Can Airsoftohio relive?!?!

[TOAST_Jackal]

I had to quit a lot of airsoft some years back to dedicate my time to work and finishing school. When I tried to come back, I see how much the sport had shrank with a lot of the major teams gone. Forgive me if this has been discussed before, but I've been out of the loop for a while. I believe the forum foster's a much better culture for such a hobby and would hate to see it go without a fighting chance.

I have this perspective to offer:

Think of the forum as a business selling a product. This product sold well for a good while and met it's users' needs, but then was abandoned for a different product that was seen as more desirable. It must be understood what the new product offered over the old and/or what changed socially that may have also had a hand in matters. It is possible that some products/technologies simply fad into obsolescence, but if there is to be a fighting chance, the two competing products must be weighed against each other's strengths and weaknesses on where needs are being met and unmet.

When these strengths and weaknesses are laid out, you must take what you have as a strength over the competing product and capitalize on it while not forgetting to try to address the weaknesses, all the while incentivizing and advertising to users that you're still here and you may have more to offer than they initially perceived. From this, it is possible that the revamped product can be a polished version of it's predecessor's, something that resembled it's previous self or something new entirely. What I mean to say is; if AO is to come back, is all it need is an update? Or perhaps, it relinquishes some functionality to focus on it's core strengths.

AO Strengths: (as I see them)

Information is readily available in a more organized format, events are easier to organize, forums promote a different culture around an activity, photos are still easily shared and stored for future reference.

AO weaknesses:

Site is outdated, Does not give the same rapid back and forth social aspect of newer SM sites like FB, FB is where people spend much of their day anyway, FB offers notifications of responses, and (as strange as it might seem) the "likes" and "dislikes" matter in the new SM world.

This is condensed. Normally for my line of work, such lists would be a massive wall of post-it notes like I'm trying to figure the JFK case. But to wrap this up, I do not feel AO can fight FB entirely until something else replaces FB. However, if it relinquishes the broader social back and forth to the FB page and becomes more focused on event organization and private team pages, it could work. But none of that will matter if it is not advertised and incentivized. It is also entirely possible that newer players and younger people in general simply do not use forums anymore.

I know, TL;DR.

[Blade]

To summarize your post Jackal, players don't want to read or answer anything anymore. They want an answer right away without having to search. Problem is, 99% of the players have that attitude while 1% can fill their needs. So it definitely can't work. Everybody wants to know but nobody wants to share the know-how.

Unfortunately, AO is dead.

[Zaryk Syythe]

It has been a long time since I logged in here and posted anything. I have lurked a bit though, and it has been sad to see this site taper off.

I was semi-active here. Not a lot, but I did do quite a bit of reading and learning. The calendar is what kept me coming back. I don't use FB, never made an account and never will. Since sites like this has slowed down and the info being posted on FB, my ability to stay up to date on the needed info has also tapered off. This has caused me to stop playing. I could randomly show up at my local field, but without knowing what was planned I was going in blindly and had no idea if it was going to be a pick up game or an event. And after a few times of that, I just kind of lost interest.

I was active on another site, Airsoft Society, and it has also slowed down but is still kicking. When they upgraded their format, it boosted the community and became more active again. Im not sure this would kickstart the community here, but it could be a good start if someone wanted to try to jumpstart this forum.

Also, with me and the guys I played with regularly, we have been trying to get back into airsoft, but the places we used to play are just not the same and it is not as fun anymore. Im not sure where to go to play since there is no good place for me to find that info. An active and up to date calendar and list of active fields would draw me and the guys I know back in for sure.

Maybe a name change and shift to a general airsoft forum, not strictly focused on Ohio could make a lot of other players more attracted to the site. I know some guys from other states that said they didn't feel like they fit in here since they never even seen ohio before. It could make this site more appealing to a whole lot more potential members.

[Naga]

Hello, everyone.

but a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.

[79stang]

Hey Naga! (Fill)

[Naga]

I am still alive. I have just been out of the picture for a year or two. I plan to return soon.

[Panda]

Hey all, I remembered my password.

So I'll be honest, my problems with the site were not necessarily the site itself (although it is showing its age), but more life happening and not being in high school to constantly check AO. I really appreciated a lot of the site's features, especially the ability to RSVP for games by greenfor or tanfor, making a team page, and interacting with a knowledgeable community. However, the community has died off. Hard.

I think their are enough airsofters to maintain a scene in Ohio, but the hard part is keeping a forum relevant when social media has replaced it as a far simpler system. When given the choice between logging onto Facebook to RSVP for an event or a dedicated forum, the choice is simple given that they will probably log onto Facebook anyways. If the site could be updated with Facebook integration, it may encourage people to come back to the site when coupled with an unzuccable classifieds. Sadly, I know such an operation would be expensive and require some computer knowledge, and two things I don't have are money and computer knowledge.

Internet forums for airsoft are still popular. r/airsoft on reddit sees several new posts a day still. I know it is hypocritical coming from me, someone who hasn't been around for a couple years bar the odd open play, but it really falls on the community, and especially the older players, to support itself. The older members set the example by encouraging the stupid questions that were once monotonous in 2011 because even though I know we all hate "wut am teh bestest gunz" posts, that may be what the new airsofters want to know, and we certainly don't have the traffic here to have anything to talk about otherwise.

But I dunno. I am gonna try to get more active in the game again now that I have finished college and live on my own. I may have new life commitments like rent, bills, a dog, a fiancee, etc. but I can at least say I'm on my own time now.

[spewy]

This sites pretty kewl.

[Firefox]

The nostalgia of logging back onto this website and remembering what AO used to be...

Bottom Line Up Front and TL;DR

Airsoft Ohio will not truly be the fully functioning community we once had without active leaders and dedicated players who vet newcomers and teach others about the sport, while living the same standards they promote. Teachers and standard bearers.


Elaboration through my personal vignette

I joined this community as a thirteen year old boy who was fascinated with the aspect of joining the military one day. I grew up shooting guns, playing video games, sports, and was looking for a way to do what I could not yet. I found Airsoft Ohio in 2007 through an old friend, Andy Schill (if anyone remembers that name) of Airsoft Smith and thought why not start playing some games? I could start training NOW to be everything I wanted to be. What I lacked was the discipline, maturity, mentorship, sense of community, (among many other intangible values) to do anything I dreamed of at the time. Determination and an impressionable attitude were my only keepsakes.

Over the course of the five truly active years I spent in AO, I met some of the best and worst people the community had to offer. I was taken in by some of the more seasoned players/teams and was taught much of what I lacked. In hindsight it was not preparation for the military, it was preparation for life. I will never forget showing up to my first game at Springfield and nervously walking around the staging area when Hillslam (Strykers) walked up to me and asked if I wanted to play alongside him for the day. As a brand new and very young player I was taught the value and importance of teamwork, sportsmanship, discipline, and with that came maturity.

Fast forward a few years and I found myself relatively established in the community. I found many great friends and felt a true sense of belonging to what was Airsoft Ohio. I cared about the organization and the relationships that were fostered within it. I loved playing at Red Dragon with SPEAR, Springfield with Strykers, or with my fellow teammates on Stormblade at Valley Creek. As time progressed, I was also given responsibility. At a relatively young age, I was given responsibility to help execute AirsoftCon. As a result, I also learned accountability and the fundamentals of how to lead.

I look at where I am now both in life and in my job within the military and honestly do not think it would be possible without the people I met while active in AO... My friends who I hung out with on the weekend were guys I met through events and they are still to this day some of my best friends outside of the service. In preparation for the military I got incredible insight from vets who played with us. I remember getting advice from Warcat and many others on life choices as it pertained to me joining. I look at the titles I bear now; Infantryman, Ranger, Paratrooper, among many others and remind myself there is always a piece of that I owe to the many who cultivated me in AO before I ever rose my hand to volunteer for anything.

This brings me to the community. None of my development would have ever been possible if it were not for the stand up men in AO who believed in coaching and mentoring the little guy. We as a community need leaders who are able to unite players in the state and create the same sense of belonging that used to feel so commonplace. Without quality individuals who care about the direction we are headed and the people in it, we are doomed to break apart from one another and will fail to achieve what this community is truly capable of.