07-19-2018, 05:15 AM
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17 hours ago, silverwolf1 said:
I envision this forum as much a repository of "zoo" knowledge as a board of discussion, and would love to see those aspects more heavily used. Would folks see that as a worthwhile part of the forum or should it be axed?
The Guild part of the forum has dwindled in use. Any ideas how to spark new life into it?
How would you advertise the forum better?
I definitely think that the site's use as a repository for zoo knowledge is worthwhile, as is the Guild. Getting content in both the Guild and the Animal Health sections is difficult though, as the individuals posting in these categories must obviously have certain prerequisites (being a good writer or an experienced zoo), and additionally have a desire to share the information with others. Short of reminding users to post in these sections, I don't see any real way to encourage content in these categories, other than simply increasing the number of members and thus increasing the odds that individuals will contribute in these categories.
Advertising is a big job, and in our case, would also be somewhat risky if we decided to do anything.
Advertising the forum is entirely a task of figuring out how to spread the word, that's what advertising is. First we must find places to advertise the site to, if we wanted to do something like this, it should start in locations where a zoo community has already been established, this way we minimize risk of getting undesired attention and help to rally straggling zoos who may be looking for a place to talk already. Places such as Tumblr, IRC channels (if there are even any still around), other small zoo forums, and messaging platforms (telegram being the primary one). Even doing this would come with a risk though, as we could potentially get attention from individuals masquerading as zoos that would probably fit the title of "animal sex enthusiast" better. Of course we could be selective about where and when we advertise, minimizing risk. All we would have to do is get a stickied post, and from there its history.
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2 hours ago, battlecrops said:
The information about consent and zoo communities are no longer really easy to find, and now newly-discovered zoophiles are ending up with false ideas. There are definitely downsides to public forums and communities but imo the benefit to new or questioning zoos outweighs them, especially when people are feeling isolated and in need of a support system. Lots of people ended up with nowhere to go after reddit shut us down.
I seriously feel this. When I joined the community I found my way in through the subreddit, which by itself was a way to converse with other zoos, but additionally it had a link in the info section to knotty.me (a since-deceased zoo forum). The subreddit appeared pretty close to the top (if not the very top) of a google search for "zoophilia". Because of this, I as an incoming new zoo had any easy time finding my way into the community. This isn't the case for new zoos now, there is no easy way for new zoos to find their way into the community. This can be a serious issue for the welfare of some new zoos who may require support for their sexual orientation. I'm sure its much harder to come to terms with your sexuality if you don't even know if there is anyone else out there who shares that sexuality with you. I'm not saying that's the case for everyone, but its still a worthy point for consideration.
Is there a fix for this? Well, there is really only one other source of information on zoophilia that appears near the top of a google search for it: wikipedia. As it turns out, there is a section on the wikipedia page for the current "zoophile community". Its VERY old and outdated, check it out for yourself. So I pose a question, what if we got this forum in that part of the wikipedia page? It may attract some of the wrong attention, but ill tell you what, if any new zoos are looking for a way to get in touch with the community, I'm sure most of them will read through that wikipedia article at some point.
