WOOF Update

[GVGjr]

Well it's confession time or perhaps it's time for an announcement from me. At the very least it's time to share.

Despite my absolute enjoyment of following the Dogs through many good and testing times and and how much I enjoying discussing the Bulldogs with other supporters I've really been considering closing the site down.

The challenge is mainly in two area's
1) Attracting new members who want to join in discussions has been very challenging over a long period of time.
We had an exceptionally good rate of new members joining when supporters wanted access to the content of the Preseason training threads, and we did pick up some good contributors in the process, but most people made it very clear they just want to read and not participate in discussions. That's great for a Blog set-up but not so for a discussion forum.

2) Many of our longer term WOOF members don't have the time and perhaps the interest in participating with discussions and to me that's like having to watch the Dogs with many injured players sitting in the stands. You're constantly hoping they make a come back but they're more or less on the bench for significant chunks of the season.

I reached out to a lot of members, some responded and confirmed they don't have the time or the interest anymore and some read the message and didn't respond. One or two indicated it was a short term distraction while most others indicated they wanted to be readers not contributors.

So when you can't really attract new members who want to join in and it's hard getting some of your best contributors motivated the quality and quantity of discussions starts to decline to the point when closing the site down becomes something to consider.

A few months ago I switched off the option for people to join the site, we only had a few token members anyway, and I also switched off the option for guests to view the forum content if they aren't logged in. This gave me the chance to see how many members logged on for a read.
My view is that it wouldn't be right to have someone join the forum only to have it close down a couple of months later.

So what's next and what does it mean for WOOF members?
I'm probably in a holding pattern at this point but closing the forum or modifying it in some form is definitely an option.
A lot of very vibrant club forums have closed in recent years as the forum set-up isn't what most supporters want. They get a lot more from FB, Instagram, WhatsApp and Twitter than having to read through some discussions on a forum.
I'll give plenty of notice and won't leave you high and dry.

Finding the right time for an announcement like this is a particular challenge in itself.

I'll keep you all informed.

[macca]

I am really sad to hear this as woof has been my goto forum for club and footy news and discussion.
The member discussion has been great and free of any trolls . Maybe it has inherited the no tools recruitment culture from the club.

Just want to thank all the contributers as your inisght of the game has been educational and lots of fun . Been living overseas , woof offers armchair view of the club.
Many thanks gv for hosting this medium .
I do hope if can continue but understand if it needs to close

My fav threads:
- weekly game commentary
- 3 things i learnt
-ekers
- vfl reports
- early trade rumours
- bt draft calculations and strategy

[ledge]

I was asked to join this site years ago it’s been awesome I got to go to Rockets 50th due to this site and I got off fb and other social media pages as they are mostly over emotional people who believe anything they read and then turn to abuse of club , players etc . Disgusting in my eyes . The rubbish rumours etc, enough was enough.
This site has given what real forums should be . Proper discussions , no abuse and grounded thoughts on what the club is doing or should be doing.
This site gives proper insight and valuable information when all around the media it’s a circus of rubbish.
It also brings us together telling our stories and experiences over the years .
I hope you don’t shut this site down as its probably the most respected off all forums.
You have done an amazing job and it would be really sad and leave some sort of hole in my football life.

[azabob]

GVGjr I know the lack of contributions and new members has been a concern of yours for sometime.

I for one am much 99% more active on woof than I am interacting on other social media platforms and when the time comes for woof to end I certainly will miss it.

I can’t imagine the time, effort and $ required to host and maintain the website which I’m sure can be challenging.

[GVGjr]

GVGjr I know the lack of contributions and new members has been a concern of yours for sometime.

I for one am much 99% more active on woof than I am interacting on other social media platforms and when the time comes for woof to end I certainly will miss it.

I can’t imagine the time, effort and $ required to host and maintain the website which I’m sure can be challenging.

I'm not really on FB, I only occasionally look at it, Twitter is like a click and collect experience to me. Most just want to read or ridicule on there and that doesn't appeal. I look at Insta on occasions but I don't participate and I'm fortunate to be on a couple of WhatsApp groups with like minded supporters.

The decision that I'm weighing up isn't about the money to run and maintain the site and it's very much more about not wanting to see the site die a slow death. The reality is that most Bulldog supporters outside of WOOF just want to read content than make a contribution to the discussions and that is a problem for a discussion forum.

As they say in the classics.."The tribe has spoken"

[jazzadogs]

This announcement probably deserved its own thread!

If we're eulogising Woof, I joined here as an 18yo who just wanted to drink in as much about the bulldogs as I could. This site has informed the way I communicate with others, how I engage in debate and how I view football. It is a place unlike all other media that I see, with long responses and a strong community particularly amongst core/regular contributors. I have learned plenty from all contributors, and I thank you Gary for facilitating this magnificent place for so long.

If you feel the time is right, no hard feelings from me - but I will miss this place.

[GVGjr]

This announcement probably deserved its own thread!

If we're eulogising Woof, I joined here as an 18yo who just wanted to drink in as much about the bulldogs as I could. This site has informed the way I communicate with others, how I engage in debate and how I view football. It is a place unlike all other media that I see, with long responses and a strong community particularly amongst core/regular contributors. I have learned plenty from all contributors, and I thank you Gary for facilitating this magnificent place for so long.

If you feel the time is right, no hard feelings from me - but I will miss this place.

I thought of doing that but BT's Segway was too good to pass up.

I might duplicate it on it's own thread in another day or two.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

I too am really sad that this is seeming like the end of the road for WOOF.
I know this year I've been one who has had some challenges that have prevented me from engaging beyond a limited level in football related activities.

However this site means a heck of a lot to me, and my lack of posting this year has not meant a lack of reading.
As my circumstances have begun to positively change in the last month in particular I've really been looking forward to next season and getting more involved again.

However I understand your perspective Gary and know how much effort you've put in over the years trying to build this little community via this platform.

It really will be a shame personally though, as this forum and many of the posters in it via their WOOF persona have become constants in terms of; regular contact and discourse, disagreement, reasoned discussion and comraderie in a common cause.
If the decision to end is a mix of effort/cost, I would he happy to step up cash/timewise to help keep it viable, either here or on a more intuitive and functional platform (if that's even necessary). I'm sure others would have similar levels of value ascribed to this place to also make a similar commitment.

If its not that, then all I can say is what a wonderful pleasure it has been to converse and get to know many of you here via your persona, just a little bit. It really is a net positive experience for me, and losing the connectivity with the community would significantly diminish, by a massive amount my engagement and overall Bulldog supporting experience.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

For me there's really no alternative to WOOF. Any other source of Bulldogs chat is just garbage. When big footy is the next best you know it's bleak. No other source comes close to rivalling the discussion, banter, insight and intelligence posters offer on here. It'd be sad to see it go.

FWIW, I used to post on BF but gave it up a while back. A few people commented on there that WOOF wasn't an option for them due to lack of mobile compatibility/a rather archaic look and feel. I know that can mean more $$$ to put in but thought I'd share some feedback I had heard.

[soupman]

WOOF rules and would easily be my most visited site of the last 15 years.

Understand the decision if it does go that way, and am curious how much more time in my life I'll have without it, but won't lie I'll be disappointed and sad to see it go.

Have tried to be a part of a variety of other forums and they are a shitshow both in quality and quantity of content. WOOF is so far ahead of anything resembling competition it's ridiculous.

[Hotdog60]

I also started with BF but I wasn't there for long when I stumbled onto Woof.
BF was not very appealing with trolls from other club supports stirring the pot where here was a more controlled environment with great insights to the club we all love.
I too understand reason why the site would come to a close and that will be a very sad day and I will miss the game day chat (even the more passionate calls) but I think the insights to the draft and training reports as being interstate you don't get that sort of access.
As for social media what's that? I don't have instagram, I've only gone on twitter from links on this site and I do have FB but only to look at market place.
If the end is nigh I would like to thank GVGjr for all his work and the moderators that keep this site a home away from home.

[Jasper]

I really enjoy logging on for a read and a chat but Im not an overly active contributor. I will try and do my best to lift my contribution if that helps. Gaz did reach out to me and I did lift my contributions.

[ledge]

If you come to the conclusion you will shut the site down could we have a celebration of the site over the years and maybe a VFL game meet up, I have conversed with so many people over the years and met very few .
I say VFL due to it being Whitten oval forum and it’s home.
I would also like to thank you in person with a few beers and a pie or two.

[angelopetraglia]

It will be such a sad, sad day if WOOF were to close. Thank you for keeping it running for so long. For me it is easily the best source for anything Western Bulldogs.

Yes, there are more modern ways of communicating than forums, but this closed Bulldog community with its passionate, knowledegable and insightful contributors has no equal anywhere else across the internet.

[LifeLongBulldog]

This is by far the best source of information for a Bulldogs supporter. A very supportive and informative community, which is fantastic for a fan that lives interstate in Sydney. Having this information is amazing in particular the thread about the preseason at the start of the year was fantastic, all the posts made it feel like I was right there, which is challenging when the club does not always update fans on what is going on in preseason. I also love reading about the AFL Draft thread, I am not the most knowledgable person in that area but I love reading about the different players supporters think would be an asset for our team. It will be a sad day if WOOF were too close and I hope it stays open for many years to come.