A lot of websites have certain forums only accessible if you are member.
I'd like to see the fishing Reports section go that way.
Seems we have more lurkers then participants:
"Users Online
Users Online 27 Guests, 11 Users"
As a relative newbie, I think that is a little Animal Farmish - all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others???
What would blocking lurkers accomplish? Generally, the fishing reports I've read are vague - aka "I fished the lower river" as opposed to "I fished my top secret Coho flow and here are the directions how to get there". It's not like the report section is giving away military secrets!
When I first happened across this site, the fall salmon season was just getting underway. The posts I read helped be understand in general terms what fish were showing up where. It was refreshing to have access to real-time reports as opposed to week old reports from other sites and/or the Berry's recorded fishing report. I lurked briefly before joining, but then again I am not very shy! If some of these other lurkers never join the site, oh well, their loss. For those that do, if they choose to post their own reports and partake in discussions that extend beyond post padding the one line "nice fish" posts then the collective intelligence and resources of this forum are increased and that benefits all. Bottom line though, lurkers exist on every forum, some will never be more than that but for those that choose to join it should remain just that: a choice.
And who knows, those same lurkers reading reports may also be reading threads about proper fishing techniques, fish limits and general etiquette!! It sure would be a shame for them to miss out on all that good information on the site that may influence their behaviour on the river!
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Topic: Fishing Reports Forum, can we make it members only? (Read 4496 times)