If anyone even cares

hally · Mar 16, 2008

I received this email from Dave at Coolrunning. He asked me to forward it to former members so I am. Answer him if you care to. <a href="http://by126w.bay126.mail.live.com/mail/ApplicationMain_12.4.0078.0228.aspx?culture=en-US&hash=2053367372#" target="_blank">[email protected]</a> 
I told him to take me out of the moderators role (among other comments) Dear Hally, The purpose of this email is to ask you for your help. As you are aware during the transition to our new forum tool we lost a sizable number of our frequent forum users. Today several of the forums receive little or no activity. This is perplexing to us because aside from our community section, the rest of the Cool Running site is doing very well. This tells us that our readership is still there, but they choose not to use our forums. Our dilemma is figuring out why they left our community and what we can do help our community grow again. We are taking a long look at how we should position the Cool Running community going forward. However before we take any action, we want to get your input. We have prepared several questions below and would like you to comment on as many as you like.
<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Why do you think folks moved away from Active/CR?</li>
<li>We suspect some less than honorable readers were waiting for the transition to encourage forum users to leave CR/Active; what do you know about this? Do you have any feelings about this?</li>
<li>Most of the technical issues have been resolved for many weeks now and we are doing everything in our power to bring the readership back, will you help us accomplish this?</li>
<li>Some folks might perceive Active as a large corporation that is insensitive to individual runner's needs; do you think this perception is true? If this is the case, can you suggest ways to change this image?</li>
<li>We would like to keep you as a moderator going forward in the same or new role; how can we make this happen?</li>
</ol>Any insight you can provide us would be greatly appreciated. We’d also greatly appreciate it if you could forward this email to former Cool Running community members and solicit their input.” Once we have collected responses from all our moderators, I will share them with you. Regards, Dave Camire 
Senior Editor <a href="http://www.coolrunning.com" target="_blank">www.coolrunning.com</a> 
[address and phone number edited out by satfix]

ksrunr · Mar 16, 2008

CR was the first forum I ever belonged to and only 6 mths or so before transition to a "better site" began. 
1. Transition was terrible. Site was hard to work with. People lost their online identities and still can't get them back. "someone else is using that name". 
Site was difficult to navigate. etc. etc. 
2. I suspect you're being dishonorable saying some readers were dishonorable in trying to "lead others away". Don't blame others for your transition. 
3. Still some can't get back their identities and issues are resolved. 
4. I love corporations and making money. 
5. Hally is the best!! 
ksrunr 
kickrunner

millbot · Mar 16, 2008

Wow. 
I replied in the most helpful way I could. But it blows my mind that they still don't understand what happened. 
Good luck, Active. <img alt="icon_salut.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/icon_salut.gif">

SLOjim · Mar 16, 2008

I can't believe they don't understand what happened..... I know a few were complaining about "the big" corporation but I think it was the awkward transition and destroying a perfectly good running log that made everyone leave. I was willing to give it a chance ... but when everyone has started posting on other sites, do they expect me to stay there and talk to myself???

Tim · Mar 16, 2008

Is he saying that the Boomer forum is the only one where they lost membership? Or all of CR?

tomwhite · Mar 16, 2008

...hey, we TRIED//.......CR Boomers was the Best Site on the internet,,,,,,,but after a while, you just give up trying..... 
........I'd suggest Dave re-read our posts during the transition period......a lot of us didn't want to move, we just couldn't stand it after a while......

ksrunr · Mar 16, 2008

Aren't they being dishonorable by trying to take us back from our new homes that we've built and furnished the way we like them?

Pie Jones · Mar 16, 2008

I think Active knows exactly what heppened to their forum usage and why. This "survey" is an advertising strategy. They can't very well come over to the competitors forums directly and address their users with a "come on home we luv ya baby" technique. So, this advertising is designed to soften feelings and get people thinking that maybe they overreacted a bit to the transitional changes. Rekindling memories of the old site like a soft picture of CR forums over our fireplace. It also helps them attack the big bad highly detached corporate image knock. The "please tell me why" approach is designed to address that, and couched in such personal and informal tones too. The survey itself is the goal, and I suspect it matters very little what the responses actually are. 
Fairly slick advertising actually. Much better than the pr work they did during the active transition phase. Based upon their past practices, I won't be surprised if their next ad campaign consists of something like this...they follow this "survey" up with another letter that says "we're sorry.....that survey was not meant to be released or distributed at this time. We do value your thoughts and opinions, but we want to wait until we have more changes in place so you can then comment on them in a more informed way." I'll not be answering their survey, but if Millbot can wish them well, so can I. I wish them everything they deserve in corporate life. 
Luv ya CR/ACTIVE...play nice over there 
and on that note.........THANKS RICH and STAFF...you rock da casbah

The Jogger · Mar 16, 2008

I lost all my training log, then I went to active and lost all my mates. At least I got them back, wish it had of stayed the same as it was but like my training log they switched for me, after CR a lot was missing. 
At least here we have Hally back in command <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">

Johnny · Mar 16, 2008

Staying polite and refusing to go off on an anti-Active rant again. Well put pie, besides,............... you can't put toothpaste back in the tube,................... or words to that effect. 
And Hally definately is the best.<img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif">

Spareribs · Mar 17, 2008

When I first saw the email, I thought the same thing as tomwhite, that is, "why doesn't he just go back and read the feedback we gave him at the time? That would answer all his questions." So I'm kind of inclined to agree with Pie and tomwhite and others here. There is little reason to respond at this point. Just sign me, "Spareribs049"

winejunky · Mar 17, 2008

whats this coolrunning stuff anyway...oh yeah its been so long since I've been there that my memory had started to wain...maybe thats a boomer thing. I wonder who has the name winejunky now, they tell me it doesn't belong to me, hopefully whoever it is they have better wine tips.

hally · Mar 17, 2008

Thanks for the kinds words you guys. And fwiw I didn't even bother to really answer any but one and two and I pasted some comments from a few folks I had shown the email to, and said that I doubted that he was even going to read them anyway. Less then honorable, what the hell is THAT about? 
You are all correct, when he came around and posted twice during the first few weeks he never did even bother to answer them. And he probably won't read anything that is sent now. What a maroon!!

canalrunner · Mar 17, 2008

Not sure who visits the other parts of the site. I don't. 
Strange request. Seems clear that if the site doesn't work very well and no one is posting that most people will move on. I left only after it was dead site walking. Perhaps if he solves this conspiracy he can move on to who killed JFK and the alleged landing on the move.(Everyone in Canada knows it was a picture of Sudbury)

iapetus999 · Mar 17, 2008

I literally couldn't use the site...but I just gave it another try and it seems to work...and I even found all my old posts! 
Just saying...

JJJessee · Mar 17, 2008

They turned me into to a NEWT!

CassadAAmius · Mar 17, 2008

You got better...

mcsolar99 · Mar 17, 2008

(mc crawls out of cave...) 
grrr. dang those less than honorable people who run working, useful, free web sites. 
here's my recollection senator... 
(1) active makes dumb changes 
(2) cr posters respond with ideas, complaints, suggestions. 
(3) kr and ra web site owners READ the responses 
(4) kr and ra web site owners THINK about the responses 
(5) kr and ra web site owners ADJUST their sites based on responses. 
active didn't execute steps 3 - 5 and so they lost their audience. surprised? 
active won't execute steps 3 - 5 now either. it is perplexing that dave allows himself to be used by active to play the fool; must be the large corporate paycheck. 
(mc crawls back into cave...)

tomwhite · Mar 17, 2008

...it kills me when he does that////

millbot · Mar 17, 2008

Hey mc, is it cold in that cave wearing nothing but a mini-skirt?

If anyone even cares

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