Theme Park Review Subreddit - Thoughts on this?

[michaellynn4]

My reasoning for doing it is I wonder if we would be instead of splitting your audience, but to capture two very different audiences. I'm not convinced that anyone who is on the TPR forum might actually be an active TPR redditor and vice versa.

 

This is the reason I voted yes. Admittedly, I'm not on Reddit very frequently, but this isn't about what I specifically would do, it's about what the new potential audience will do. I think this is a great idea to expand your overall reach. If anything, the fact that so many people are saying no simply because they don't go to Reddit is an even BIGGER reason to do it because it's it's illustrating that central point - forum users are comfortable still using the forums and wouldn't go to Reddit. Well, what about all the Reddit users who aren't going to come to the forums?

 

You said it yourself, your other social media pages have been blowing up because that's where the market trend is heading. I personally don't understand the "fight to keep the forum alive" argument. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this forum; it's by far one of the websites I frequent the most. However, it's foolish to argue against documented trends - that people more and more are using social media to interact - when planning tactical business moves.

 

To me, Robb, the main consideration I see is the overall size of the potential audience weighed against the opportunity costs. The amount of time you end up investing into the subreddit will have to come from somewhere, taking some time away from your other media platforms (forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc). If you feel that this new audience at Reddit is large enough and beneficial enough to target, and the amount of time/energy it's going to take away from maintaining your other current avenues is nominal and not going to negatively affect the quality past your comfort level, than absolutely go for it.

 

Hell, I'd be probably most inclined to support the "f**k it, let's try it out for a bit" tactic. If you end up not liking the results at first, hit the eject button.

[DirkFunk]

IMO, for what little it is worth, I don't think the bulk of people here would rush to Reddit instead. I don't really believe it would split the base unless you made the concerted effort to post your newer content there rather than here. Having said that, the battle will immediately be with moderation. If that's a battle you want to take on, go for it. I tend to believe it will be a lot of energy spent with a questionable return.

[Gnome]

After reading more of what Robb said and considering the market Robb is trying to capture (social media users with a casual interest in themeparks I guess would be the term to profile them?) I suppose there is a real oppurtunity

 

Its also an oppurtunity for the casuals to be exposed to a bit more information then what they would likely find and no about. I would think TPR's youtube page which, from what I can gather, has a HUGE viewership consisting of the general population could be a start to help drive that casual market to thag subreddit. Also it makes more sense for some one new to simply subscribe to a new subreddit rather than register for YET ANOTHER site. You would be eliminating a barrier to engage the community. (How many long time lurkers are there that have never gone through the process of making an account)

 

Another thought is TPR having its own website is an archaic model. The future might be a subreddit. It could eliminate the need for such a robust site in the future and possibly only concern itself as acting as a facilitator for trips and related merch purchase.

 

Just some thoughts as I've considered it more

[Cyrbuzz]

I would have to go with no. This is one of a small handful of forums I follow and I'm pretty comfortable here. I don't really follow reddit and pretty much cling to the forums where I feel I get the most in terms of info and a good bit of entertainment from all walks of life that frequent this forum. I think this forum outlasts others and is strong because of the quality of those running it and a much larger following of active users. I'm not the most active poster in the world but do try to add my two cents whenever possible. TPR rules what can I say?

[booink]

I voted Yes, I don't spend a lot of time on Reddit but if there was a TPR sub, then, I would probably visit and post.

[robbalvey]

IMO, for what little it is worth, I don't think the bulk of people here would rush to Reddit instead. I don't really believe it would split the base unless you made the concerted effort to post your newer content there rather than here. Having said that, the battle will immediately be with moderation. If that's a battle you want to take on, go for it. I tend to believe it will be a lot of energy spent with a questionable return.

This is 100% my thoughts exactly.

[alomar]

My reasoning for doing it is I wonder if we would be instead of splitting your audience, but to capture two very different audiences. I'm not convinced that anyone who is on the TPR forum might actually be an active TPR redditor and vice versa.

 

This is the reason I voted yes. Admittedly, I'm not on Reddit very frequently, but this isn't about what I specifically would do, it's about what the new potential audience will do. I think this is a great idea to expand your overall reach. If anything, the fact that so many people are saying no simply because they don't go to Reddit is an even BIGGER reason to do it because it's it's illustrating that central point - forum users are comfortable still using the forums and wouldn't go to Reddit. Well, what about all the Reddit users who aren't going to come to the forums?

 

You said it yourself, your other social media pages have been blowing up because that's where the market trend is heading. I personally don't understand the "fight to keep the forum alive" argument. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this forum; it's by far one of the websites I frequent the most. However, it's foolish to argue against documented trends - that people more and more are using social media to interact - when planning tactical business moves.

 

To me, Robb, the main consideration I see is the overall size of the potential audience weighed against the opportunity costs. The amount of time you end up investing into the subreddit will have to come from somewhere, taking some time away from your other media platforms (forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc). If you feel that this new audience at Reddit is large enough and beneficial enough to target, and the amount of time/energy it's going to take away from maintaining your other current avenues is nominal and not going to negatively affect the quality past your comfort level, than absolutely go for it.

 

Hell, I'd be probably most inclined to support the "f**k it, let's try it out for a bit" tactic. If you end up not liking the results at first, hit the eject button.

 

I have to agree with this 100%. Most of those who are saying no the idea are saying so because they themselves do not or would not go to Reddit. Which is opposite (in my opinion) of what Robb is trying to do. He is attempting to broaden the reach of TPR and expand its fans, users, members....etc. Not to have members from here vacate and move over to Reddit. I frequent Reddit a lot, and Robb is correct, most amusement, theme park, or roller coaster subreddits are not active and garbage. But that's is mostly because they stick to one niche. r/Disney and others only talk about Disney related items, r/rollercoasters....self explanatory. I believe the TPR subreddit would encompass everything at once, much like the forum. A one stop shop for everything an enthusiast would need in a subreddit on the topic, with the quality of TPR, which is not really matched elsewhere.

 

The moderating on this site is superb, and I know Robb and whom ever he chooses for moderators in a subreddit would have a good handle on doing so on Reddit. In which case, I think a trial run is a good idea. Give it a shot, and see how it goes and/or progresses.

[Woodie Warrior]

I voted no simply because I personally would probably never use it. I just think Reddit itself is confusing, cluttered, and kind of just ugly looking. I think the current TPR looks a lot cleaner and is a lot easier to use.

 

Then again, there is the chance that it could take off and be successful, but it seems to me like you're already busy enough with the current social media accounts and forum that it might not be worth the effort.

[coasterkid124]

^^I have to be on the same boat these guys are on. Maybe give it a trial, but don't get too far involved where it could just end up being a waste. Also, maybe reach out to other people on current social media and see if they would support something like this.

 

The moderating would need a little bit of time I would imagine to sort out all of the users, but if you get a good group going, over time the issues would become less and less. I rarely see many issues on here that result in total chaos or get too far out of hand within topics.

[azza29]

I voted no, based on my experiences to date with Reddit it's not a site I've wanted to go back to particularly often. I find that compared to an old-school regular forum like TPR, Reddit and Facebook often have a less interesting level of discussion - where people respond to the OP but don't seem to read other posts as much. And the upvote system kind of makes things worse, people post something they know will attract votes rather than a meaningful contribution to the topic.

 

Is a TPR subreddit something I've been hanging out for? Nope. But I'm probably not really the target audience. That said, if there was a good TPR group going perhaps I would change my mind.

[Tanks4me05]

Again, I'm not personally 100% sold on this idea. The attitude & vibe I've seen on Reddit, to be honest, is not good. A very trollish and obnoxious mean-spirited environment, but that's really only based on a handful of subreddits that I've encountered with very poor moderating teams that have zero control of their subreddits. I've had very conflicting thoughts in the past on getting involved with Reddit, but maybe it's time to give it a chance?

 

That being said, if we had a decent base of good people following a TPR subreddit, no haters, no terrible obnoxious people, could we make it a fun, positive place for people to be?

 

That would be our goal. Not sure if that's a realistic one for Reddit or not though.

 

I'm on Reddit constantly, and the quality of the mods, particularly in the smaller to moderate sized subs (not the primary ones) is much higher. Though this is pretty strongly correlated with how many people post there, it's not always the case.

 

For example, I'm subscribed to /r/guns, which is closing in on a quarter of a million subscribers, so it's pretty big and has notoriety, though nothing like the primary money makers like /r/funny. Yet, it seems to deliver good content and discussions for the most part. I suspect you're not exactly enthusiastic on the subject matter, but I nonetheless encourage you to check it out for a while, because I follow it a lot and think that it's a good example of how a sub can be of a pretty big size yet still maintain its integrity.

 

However, I did not vote in the poll because I am ultimately ambiguous. I see the potential for a big increase of viewership, but Reddit is more similar to the forum (therefore more redundant) than the forum is compared to your Youtube, Facebook and Twitter pages. Therefore, Reddit's popularity combined with its format could turn it into a bit of a double edged sword, where there may be a risk of people leaving here.

[chadster]

I don't think I've browsed a single thing on reddit in over two years, it's mostly people bitching so I moved on.

[Shavethewhales]

I've been on reddit for about 8 years now and it's easily the site I've visited the most by a long shot. I love the niche communities that you can find on any topic imaginable.

 

That said, I don't see a return on investment for TPR to make an effort with its own subreddit. Worst case scenario it becomes its own little hive that is constantly trolled by people who don't like TPR's personalities. Best case scenario it essentially duplicates TPR's community to a smaller, somewhat different yet mostly overlapping crowd. I just don't see it being better or reaching much more of a crowd than what you already have with this board.

 

Forums are outdated, but they aren't necessarily dying. They're still the best place to discuss things at length at a comfortable, variable pace. Some of these threads stretch back to nearly the beginning of the site. It's a trove of information and experiences that even a subreddit couldn't necessarily match. I think instead of branching out more, you guys should refocus on evolving and revolutionizing this board to be even better.

[DILinator]

I voted yes, but I could go either way on it. I am one, who does regularly check the /r/rollercoasters subreddit, and post there as well when so inclined, in addition to regularly checking out a few musical artist subreddits too. So if TPR were there, adding another subreddit to peruse, and participate in when appropriate, I would not be opposed, nor think that was a bad thing! However, I think all the points people have brought up regarding not having one there, are reasonable, and valid as well. So, like I said, I could go either way with it, and it's really a matter of how much work you want to put into it, vs. how much benefit TPR as a whole will gain from that ambitious endeavor. This site is very easy to use, has a nice look and "feel" to it, and by comparison Reddit isn't nearly as nice of a "venue" for conversation (IMHO.)

 

As others have mentioned, the need for moderation of anti-TPR trolls will be a pretty intense aspect of it, I'd have to guess. The vitriol I have seen over at /r/rollercoasters towards TPR is pretty extreme, and while everybody there seems to have their "reasons", as a neutral observer it still seems a bit over the top! It's definitely turned me off to posting there as much... At any rate, I would expect them to flock to a TPR subreddit guns blazing, trying their best to shout it down before it gets started. Sure, you can pre-ban the people you know to be offenders, but they'll just create new accounts just for the purpose of trolling, and it will become a very labor intensive weeding-out process. With all that negativity flowing, it may be difficult to attract new people to the subreddit, and keep them there long-term.

 

I guess if that inevitable battle is one you're willing to fight to blaze this trail, then I'd say go for it, and let's see what happens. However, with a nice presence already between this site, Facebook, and Youtube (and any other social media outlets that you may be on), you may want to just ignore reddit, as it seems like viper's nest of anti-TPR animosity. Besides, I can't imagine there are actually that many people out there who are "enthusiastic" enough about our hobby to want to talk about it online, that aren't at least aware of TPR already, thanks to your large internet presence, and wouldn't just come here to post if they felt so inclined.

 

So, that's my perpective, as somebody who does indeed utilize both this forum and reddit...

[soldier148]

I would honestly use both resources. I visit the forums at least every other day, and it wouldn't be a problem to visit reddit more often. I think it could bring in a new wave of visitors that would find their way here too.

[A.J.]

From what I've come to understand, a lot of subreddits based on specific websites or content creators (ex: The Game Theorists YouTube channel) are used for fans to contribute their own new content and for creators to get opinions on what content they should put out next. Since you guys seem to always release Theme Park Review videos "when they're done / ready / important", and you always know which videos to repost, getting others' opinions seems a bit redundant.

 

So that means that the only useful thing for the subreddit might be theme park updates, such as Lake Compounce's recent announcement of Phobia or whatever Dollywood will be showing us in a week. Reddit is made for threads to be popular for a couple of days and then sink. Because Theme Park Review relies so heavily on continuing and referencing older discussions, it might not be the best setup.

[coasterbill]

Reddit is okay, I have an account and every once in awhile (like once every few weeks) I go on there but I like this format much, much better. Forums in general are a dying breed I guess but this one seems to be very active and the forum format works perfectly for the subject matter of TPR.

 

I vote no.

[gerstlaueringvar]

Tough call, I voted no because this forum is working great for high quality discussions. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc bring people here to join the community. As Reddit grow bigger in the future it will take away a big portion of traffic here. TPR forum is the best place to find amusement industry related information and if half of the users are over there on Reddit, the magic of TPR will decline.

 

But on the other hand, more platforms=more members so maybe you could try to direct the Reddit users to the TPR forum and continue the discussion here. Maybe even work with Reddit team to enable Reddit users to log into TPR Forum with their Reddit username and password. People over there won't feel like it's too much work to continue their discussions elsewhere.

 

If TPR joins Reddit, I would love to start my account there.

[Mrlittle]

I voted no. To many trolls and drama to deal with.

[Devious]

I also think most of the people that would subscribe on there already follow TPR on instagram, twitter, facebook, and/or youtube, and many would already be members to this site.

This is why I ask the questions above. It's no secret that forums are a dying platform and we are fortunate to have the most popular one in the subject matter. It's pretty obvious to me that the majority of people who follow our socials on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter basically don't know the forum exists, and it's a pretty hard sell to someone now to register for a forum. But I wonder if Reddit is more commonplace between those socials.

 

This will obviously take some research as if we did something on Reddit, I'd want it to be better than anything that is currently available. But like I said, the current subreddits on the subject matter are pretty awful, so it wouldn't take much to be better.

 

 

I hate to quote you right off the first page, but i really feel like the "Forums are a dying breed" thing is a bit odd.

 

I get that people are going more mobile, but something like the massive 100+ photo TR's are far more easily read through in forum posts than any other media, trying to dig the update pictures out of a twitter feed or having to scroll through them on instagram or whatever is far more of a pain than just reading through the TR with the pictures and videos embedded in the post.

 

for -MOST- things, the idea of a forum is pretty dead though, but for something like this, i feel like the medium will stick around longer than people expect.

 

That out of the way, i feel like having a reddit would be overkill, i mean, you potentially expand the userbase and your exposure, but at this point you're already on everything else worth being on, so any users there would potentially already be users on here. And since the way it works is basically post link, discuss link, vote up/down people would likely just be doing what they do here on there, or just linking to here from there for the reasons above (TR Posts, etc.)

 

My 2 cents

[MiABeta]

Seemed like a good idea at first but I don't think it would be good for this website and possible have lower quality posts due to the openess of reddit. More non-enthusiasts joining the talks.

[bbomser]

Here's my $.02.

 

I'm on reddit, not very active, but pop in to discussions at points. I'm not your "traditional coaster enthusiast". I'm a casual coaster and theme park fan. While yes there will be "non-enthusiasts" joining the ranks, I really don't think that they will chime in unless they really know things. And lets face it, plenty of enthusiasts on here have no !@#$!@# idea what they are talking about some times (They know who they are!).

 

As others have said, reddit has seemed to be full of trolls, but if there is at least a 10% increase in traffic to these forums, it would make sense for you guys. It all comes down to being able to moderate things. In reality, there won't be any "upfront costs" other than time spent on moderation.

 

Additionally, as it won't be your website, some of the things that I *really, really really* enjoy you saying to people might not fly. It's unfortunate that people can't take criticism, but it is what it is.

 

What does that mean? I'm undecided. I probably would post just as often on there as I do here.

[grsupercity]

I am a huge car fan, I just went on reddit and saw the car conversations. WOW, and not in a good way haha

[robbalvey]

Additionally, as it won't be your website, some of the things that I *really, really really* enjoy you saying to people might not fly. It's unfortunate that people can't take criticism, but it is what it is.

This is a very good point. While it would be our subreddit, we are always open to trolls being stupid and reporting stuff for the sake of being obnoxious.

 

This is all VERY good feedback though. Again, it's not something that I think we would do ASAP, but it's most certainly something I want to think about when we look at longer term plans for where to take TPR.

 

It's like, at the moment, the two bigger sites we aren't part of is Reddit and Pinterest, and if I had to choose one of those two to move forward with, I don't think it would be Pinterest! lol

[alomar]

I believe you can make a subreddit private, which would help mitigate trolls, but also would make it less accessible for possible new users/members. So that would most likely not work in your favor. Good for weeding out trolls, but limits your potential subscribers to that subreddit as well.