many of our members, moved to tablet style PC's and ditched the desktops. Terrific convenience but harder to type more detailed responses and more aimed at reading and viewing than contributing so while the numbers of members dropped slightly actual contributions took a bigger hit
Contributing to Facebook and Twitter was vastly easier because the members there expect short and brief messages. A click onto a like or dislike button or a brief response here or there isn't like having to detail why a player should be promoted or dropped and providing some reasons for that thought on a discussion forum. That is their market and they're very successful at attracting members and it's most of all bloody easy to read and you don't have to put a lot of effort into any contribution

By the time iphones and android phones became the more convenient option but significantly harder to type detailed messages then discussion forums like this turned into more or less newsboards where people prefer to log in and read the thoughts of others rather than. For many it's a question of why should I contribute to a discussion forum when I can send 100 text messages a day to an audience they control.

We still have a lot of dedicated members but the numbers of contributions to discussions are down

But for many it's clearly a time issue

So there you have some of the reasons why it's such a challenge now. I'm also more than open for anyone to contact me if they think we could be doing something else and I can confirm my inbox isn't anywhere near full.

[Bulldog4life]

I've done that as well. I contacted 25 posters earlier in the year with more than 500 posts on the forum since they joined who had stopped contributing and got 3 responses all pretty much to the negative in terms of coming back in any meaningful way

One of the challenges for discussion forums like this is when it started 80% of members had their own desktop PC and the other 20% posted when they could from their work PC with proper keyboards for typing and a lot of members put in a lot of effort.
Years later society, and therefore many of our members, moved to tablet style PC's and ditched the desktops. Terrific convenience but harder to type more detailed responses and more aimed at reading and viewing than contributing so while the numbers of members dropped slightly actual contributions took a bigger hit
Contributing to Facebook and Twitter was vastly easier because the members there expect short and brief messages. A click onto a like or dislike button or a brief response here or there isn't like having to detail why a player should be promoted or dropped and providing some reasons for that thought on a discussion forum. That is their market and they're very successful at attracting members and it's most of all bloody easy to read and you don't have to put a lot of effort into any contribution

By the time iphones and android phones became the more convenient option but significantly harder to type detailed messages then discussion forums like this turned into more or less newsboards where people prefer to log in and read the thoughts of others rather than. For many it's a question of why should I contribute to a discussion forum when I can send 100 text messages a day to an audience they control.

We still have a lot of dedicated members but the numbers of contributions to discussions are down

But for many it's clearly a time issue

So there you have some of the reasons why it's such a challenge now. I'm also more than open for anyone to contact me if they think we could be doing something else and I can confirm my inbox isn't anywhere near full.

I am using my phone at the moment and yes it is so much harder than a pc...for me anyway. Looking forward to using the pc again soon.

[comrade]

It’s crazy to think that when WOOF started, FB was only in its infancy, smart phones were barely a thing and the iPad didn’t even exist.

The 2010s should be known as the decade of distraction.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

I've done that as well. I contacted 25 posters earlier in the year with more than 500 posts on the forum since they joined who had stopped contributing and got 3 responses all pretty much to the negative in terms of coming back in any meaningful way

One of the challenges for discussion forums like this is when it started 80% of members had their own desktop PC and the other 20% posted when they could from their work PC with proper keyboards for typing and a lot of members put in a lot of effort.
Years later society, and therefore many of our members, moved to tablet style PC's and ditched the desktops. Terrific convenience but harder to type more detailed responses and more aimed at reading and viewing than contributing so while the numbers of members dropped slightly actual contributions took a bigger hit
Contributing to Facebook and Twitter was vastly easier because the members there expect short and brief messages. A click onto a like or dislike button or a brief response here or there isn't like having to detail why a player should be promoted or dropped and providing some reasons for that thought on a discussion forum. That is their market and they're very successful at attracting members and it's most of all bloody easy to read and you don't have to put a lot of effort into any contribution

By the time iphones and android phones became the more convenient option but significantly harder to type detailed messages then discussion forums like this turned into more or less newsboards where people prefer to log in and read the thoughts of others rather than. For many it's a question of why should I contribute to a discussion forum when I can send 100 text messages a day to an audience they control.

We still have a lot of dedicated members but the numbers of contributions to discussions are down

But for many it's clearly a time issue

So there you have some of the reasons why it's such a challenge now. I'm also more than open for anyone to contact me if they think we could be doing something else and I can confirm my inbox isn't anywhere near full.

Time and circumstance are issues for me. However I check in at least 5 times a day. If something notable occurs, I'm confident that I'll both find it here, and obtain a decent evaluation of it.
By comparison, I check Bigfooty only during the trade period.
Short answer. If I MUST know something I check here. I'd be disappointed if this site were to disappear.

[ReLoad]

They will have to take my Ben Hudson appreciation society scarf out of my cold dead hands.....

In all seriousness, if there was a way to modernise the forums to be an app on mobile devices it would help increase the accessibility by a mile, making it easier for "younglings" to contribute.

[Twodogs]

They will have to take my Ben Hudson appreciation society scarf out of my cold dead hands.....

In all seriousness, if there was a way to modernise the forums to be an app on mobile devices it would help increase the accessibility by a mile, making it easier for "younglings" to contribute.

It's not a bad idea.

Do you have a newsletter that I could subscribe to? ;)

[GVGjr]

They will have to take my Ben Hudson appreciation society scarf out of my cold dead hands.....

In all seriousness, if there was a way to modernise the forums to be an app on mobile devices it would help increase the accessibility by a mile, making it easier for "younglings" to contribute.

Appreciate the feedback. We were working towards a vastly improved app for mobile phones but not many had the patience for it as when we trailed it there were some bugs and we had a few too many against changing the forum from it's current look. I've put it aside for the time being but might have another talk to our tech guy

[SonofScray]

Interesting reflections.

WOOF remains my main source of footy discussion and where I round out what I suspect the temperature of the fan base might be. On any given issue! No surprise to me that BMAC disaster was a day for huge traffic, everyone was trying to make sense of it. No opposition fans here helps in those moments.

I didn't always like posting here, preferring BF (Bans have soured me on BF) & a long defunct one I helped out with. Initially I found this site to be a bit humourless & perhaps "cliquey." My perception has changed a lot. WOOF is gold. FB groups are awful. Twitter is solid, but you need to go shopping. WOOF a nice, even keel.

Just realised I've been posting on Bulldog forums for 20 years. Most of the other forums I was active on as a teenager, games and comics, have all gone by the wayside. Social media, and now reddit have killed them off.I might just be getting older, but I like this format more, still.

[mjp]

May 26, 2020

65

To be fair, I usually try to post a bit (and still have been) but there hasn't really been much for me to say.

I could complain ad infinitum about the AFL, WAFC and my suspicions about whether anyone actually WANTS to have a season or rather think that even though there is ZERO community infection in the entire state they would rather just keep everyone on JobKeeper and reload (reload without any innovation mind you) for 2021 but, seriously, that is going to be a bit boring for everyone and wont exactly generate much comment!

[GVGjr]

To be fair, I usually try to post a bit (and still have been) but there hasn't really been much for me to say.

I could complain ad infinitum about the AFL, WAFC and my suspicions about whether anyone actually WANTS to have a season or rather think that even though there is ZERO community infection in the entire state they would rather just keep everyone on JobKeeper and reload (reload without any innovation mind you) for 2021 but, seriously, that is going to be a bit boring for everyone and wont exactly generate much comment!

Of course there has been a significant effect to the site from the Pandemic and I guess there are number of people that aren't as interested in this season as they would otherwise be. That explains why we are quieter at the moment but the tren has been heading south each year for a while
We have some terrific members and obviously we would like to the site to be vibrant going forward. Getting there is the challenge

[Murphy'sLore]

It's hard to draw a rock solid conclusion based on this year's figures as there hasn't been any footy to discuss. But I accept what you say about numbers trending down.

That's a really interesting point about PC vs tablet/phone use. I tend to log in on my laptop while I'm "working" so that hadn't occurred to me. I guess that's the law of unintended consequences. It would be such a shame to lose WOOF, I don't feel I have much to contribute to most of the discussions but I always turn here for the latest (and most accurate) debate.

[bornadog]

We shouldn't judge the site based on the last few months, but looking at the site since the premiership, a lot of posters have dropped off - I am sure GVGjr can verify the numbers, but I have noticed many have disappeared, or post irregularly.

It seemed that once the premiership was won, people were satisfied and that was it. Well I can tell you for me, two premierships don't cut it. I want more and I want to catch up to other clubs.

We have a very good young team, and the potential to make finals for a few years yet, so surely another premiership is not too far away.

As for posting via Tablets and phones, yes it is harder. I know trying to post an article is very very difficult, but that is fine, others will do that like me or Axeman and others. Those articles are also put up so that a discussion may develop.

Hopefully discussion builds up for round two, which is not too far away, and I am looking forward to some footy, as it has been boring the last two months.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZY6QL8UMAAgFfs?format=jpg&name=medium

[Eastdog]

I log on to WOOF most days. I'm on Facebook but don't log on there everyday. I prefer WOOF over the FB discussion. Posters like BAD and Axe Man are great at posting the latest articles from around the club. I have enjoyed helping out as well in creating all the game day threads and round discussion threads. I like the idea of an WOOF app for the iPhone.

[Eastdog]

The landing page for WOOF states the following:

Most users ever online was 1,020, 12-02-2020 at 09:44 AM.

This date rings no bells for me. What on earth happened on a Wednesday morning a few months back that caused such an influx of traffic?

New record: Most users ever online was 1,052, 1/10/2020 at 09:05 PM.

[Dry Rot]

What on earth happened on a Wednesday morning a few months back that caused such an influx of traffic?

I'll own up.

I said on social media I would post a shirtless pic of myself showing that I have a better rig than Bailey Smith.

Unfortunately that morning my iPhone battery was flat and the moment was lost.

[bornadog]

I'll own up.

I said on social media I would post a shirtless pic of myself showing that I have a better rig than Bailey Smith.

Unfortunately that morning my iPhone battery was flat and the moment was lost.

You still have time :D

[Axe Man]

New record: Most users ever online was 1,052, 1/10/2020 at 09:05 PM.

Chinese hackers at it again.

[jazzadogs]

Chinese hackers at it again.

Are you sure it wasn't Danger's cheapie 'goal of the year' that we all logged on to discuss?