Fishing Reports going members only today

Question - how do you get to 10 quality posts (e.g., reports) if you can't get to the fishing reports section?  I just joined and started posting, with three good trip reports, and now I'm locked out.  That's a bit of a drag.

Update: OK - it now appears that I do have access (and 20 posts).  Not sure why I didn't have it before.  But I suppose my question still stands...

That did it, with 10 posts I can now see my own fishing reports. Life is good again  .

I am not speaking on anybody else's behalf, but I don't think the term "quality post" is specifically "reports." Quality posts can take many forms, like suggesting which knot to tie w/braid or what type of rod you prefer for salmon mooching or soliciting opinions on a certain type of kayak etc etc. (Not to mention that you wouldn't be able to post a fishing report if you don't have access to it yet)
But yeah, mcag, you have contributed plenty already (in both quantity and quality) so you s/b able to access the Reports section. Maybe the kinks are being worked out as we speak/type..?

Not sure why you didn't have access before, maybe it just takes a while to update the database after you login. It is all automatic based on groups.

I have also gone through and deleted all accounts with 0 post that have not visited the site this year. That trimmed about 600 members!

Part of the fun of being a kayak fisherman for me is not only going out and experiencing kayak fishing, it also experiencing it through the reports listed here.  I don't take the kayak out that much so reading the kayak fishing reports from others allows me to experience kayak fishing wether im there or not.

Wow! 600 .  who woulda thought.

Good move Bill.  Keep it free and easy but make it harder for the lurkers and takers.

You my man

Allen

I have also gone through and deleted all accounts with 0 post that have not visited the site this year. That trimmed about 600 members!

Nice start......   Seems like there might be another couple hundred that visit daily or have logged serious time here yet still have 0 posts.....they are worse.  Feel free to take care of them whenever some free time makes itself available 

Not sure why you didn't have access before, maybe it just takes a while to update the database after you login. It is all automatic based on groups.

I have also gone through and deleted all accounts with 0 post that have not visited the site this year. That trimmed about 600 members!

Guess I started posting just in time.  Now I just need to come up with a few relevant, pithy, self deprecating, and/or helpful things to say.  Which goes against my less-is-more posting philosophy (which I obviously need to rethink in light of today's events). 

I would have been pretty sad if my account was deleted to be quite honest.  I started reading the boards, specifically the fishing reports, about 2 years ago.  I found the boards from (I think) a link on Humboldt Tuna.  You guys have a great community here, one that I should one day hope to feel accepted into and to feel like a valued contributing member.  If it was not for the fishing reports, there is no way I'd still be here, and I probably would not have demo'ed a kayak 2 weekends ago, and would certainly not be posting today.  It is because of this board, and because of abking's trip reports, that I ended up taking my 4 year old out on a demo kayak (with ulterior motives - now I get a fishing platform). 

I understand the concern about lurkers, but I think you are not going about it in a prudent way.  A bit more background on me - I am a moderator of a forum dedicated to poker, with over 10,000 posts in the last 4 years.  We have the same perceived problem with lurkers out to harm contributors.  Specifically, regular opponents seek to gain an information advantage by reading your strategy posts in order to refine the range of hands that you have when you perform a certain action.  The ways to handle that are to 1) post misinformation, 2) apply game theory so that your play in unexploitable, or 3) charge for the information. 

The point of this digression is this:  This is a public forum.  You make money with adsense, through ad banner sales, through click through referrals, and otherwise.  You need new blood attracted to the sport.  You can't just take your marbles and go inside the clubhouse, hang the "no noobs allowed" sign, and expect new blood/ad revenue/etc.  By keeping the best part of the site hidden from the internet lurker at large, you are throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

There are other ways to go about limiting the impact of the information - if in fact NCKA postings are having the effect that you think they are, which is not at all certain - that make more sense than a minimum post count requirement, which is easily overcome by all but the laziest of dedicated fishing-spot-honer-in-onners, for example (and by no means exclusive):

- require TRs be intentionally vague about location.  We have all heard the answer to the question about where we caught that fish - "In the water, with a hook, right in the mouth."; or

- take the entire site private and charge a monthly fee.

I predict that this move will harm the growth of the site.  I am actually feeling like you think that I am part of the problem, not part of the solution, because I can no longer read TRs.  I never felt like a drain on the community, aside from some minimal bandwidth, because I never owned a kayak and never dropped in on any of your fishing spots after a TR.  I just like to armchair, and I usually get around to doing whatever it is that I read about.  Even besides me, what of those lurkers that are home bound and lived vicariously through the reports? 

It just seems to me that the information provided here is easily obtained elsewhere, albeit in a far less entertaining format, in print newspapers, other fishing websites, weeklies like WON, the guy at the bait shop, or here as long as the effort is made to make 10 posts that the powers that be deem "worthy".  I'm not even sure that making the TRs hidden based on low postcount is rationally related to the goal of keeping up-to-date fishing information from non-contributors.

I have more to say about this, but I am going to wait a bit and see if I can incorporate those thoughts into responses to this post, thereby getting myself closer to 10 posts and freedom from no-TR-gettin obscurity.  Which makes me feel kind of dirty, but I was provoked.

I only have twelve post.  Reason is that I'm a construction worker with little to no time to fish much.  Yea it sucks, but reading the forum is a great source of entertainment.  If necessary I will back off and just think of the times I used to rock hop the Bean, Pidgeonn point, davenport.  Fishing off Morrow rock for H-but, W-ghostbass and Calis off Leo Carillo in LA.  My Prowler 15 is in high weeds no sight of water but I have faith.

  I am glad that i am allowed to stay a member  even though I have such  a small number of posts,  I better start spending more time fishing   and take my camera with me,  Thank you Bill for a great site.

 

Just an FYI: this was not just Bill's decision alone. Some of the founding members and moderators agreed to this move.

10 posts....don't you think it's all worth that just to be part of a wonderful community of like minded folks I THINK SO!!!! 

I am not speaking on anybody else's behalf, but I don't think the term "quality post" is specifically "reports." Quality posts can take many forms, like suggesting which knot to tie w/braid or what type of rod you prefer for salmon mooching or soliciting opinions on a certain type of kayak etc etc.

Yea, I didn't see anything that said it had to a fishing report. It seems the point is simply to be a participant; doesn't mean anyone has to post reports with pics, pithy, or any other specific posts. Also, doesn't mean anyone has to post every day or anything of the sort. Nor does someone have to be outgoing, eloquent, or just plain "chatty." I think some folks are reading way too much into this move. 10 posts just ain't that much if you're interested in this thing.

Bottom line:  This is one of the most welcoming forums I've ever seen. A little genuine interest goes a long way here.

I tried to back off, and it did last.  For 30 minutes.  Wish I had more time and money but I'll see some of you peeps again.  Much love and as long as possoble I will be semi -lurking.  Great sight and great people.  Thank you Jim.

I think 10 posts is totally reasonable. If I understand the decision the posts just need to be of some level of quality. You don't need to file a fishing report. Just have something to add to a given conversation. I equate this to 5 ppl having a face to face conversation over a beer. Wouldn't it be odd if someone stood next to the group and just stared? I'd be freaked out in about 10 min. You can participate in the conversation regardless of you experience level? I assume if you are looking at this forum you like/engage in some form of fishing or kayaking. If so, you can join the conversation. If not, then what the hell are you doing here weirdo! Seriously kidding....Come on in the water's warm!

Just an FYI: this was not just Bill's decision alone. Some of the founding members and moderators agreed to this move.

10 posts....don't you think it's all worth that just to be part of a wonderful community of like minded folks I THINK SO!!!! 

I certainly didn't mean to imply that I thought it was Bill's decision alone.  It is pretty normal for a group to want to exclude new members (or at least establish some selection criteria) when the group feels sufficiently large.  I'd expect a lot of support solely for this reason.  As an obvious outsider, it doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.  I, for one, strive for intellectual honesty and don't think that offering a pretext of keeping non-contributors from dropping in on fishing spots is terribly honest.

I think 10 posts is totally reasonable. If I understand the decision the posts just need to be of some level of quality. You don't need to file a fishing report. Just have something to add to a given conversation. I equate this to 5 ppl having a face to face conversation over a beer. Wouldn't it be odd if someone stood next to the group and just stared? I'd be freaked out in about 10 min. You can participate in the conversation regardless of you experience level? I assume if you are looking at this forum you like/engage in some form of fishing or kayaking. If so, you can join the conversation. If not, then what the hell are you doing here weirdo! Seriously kidding....Come on in the water's warm!

I resemble that remark