Bob / @NotJrvedivici - I was with you right up until you put your moderator hat on. I am and have been a moderator and administrator on a number of fora. I get the perspective. I think what you are missing is that complaints are rarely indicative of problems before it is too late. This discussion, to me, exposes a lot of perspectives. Without counting explicitly (Denise’s @tomatotomato use cases), I think there is a pretty heavy weighting toward home cookery and a small number of passionate advocates for restaurant meals. The underlying tone I perceive however is toward tolerance. Beyond that, I think this meta-discussion has let many of us feel heard which is always good. It lets us blow off steam and functions as a safety valve, much like the safety valves on a pressure cooker.
The scenario I have seen elsewhere is management/mod/admin sitting around wondering why traffic is down saying “but no one complained.” As others have noted, HO is a pleasure activity for almost all of us and if it isn’t fun people are more likely to go elsewhere than complain. In my experience the loudest voices are not always representative of the majority. That’s important to remember.
Also important are the “influencers.” J. Edwards Deming made the point that you need the square root of a total population to buy into the vision of an organization for that population to be healthy. Mr. Deming was almost single handedly responsible for the recovery of the Japanese economy after World War II so he was a smart cookie. The upshot in simple terms is that, with all due respect to egalitarianism, not everyone is equal and if those who contribute the most (5%/10%/20%) drift away from lack of interest the community will whither. HO (or the software) recognizes this with the little badges for 5%, 10%, 20%, admired, respected. I’ve watched two online communities die because a small handful of contributors lost interest–usually because of a small vocal band–and simply stopped posting. Thousands of people lost interest because the people who put great effort into helpful posts disappeared. No complaints, no reports, just gone.
Circling back around, this meta-discussion serves many purposes. It identifies the use cases (Hi Denise!) of the WFD participants which themselves differ. It lets people blow off steam. It allows people feel heard. It exposes WFD readers as well as posters to the perspectives of others. It is a hugely useful exercise.
I’ll offer that essay questions are MUCH better than multiple choice or fill in the blank. More work for the teacher/manager but better in exposing issues, including those of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” The meta-discussion is one long essay question.
Now put your name on the top of the paper and turn it in. ← There is a joke here - for those who don’t know it I’m happy to fill you in.
And to address one of @Sasha’s original concerns, which I actually share, how do we rejuvenate regional boards? NJ, LA, Southeast Asia seem like the only boards with lots of activity, sometimes done single-handedly (I’m looking at you @klyeoh). Seems to me that was the basis of the original post (but please correct me if I’m wrong, which I often am). Not as much that there is irrelevant content on WFD, but that people were posting on WFD in favor of the relevant regional boards. I used to be a relatively active participant on the Greater Boston/New England board but this past year has been a bust for me like so many of us.
So, (rhetorical question) how do we give Regional Boards a shot in the arm? How do we attract new HOs that have the time and commitment to posting?
Hey there @digga and @shrinkrap! Along the same lines as you, I agree that other boards need an activity boost. I’m trying to be intentional about posting on non-WFD threads when I can.
My main challenge is that I am home all the dang time during the pandemic. And I am tethered to providing meals and food on schedule(s) that are not my own, which drains my energy.
I can’t wait to have more stuff to post on regional and topical boards as we can all gradually step back into lives that are more normal.
“Use case” is just a way of talking about the “job” that a person wants a web site, or a web page, or a product to do for them. Or the purpose that the intended user has in mind.
I like that idea of use cases because it takes away judgement. No right, no wrong, just what’s useful to the intended user. Around here, that’s all of us. I think.
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
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Both tricky questions and both probably worthy of discussion in a separate thread.
But, briefly, it’s all but imposisble to give regional boards a boost at a time when restaurant visiting has been all but suspended for the last year. Folk who used to post may have now disappeared so we may have a long term terminal issue.
And how do we attract new HOs? Possibly even more difficult. The food related forum format has been in decline for some years. I have seen local food forums in the UK die and I have seen a once active (and very knowledgable) eGullet UK board similarly die. Folk use the likes of blogs, Facebook and Twitter to discuss food nowadays. We are, I’m afraid, dinosaurs here, clinging to a format that appeals to those of us who have grown up with it but not to a wider audience.
Some of us have aged or located out of gardening. In my case the problem is deer. I still enjoy reading about the exploits of others.
Standing offer for anyone that can deal with Maryland and Anne Arundel County hunting regulations can use our elevated deck as a deer stand with meals and bathroom privileges. Must shoot into the adjacent park. Well…except for some irritating neighbors. You can shoot them. sigh
Now that’s funny. Deer have overrun where I live. Cougars, wolves, and grizzly bears used to live here. Now cars are the main predators.
But we’re a tourist area (Shakespeare in the mountains) and so the tourists get enthused because they love them wandering around town as part of the experience.
The townsfolk don’t agree!
I haven’t posted to WFD in a year or two, but I have to say I’d have to fall on the side of keeping it broad (though pretty sure I’m too late to vote!) People covered the food based concerns already, but I’d also just add that for a small community, breaking off into a lot of different, smaller threads risks the community losing its momentum. After years on CH, and a few years here, I have to admit I don’t want this to fragment - I’ve seen too many communities slowly fall apart and decay because they lose that critical mass. So, long story short, all for keeping WFD as inclusive as possible!
Thank you @Barca! That is very kind of you.
I always enjoy viewing your exquisite meals, with impeccable ingredients, and your husband’s gorgeous photography. It is a treat to view dining in other countries.
@Auspicious
Thanks for your insight. Some of your points can be of help.
As moderator for the cooking forum, I would say for WFD, we lose members over the years. Some of the main reasons for the departure:
health reasons
change in lifestyle (diet change, become vegan or other diets, life too busy etc.)
disinterested / bored in talking about dinner
dislike the style of WFD, mainly too chatty, and not food oriented enough
disagreement between members
disagreement with the politics of HO
There are some new members filling in, the participation rate stays more or less stable over the last years. I think some members are more interested in reading than participating and post randomly. If they are reading this thread, I would like to hear what they feel about WFD as well.
Regional boards will bloom when pandemic allows the level of hospitality that diners ache for. It’s not so much acquiring relevant HOs, as having relevant HOs go out and dine.
Very difficult - as foodies these days go for other platforms: Instagram and Facebook groups, for instance.
Kuala Lumpur’s well-established food-blogger community, for instance, network almost exclusively on Instagram - I spent 7 years in KL writing on Chowhound about KL, did almost 1,000 posts on KL eating places whilst wondering where everyone else was. Then, one day, one of them approached me out of the blue, saying he’s been following my Chowhound posts though he never posted any himself. He got me introduced to the community - all on Instagram and, lo & behold, suddenly I’m part of a group which meets up in restaurants or hawker centres to chat about food - and they consisted of food columnists of all the local newspapers, food writers and journalists who contribute to Malaysian food magazines, food influencers on social media whom I’d always heard about, restaurant owners, chefs from top eateries around town, etc.
I have been cooking for… longer than I care to admit. Cooking is second nature to me. And I frequently feel stale. HO’s home cooking is an ongoing inspiration, BUT ALSO are the photos from Paryzer (and Mrs. P!) and certainly Barca. Whether home cooking or take out or delivery or fine dining, I’m a big girl and know how to scroll past that that no interest to me.
Yes, we’ve had this discussion before. I never understand why people can’t just scroll on by. I do. I’m sure people scroll on by some of my posts.
as to the notion that you can’t get inspiration to cook something for dinner from someone’s posting of a restaurant meal? I do it all the time. Inspiration for cooking comes from many places - television, cookbooks, friends/family/neighbors, restaurants, etc.
i’m always going to vote for more inclusivity vs. exclusivity.
