AC Forum Under New Management

[J.H.Berger]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

Mike, Eric and I were discussing this last night. What does the AC offer that newer social media sites offer? Stability. Trying to go through FB event pages or groups for a specific topic like one can do here with the search function is almost impossible to do in a quick manner. This site is solid, and you can get access to the event info, historical discussion, for sale item quicker than scrolling scrolling scrolling down on FB.

Plus you can link a topic from the AC onto FB now. So, in a way, the AC is evolving.

Aye that is the rub! I might be too old for facebook but I simply find it chaotic! There is no structure in my opinion. This forum offers exactely this besides the valuable backgroud information.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

Mike,

Great questions, worthy of consideration!

If I recall the words of Paul Calloway correctly, here is the founding purpose of the AC:
"To spread the good news of authenticity to the hobby"

To me, that breaks down like this:
1) Events. Events make the hobby because that's where the hobby happens. If you don't go to events, you're a "buff", not a reenactor.
2) Getting the newbies and the "oldies" who are no longer satisfied with F/M side of the hobby the right information so they can make the transition quickly, without the growing pains that those of us had to go through in the 1990's and earlier.

Where the fora come in is to allow the hobby to get the word out on events, organize, and communicate. On the second item, it allows folks to ask questions and get answers from qualified experts in a manner that provides a "peer review" to those answers... as a result, the "asker" can get a broad perspective on the topic and make informed choices.

Facebook falls flat on both of these:
It is structured to be a "stream of consciousness" conversation, not an organization. I, for one, get tired of scrollin', scrollin', scrollin' down a FB page looking for uniform regs or whether the event is "flat haversack". For getting questions answered, the answer depends on who's on the page/group, or who your friends might be. As a result, there are a lot of echo-chambers, moreso than good discussions.

That's all for now. Thanks!

[Trail Otter]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

I appreciate all the work y'all do on keeping this site up and running. I've been in the hobby for goin on three years now and have utilized information here to procure my kit and learn. I may not get it right straight out of the gate but I'm evolving. This year I plan to do more "authentic" eating and not just summer sausage and hardtack. Even tho I belong to a mainstream unit one thing I pride myself on is never using a cooler and sleeping on the ground (albeit in a wedge tent).

Thank you again and keep up the good work!

[Eric Tipton]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

It is my opinion that whatever the AC does on Facebook should be tailored to bring people to the AC. We have had some specific conversations about it as Herb said. My first priorities since coming back have been to 1) Work on the appearance of the site, and 2) Improve the operations of the site from a mechanical and from a people perspective. While I have been working on the overall operations, John Wickett is currently working on dead links, the article section, etc.

Once I am satisfied that we have made the necessary internal operational changes, we have some plans in mind for Facebook. I can tell you that those plans will be designed to bring people here to the AC.

Thank you guys for your support and for your input. As we move forward, I am listening, watching, and talking to people to find out what the members here want to see. Your input is appreciated.

[MarkTK36thIL]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

The AC needs to go on, and the spur of the moment uber-kewl-keyboarder-make-my-own-fb-group-cause-I'm-so-hip movement needs to go extinct, fast.

There's more than five groups to sell CW stuff. There's shady deals that go awry -at least the AC has a reference link in our profiles. There's countless discussions, that are hardly supported by evidence of any sort. It's become the land of, "I read this once somewhere...," instead of a fact supported post that disseminates legitimate evidence.

[paulcalloway]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

If I recall the words of Paul Calloway correctly, here is the founding purpose of the AC:
"To spread the good news of authenticity to the hobby"

That is exactly right - I was a streamer once who wanted to get better, and it was hard. Hard to get the info and hard to get the papal blessing from a few of the core guys that seemed to hold the keys to the kingdom. So with a lot of sweat equity we changed a lot of that.

I've never bought into this, "the AC wasn't designed with the beginner in mind" stuff because yes it was. Believe me - I was there at all those initial meetings. :D

Look - Jim did a great job of keeping this site going as a resource for all of you but there is no question in my mind that Eric is the guy that will transform this site from something that was pretty integral in the hobby in 2007 to something that the hobby needs in 2014. This site doesn't need anymore custodians - it needs active guys in the field who are committed to authenticity and in being inclusive of new comers. And that's Eric. We've worked closely together before - I know his passion, it's much like my own in about 1998 and he comes to this with better tools than I did.

Go get 'em Eric.

[Spinster]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

The AC needs to go on, and the spur of the moment uber-kewl-keyboarder-make-my-own-fb-group-cause-I'm-so-hip movement needs to go extinct, fast.

.

Facebook bites as a consistent organizing tool--the organizer who relies only on this methodology ends up repeating information, constantly saying 'look in the group files', and missing people that would learn something from the event, or be an asset to it.

In utilizing the AC's pluses, a clearer process for event announcements, large or small, history heavy or adjunct with extras, would be helpful--and highlighting the ability of the AC to aid the organizer in streamlining their work. The hobby would benefit from better articles with many of the basic checklist items for logistics reduced to clear formulas and how to's.

An additional selling point for the AC is the 'known community' Obviously, no one can guarantee that every deal in Buy Sell Trade goes well. But identified membership does help, as well as a forum with a long memory. For some time, I've been watching a Facebook disaster build, with a vendor with a terrible track record administering a large active CW sales group. With no accountability, hobbyists are being taken for hundred's of dollars. This morning, an unsuspecting individual posted a link to the vendor's site over on Bob Szabo's Forum. We immediately took the link down, and noted that the offending vendor had been banned there for years----as he was here. And both forums worked together to find and bann him under subsequent alias names. Facebook doesn't do that.

[Pvt_Sullivan]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

the spur of the moment uber-kewl-keyboarder-make-my-own-fb-group-cause-I'm-so-hip movement needs to go extinct, fast..

That is about the dumbest and least helpful idea I've heard in awhile.

Instead of tilting at windmills and demanding other people interact with the hobby in your way, maybe the right answer is to use Social Media in an effective matter and pull in old and new participants instead of further alienating the campaigner movement from everything.

I for one will focus on going to events that I find to be interesting, education and fun. For all its failings, Facebook and other social media can get the word out about events faster than making an AC post and hoping people read it some day. We should embrace it and use it to bring those who would be campaigners here to learn more.

[Eric Tipton]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

Hold your thoughts on Facebook a little for right now where it regards the AC. Let's keep our powder dry. There is gonna be a whole 'nother thread specifically about that.

In the process of what I have been doing at the AC, with Mess No. 1, Corricks Ford, and the marketing portion of my job, I have had the chance to heavily play with the Facebook platform. I think that Pete is right. Facebook, for the time being, is the best means of getting out the word, BUT, there are places where people will always gather on-line. That is here.

There is a way to do it, I think, that will satisfy most as far as we are concerned here. It's coming. Just give me a little time to get some other things in order. The AC Facebook presence is not going to go away and it will undergo a similar transformation to what is occurring on this site now, just in a different way. Just not there yet. Hang tight.

[KPavia]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

I, for one, am really excited about the changes coming. Thanks to Mr. Kindred and Mr. Calloway for what the AC has become and thanks to Mr. Tipton and all those who will take the AC on from here.

[VAvolunteer]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

I have not been a member for long, but for the time I have been here so far, I have enjoyed it immensely. My thanks goes to Mr. Kindred and Mr. Calloway for having run the AC forum for so long. I am looking forward to what is to come, and would also like to thank those who are going to take over.

[csuniforms]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

Good Luck-- When all has failed in my quest for research or just a refresher on a given topic, I visit the AC. Its all here or found. Thank you for taking it over. It is a thankless job sometimes, and sometimes not!

Tom Arliskas
CSuniforms

[DougCooper]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

Facebook is useless for 90% of the good work the AC does. I took a couple years off from the hobby and was shocked to see the rise of Facebook when I reengaged...trying to keep track of all the various streams of consciousness is too hard. Lessons live here, standards live here, dedication to doing it right lives here. Thank The Lord for Tim and the team, and now Eric and the team. You guys (with our help) are in charge of the learning curve.

[Bill Cross]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

My thanks to Jim Kindred and Paul Calloway for their efforts on behalf of authenticity in our hobby. I can certainly say that I learned a ton about "doing it right" (or at least "doing it better") hanging out here when I first came into the campaigner side of the hobby.

And I applaud Eric stepping up to take the reins at a time when many might have simply said "**** it."

The challenge, however, for the AC Forum is that the hobby overall has moved on.

Szabo's was once a freaking mess with chaos and food fights to the point that many stayed away, and authenticity was hit or miss there. The AC Forum got and kept a reputation (often a good thing) for being hostile to newbies and intolerant of those with less than a perfect kit. Still, it stood for something. I would often see references elsewhere to "well, if you want to learn more, you should go join the Authentic Campaigner Forum."

The intolerance of some in the progressive wing of the hobby, however, meant that many reenactors who wanted something more than the mainstream offered were left "fence sitting." They came to our events, played by our rules, but somehow they weren't really "right." I recall individuals who were happier having 5 properly kitted-out attendees at their event than making compromises that would increase numbers. Fortunately that sentiment has been allowed to perish for the most part. In the interim, though, the mainstream units have remained the nexus of membership for a majority of campaigners. The notion that one would leave one's streamer home and pards for an all-campaigner group has simply not happened from what I can see. Your mileage may vary, as Curt is fond of saying.

Sadly, the AC Forum's reputation for excellence outside of the campaigner movement is no longer universally-recognized. Szabo's cleaned up its act, appointed mods to police the discussions, kicked out most of the flagrant troublemakers. The place now has excellent discussions about improving your kit, learning more about history and where to find better events. The "brand iconography" of the AC Forum isn't as starkly different as it once was. The question might be: just what role can it play for today's hobby/hobbies? Can it continue to be a force for good within the CW reenacting community? What would that look like? I don't see imparting excellence with 140 characters frankly, but I'm an old fart, what do I know?

Finally, with so many who once were firebrands for creating and manning EBUFU events having left the hobby or passed on, there is also a pressing question: what happens if you have the "right" kit but no place to go?

[Coatsy]

Re: AC Forum Under New Management

Bill, well stay tuned, and you may just change your mind about the uses of this forum.

See you in the field this year.