Re: What the heck is going on here?
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2023 9:45 am
adoraz wrote:I've noticed this too. My thoughts:
Long-term issues:
1. Lack of site evolution. This site, while great, hasn't evolved at all since it was created 10 years ago. There still isn't a mobile version, "thumbs up" feature, and I need to log in every time I use it. Other message boards have evolved over the years but this hasn't. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate HLOH and know it must be a lot of work for the admins, but I do believe this is a reason we've seen a general decline for some time now.
2. The COVID reset. I've been to far fewer games post-COVID, though that is in large part due to our mediocre coach. Once people get out of a routine though (going to games), it's sometimes tough to go back. That's especially true for something non-essential like basketball.
3. HLOH branding. I've noticed that very few UConn fans joined, and part of that could be due to the religious website name. That said, I understand there may be copyright issues with using "Big East".
4. The rise of Twitter, Twitter Spaces, etc. For St. John's fans for instance, #sjubb is very active. Twitter Spaces after each game sometimes get 100+ people. Twitter is where personalities like our beat writer, AD, coach, players, Fanta, etc. are, so it's tough for message boards to compete.
5. Success. This league has won a national championship (2X) and continues to send a minimum of 4 teams per year dancing (even in a down year like this one). It has proven, in the current landscape at least, that it will be perfectly fine. Therefore, there is less demand for a conference-specific website. There's not much remaining for the conference to prove and for members to rally behind.
This is actually a very good response. First of all, thanks to everyone for participating. I have noticed lessened traffic here over the past couple of years and haven't been too concerned as I sort of see this as a "happy place" for Big East fans to discuss events. We have banned a few posters who posted frequently without adding much to any discussion. That impacts post counts, but I would prefer it this way.
1- You are totally correct about the lack of evolution here. I'm not a computer guy at all.. just a basketball fan. Started this board on a whim and frankly, I'm not the guy to evolve it. I had conversations with someone a few years ago about taking HLOH and developing it into something more robust, but those ideas didn't move far. If someone out there has the know how and wants to be involved, you know how to reach me.
2- COVID impacted everyone. In some ways, it should have led to an increase in message board participation because this is a way to connect with others while being isolated in other ways. However, it's also possible that fans disconnected from things like college basketball and haven't fully regained their interest.
3- I'm not a branding or marketing guy. This site doesn't really generate revenue beyond" keeping the lights on".
4- Twitter... to me this is the biggest challenge. I often follow twitter as I watch games online whereas I used to spend that time reading and reacting to responses on HLOH.
5- Most of our posters are pretty pleasant blokes and I am sure we would have more discussion if there were a couple of a-holes who instigated school on school hate all of the time. That said, HLOH is sort of like "Cheers"... where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came.
I don't have much else to offer. Happy that people use the board to discuss Big East hoops.
If someone has the know how and interest to make material changes to the site, I am open to ideas.