Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations To Bill, Cecil, Dave, Bob....and other low numbered members

Just curious. I was looking at a couple of the really small member numbers next to your names and I thought it would be interesting to know how the Pond Boss discussion forum TODAY compares to what you may have envisioned when you were making your first few posts.

Good and bad.

Thanks,

Bruce

I don't think anyone, at that time, envisioned anything like it is today. Lusk says he certainly didn't. It was more question and answer with nothing really tying the threads together. No individual categories or topics. The first post was Greeson doing a test to see if it would work. I think I was about the 8th post from the start and Cecil was right there with me. Frank Pinkston was around. There might have been 100 posters; don't really remember. Lusk wasn't very busy in those days and he had time to give full answers to everything. Other than Lusk, and later Cody, nobody knew much about what they were talking about; or knew whether anyone else did. No pictures, and I don't think anybody would ever have expected it.

I do remember that, along with a couple of Cajuns, Cecil and I were on most of the time instead of working. There was still some clowning around.

I think the biggest thing that is different is the ability to really have a discussion. That and knowing who was out there to ask a question. I just don't think there was a lot of ponding knowledge around and this stuff was pretty embryonic.

I don't remember it being near as Texas oriented as some thought. I do think, but am not sure, that it was predominately South of the Mason Dixon Line.

The difference is about the same as comparing a Big Chief tablet and a No 2 pencil to the computers we have today. Of course, it did get clobbered by a virus. There is no real way to compare the difference; it's all positive.

Dave, about what year was that when the forum first emerged?

Bruce

One thing I noticed (besides the phenominal growth) is the numbers of professionals both academic and those earning a living managing ponds that have joined us here. Heck, I have my hands full with my lil'ol pond - the pros see hundereds of ponds/lakes and have been extremely helpful in passing along that knowledge.

Proud to be #11 and still posting...,

Frank

The forum started in April, 2002.
We started the website primarily to host this discussion forum. Contrary to Dave's thought about me not being so busy..I was exceptionally busy back then, too. I was raising six kids as well as running my consulting business and Pond Boss business. But, I was the first pro on the site..and I HAD to answer all the questions, or they didn't get answered. Our hopes were that the forum would soon attract other pros, with different strengths, and we could get diversity in information. Soon, Bill Cody and Cecil emerged and began posting. As time moved on, we got more great pros, and I didn't need to answer as many questions. I would come on the site every day for the first few months, after everyone at home was in bed, and my work day was finished.
As the site grew, lots of thoughtful questions were asked, and different people would chime in with their opinions. Soon, we were getting opinions from several different pros, from those who do it, to those who did it, to those who studied it. That mix of presentation has become great help.
What I didn't envision was the community this forum has become. Designed as a question and answer information source, it didn't dawn on me that friendships would be built and we would be going around the country meeting each other.
I didn't dream we would read as many jokes, or tackle so many topics, or that threads could possibly go into 100 posts and five pages.
I didn't envision this website forum bringing competitors together to read each others opinions and have healthy debate. Being in the business and traveling as much as I do, it's pretty cool to go to different regions and meet people in the business and talk with them. Everyone of us seems to think we invented something in the pond management business and we are all fascinated to find out someone else has been doing something similar in a different part of the country.
The next thing I can see is this forum maturing and helping to the point that the pond management business shifts from a loose knit cottage niche-type industry into a tighter knit national industry. There isn't really a tie which binds all the suppliers to the pros to the consumers. I think that's next.
Growth has been excellent. Without looking at the directory, I think we had 1300 members from 2002 to the beginning of 2005. Now, we have 2600. Essentially, membership of the forum has doubled in slightly more than the last year.

This board is much better than the old one. But I am sure Bob remembers how with the way people hate changes there was almost a mutiny when the change was made. The first week of the new board was just talking about the new board.

That's right. When the board grew too large for the software, we had to change. We couldn't bring all the information across into the new software. I thought there was going to be a mutiny. But, it didn't take long for people to learn to navigate through it. The new software had better search capabilities and several key points of improvement. But, alas, we all weathered that decision.

Boy, it sure seems like more than 4 years. Bruce, I don't think you will get many answers about the positive or negative difference in the Forum. More like what the Forum has become over the years. It is reflective of what ponding has become. I think the Forum and magazine have been huge contributors to that growth.

The first indicator that I think pointed to the growth was Lusks World Tours. For a couple of years, Bob would take off, during the off season, and stop by magazine subscribers ponds to see them and offer advice. Lusk Sightings were reported like he was some kind of rock star. He said, at that time,"Somethings Happening Here". However, like the Bard sang, "What it is ain't exactaly clear". In the early days, a big day might have been 10 posts. Sometimes there were none.

Like Bob says, the biggest change may be the Forum Community concept. Who would have ever thought that some of us would actually meet each other and get to know each other on a personal basis? I would never have expected to actually meet Duggan, Frank and John Tanner. Heck, I never expected to meet Lusk.

Another thing is the wealth of knowledge here and the growth of that knowledge by the members. That is a huge change. Bob recently told me that he sometimes logs on, sees a question, follows the responses, and realizes that he has nothing to add. It's interesting that the answers/advice are from non pro's. Until the Forum, the only source of knowledge was State web sites where Biologists posted articles. There were, and still are, other web sites but they are pretty insignificant compared to PB. If you want to know what Pond Boss has become, put the words "Pond Boss" into your search engine and look at the copycats using some variation of the name.

Who would ever thought that Mike Otto would be known world wide and worry about bandwidth?

Bob I can even remember my first question on the old board. My pond had just filled up and I was having bubbles coming up all over the pond. You explained to me what was going on.

This site has certainly seen its share of changes. All good!

Bruce, this was a very interesting question. It is hard to believe that the PB forum is only 4 years old.

It was fun looking back on the growth of this forum. I'm curious about what changes others think will happen in the next 4 years. This is open to anything from the forum itself to fisheries management to anything else. I'll start with these guesses.

Someone will try to start a competing magazine or forum. There are always people out there that think everything is easy money and they want part of it.

In 4 years time, we will have figured out how to successfully raise crappie in small ponds. There is just too much interest for someone to not figure it out.

In 4 years, we will have many more state small pond fisheries biologists visiting this forum. This forum will lead rather than follow professional small pond fisheries.

In 4 years Bruce will either be a famous fish strain developer or will have been eaten by an experiment gone awry.

Norm :

Even for people like us who like to do some forward thinking the world is changing at quantum speeds.

There is a competing mag. but no forum that I know of.

I am not sure we can figure out a way to successfully raise crappie in ponds if it is not doable absent an economic dip/trip. variety. If it can be done the idea may well come from this forum. The need/want is there just not the money - yet.

I agree with your idea on the state fisheries biologists but that assumes there are any left who deal with ponds. Unfortunately many states are moving away from providing any emphasis on ponds. They are all working on large public waters. This has both positive and negative aspects. It does hurt in the research area in particular as Dave Willis noted to your question earlier. I do agree there will be more state fisheries folks on the forum for the reason you noted they just won't be working on ponds.

Here is a idea that fits with the trend of consumers wanting convenience and instant gratification. A pond stocking method at reasonable cost to have an instant fishery. A method to bring the hatchery truck loaded with all the right sizes , numbers and types of fish to put them in and let them have at it.

How long did the original forum run for? I ask because the current forum is 4 years old. I purchased my place Jan 9 2002, and I read the old forum, but didn't register until a few months into the new forum when I had enough info to ask specific guestions. The original had to be more than 4 years ago.

new board started April 2002, I was on the old board about six months before the change

ewest, I agree completely that there will be more people that want a turnkey fishing lake. Many people don't look twice at spending $10-20K or much more to landscape their property. They won't look twice at stocking their lakes with adult fish.

Norm Kopecky queries:
My hope: A study will be performed by PB WRT interest in everything outside of the water. Mr Lusk has already hinted at some expansion relating to the surrounding pond environment. I have not been reading the mag for very long, but I can see hints in some of the recent articles. In my eyes, the pond is of equal importance as the ecology and evironment that surround it. It thereby follows that there may very well be another mag's worth of subject matter...at least a couple of categories on the forum? I would hate to see a competitor grab onto this with any level of success. I think there are alot of guys out there like Norm, Ed, and Shorty's folks that have a real attachment to the entire eco-picture as it relates to the pond.

The old PB forum looked like this format-
http://www.aquanic.org/discuss1/lmbass.htm

It was disabled by a hacker or virus. I never found out what exactly occurred. I hoped that someone at PB had saved the old original posts but that did not happen. There was some good information presented on the old forum format. I can't remember exactly when I first started posting on the old format; I think somewhere around late 2000 or early 2001.

Brettski :

Almost every pond owner I know is just as interested in the rest of the land (trees ,plants , animals ,dirt , landscape etc) as they are the fish. We are growing them all. We just don't talk about it as much . It is after all the total experience that soothes the soul.

For me, PB has become a spring board for the DIY pond owner. Unlike some others here, I received no hands-on assistance from my regional state fisheries department when I approached them about building a small pond. The fisheries and wildlife office refered me to the Soil Conservation Service As budgets tighten and programs are reduced and/or cut forums like this will become the information center for knowledge seekers AND providers.

This site will be what WE make of it.

Just posting a reply to see what number I am. I've certainly enjoyed the site and have learned a great deal, and occasionally share some of my own knowledge which hopefully helps others.

Bill, thanks for posting the old style. I personally dislike that style and much prefer this style.

The Farm Service Agency and Natural Resource Conservation Districts have taken horrendous cuts in staffing. It's really a shame.

No crystal ball here and this strays from the original question. But:

I am seeing a lot of growth in Koi ponds and expect businesses forming to maintain them like they do swimming pools. Those businesses probably already exist.

Lots of lake communities are popping up in Texas with the lake being the central point or draw. I believe this will create a demand for maintenance in the form of flora, fauna, and water care.

Water management and availability in the arid areas is becoming a huge issue. I expect more governmental involvement regarding private water holes of any size. This could go either way but I expect more "permitting" with consultant involvement. The days have already ended when you could do as you please on your own property. Impound water while you can.

I expect the cost of building a pond to rise; a lot. Increasing fuel costs, permitting, and the maintenance on newer model heavy equipment is going out of sight. Mike Otto told me about a small electrical part that failed on one of his dozers. It was available, inexpensively, from a local auto parts store. However, the computer controls had to be calibrated, using a factory part, by a factory technician. $$$$

Ponding interest is increasing at an increasing rate. I watch trends and notice that approximately 3 new people join the forum per day. Click on Directory and you will see it. Most don't post but they had to have a reason to search. With this growth, expect Lusk to revisit cost of bandwidth.

Expect Dr. Frankenbruce to give up on Redears and announce his successful cross of a cold water tolerant peacock bass/grass carp hybrid.

LOL! I'd like that.

I can see it now. A pond full of beautiful Nebraska strain peacock bass that eat sago pondweed.

I think the forum will continue to evolve as a community, with decorum at the forefront. I've talked to people who frequent other forums and I think this one is the best overall at keeping it friendly. I think potential subscribers will see this forum as a reflection of the magazine. That means more subscriptions, which as Bill Cody likes to put it, keeps the forum viable. We all benefit.

There is no question in my mind that if I had any possibility of doing so, I would buy a product or service from another forum member or magazine advertiser.