This Forum
I remember there was a posting a while back about this forum and FB. Well, I use FB, to get keep in touch with the people I know and family and sort of "spy" into their every day activities just by reading posts. But here, I actually MAKE friends. We share our struggles, our happiness, our sheepie stories, our knowledge. In fact, I "talk" to people on this forum more than I do many of my "real life" friends. The people on this forum become a second family to me. And the friends I've made here are wonderful. So, thanks Ron, for this forum. Its more than just a "spy" ground like other networks. It truly is a community, a community of strangers who build friendships with each other. And that is a wonderful thing...  |
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| I totally agree! My "real-life friends" aren't people I talk to regularly anymore, I have a lot more conversations with people here. I'm even breaking the number one rule of internet friends (don't meet your internet friends in person) by going to the sheepie nationals and the sheep-in. It's great having friends like all of you! I even made a thread like this before. |
| I have to say that I come on this forum every day where as any others I often "can't be bothered". Here you can always learn something and it is reasuring to here that other folk may have the same problems or their sheepies get up to the same antics.x |
| I feel the same way and that was very well said. I truly have deep connections with some of you. It's weird to know someone on here ...and then know they are no longer with us. OESmommy always made me smile with her questions on how to operate some of her kitchen purchases. It was just so her which is why they were fun to read. We shared so many cooking posts. I'll miss her. I do think this forum has changed (not for the better) ...by losing so many people. I keep my fingers crossed that it will grow again into what is once was. ...until then, I do enjoy the new faces and posts. |
| It's awfully hard to be a little spot on the internet. Just today oes.org lost 1/3 of it's traffic to yet another Google update. Google traffic to the site supports this place through ad revenue. This has happened 4 times now over the years. The first time took 6 months to recover, the second time took over a year, the third time took 2 months, but the recovery only lasted a month until this hit. So yet again I put my head in my hands and asked God "why?" and didn't get an answer... Rumor has it these penalties involve "user experience" how much the Google visitors like the site. So I guess I have to go back to work to try to make this old rattle trap of a site look snazzier for the visitors so that they stick around a bit longer. I'm so out of ideas and my league. |
Ron wrote: It's awfully hard to be a little spot on the internet. when I was first searching about OES, this site was one of the first things that came up on google. |
| It's very hard to stay there for all the things that we talk about as well as all things sheepie. Google changes the order all the time based on mysterious rationale. |
| I never knew you exsisted but not had a laptop that long-have told lot of folk and they now read the forum. Can't remember how I found you(age prob?)I was generaly looking around and think put in care for oes and found you-so pleased I did.x |
Ron wrote: It's awfully hard to be a little spot on the internet. Just today oes.org lost 1/3 of it's traffic to yet another Google update. Google traffic to the site supports this place through ad revenue. This has happened 4 times now over the years. The first time took 6 months to recover, the second time took over a year, the third time took 2 months, but the recovery only lasted a month until this hit. So yet again I put my head in my hands and asked God "why?" and didn't get an answer... Rumor has it these penalties involve "user experience" how much the Google visitors like the site. So I guess I have to go back to work to try to make this old rattle trap of a site look snazzier for the visitors so that they stick around a bit longer. I'm so out of ideas and my league. Errrr you've lost me. I don't have a clue what the Google stuff means. Is it better if I come here via Google instead of saving the site as my home page? Or is it not just a google traffic thing? |
Ron, good things come in small packages. I love our "little spot" on the internet.  |
| I too have met some great people here. And then met some of them in St. Louis. Coming here has helped me learn about health problems and training advice. Many here have helped me through health issues with my Gigi and later other issues. The support here can be great. The photo section makes me smile and sometimes causes a loud laugh. Yes there are friends here. Thanks Ron! |
| I agree. I love our little spot on the internet and come her daily. I've made some wonderful friendships and look forward to many more stories, helpful hints and lots of pictures. Ron, if there is something we can do to help keep us popular with Google, let us know. |
| This is THE site for oes.... And pregnancy after having tubes tied... I cant see how the google hits could decrease that much? |
| i know this might sound rude but in my business i really do not like people having to deal with them all the time but i got to say i love all of you... must be we all are crazy loving are sheepdogs people |
| Ha! Well, when Google changes the way it indexes the web the results change. Sometimes oes.org comes to the top (or near the top) but these 4 changes have reduced the number of times that we appear up top. At our peak we used to have 10 to 12 thousand visitors a day just reading. Last month we were seeing 7 to 8. Right now we're getting around 4 to 5. That's a huge reduction in the number of visitors. None of these numbers include our forum members, I measure that separately. |
Ron wrote: At our peak we used to have 10 to 12 thousand visitors a day just reading. Wow!  |
| I think perhaps in the summer time, posts are down in general and so are visitors. Summer time people are out and about. Not that I know aything about the internet and the site numbers or whatever but it seems logical that during the warmer months, things are slower? Ron, tell us what topics you think will come up better and I'm sure we all find something to discuss! |
| Ron, I personally like the smaller numbers. I'm also a member of the web's busiest hot rodding forum and that place is crazy. There are over 185,000 members. They're typically about 10-12 active pages of new posts daily. They average over a million hits an HOUR! One practically has to spend hours there just to keep current. It is a very fast moving forum. Many times too fast. If you see a thread you want to post to you have to do it right away or it will drop off three or four pages deep in minutes. The one thing that I really like about this site is that sooner or later, nearly everyone will have something happen that will prompt them to make a post just like this. If you're here long enough it will happen to you once or twice a year. This place makes most feel very good about their lives or someone else's. It makes you want to come back. Sometimes too often. Like when you should be working... Vance |
| I love our little spot! I love reading posts and I even post my own thoughts occasionally. I have been here almost daily for many years and have been a member for over 8 years. The thing that I find really funny about this forum, which is now the only one I continue to visit, is how so many of us feel like we know each other. I have so many people who I follow here and consider real friends. It's hillarious when the person doesn't even know you feel they are your friend. Like, for me- Mrs. J. I feel like she is a friend, even though we have never met. I have chatted with her, though I'm sure she doesn't even remember it. I have made 'real life' friends as well. People I have actually gone out with or met at a dog show or gathered with for grooming help. I haven't seen or heard from a few in a long time, but they are still friends. When you lose someone you never met but still consider a friend, like Deana, it is still hard. We all get ticked off with some of the stuff that goes on, comments that are hard to take, and general grumpy-ness once in a while, but overall, I really enjoy this forum. Warts and all. Shellie |
not sure how all that "stuff" works. I have oes forum as a stared item so just click on to it and don't go thru the sign in procedure. Should I sign out and via google?x   |
| I have made many "good" friends on this forum. I started out many years ago (maybe 7??) looking for advice when I rescued a second OES . I had a puppystore/mill dog when I was 20.Everyone welcomed me and was very friendly. I got lots of advice, helped at the nationals in VA and attended a sheepiepalooza. I have met nice folks while doing rescue through OES.org. These friends have been with me through good times and sad times. What more could one ask for? |
| The visitors I'm talking about don't (usually) post; they come to read what our members have written. Once in a while we get posts from guests (or newbie members who join because they don't realize that they can post as guests) in threads like "Is my dog dying" and the pregnancy threads. Those guests find us via Google and they see a slightly different and lighter weight version of the forum. That version has ads on it. That way our membership isn't bothered by the ads but the site generates operating revenue. There really isn't much anyone but the GoogleGods and maybe me can do about the drop in the short term. In the long term, when posting a new thread, creating longer and more descriptive titles helps. I think, but I could be wrong.  |
| I googled Old English Sheepdog today, oes.org was 7th on the list. I didn't see any ads, though, even though I went on from a different computer and didn't log in just to see how different it looks. |
Okay, I'm dumb. I figured out that the ads are on the thread pages on google, not on the whole forum. Duh.  |
| Let's see..I met my good friend Leslie kelly - who has since passed away - here on the forum...she led me to Cindy (4dognight) and Kathy Buck and Linda - all from the forum...I went to a sheepherding event a few years ago and met several people from this forum - the event was planned thru this forum...I've met people from the forum at westminister Dog Show some of whom were showing and some were just to cheer them on... Those I haven't met in person I feel I know and have become my "internet friends"...This forum ROCKS! Maybe small on the scale of the internet but the people here are awesome! |
| I love this forum also and have been a member for just a little over a year. I too, feel that I have many friends here, some I've met and most I haven't. I know for myself, my posts drop off in the summer due to less time inside and doing other things. I still try to check the posts everyday when I get a chance. So many great people and advice that share the love of this wonderful breed. Cindy |
| I feel the same :) Many who I have never met in person,if you are driving through come stay a bit I do belong to two other breed forums but I have gotten so much support from the OES folks when I have sent a lab or GSD to the bridge,I always come here............ |
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