The Lack of "Community" on OSA

[druryj]

Well, it sure seems to me that OSA is no longer the "community" it used to be...back when I became a member; it was a mostly a forum for like-minded people to gather to post and talk about all things firearms related and so on. Access to sell or trade in the Classifieds was restricted to established members with a minimum of 20 substantial posts, as I best recall, to keep us from becoming another Armslist kind of place or to simply provide free advertising for every person who has an FFL or items to sell. It seems to me I could trust the classifieds back then...I could readily see another person's feedback and see what they had to say in their posts and felt more comfortable buying, selling, or trading. I made a bunch of friends from that period of time, some of whom are still here and some who have left. If Jim or Jimmy or Kendall or Jeremy or Chris or (several others) put a gun up for sale or trade, I could feel good about doing a deal with them if it interested me. So OSA went from one owner to JB a few years back, it ran pretty much the same, and now another owner has the reins. Now, anybody can post in the classified with no requirements to become a "member" , lots of members have left, and traffic has noticeably died down. There was an upheaval awhile back it seems and a bunch of folks left the site. Whatever. We are no longer a community of like-minded Oklahoma Shooters. I miss the good ole days of OSA when the trust among the members was there and more readily apparent. Who are we now? I think we are a loose group with a sad sense of loss of the community that we used to be. Does anybody else besides me feel this loss? What can we do about it? And yes, I am saying that one thing I wish we'd do is tighten the reins back up in the classifieds to get away from this Armslist approach.
Signed,
Disgruntled Druryj

 

[tRidiot]

I still have a lot of trust in a ton of members here. I still check the site almost daily and when I'm off, I'm on the site off and on all day. I still interact online, via text and in person with a number of members here. I like this community, overall. I have had to put a number of idiots on /ignore because they are either just sh|t disturbers who want to stir the pot or so stupid it aggravates me to even see their posts - but this works fine for me.

I like it here.

 

[caojyn]

"Voldemort staged his exodus and took some of the most talented dark wizards and witches with him. There was a huge talent drain within the ranks of the ministry of magic."
-jk Rowling

 

[nofearfactor]

I post all over the internet in tons of other forums and this place is no different, things change after a while. Almost 10 years here for me. I post at other gun forums too. I dint see any change other than who owns the place and they're invisible anyways. A community is the people- not the place.

(Tapatalk)- on the road.

 

[Cinaet]

It's a community for some. Others not so much.

 

[druryj]

I post all over the internet in tons of other forums and this place is no different, things change after a while. Almost 10 years here for me. I post at other gun forums too. I dint see any change other than who owns the place and they're invisible anyways. A community is the people- not the place.

(Tapatalk)- on the road.

It's a community for some. Others not so much.

Yes, it is the people who make the community. There's some examples right here above this post; I have never met 3 of the 4 members who have so far responded to this thread; the other I have done a couple of good deals with and shot with at the range too. Yet, because we have participated and contributed to discussions here, and not always been in agreement I might add, (I apologize again to tRidiot for misinterpreting a post he made some time back which caused me to "open mouth before engaging brain") I would feel comfortable in dealing with any of you in person or by mail. If it weren't for the old sense of community we had back in the day when the classifieds were run the way they were for example, I would never have met so many new people and got to shoot so many different guns! I recall one transaction I had with a member who said something to the effect "I buy trade and sell like crazy here; it's the best way I can try so many different guns out" - I got a kick out of that. It's not that way anymore. I had a family emergency a year or so back and needed blood donations; the response from the membership was great. Is there something we can do to make it more the way it used to be or is it just the natural progression of things?

 

[saddlebum]

with an out of state owner came a more national feel more about money than kinship. look at the advertisers most are out of state companies such as cheaper than dirt who was the first to gouge the gun community after sandy hook. lot of good people left and assholes like yukonglocker and bulbboy came oozing out from the rocks they had been hiding under. so ya it has change

 

[Profreedomokie]

I agree with you Joel. It has gone downhill.

 

[slas]

I'm a member in several other forums also, archerytalk, survivalist, etc. I've met very few members in person from any forum, but then I don't join forums to meet people personally. If I did that's great, but for the majority of people that's not the reason for joining a forum. The reason I joined this forum was to connect (not necessarily personally) with like minded people in Oklahoma to discuss issues, ask question and provide answers or insight to others, if I'm able.

I think that if you want to personally meet members YOU should put together an event, of your choosing, and invite us all. I'd be willing to get together for a big cookout with the likes of okshooters folks. Looking forward to the invite.

 

[jfssms]

with an out of state owner came a more national feel more about money than kinship. look at the advertisers most are out of state companies such as cheaper than dirt who was the first to gouge the gun community after sandy hook. lot of good people left and assholes like yukonglocker and bulbboy came oozing out from the rocks they had been hiding under. so ya it has change

How true! OSA has become the MODS forum. It's not about enforcement of rules, it's about shoving their opinions down members pie holes. It is sad and pathetic.