When you don't get a response on this forum, it's probably because no one has a good answer.
If you have a specialized question that needs a specialized answer, and you understand Pond Boss to be a 'go to' source, send an email to info@pondboss.com.
I most often find that unanswered posts do not supply enough detail on which to provide a useful response. A bit of effort from those asking the questions is sometimes required. If I do not get a response, my first question is how I can ask the question better. IMO, folks here go out of their way to be helpful.
Howdy everyone! I am connecting with all of the platforms that keep our website, email and forum up and running. I'm getting prices, length of time the system will be unavailable, what upgrades will accomplish, etc. Just know that I'm looking into it and will report back as soon as I hear from each company.
Thank you for being a part of our Pond Boss family!
Wow, awesome! I am glad my post has stimulated a healthy conversation.
We met the neighbors this weekend that purchased the house recently with a 3 acre pond that I envy, they welcomed us over to fish! They have zero pond knowledge yet, apart from they are pretty and hold water.
I can't wait to turn them on to Pond Boss. It seemed a little forward to jump right in with too much enthusiasm.
An interesting thing my son said looking over my shoulder is how old-school this site looks. I commented back that his generation doesn't even know how to use a bulletin board. They simply don't use them! It is all immediate gratification apps, real-time or YouTube. He agrees.
I asked him how would he look up his discussions later, or if he needed an answer and the expert wasn't available right away. No clue. Ugh. I need to work with him.
I am looking forward to the possibility of an upgrade on the forums, and will certainly donate when our situation gets better, which is very soon! My wife is in the process of getting hired at the VA, but it takes a ton of time and paperwork before she starts. The coffers are spitting up moths, and frankly it is a bit stressful going into winter low on funds. She cannot collect unemployment once the offer is accepted, and it has already been 6 weeks.
"Didn't mean to write a book, but this thread really hit me in the "feels". Glad to read the passion. Heck, I want to drive to Kansas and see John Burns. I bet if he turns sideways, you can't see him."
I was reading this and thought CRAP, Bob wants to come see me!!! Then I realized it was to see John! You're place is much nicer than mine John!
I think it would be great to have a "Campfire" or here's my pond/Gathering/Hangout/oldfartsmeeting... forum. A forum that is just a general forum. Most of the forums are topic specific question based.
1.8 acre pond with CNBG, RES, HSB, and LMB Trophy Hunter feeder.
Brian L - Great idea, I run across things that I think are interesting related to ponds but am reluctant to post as it isn't "serious." like this, with an attempt at a humorous caption :
Roundy, I bet those beavers are just like I am when I am trying to cut down a tree that has it's crown stuck up in the others, especially when knotted up with grapevines! Little series of shift-number characters popping up over my head as the tree pops up in the air rather than falling over.
I have no problem hosting another get together here also.
As far as not seeing me if I turn sideways, well maybe not that drastic but I definitely don't look like this any more. Me installing Carolynn's thinking rock Guess they are going to have to change all those photos of me in the post offices.
+1 to Augie on UBB being old school, and not in a good way. I've been part of many forums - mostly related to vehicles and motorcycles I've owned that have felt much easier to navigate. I think they have a more intuitive "sticky" function at the top of relevant categories. And the many remaining dead links (pondboss.com/forums/ instead of forums.pondboss.com/) can get annoying. I think the encouragement to use photobucket image hosting and the subsequent letdown has made it more difficult to use and enjoy as well. By the way - nothing is free, folks!
Now that the negative feedback is dispensed with, this forum has been hugely helpful and valuable to me. I joined 6 months ago after a word-of-mouth recommendation from a colleague who has a pond. And I would be happy to make a donation! But I haven't. And in a world full of people asking for donations, I think someone taking the time to lay out where the money is going would be helpful to me and to others. Business do it, churches do it, etc. An annual financial/vision for next year post and discussion.
And honestly, until now, I thought my magazine subscription was paying for the forum! Consequently, I thought that people donating were just trying to earn a gold sticker from Bob or the moderators and to get recognized in the Hall of Fame... or maybe just feeling exceptionally generous.
I think there is a communication gap. Some members have been here since the beginning - for years and years - but newer members probably don't know all of the backstory and history and things that have happened with ex-members, financial structure, etc. If you want to induct a new generation and carry the fire (er, water?) forward, we need to think more about drawing in newcomers so that they don't post 3 questions and then vanish after they get an answer. We need an explanation of the present, a vision for the future, and something to work toward. Something along the lines of "these are our current operating costs, if we want to upgrade it would increase our costs to this amount, here is how the experience would improve, there are this many active users, etc."
Like I said, I have already benefited enormously from this forum, and it's something I hope to be engaged with for years to come. I'm interested in keeping it alive, let's come up with a plan to - as RAH joked - Make PondBoss Great Again!
As someone relatively new to this forum, I was always getting confused by all the acronyms that were used. It took me a few months before I was sure that "BOW" wasn't referring to fishing with a bow (sorry, very slight exaggeration).
To attract and keep new users, fewer acronyms and more plain talk helps.
As someone relatively new to this forum, I was always getting confused by all the acronyms that were used. It took me a few months before I was sure that "BOW" wasn't referring to fishing with a bow (sorry, very slight exaggeration).To attract and keep new users, fewer acronyms and more plain talk helps.
I agree on acronyms, but laziness often prevails. Will try to do better. When I do not know an acronym, I google "acronym", "pond boss" and the letters in the acronym. Then I use Ctrl+F to find that acronym. You can try it with "BOW".
To be fair, the post explaining the acronyms is just the third item in the "Common Pond Q&A" section. It's easy to find, and also easy to ask "what does _____ mean?" I don't mean to sound rude, it's just hard to imagine people who are actually interested in learning and participating being driven away by acronyms.