5 Years On

Discussion in 'Forum Feedback' started by wilfredlgf, Oct 21, 2007.

  1. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    So, will BC remain as it is - a social gathering of badminton enthusiasts, fanboy/fangirl groupies, sports business people and casual members?

    If answer is a YES, then thread ends here.
    Move along, nothing to see here.


    If the answer is a NO, then what happens next?

    Making opinions count?
    Looking at the NSS vs OSS thread made had me thinking that the poll could actually work to garner the (simple) overall statistic on what people think of the new scoring system in opposed to the old one after one year.

    It's nice to know what people think of it but being a pretty fundamental part of badminton itself - scoring & service format - I do suppose such information is pretty useful for the likes of BWF for their research into the development of the sport.

    Likewise, other timed polls/surveys could be done as a voluntary data gathering mechanism to compile a simple response to changes carried out or about ongoing topics regarding world badminton or just badminton.

    The number of votes (currently 420+ from 26,000+) might increase significantly if members know that their opinion actually count for something instead of just a fancy take on the topic of the day.

    Getting seen and heard?
    There are some cheap promotions that could be done to help promote this site with the help of its members, most especially with a BC Chapter or BC Club thing that goes for arranged tourneys with other groups under one banner.

    "Hi, we're representatives from Badminton Central, an international group of badminton enthusiasts. We're thinking if your club would like a friendly match with our team? Sudirman Cup format x 3, so fifteen games and fifteen points. We will feature this match up on our website to promote this event so we would like to ask for representatives from your respective club?".

    Members who get to meet professionals might be able to put in some indirect endorsements by taking photos while wearing BC's t-shirt with the URL on it or something.

    The summary of this point is about BC becoming a physical entity rather than just a concept of membership of like minded people.

    In-house articles
    The available articles on technique are quite useful for the member who wants a better a understanding of the deeper aspects of the game. That is fine if one is into the academics of the sport but it might be a good idea to include the 'human side' of the sports apart from the focus on racquet and footwork by making available articles on the development and progress of selected player(s) in respect to the game, starting from the beginner to the amateur player. With the like of Jonas and Thomas here, it might even be possible to have professional input.

    I am aware of the existence of a sub-forum dedicated to them but forums does clutter when the number of threads increase without a specific focus on the kind of topic, plus the topics elsewhere in Professional Players section, making it rather chaotic for those who just want to read about them. They need not write it all, perhaps appoint a ghost-writer to help flesh it out whilst keeping the gist in.

    Topics such as 'Finding A Balance' talking about the need to have varied interests might be of use for those who are jaded or facing lost of form, bringing in the very aspect that makes badminton a sport, the human side.

    Tourney reports?
    A journalistic account of a member's visit to the recently concluded tournament for example? Stories such as the visit to the Yonex booth, meeting former greats and the history of the tourney might be pretty interesting. Those with the initiative might even do court side interviews with players to help members to know them better than just 'the guy with a powerful smash'.

    Literature/fiction?
    Those with writing tendencies might post fictional write ups of serial stories copyrighted to BC as a way to express their creativity and add another dimension to the scope of BC being more than just about string tensions and tournament results.

    Jojo? ;)

    -

    In short, I really think BC has more potential than it is showing at the moment in terms of promoting and popularising the sport to the mainstream audience.

    I really don't think forum post count and membership numbers do anything but provide a statistic of BC's size as a site rather than the popularity/credibility as a repository of badminton-related information.

    And it makes no difference if nobody knew about it.
     
  2. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    5 years on... BC will be different

    Hi wilfredlgf,

    Because progress is impossible without change, and because I believe that BC will make progress, my answer is...

    NO !!!

    BC will not remain as it is in 5 years' time


    And I believe BC is members-driven. :):):)

    So, let us examine these 3 categories of members@BC here (even though, some members@BC might think that categorising members is not a good thing to do)...

    The 3 categories are;
    (1) Members@BC who are asking what we can do for BC.
    (2) Members@BC who are asking what BC can do for us.
    (3) Members@BC who are doing (1) and (2) above, to promote/popularise Badminton.


    After reading your starting post/thread, I will attempt to categorise the points you have mentioned;

    *
    But, our sample size is just too small. :):):)

    *
    *
    *
    *
    *

    Sorry, I have to go now... I will continue with my thoughts later.

    Cheers... chris@ccc
    :):):)
     
    #2 chris-ccc, Oct 21, 2007
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2007
  3. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    Just my 10 cents..

    ..personally, i would somewhat concur with chris@ccc, that change is inevitable..Looking back 5-6 yrs ago, BC was different and definitely had a smaller and less varied audience (i'm not sure how much varied because i wasn't here at that time)..But who would've imagined that in 5-6 yrs, the number of members has grown so rapidly. Perhaps that speaks for the popularity badminton has garnered over those yrs. Now, looking ahead in 5 more yrs, we don't know how BC will actually look like. But overall, hopefully, BC will still become a place for us, badminton fanatics/semi-followers/fans, to congregate and share our love for this sport...And let us all try to keep BC as a place just like kwun had planned/dreamed/created in the first place..;):cool:
     
  4. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    Let's get one thing out of the way - the topic was a part-commentary on what is currently ongoing on BC and part-suggestion on how things could go from here, not looking 5-years ahead into what BC might be like.

    So, in summary, the topic asks what can BC do as a site to grow whilst indirectly asking how could BC do it whilst helping badminton to grow at the same time.

    Hence the intro that asks the question of 'yea' or 'nay'.

    Forum Size = Popular?
    In that aspect, I disagree with ctjcad regarding the size of the forum (membership and posts) being an indicator for the popularity of the sport - I have many friends who are good in badminton and aren't members - I did get to mention BC especially when asked to comment on equipment but none of them actually became members. I know one who actually lurked but lost interest within a couple of weeks.

    In fact, I don't even know any good yardsticks to gauge on how popular a certain sport is, unless in-depth studies are done by surveying a very big sample. Viewership, maybe and even in this case badminton is nowhere near the top three (based on rankings by I think, AC Nielsen), the top being football, followed by the Olympiad and Formula One.

    Besides, how do you actually know if a new member actually came here as a newbie to learn how to play? He/she might be seasoned or casual players long before knowing the existence of this place.

    Numbers don't lie but they don't tell the whole story.

    Again, the possible problem here is the definition of 'growth' - what I view as 'growth' in terms of evolving from a consumer to producer may not correspond with another member's take on the matter.

    -

    As for Chris, well, I didn't get what you're trying to point out from that categorisation, so we'll see what the next response or your own would bring.

    At the moment the number of unique replies are two (excluding mine), so more input may bring more perspective on the matter.
     
  5. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    Ever wonder why is something as important as the scoring system (gameplay, viewership, sponsorship, player development & pattern etc) could only get 400+ (1.5%) responses from 26,000 odd members?
     
  6. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    Adding another 10 cents..

    Again, as i mentioned in my above post, I would say, 'nay' and with great hope BC as well as badminton will continue to evolve and grow more. :cool:
    As far as looking & planning ahead 5-6 yrs in BC, IMO, sure, why not (which IMO, the points mentioned in the 1st post, above, have somewhat suggested those ideas, as in how to improve & maintain both BC and to an extent the sport)??.....How much or far will BC evolve/grow in the future? That we can't really predict nor tell. Heck, who knows, probably some of us (me included) might disappear into thin air and never be heard anymore. :D:p
    Actually i also have encountered the same type of people as you did. As to why those people are not interested in BC, well, perhaps they are not fond or patient enough in spending their time by reading and perusing the many posts & threads.
    Maybe they think it's not worthwhile to do so, which IMO, i totally understand.
    Hmm, it's somewhat true the forum size/membership can't be use to gauge if the sport has become popular or not.
    But, since we're speaking of "what is currently on going on in BC", there must be a reason or two as to why BC has grown to what it is currently, no??
    Is it because more and more people have easier access to the internet than 5-6 yrs ago?? Or simply, the interest in the sport has become more and people are interested in discussing, talking about the sport here in BC?
    Sure, there are quite a few posts, in BC, that are not so much reflective on the "actual" topic of badminton. But IMO, **in general**, the majority of the members, be it newbies or not, who've hung around & posted in BC have the same common love & interest in the sport.
    If not, then why are they/we here, spending their/our precious time discussing, debating, reading thru posts & helping each other on badminton??;)
    So, what i meant to phrase was, as shown by the growth esp. in BC (by the # of memberships, # of posts & activities), the sport has most likely garnered more interest, over the last 5-6 yrs. And i would go as far as to say more "interest" in BC means most likely the sport has become "popular", esp. with the new younger generation/kids coming up. More interest = popular, no?..;):cool:
    Personally, as i've mentioned this before, BC has not only become a great place not only for different members from many different backgrounds & cultures to share our love for baddy, but also has become a great avenue to gain & build new friendships from all over the world.:cool:
    ..ehm, sure it's a very miniscule percentage, but i don't think all 26,000+ of BC members are "active" members, are they??..:confused:;)

    Lastly, IMO, the appropriate person to ask or get more insights is most likely kwun; we'd like to hear his opinion(s) on the current topic..:cool:
     
    #6 ctjcad, Oct 22, 2007
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2007

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