how to improve soompi

[teatoast]

Yeah im not as active as i used to be anymore, only recently cause i have time and kinda want to visit. Most people i used to talk to dont even come on anymore.

I agree with the whole profile thingy. Sometimes I dont even notice someone left me a comment because there is no more NOTIFICATION where it tells you you have a new comment. ): So sometimes i get back to people a month later knowing they left me a comment.

[Guest wingsywingsy]

lol, isn't it exam time right now? Plus a lot of people have grown older and don't come on as often. Anyway, I wouldn't say it's dying--or maybe it's not with the subforum I visit.

I agree that the voting system isn't that great. Everyone becomes so conscientious of what they're saying, and it seems like people who normally wouldn't bother posting use it to mark people down without having to post a valid argument or comment saying why they disagree with someone--it seems like a lot of people hide behind it and end up putting some people down, valid in some cases but completely invalid in others.

the disbanding of dbsk might also have something to do with it too

the group is dead (unfortunately), so their once glorious thread in the k-music section is dead too

I think the people who visited it were responsible for like 50% of the forum's activity

lol, it's really not dead at all though numbers may be fewer than before due to people who left due to not wanting to see long pages of debates every time a sensitive issue came up. every time I go on, there's generally 40-70 people in the dbsk main thread unless I go on at 4 in the morning (of course ). that's why I think it may be in only certain parts of the forum. the artwork section seems to be moving slowly, but I usually don't visit that section, so I may be wrong. Well, Secret Santa has more than 70-80 people in the artwork section and I think it was like that in previous years too (not sure about way earlier back in the old Soompi--though it did seem like a lot more people came onto Soompi at the time).

[Guest knockblock]

@shortboy: I know what you're talking about also. It was way too long ago though. Nevertheless, that was how I got into the K-Pop deal.

@NEYUGN93: Then there are replies I see that don't deserve positive ratings. It's abusive but equals out.

@daintymilk: I thought there was something to what you were saying. In 2008 that was when I started to feel that something about Soompi feels different.

@Malice Kaiser: That time when Soompi was "alive" is when the forums was in its best days. That time was the 2006-2007 years. There were things much like what you can see in the current events now. Except at least the things that made people amazed for being around weren't boring. The stuff that went on during the 2006 years in the general discussion were actually amusing and entertaining. That's why people were having more fun back then. Also because it was a time when the forum was younger and relatively new. What caused all of that to change was when the rules started to tighten up at some point. That is when the forums started to lose its magic.

@ninyaah: 2006 WAS more fun and enjoyable. Soompi isn't as exciting as it used to be. There was just something more special back then. Now some of it probably has to do with people outgrowing certain stages of their lives. You're right and I agree. I'll say this though, there will be times when people may move on but come back to a point they were previously at before.

@fresh: Depends how you see it. There is chit chat going on. But that's not a bad thing. The 411 is where you can get to know about the members who are doing their own threads in that section. After all, it's nice to be able to get to know members around here.

@Naked-Fanatic: Few of us touched on it. It's because of threads that don't create much conversations which causes repetitive and redundant answers that make the forums become stale.

@xiam9: You said it, there isn't anything we can do to bring back the old Soompi. I don't know about a second wind. When something dies down the magic is gone. It likely can't be repeated. I do believe though a new one can be made to take the place of the old one.

@SilkInfused: Those kind of threads are just about asking the same things. The same replies. The same patterns. It makes things become more repetitive and the forums boring.

Logging in issues after the upgrade. This set me off the site for a long while. So maybe send those emails that say, "Soompi misses you...blah blah balh".

I have this same idea. Additionally, this could help get some posters to return. There are posters I miss seeing. And I wish there was something done to help in that regard.

@kayana20: I feel the same way. There was a time when the forums had an atmosphere that made you want to discuss things. Apparently, something happened.

@jenn: That could be why I feel like the forums isn't fun as it has been in the past. People used to not mind thought provoking subjects.

@marmaladeboy: I see what you're saying about the selling and trading forums. That section has dwindled down in numbers too.

@Rainie: The ages and separate generation of people are different I guess.

@sheilapiglet: I'll say one thing. The reputation system has both its good and bad. But you're right about the popularity contest thing. The greens and reds can become abused and posters' reps get inflated.

@GreenTeaGraffiti: Soompi does have the staying power. Which I don't feel the same about with the other mentioned sites.

I do wonder what happened to the old feature in the old profile when you can see who were the last 5 people who visited you.

[Guest knockblock]

Geneyoonit, I hope you haven't gone away. The performers section is just about dead. It's barely active anymore. I see what you're talking about. I agree about it. The activity in the performers section is now rare. There are a lot of threads with zero or very little replies. It is really sad.

After one year and looking at this again, I can confirm what you said in post #181. The layout couldn't be that big of a deal. A lot of people said K-pop. That's one of the things leading to Soompi dying but it isn't the only thing. There are other things too. It comes down to how much of the forum you visit. I visit many of the sections on the Soompi forums.

Now for why Soompi is dying. Some people nailed it already. The biggest reason is people are just getting older.

I'll say this though. Everyone will take all the memories they have with them and gravitate to what they've known. There comes a point where people will want to build on the good moments and special times.

[Guest monkeyinabarrel]

Lack of meaningful discussion or any drama.

(yes you can go shoot me but...) AKP forums are more interesting because the rules are very laxed and many users cause (or did) many petty fights, create useless threads (yeah they really don't have a point but it was actually fun to read), and sometimes meaningful discussions (usually controversial)

I don't know it seems like this forum gives off a way too happy/safe/Disney vibe compared to other forums I've been to. Current events seems like the only place (other than a rare general discussion thread) a meaningful discussion or a fight happens

I should go create some topics in GE..

[swe3t_vu3]

I went through a few pages and saw a comment that said that Soompi wont ever die, it just the audience that will change and I agree.

Looking through the pages I notice that a lot of the replies came from users that have been with Soompi from the beginning. I saw users who have been with soompi since the big soompi crash of 2005 and a lot from 2007-2009. I think it's just that as time continues forward a newer and younger generation is joining soompi and a lot of the older generation are slowly moving on from soompi. I know that Soompi was apart of my teen years. I've been into kpop since the early 2000s and Kpop is changing as well as Soompi. It's catering to the next generation.

This is actually my second post this year and I only made a handful in 2010 and that was in the selling and trading thread. I remember when I would log on to soompi and spend hours in the different forums.

Soompi isn't dying it's just not what a lot of us grew up with because Soompi is evolving with time and the generation that is taking over what a lot of us help build.

[nikkiex33]

I don`t think it`s really that Soompi`s dying, but there`s less interesting threads in general, especially in general discussion. I used to love lurking there, but I just see the same threads being active, most of them not very thought provoking.. And we just see the same well known soompiers posting over and over again, there`s not many new users replying anymore. A lot of old users just kinda left. ]:

I remember I used to be able to browse any part of the forum for hours, but its feel like I have to search for threads "deemed worthy" of reading nowadays. ><

Now, I mostly lurk around current events cuz it`s interesting seeing soompiers debate over something. xD

[Guest Ali.]

What is akp or allkpop? Never heard of them.

But I think that there might be too much stuff on soompi to look at. Everything is clustered and hard to navigate through. The home page has soo much news that I don't know what to look at first.

Maybe a more simple but still filled with interesting topics will be more intriguing.

Sometimes less is more.

[*.:AnGeL*BAbII:.*]

I used to just surf the forum whenever I was bored, click all the threads and comment everywhere, but nowadays I just go in and skim through the titles. Nothing seems to attract me to click them anymore.

I thought the main reason that I stopped being so active was because of the new fanfic writers, I find that nobody has original ideas anymore and all the plots got repetitive. It's not that they don't write well (although I do believe the standards have changed from the what it used to be before the crash), they just don't appeal to me anymore. I used to follow a billion new fics at the same time and pretty much get confused with them since I was reading so many at the same and they would update at different times but eventually I stopped reading on-going fics (got impatient with waiting and writers who discontinue was too disheartening for me D:) and only stuck to completed ones... then I stopped doing that too.

Regarding kpop, I'm mainly on the Shinhwa bandwagon, but since their band activites are on hiatus due to military, there's nothing to really stalk about them on here. There's the occasional news article... but it's not sufficient to keep me coming back for hours like it used to... their thread used to be updated by pages everytime I come back... D:

Other kpop groups... I just don't have the same stalking urge I guess haha

Or maybe I've just grown up to the point where; I don't post just to increase my post count, I don't find fanfics worthwhile, or I just don't have the boyband stalking habit haha.

It definitely wasn't the new layout that pushed me away from soompi though. I still come on here everytime I'm on the computer, but I don't surf as much anymore. I agree with how liking/disliking someone's post can scare some people away. When it first came out, I was so conscious of it, and kept checking my reputation lol. I would even sometimes go back to my posts to see where I gained/lost points.

[orangeman]

People grow up and change interests. For a car or computer forum, there's a lot of technical knowledge to explore but genre music is a niche and we aren't confined to one type forever. Artists selling out, stop releasing, lose their sound or identity, move on with their careers, or whatever reason out there. You might not care for car engines but you'll probably be driving some sort of vehicle forever and that longevity factor can form a strong community based around one subject. Not so much with specific music genres because how many of us will listen to the exact same things made now 10-20 years later? 

Many entertainment forums don't die but they are volatile sites. It's the entertainment industry and if someone or something else catches the eye, the population will steer that way. Especially with pop music because I recall it moving from Japan to China to Korea to wherever it lands next. The last forum I was on died out when most members entered into their 20s and started to focus on family, work, and living life outside of the forums. If I wasn't in school and had a demanding yet interesting job, I wouldn't be so high in post counts on here. 

Compulsive posters keep topics and threads alive yet we don't have too many of those remaining. Forums revolve around discussion but maybe Facebook and Twitter has changed that to one-liners and images instead of an idea exchange. But then discussions are boring and long and revolve around only a few users so this wouldn't last longer either. Many new users to forums (not confined to this one) ask a question, expect an instant response, and then leave. No intent on staying, helping out, or even lingering to find the answer. Instant gratification can garner more total users but not necessarily more active members and the tough part is making a community where people want to stay instead of seeing it as the Q&A site. I'm personally fed up with this general "for the LOLs" in every discussion (again, not confined to Soompi). Take time to reply seriously only to find out some idiot was just bored would make anyone not care to contribute in the future. 

Every forum has this issue raised once in awhile - the question to ask is how to fix it. Any ideas? People raised concerns about the reputation system last year and it has finally changed but is it too late to do any good? 

[Guest Justalilodreamer]

I've been on soompi for a VERY long time (before the crash which was back in 2005?) and I've always loved surfing and posting around the forums. The updates, well I don't mind it too much although it does make soompi loose that simplicity and now it just seems like a giant forum which lacks the community feel. I think there is just waay too much going on its hard to keep up. With all the profiles stuff, postive/negative post ratings, etc. I especially don't like the forums activity where people can keep track of everything you did on the forums. That was one of the reasons why I started to post less.

Maybe its because a lot of old bands have disappeared and now kpop is over-flooded with too many new groups. Its kind of hard to be devoted to one band like the way it was years ago. Posts in the celeb news, dramas/movies, and celebrity threads are just full of biasness and mindless fangirling/fanboying (although sometimes there are nice in-depth discussions in the dramas thread). If somebody gives an opinion they get attacked by negative reps... or they're accused of 'bashing' an idol. Im glad the negative rep system has finally been taken out though. I definitely think that was one of the reason why people became lazy/ simply didnt want to bother to leave comments. Because of the rep system I felt like I had to be 'careful' of what I posted. Especially tough to post honest opinions without expecting neg. reps.

There aren't many in depth comments either, most people give short replies which doesn't stimulate ongoing discussions (with the exception of a few members who often leaves amusing and witty replies).

I don't know it seems like this forum gives off a way too happy/safe/Disney vibe compared to other forums I've been to.

Exactly. Don't get me wrong, I do think that soompi is a VERY well maintained forum, moderators rarely let off people who break the rules and constantly keep things on track. However, there are way too many new rules and restrictions. While the protectiveness keeps the forums peaceful, it also holds people back from making interesting threads/replies. I love reading JBarky's articles in the news section and I remember he mentioned that other editors wanted to censor his writing or something because they were afraid the soompi community wouldn't be able to handle it. This is exactly the kind of over protectiveness that makes soompi a bit lacking.

I also agree with others that soompi has turned into more a info surfing/commenting place rather than a discussion/sharing place.

[Guest DOVAHKIIN]

Less user-friendly interface = less user interest. I'm just echoing what's already been said.

[orangeman]

Exactly. Don't get me wrong, I do think that soompi is a VERY well maintained forum, moderators rarely let off people who break the rules and constantly keep things on track. However, there are way too many new rules and restrictions. While the protectiveness keeps the forums peaceful, it also holds people back from making interesting threads/replies.

80% of the posts online involve: very basic political knowledge, narrow views on world religions, or some subjective relativistic nonsense. Few will want to read through those posts because it's ad hominem and straw man all day long without any gain. Left unattended, it spreads out from one topic to another like the plague. The remaining 10-20% is usually too technical for the general user to join in - the very titles used turn the majority away but they're useful bits of information stored for that one rare search engine result. 

I haven't seen a Draconian system here yet so rules aren't the true problem. A sample out of the next 1000 posts will more or less correspond to the 80/20 theory, with or without the enforcement of rules. Opinions are fun and all but not when it's responding to inane topics and mindless chatter. Do you care what people are doing right now or how they're feeling? A single thread will do instead of the four or five spawns that all serve the same purpose. 

It's hard to correctly assess the needs and wants of a wide and ever-changing demographic where every represented group has different expectations and reasons to visit a forum. Some want to vent, some want to have fun, and others do and say anything to pass a temporary boredom block. A general tone is set depending on the majority in control. Collectively, I've seen more images in this past year than all my years online combined - this shift in user-contributed content doesn't fare well with my habits and I have consequently stopped visiting several sites. Same process applies to forum usage where change in content brings in a new group and alienates (and possibly disband) another. 

Gmail changed its looks recently yet most people don't leave it; websites redesign all the time with minor drops in membership. Rules are expected and if you've ever seen an unregulated thread on Engadget, you'll appreciate moderation (this goes back to government which I will not delve into). Reputation isn't a big deal as someone who only wants to rake in points won't care if the site dies or not. And really, if a poorly received opinion on the Internet hurts, there are some personal issues to sort out - I'm sure a dozen negative points represent the views of 2 billion users online. 

Interface issues, rules, and reputation points are all just icing on the arsenic-laced cake. Not saying this in a negative manner but I view the root of the problem to be in the users, not site management. 

[7lotus]

I know soompi needs to make money to keep the site going but the LARGE ads in the background are making my computer lag...

[Guest sugarbowl]

tumblr is addicting....

[Guest Renji517]

I agree, soompi is dying.

I understand the use of ads is probably necessary to have this site up and running, but

1. the "new look" slows down my computer, overloads my browser, makes me want to leave the site

2. meebo integration - i dont use it, and i find it pointless: way faster to stay tabbed in facebook, gmail, etc.

3. there used to be a "soompi mobile" skin, where i could put it on and just see the forums, images in a condensed view (normally 200 pgs would become 40) - I MISS THIS ALOT.

solutions: make soompi more customizable to each user, so they can make their soompi design simpler and more streamlined for faster browsing. otrherwise this current skin is very clunky and makes me want to reddit/ allkpop instead.

[Guest ichigo_no_powder]

I agree, soompi is dying.

I understand the use of ads is probably necessary to have this site up and running, but

1. the "new look" slows down my computer, overloads my browser, makes me want to leave the site

2. meebo integration - i dont use it, and i find it pointless: way faster to stay tabbed in facebook, gmail, etc.

3. there used to be a "soompi mobile" skin, where i could put it on and just see the forums, images in a condensed view (normally 200 pgs would become 40) - I MISS THIS ALOT.

solutions: make soompi more customizable to each user, so they can make their soompi design simpler and more streamlined for faster browsing. otrherwise this current skin is very clunky and makes me want to reddit/ allkpop instead.

a mobile version of the forums has recently been released. I agree that it used to be a pain trying to navigate on a phone but the new layout is much more simplified.

[Guest papabear]

Hmmm... is the website still attracting a lot of new visitors, especially young people?

[Guest Raix]

Before my K-Pop fandom, I was mostly here for the Performers forum. It has REALLY deteriorated in the past few years. It used to be so active, with people that would comment as much as they post their own stuff, which they would due just because they loved doing it. Now, most of the posters are concerned about whether they are good enough to audition for entertainment companies, and there are barely any replies to any of the threads. Most, if not all the awesome people that were active there have moved on. It's just not fun anymore.

[chansiik]

I used to lurk the forums of Soompi on a daily basis; now I just come on here for Soompi's news.

I'm trying to be more active though...

IDK, I guess the reason behind Soompi dying could be due to an increase of K-pop fans? And, I mean, that sounds like a reason for Soompi to become more popular, right? But maybe it's because K-pop is becoming more popular that people feel fine simply going on social networking sites like Tumblr or Twitter for their K-pop needs. I remember I used to love lurking in the group threads for certain K-pop groups, because they would constantly be updated with the newest information or the newest fancams/fanpics. Nowadays, I feel like most of the group threads are moving a bit slower. Which goes back to the fact that social networking sites may be taking all the fans away, since it's so much easier to share news/pictures via Tumblr or Twitter.

And then, y'know, it could always be due to people's interests changing. As people mature and grow older, their interest in K-pop may change and decrease dramatically as well.

Anyways, this is simply just my opinion~