uklurker Posted June 9 Posted June 9 On 6/1/2025 at 7:15 AM, gigantor said: I tried guys, even had researcher of the year contests with $3000 prizes, advertised on google, reprinted research papers with permission, etc and it kinda of worked. But new members wouldn't stick around, they showed up for the buzz and then leave. I agree that the problem is a lack of new discoveries. Even hoaxes would get the forum busy, remember Biscardi? Well, speaking as someone who has never contributed, but has been reading the forum on and off for years, I used to come here when I became aware of something happening in the Bigfoot world to see what people here were saying about it. I'm not desperately seeking out Bigfoot related stuff but things like Biscardi, Ketchum and Sykes would come to my attention through other media. While those were going on I'd be a regular visitor. For the past few years, nothing like that has happened. I occasionally look here to see if there's something I have missed, but there really never is. And as far as the general media is concerned, it seems that Bigfoot might as well have ceased to exist. 1
Trogluddite Posted June 9 Posted June 9 10 hours ago, norseman said: Everyone say good bye to Cedar. ... If I am being draconian? I sure would like to hear how and why. Not in my book. I didn't bother to research his seven posts because it was clear from just one that he didn't have the capacity, or the intent, or both, to add value to the conversation. 6 hours ago, Catmandoo said: Any audio, video or photos posted here are stolen by internet keyboard warriors. Posting is a choice. Keep in mind that this forum is an internet message board, not a research site. ... Interesting dichotomy. Does it have to be exclusively one or the other? 1
bipedalist Posted June 9 BFF Patron Posted June 9 (edited) On 6/2/2025 at 10:54 PM, Huntster said: On 6/3/2025 at 11:35 PM, socialBigfoot said: In a previous life I worked in market research, mainly conducting attitude surveys regarding brand names in various product/service categories. So when I think about changing interest levels in bigfootforums.com, I wonder about the site's brand image. In the absence of a full-blown marketing study, I just asked ChatGPT to tell me. (response pasted below, screenshot attached). Looks like there *might* be a few issues that deter new members from joining and/or sticking around. It's helpful to keep in mind that if a new (or even a long-time) member feels slighted here, they could go over to Reddit and bad-mouth bigfootforums.com. -- that one slighted member has turned off possibly hundreds of prospective members. ------------------------- ChatGPT prompt & response Prompt: Can you give me a description on current attitudes and perceptions people hold toward bigfootforums.com as an online community? Response: As of mid-2025, BigfootForums.com appears to be inactive or offline, with users reporting difficulties accessing the site since mid-2024. reddit.com Community Atmosphere and User Experiences Historically, the forum was known for its stringent registration process, requiring new members to post an introduction and limiting them to one post per day until reaching a certain threshold. This approach, while intended to deter trolls, was often described as convoluted and discouraging for newcomers. Long-time participants observed that the forum tended to be dominated by a small group of regulars who were often skeptical of outsiders. This led to perceptions of the community being grumpy, combative, and resistant to differing viewpoints. Moderation and Governance The forum's moderation was perceived as heavy-handed by some users. There were instances of users being banned without clear explanations, leading to frustration and, in one case, a user threatening legal action over their banning. thelaw.com Content and Discussions Despite these challenges, the forum hosted in-depth discussions on various Bigfoot-related topics, such as audio recordings and field studies. However, the overall tone of the community may not have been conducive to open and inclusive dialogue. Current Status Given the reported inaccessibility of the site since mid-2024, it is unclear whether BigfootForums.com will resume operations. For those seeking alternative platforms to discuss Bigfoot and related phenomena, communities like the r/bigfoot subreddit may offer a more inclusive environment. Gotta love thelaw.com case, what a pissah! Edited June 9 by bipedalist
norseman Posted June 9 Admin Posted June 9 7 hours ago, bipedalist said: Gotta love thelaw.com case, what a pissah! Oh. Didn’t realize I was so famous. Egads.
OntarioSquatch Posted June 9 Posted June 9 Gaining new members can be a good thing, but this field often attracts the wrong type of people (e.g. biased skeptics and hoaxers). Cedar sounded like a hardcore skeptic struggling with cognitive dissonance. His anger led him to turn into a troll. I remember there were a lot of such individuals back on the James Randi forums. Over there the rules weren’t enforced and they would constantly gang up on bigfoot proponents, attacking them in almost any way they could. Over here they get banned for such behaviour.
Trogluddite Posted June 10 Posted June 10 3 hours ago, norseman said: Oh. Didn’t realize I was so famous. Egads. Well, I did do an online business lookup of the Bigfoot Forums which revealed that this site is worth over $1,000,000!!! Amazing how fast those $20 contributions to the cause add up. Also amazing? How wrong online business lookup sites can be. 2
Huntster Posted June 10 Posted June 10 6 minutes ago, Trogluddite said: Well, I did do an online business lookup of the Bigfoot Forums which revealed that this site is worth over $1,000,000!!! Amazing how fast those $20 contributions to the cause add up. Also amazing? How wrong online business lookup sites can be. Cash flow and appraised value are two very different things.
norseman Posted June 10 Admin Posted June 10 51 minutes ago, OntarioSquatch said: Gaining new members can be a good thing, but this field often attracts the wrong type of people (e.g. biased skeptics and hoaxers). Cedar sounded like a hardcore skeptic struggling with cognitive dissonance. His anger led him to turn into a troll. I remember there were a lot of such individuals back on the James Randi forums. Over there the rules weren’t enforced and they would constantly gang up on bigfoot proponents, attacking them in almost any way they could. Over here they get banned for such behaviour. I feel like this person(s) has 10 more sock puppet accounts loaded in his gun. 2
Trogluddite Posted June 10 Posted June 10 38 minutes ago, Huntster said: Cash flow and appraised value are two very different things. When's the IPO?!
Huntster Posted June 10 Posted June 10 24 minutes ago, Trogluddite said: When's the IPO?! Probably never. But I bet it sells at a profit, but I wonder if it was worth the effort for the last buyer.................
Catmandoo Posted June 10 Posted June 10 On 6/9/2025 at 4:56 AM, Trogluddite said: Interesting dichotomy. Does it have to be exclusively one or the other? No. One can post what they want the public to view. Un fortunately, the entertainment genre has created a cesspool of work. The advancements in artificial intelligence are impressive but the fantastical animal creation artwork is just artwork in an era when the long term researchers want the facts......'just the facts ma'am'. 1
Catmandoo Posted June 10 Posted June 10 17 hours ago, Trogluddite said: Well, I did do an online business lookup of the Bigfoot Forums which revealed that this site is worth over $1,000,000!!! Amazing how fast those $20 contributions to the cause add up. Also amazing? How wrong online business lookup sites can be. When it seems too good to be true.............. https://people.com/celebrity/bigfoot-tom-biscardis-sasquatch-hunting-company-valued-at-10b/ Biscardi, and it began with ammonia in his shoes. 1
Scratchy Posted June 11 Posted June 11 I haven’t posted in ages and rarely comment, but I am watching. Willing to bet there’s a lot of others on here doing the same. Casual lurkers make up sizable chunks of any forum 2
BlackRockBigfoot Posted June 12 Posted June 12 On 6/5/2025 at 1:45 PM, bipedalist said: Certainly many grains of sophistry in this response, How so? I am wrong that the Bigfoot community and this forum can sometimes be pretty negative? I am also wrong that the forum seems to be unable for the most part to attract and retain new contributing members? I am wrong that those two statements might be connected? it’s an odd response to my post, but have at it. If you are more comfortable in the archives and don’t want a thriving online community with new productive members, so be it. In that case, start a new thread about how can we chase off even more people so there can be even less annoyances on the forum. I won’t post an opinion in that particular thread. You are a patron, so you have financially invested in this forum. If you want to take it in a certain direction, go ahead. Hell, if you want to take it down to ten people who all contribute to its upkeep and ban everyone else, go ahead. Cow thermal? A level researchers? Monetization? I thought that the thread was a discussion about the decrease in activity on the forum. Not an apparent airing of grievances. My opinion stands. Sometimes people are in the community so long that they become overwhelmingly bitter about the subject. That bitterness is not really welcoming to new people and their involvement. From what my buddy tells me, the Ham Radio community faces something similar, although from what he says it’s actually getting better slowly. if I am misunderstanding what you are saying and am misrepresenting what you say, then I apologize. But, there were no “grains of sophistry” in my comment. On 6/5/2025 at 1:45 PM, bipedalist said: Certainly many grains of sophistry in this response, How so? I am wrong that the Bigfoot community and this forum can sometimes be pretty negative? I am also wrong that the forum seems to be unable for the most part to attract and retain new contributing members? I am wrong that those two statements might be connected? it’s an odd response to my post, but have at it. If you are more comfortable in the archives and don’t want a thriving online community with new productive members, so be it. In that case, start a new thread about how can we chase off even more people so there can be even less annoyances on the forum. I won’t post an opinion in that particular thread. You are a patron, so you have financially invested in this forum. If you want to take it in a certain direction, go ahead. Hell, if you want to take it down to ten people who all contribute to its upkeep and ban everyone else, go ahead. Cow thermal? A level researchers? Monetization? I thought that the thread was a discussion about the decrease in activity on the forum. Not an apparent airing of grievances. My opinion stands. Sometimes people are in the community so long that they become overwhelmingly bitter about the subject. That bitterness is not really welcoming to new people and their involvement. From what my buddy tells me, the Ham Radio community faces something similar, although from what he says it’s actually getting better slowly. if I am misunderstanding what you are saying and am misrepresenting what you say, then I apologize. But, there were no “grains of sophistry” in my comment. On 6/5/2025 at 1:45 PM, bipedalist said: Certainly many grains of sophistry in this response, case in point, I remember when a certain thermal 'cow' sighting near the Capitol Forest in Washington State ran off an A level researcher. Trial by fire or trial by a jury of peers will never reach a level of functionality that everyone desires but from the beginning days of BFF1.0 even, you ran the gauntlet or ran away for the most part. Not that this explains all elements of this medium, but many A level researchers ran that gauntlet and many just didn't have the time to stick around (not speaking about myself to make this clear). I will say, and I am a little biased about this, that BFF 2.0 implemented changes that were a shot of adrenaline to the life support system and longevity of this platform so plaudits to management for carrying this baby thusfar! Also, spending more time in the archival sections of the forum always cures the blues and I mean reading old sighting reports, new sighting reports, etc etc I definitely see where the monetization factor is attractive to those that are prodigious in their productions and artistry to some extent they put alot of time into building their followings. It is getting harder and harder to find free entertainment in the Bigfoot world unless you have your own hotspot of squatchy woods. How so? I am wrong that the Bigfoot community and this forum can sometimes be pretty negative? I am also wrong that the forum seems to be unable for the most part to attract and retain new contributing members? I am wrong that those two statements might be connected? it’s an odd response to my post, but have at it. If you are more comfortable in the archives and don’t want a thriving online community with new productive members, so be it. In that case, start a new thread about how can we chase off even more people so there can be even less annoyances on the forum. I won’t post an opinion in that particular thread. You are a patron, so you have financially invested in this forum. If you want to take it in a certain direction, go ahead. Hell, if you want to take it down to ten people who all contribute to its upkeep and ban everyone else, go ahead. Cow thermal? A level researchers? Monetization? I thought that the thread was a discussion about the decrease in activity on the forum. Not an apparent airing of grievances. My opinion stands. Sometimes people are in the community so long that they become overwhelmingly bitter about the subject. That bitterness is not really welcoming to new people and their involvement. From what my buddy tells me, the Ham Radio community faces something similar, although from what he says it’s actually getting better slowly. if I am misunderstanding what you are saying and am misrepresenting what you say, then I apologize. But, there were no “grains of sophistry” in my comment. 1
BlackRockBigfoot Posted June 12 Posted June 12 On 6/1/2025 at 2:15 AM, gigantor said: I tried guys, even had researcher of the year contests with $3000 prizes, advertised on google, reprinted research papers with permission, etc and it kinda of worked. But new members wouldn't stick around, they showed up for the buzz and then leave. I agree that the problem is a lack of new discoveries. Even hoaxes would get the forum busy, remember Biscardi? There are more people than ever who are involved with investigating the topic on a pretty serious level. Lots of small facebook groups focused on trading ideas on equipment and techniques. Theories and experiences. a forum setting would probably be more suited to that type of discussion, although I guess Facebook does have the convenience factor. Heck, there might be a way to introduce the BFF to some of those folks 1
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