Loss of interest, failing technology, irritating members, outdated business model, to much advsertising, no added value etc... Just a few issues to get us started. LostSoulMates have seen it all, so are in an exellent position to make our community work.

Welcome to the club, don't hold back in your comments. Ben CEI LostSoulMates.

-- Ben Koot (ben@travelcompass.net), November 13, 2000

Answers

No interest. Could it be that many internet users are impressed by an initial "striking" feature, and decide to sign-up. Come back once or twice and don't see anything fancy, and forget about the community. ?

That could explain the relatively low feedback form the majority of the crowd. Here's something I feel we have to work on. Make sure we contact members, if don't here from them.

-- Ben Koot (ben@travelcompass.zzn.com), November 15, 2000.

Lack of challenge. I initially went out to the boards to see if there were answers to the questions I was struggling with. I wanted to see if there were kindred spirits with which to discuss, commiserate, explore and ultimately find some resolution. I also wanted to be challenge and to hopefully challenge others. After a while the depth of answers got very shallow…. One liners, quick off- the cuff remarks, little thought. I think the questions were too easy and the challenge back to some of the answers too slight.

I expect if I put an opinion out there to be challenged. I want someone to find the holes, help me fill them, make me think differently.

Lack of relevance. If it don’t matter in my life… I don’t need to see it. If a board gets too focussed on the needs of a few the majority walks away. The futurize board did exactly that. It allowed the few of us that contributed regularly to control the direction. They didn’t nurture some of the other contributors who might have had other issues that would have been more interesting to a greater number of people.

-- Paul Hebert (hebert.p.william@home.com), November 18, 2000.

For me, the conversation has to have some practical value. I will discuss theory for a while but I am too busy to spend my life online. So, I think sheer volume is important. Someone has to come behind me to replace me after I move on. A few weeks ago, after reading Futurize, I went to the futurizenow board looking to share ideas, give and get feedback with implementing a project. (I am still looking) I hoped to find a group of internet & marketing professionals. Instead I found an abandoned town. I started a thread there anyway hoping to get some interest.

I was hoping to find the same thing here.

Hey, as George Harrison sings, All Things Must Pass. Why is online any different?

Enjoy, Ravenskin

-- ravenskin (raven_skin@yahoo.com), November 19, 2000.