When I first started fly fishing back in 2005 (thought about it long before then, but actually started then) the first thing I did was spend a lot of time on the internet looking into equipment and technique. What I found then is quite a bit different from the world we live in today 5 years later.
At the time there were only a few really active fly fishing websites. They included Fly Anglers Online and Fly Fisherman Forums. Both sites included forums where you could communicate with other fly fisherman around the world and get your questions answered. I quickly found that Fly Anglers Online (FAOL for short) was probably the best one out there. The forums were and still are very active, but the site was throwback to the late 90s.
There was and still is a ton of good information about fly fishing on FAOL, but the site was always a little quirky and here are some of the reasons why. The site was created in the 90s by Deanna and Jim Birkholm. Deanna and Jim went by Lady Fisher (LF) and James Castwell (JC) on the site. They had founded the site out of their love for educating others about fly fishing (JC was a casting instructor and guide for a long time). Neither knew much about the web when they created the site, but LF knew how to write and edit so it all worked out. As a result the site was and still is way behind the times in terms of look and feel. The site was always run as the private sandbox of JC and LF and most folks liked it that way. There was no name calling or other personal attacks and by and large the discussion, even on controversial topics, was largely civil. If it got uncivilized JC and LF were quick to step in and either ban the problem user or put a stop to the whole discussion. I know of plenty of folks who didn’t like this “heavy handed” way of managing the site, but many folks liked it as it made it “safe”.
I found the site to be very welcoming to a new fly fisherman and got lots of good information on equipment selection, casting help, and other topics just through asking. I’ve been a member of the site since then and I do post when the mood strikes me or there is a topic I feel I have something to say about, but overall I don’t post much (maybe 1-2 times a month tops). However, since May of last year I’ve noticed a distinct change in the site. What happened in May; well here goes…
In early May JC passed away unexpectedly while on a fishing trip to the Bahamas. This left the site in limbo as LF went through the grieving process. The site really didn’t have any new content (articles as LF calls them) until early July. The forums continued as normal, but the tone was somber and long time, frequent posters seemed to disappear. In July LF made a number of announcements. The first was that she had been living in Montana for the past few months as she sorted through what had happened. As she had family connections there this was not strange. However a few weeks later she announced she had gotten remarried to a long time friend of both her and JCs. I had seen some posts from this person here and there, but beyond a weekly article he wrote there really wasn’t much contribution from him to the forums. It was at this point that I noted things really started to change on the site. He started writing a longer column each week in place of the one written by JC, and his son a guide in Montana started writing a weekly column as well. Both had good information, and I didn’t think much about it.
Well fast forward to 2010. In late January a post went up with the title, “What is FAOL worth to you”. I knew when I saw this post there was trouble brewing. Anytime a web site operator starts asking the users what the site is worth to you, it can only mean one thing, pay for play. I’ll admit I’m a web egalitarian, if you charge for content I’ll go look somewhere else. I grew up on the internet starting in the mid 90s while in college (anybody remember non-graphical web browsing? I do!). Then all content was free, not so much anymore. FAOL had long supported itself through sponsors and some members who paid a yearly fee to be a “Friend of FAOL”. However the site was free and if you didn’t want to pay you didn’t have to (kind of like PBS).
Sadly, the “Great Recession” hit and a lot of fly fishing retailers and manufactures have found themselves in trouble. Fly fishing is a niche sport and the margins on equipment are slim to say the least. As a result some sponsors simply couldn’t continue, which is sad. However this has had, in my opinion, a very negative effect on the site. About a week ago it was decided that if you had a link in your signature line you would have to pay a fee monthly if that link in any way related to a business site. Now lots of folks on the forums have links to organizations they support (which may have links to other businesses), or they link to their own personal blog which just happens to have a link to their side business or what not. This has been met with, needless to say, some seriously hard feelings.
The thought for some is why should I pay $10 a month (or whatever the fee is though I think it is $10 a month) to have a link to my personal blog just because it links to my side business that I only make a few hundred a year from. The response from the site owners has been needless to say non-existent. Instead at least one of the moderators (who happens to be both a friend of LF and a sponsor of the site) has taken a pretty heavy handed approach to the whole thing. His response has been if you want a link, pay up, otherwise shut up (not in quite those words, but the point is there).
Just sad and I think that is the best thing I can say about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment