OOAK Table Tennis Forum :: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?

I'd hate to spoil the love fest, but a lot of the "good stuff" being posted here either doesn't interest me or doesn't match my experience. I get why people are saying the signal to noise ratio is good but suspect that's mainly because most people think and feel the same way about the "important" issues. Hand in hand with that is the excellent moderation we have here: haggisv and co are very good at putting out fires. The problem with that, however, is people may then feel as if offering an opinion which is not well received means they are not valued and then stop contributing.

Why do I keep coming back?. It's a question I regularly ask myself. I'm not at all interested in the dark side, which pretty much excludes me from all of those enthralling pips A versus pips B threads as well as a whole load of the blogs. Threads which are more inverted friendly seem to be the domain of a small group of posters, and the downside of that is a distinct lack of breadth of ideas. I guess you can't have a forum which is as helpful to both inverted and pips.

Pretty much the only reasons I have for visiting are videos of JSH and the hope that debater will post one of his investigative video series.

Author:	Debater [ 16 Jun 2016, 17:57 ]
Post subject:	Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
Title says it all. I come back out of curiosity, to aborb different opinions about the same topics. Different cultures, standards and attitudes and experiences. And to connect with other people who have table tennis in common. And I come back because I've made friends here and I value their opinons. Summary of points so far: Could be improved: Membership - Too many like minded people prevents interesting discussion - no disagreements OOAK Experience - Too friendly: People can feel uncomfortable challenging other peoples opinons Content - Pips dominated, not enough variety and depth of inverted information - haggisv needs to come through on his promise of posting a video of him playing - everyone has been waiting a long time see here http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=29967 Functionality / Layout - Good: Membership: - Multi cultural membership: different social perspectives and opinions gives variety - Connection: Like minded people who share my interest and where friendships can evolve A OOAK Experience: - Community atmosphere: Good place to make friends who share an interest in table tennis - can lead to table tennis get togethers - Positivity: Discussion's are conducted in a polite and challenging manner [high signal-to-noise ratio] - "Home": for the homeless and sad - Active posting: forum has regular contributions which keeps it fresh - Excellent "moderation" - A gathering place for the minority of players who use alternative rubbers and equipment and who aren't ridiculed because of it - Next best thing to actually playing, which isn't always an option Content - Membership knowledgable base: Quality of advice and sharing of experiences on ALL things table tennis is good - Variety: Forum caters for alternative styles of play and rubber - Blogs: Gives members an opportunity to share their personal experiences in more detail - Video collection resource Funcitionality / Layout - tapatalk compatible A voice in the table tennis world - Willingness to challenge and provide constructive feedback to the ITTF - Torsten Kueneth's question and answer thread about the plastic ball Ed: to aid people new to this topic and forum moderators I'm collating responses in to one easy to reference post.

Author:	Japsican [ 16 Jun 2016, 21:52 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
Information, friends, etc. I also like getting feedback. I have a blog that I update from time to time, and when I did that on a blogger site, I didn't get the same kind of responses or feedback that I get here, with like-minded people who share my interest. On blogger (or wordpress) it was pretty random who viewed my page.

Author:	RebornTTEvnglist [ 16 Jun 2016, 23:46 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
I live here!

Author:	Ehimle [ 17 Jun 2016, 01:31 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
The knowledge here is pretty intense. (kees alone is quite a resource). I like that it is geared towards people that play with alternative styles and rubber. The community is cool, friendly and devoid of most drama (don't bring up blade flex!).

Author:	choon [ 17 Jun 2016, 01:42 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
Forum content is awesome, people are actively posting and are very helpful.

OOAK Table Tennis Forum https://ooakforum.com/

Why do you keep coming back to this forum? https://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=29962	Page 1 of 4

Author:	Robot Blocker [ 17 Jun 2016, 02:07 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
Debater, you have started some really good threads of late, are you buying the forum off Alex, lol!! You must have a lot of time on your hands lately!!!! Actually, this is i feel the greatest forum in the world, the goat, because of so many lovely peeps on here, like-minded fair-minded and ever helpful!! it is a great resource to help improve your game and the info on equipment is 2nd to none!! So thanks to all who contribute here, to all who help run the forum and lastly for Alex for creating a perfect harmony here!!

Author:	Debater [ 17 Jun 2016, 04:58 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
Robot Blocker wrote: Debater, you have started some really good threads of late, are you buying the forum off Alex, lol!! Yes I am and before I do I want to make sure that what I'm buying has a genuine high value "good will" rating otherwise it's just one more "free" resource that people will drift in and out of and an expensive entry on a balance sheet. What's that, blast I thought it was April 1st. Never mind. Only another 9.5 mths to go.

Author:	pgpg [ 17 Jun 2016, 05:28 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
Because I am addicted and/or obsessed with TT? Seriously, this place has quality content on the subjects I am interested in, decent traffic and is mostly drama-free. Very good signal-to-noise ratio. Plus, I have a blog here

Author:	wilkinru [ 17 Jun 2016, 05:43 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
pgpg wrote: Because I am addicted and/or obsessed with TT? Seriously, this place has quality content on the subjects I am interested in, decent traffic and is mostly drama-free. Very good signal-to-noise ratio. Plus, I have a blog here This is all true. Good international community too. We all know one forum that doesn't have very good SNR...

Author:	AA [ 17 Jun 2016, 05:46 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
not giving up the hope that haggisv will upload a video of himself playing (as promised)..

Author:	Robot Blocker [ 17 Jun 2016, 06:13 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
pgpg wrote: Because I am addicted and/or obsessed with TT? Seriously, this place has quality content on the subjects I am interested in, decent traffic and is mostly drama-free. Very good signal-to-noise ratio. Plus, I have a blog here mostly drama-free. Very good signal-to-noise ratio. I couldn't have put it better!!! I likey.

Author:	LordCope [ 17 Jun 2016, 06:35 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
Great thread. I keep coming back here because I've grown to know and like many of the people here. I've met people in person, and it feels like my table tennis home. It was also pretty much the first place I came to when I started playing, so for me it's synonymous with table tennis. Then there's the wealth of knowledge. As a player with a rather unconventional style (and equipment) I love that this is a place where pips play is appreciated and understood rather than considered as an unpleasant fact of life. I keep a blog here, which I've kept for several years, and that represents a very interesting journal for me. The feedback I get from it is very valuable too. I agree about the SNR and lack of drama. I've not spent much time on other sites, but they don't strike me as having the same friendly vibe, the same mix of good people, nor the slightly obscure fascination with the dark side.

Author:	Pipsy [ 17 Jun 2016, 08:02 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
Because I've got nowhere else to go Robot Blocker wrote: mostly drama-free.

Author:	birchamboi [ 17 Jun 2016, 10:08 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
I'd hate to spoil the love fest, but a lot of the "good stuff" being posted here either doesn't interest me or doesn't match my experience. I get why people are saying the signal to noise ratio is good but suspect that's mainly because most people think and feel the same way about the "important" issues. Hand in hand with that is the excellent moderation we have here: haggisv and co are very good at putting out fires. The problem with that, however, is people may then feel as if offering an opinion which is not well received means they are not valued and then stop contributing. Why do I keep coming back?. It's a question I regularly ask myself. I'm not at all interested in the dark side, which pretty much excludes me from all of those enthralling pips A versus pips B threads as well as a whole load of the blogs. Threads which are more inverted friendly seem to be the domain of a small group of posters, and the downside of that is a distinct lack of breadth of ideas. I guess you can't have a forum which is as helpful to both inverted and pips. Pretty much the only reasons I have for visiting are videos of JSH and the hope that debater will post one of his investigative video series.

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Author:	pgpg [ 17 Jun 2016, 11:22 ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you keep coming back to this forum?
birchamboi wrote: I'd hate to spoil the love fest, but a lot of the "good stuff" being posted here either doesn't interest me or doesn't match my experience. I get why people are saying the signal to noise ratio is good but suspect that's mainly because most people think and feel the same way about the "important" issues. Hand in hand with that is the excellent moderation we have here: haggisv and co are very good at putting out fires. The problem with that, however, is people may then feel as if offering an opinion which is not well received means they are not valued and then stop contributing. Why do I keep coming back?. It's a question I regularly ask myself. I'm not at all interested in the dark side, which pretty much excludes me from all of those enthralling pips A versus pips B threads as well as a whole load of the blogs. Threads which are more inverted friendly seem to be the domain of a small group of posters, and the downside of that is a distinct lack of breadth of ideas. I guess you can't have a forum which is as helpful to both inverted and pips. Pretty much the only reasons I have for visiting are videos of JSH and the hope that debater will post one of his investigative video series. Interesting perspective. As a counterpoint, I would offer this: * "Important" issues usually lead to flame fests, and in retrospect are not really that important, but cause plenty of agitation and hurt feelings (or worse) * I find plenty of useful non-pip threads (I do have FH, you know...): pretty much anything ttEdge/BrettClarke related (hey, how come there are no tutorials on LP shots yet, Brett? ) * "Lack of breadth of ideas" - not really sure what to make of it. TT is not really that innovative, so new ideas are rare, me thinks. Most of audience here has lots of troubles absorbing existing ones In the end - it's all subjective and probably there is a lot of selection bias going on. But, as a separate thought, I like that there are a lot of discussions here and not as many arguments, makes a difference for me.