The Swamp

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:19 pm**

I fucking had to re-register for this place, man.

Anyhow, dropping in to see what's new. What's new?
Oh, and I'm here to try to steal all of you away to a far off / better place.

If you're happy here and with 15 year old software that runs it, then cool.
(What iteration of the swamp are you on now?)

But if the idea of having the kinds of conversations we expect - but having them on a modern platform - interests you, then please fill out this form!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vzzD7P ... k/viewform" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

TL;DR, the swamp should be hosted on Slack and if you're willing to pay $80/per person a year for unlimited messages and a full archive, boy do I have the solution for you.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:29 pm**

Are y'all really worth $80 a year to me?

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:30 pm**

Slack is steep.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:31 pm**

Monorail?

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:35 pm**

Does it come with a front pa (SHOTGUN BLAST)

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:37 pm**

it is free if you are willing to only have 10K message archive and 5 integration. I want to play around with Slack for work reasons (which is what it is really designed for), but $80...for swamp...Do like the idea of native mobile app.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:41 pm**

The mobile stuff is amazing.
$80 a year is 22 cents a day.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:44 pm**

Yeah, we use Slack for work. I love it. Don't know how we lived without it

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:46 pm**

And to clarify, I don't see the free version as an option.
We would hit the message capacity pretty quickly and losing messages is a huge reason I took a 3? year hiatus from this place.

Come on, let's get the band back together.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:50 pm**

Can we get a personal (i.e. non-website-tour) list of benefits we'd see?

I send roughly zero non-frivolous-quiz-related messages.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:53 pm**

Also, how many posts can one have before needing to pay? If that threshold is low you're eliminating almost all lurkers and potential for people to join the Swamp.

Also, would we still have admins and moderators who would have the ability to ban people? And if we banned someone who paid for the Swamp, who refunds the person, the Swamp or Slack?

It might be a better platform, but moving to a pay-to-play site can change the dynamic of a message board considerably.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:58 pm**

Here's the pricing guide:
https://slack.com/pricing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We (my work) initially hit 10,000 messages very quickly.

I've started a free version as a placeholder... so if we get a core group interested, I can send around invites for us to look and see and get completed addicted to the mobile app.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:07 pm**

I filled out the form but I didn't really mean to. I thought there was going to be some kind of questionaire afterwards.

I like you guys but I am also incredibly cheap. I see the economics of it being low on a per day basis, but I'd be hesitant to shell out $80 a year.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:16 pm**

AB_skin_test wrote:I filled out the form but I didn't really mean to. I thought there was going to be some kind of questionaire afterwards.

I like you guys but I am also incredibly cheap. I see the economics of it being low on a per day basis, but I'd be hesitant to shell out $80 a year.

Valid and fair... and totally why I'm asking.
I don't want to split the party... but do want to at least have a new party.

I went in to the submissions to remove your name, but I don't see it in there.
Unless you're "ab". He's a shapeshifter, that one.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:18 pm**

AB_skin_test wrote:I like you guys but I am also incredibly cheap. I see the economics of it being low on a per day basis, but I'd be hesitant to shell out $80 a year.

What he said. I'm failing to see what problems we have that this solves (granted, I haven't looked at it, but I really don't think the Swamp is full of problems these days.)

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:33 pm**

Shirley wrote:
AB_skin_test wrote:I like you guys but I am also incredibly cheap. I see the economics of it being low on a per day basis, but I'd be hesitant to shell out $80 a year.
What he said. I'm failing to see what problems we have that this solves (granted, I haven't looked at it, but I really don't think the Swamp is full of problems these days.)

I'm not put off by the fee, and a mobile app would be nice, I guess. I don't think it is all that necessary to Swamp in a mobile-specific format, though. The rare time I check the Swamp from my phone isn't worth the move IMO. The website from a phone isn't all that bad.

What are the extra bells and whistles? Videos and pics are easy to upload, PM function is fine. I'm sure Slack is a lot better, but is any of it really necessary? How much functionality do we need to play a reverse Scattegories trivia game, discuss Indie bands, post pictures of beer we try, read Howard's Chicken Little economic forecasts, bash fundamentalist religion and occasionally talk about sports?

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:35 pm**

Whether he likes it or not, I'm co-signing the sex machine's contribution here.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:40 pm**

oiler wrote:Here's the pricing guide:
https://slack.com/pricing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We (my work) initially hit 10,000 messages very quickly.

I've started a free version as a placeholder... so if we get a core group interested, I can send around invites for us to look and see and get completed addicted to the mobile app.

I am willing to play around with a free version, but am not yet committed to paying. Do I sign up if this is the case?

That being said, what makes the swamp is not the software, but the people (which I would love to see some of the disappeared return). And our ability to have new people join is greatly hurt by a non-volunteer pay wall. So old party, new party, the key is where the party is. Can't see success in starting a sportstoad in addition to a sportsfrog.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:44 pm**

well hang on, can we get better people for $80/year?

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:47 pm**

I can't really tell what this is from the promotional materials, but it looks like their services don't exactly match up to what we do. At the same time, looks like maybe a useful tool to have on the side especially if it's free? Certainly better than using the facebook group.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:52 pm**

wlu_lax6 wrote: I am willing to play around with a free version, but am not yet committed to paying. Do I sign up if this is the case?

That being said, what makes the swamp is not the software, but the people (which I would love to see some of the disappeared return). And our ability to have new people join is greatly hurt by a non-volunteer pay wall. So old party, new party, the key is where the party is. Can't see success in starting a sportstoad in addition to a sportsfrog.

No, to signing up if only want free version. I'm interested in seeing if a greater majority of current, active members are willing to move to ONLY the paid version. If not, I'll do something else and go after a different group.

And I totally agree, it's about the people. Which is why I came back here to ask.
The software is just to better enable conversation. I've been using slack for a while now and understand how capable it is of bringing good people closer together. If you're on any group text threads with any close friends or family, imagine that - times about 10x in added ease of use / functionality / fun. I stopped posting and reading here because my habits had moved on... I don't spend much non-work time looking at a large screen. I connect with friends primarily on my phone/tablet and push notifications are the key in keeping me involved. This place, as it is now, has none of that.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:02 pm**

Hmm. $80 is steep, but I did contribute $20 to the Pirates mb and it was no big deal.

I'm honestly not sure. I guess if everyone did it I'd probably go along

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:17 pm**

Personally, I am exactly as close to everyone here as I want to be. So, like Sean, I'd obviously come along if this place got ghost-towned, but I don't have any huge complaints about what the Swamp is now, other than the lack of new people and old posts.

I'm down for more information though. I still haven't heard anything it'll do for a simple message board crew. For now, when I go to the website, it looks 100% focused on business-related communication. Which makes me break out in hives. It's like what Ryan from the shitty seasons of The Office would have come up with.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:21 pm**

Rex wrote:Monorail?

Rex's great quote did not receive the love it deserved.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:23 pm**

Ryan wrote:Personally, I am exactly as close to everyone here as I want to be. So, like Sean, I'd obviously come along if this place got ghost-towned, but I don't have any huge complaints about what the Swamp is now, other than the lack of new people and old posts.

I'm down for more information though. I still haven't heard anything it do for a message board crew. For now, when I go to the website, it looks 100% focused on business-related communication. Which makes me break out in hives. It's like what Ryan from the shitty seasons of The Office would have come up with.

Pretty much agree with you and Sean. As stated earlier I love Slack and I totally get oiler's points about some of the features that would work well with what we do here, but the price seems a little steep to me. Wish it was closer to $30 or $40 and then it might be a no-brainer at that point.

(Slack is ridiculously easy to use, so despite mostly being intended for business and enterprises, don't let that part of it dissuade anyone.)

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:36 pm**

So it's a closed environment and you have to pay $80 again when you join with a new group? Somebody is obviously going to come along with a better business plan than that.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:37 pm**

Ryan wrote:Personally, I am exactly as close to everyone here as I want to be.

This. Between the current Swamp and Facebook (and email and drunk AB texts), I don't really have any further communication needs.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:59 pm**

I would choose $80 over you guys.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:11 pm**

If it was $80 or nothing, I'd be down.

It's not $80 or nothing, and as is, I think I'd have to say no, mostly because we'd never get another new Swamper (or infrequent Swamper logging in to say hi once or twice a year).

mister d wrote:I would...80---over you guys.

/artisticlicense

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:28 pm**

You must have a #weirdpenis

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:05 pm**

I'm in the same camp that several others mentioned above--I'd pay the $80 myself, but am apprehensive at the thought of those who weren't interested being effectively dropped from the community.

The board could use a few features I've seen elsewhere, but above all it's made by the people here.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:08 pm**

ok. i'll move on.
thanks everyone for the feedback!

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:11 pm**

oiler wrote:ok. i'll move on.
thanks everyone for the feedback!

Don't be a stranger! I am curious what the additional features are, but like others said, it really would prevent new members or retired members from returning.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:14 pm**

mister d wrote:I would ...ho...over you guys.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:36 pm**

To be fair, the features of the current Swamp that allow for new members are fairly busted

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:15 pm**

I typically lurk, post "Popin' Ain't Easy" 2-3 times per year (more if it is a pope election year), and maybe every now and then offer Degenerasian a word of encouragement in the dating thread. How much will that cost me?

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:24 pm**

Johnny Hotcakes wrote:I typically lurk, post "Popin' Ain't Easy" 2-3 times per year (more if it is a pope election year), and maybe every now and then offer Degenerasian a word of encouragement in the dating thread. How much will that cost me?

The state charges a dolla twenty five.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:52 pm**

Johnny Hotcakes wrote:I typically lurk, post "Popin' Ain't Easy" 2-3 times per year (more if it is a pope election year), and maybe every now and then offer Degenerasian a word of encouragement in the dating thread. How much will that cost me?

Varies with the exchange rate.

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:15 pm**

I do think it is a good idea to keep eyes and ears open for apps that are more functional than a web message board. It would be nice to have things like chat and to be able to post tweets and videos without it being a PITA.

I don't think anybody yet has found the sweet spot between Twitter (really functional and fun but too superficial and too many idiots) and a message board (far more meaningful interaction but clunky interface makes it hard to grow community).

Posted: **Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:23 pm**

AB_skin_test wrote:I filled out the form but I didn't really mean to. I thought there was going to be some kind of questionaire afterwards.

I like you guys but I am also incredibly cheap. I see the economics of it being low on a per day basis, but I'd be hesitant to shell out $80 a year.

I'm in this boat, plus my wife is the banker. I have a hard time explaining a couple of pints at the local.

The Swamp

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