There it was, gone....gone

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Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 1,988

I see that the “There it was, gone” thread has been quietly removed from the forum, although given the traffic on this forum nowadays, I doubt if more than two men and a dog have actually noticed.

I find it incredible how a theoretically dynamic and responsive media organisation can score such a massive own goal and not so much shoot itself in the foot but blow its’ own leg off with this ill-conceived and inept update.

I have finally removed this sad shell of a once vibrant forum from my list of favourites. If you have done the same, just post the fact below to show Key Publishing the scale of their folly.

 

Original post

Member for

15 years

Posts: 1,712

Don’t think it will do much good jeepman, they are too big to take any notice now . It’s only a false sense of loyalty that keeps me looking in now, as I used to find this forum great. Even the magazine FlyPast is a shadow of it’s former self and I’ve had it from issue one. Thinking of packing that up as well because it is all commercialised and lost it’s soul. I appreciate it is difficult in this computer age but it is all too flash and gimmicky now.

Member for

16 years 7 months

Posts: 5,927

Me too, but in my case it is, I think, a sense of curiousity rather than loyalty - curiousity as to whether things here continue to be bad, and are getting worse, or, heaven forfend, that Key has realised what it is losing and decided to do something to resolve that. But I have to say that, I fear, this last sentiment demonstrates more naïvety than curiousity!

Member for

15 years

Posts: 1,712

Couldn’t edit my post because edit function doesn’t work, but I was going to add that if FlyPast stays the way it is going it will soon be the “ Hello “ of Aircraft mags.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 360

One can wonder if it is censorship or stupidity to remove a thread?

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 360

It also seems like "my" thread in the Forum Updates / Issues section regarding the "mark all threads as read" not being available is gone to!

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 2,123

Interesting. A bunch of posts dated today about the "gone" thread that went. I know several of my friends on here said I was wasting my time contacting the Key people (!) about what has happened to our favourite forum in the last few months, but for old times sake I emailed feedback@keypublishing.com to grumble about this thread suddenly disappearing on 10 May. They replied within hours that they would look into it. I reminded them a couple of days later and today I find the thread reinstated. So someone is following us, but why did they axe it in the first place? Thanks are due nevertheless. But, please Key, don't remove threads. And where are all the deleted posts?

Laurence

Member for

15 years

Posts: 1,712

That is very charitable of you Laurence and I hope you are right about them following us. Hopefully they will take some heed and alter things, but personally I won’t hold my breath as they have had plenty of time to sort the forum and they have done nothing but make unfulfilled promises. Which kind of tells me that we don’t really matter to them. Shame as they lost a lot of knowledgeable people on here.

Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 1,988

Laurence, the thread was not reinstated. I started this new thread today. It will be interesting to see how long this new thread survives before it, too, is removed because it doesn’t sing to the Key song book

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,893

I hadn't noticed that it had actually gone, I just thought it had disappeared off the first page.

I suspect that the new forum is collateral damage from the introduction of the eyesore Key.Aero portal which presumably somebody must be very proud of. As nothing to improve matters has been done after several months, and no word from Key, it seems a fair bet it will completely fizzle out fairly soon.

A real shame when you consider the vibrant discussion board it once was.

I also am intending to cancel my Flypast subscription after 25+ years, and bought in newsagents before then. Not least of the reasons is their habit of printing text over pictures. It's too much like hard work for these old eyeballs!

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 2,123

jeepman: So it wasn't reinstated; you produced a clone! So Sopwith's comments are even more relevant. I echo dhfan's feelings too.

Laurence

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 7,025

I have just sent this e mail  ,ok i can't paste it  :(  

"

Attachments

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 7,025

^^^^^^^^^  You will have to click on the image to see it.

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 2,123

More power to your elbow, trumper !!

Laurence

Member for

4 years 5 months

Posts: 456

As a long-term 'resident' , I greatly miss this forum.

There are contributions I would like to make, but to do so would endorse, and ' accept' the present configuration, so I have to stick by my principles.   I suspect it has all gone quiet, because the 'improvement' became such a toxic turd that nobody any longer wants their name associated with it in any way.

A whirlwind is blowing through the world of printed publications, as news-stand sales have collapsed, with almost all shops closed, no airport sales, nor railway stations.  The high fashion glossies too are in big trouble with a mass exodus of advertising.  In the UK, Flyer magazine has just ceased its printed form, and has gone digital ( and free ) .  Once people lose the habit of consuming something,  a pause for whatever reason, they often never go back.   Cut-backs in advertising budgets, plummeting high street footfall and contraction of the economy / high unemployment is going to put such a squeeze on magazines that  many will not survive.

I like Flypast and Aeroplane, and hope they can carry on ( or at least one of them) which is why it is so puzzling and maddening that Key will not listen to their customer base ( and supporters )  and make the relatively small changes required to this forum for users to again enjoy the experience.

A real person from Key should swallow their pride ( dump the sound-bites and false promises),  come on here and engage with what's left of the community, and try to rebuild. 

Member for

16 years 7 months

Posts: 5,927

I think that it must be accepted that Key simply don't care about this forum and its few remaining users. Thus comments on topics such as this are about as worthwhile as spitting into the wind.

Member for

15 years 2 months

Posts: 408

Whilst I agree that the forum has gone very downhill to almost nothing, what is the alternative? The airshows 'aviation waffle' forum that I had hoped would replace this one does not seem to have met the promise. Key Aero forum  is poor but it is here, working (sort of) and free. As pointed out by others printed media is not doing well, maybe FlyPast is doomed but in the meantime is better than nothing. There is little point in continuing to knock it, so can we just continue to use it and encourage rather than disparage.  Where are the free forums that we can migrate to.

Ramble over!

Member for

15 years

Posts: 1,712

Nice one Trumper, let us know if you get a reply ?.

TerryP the way I see it, it should be better than it is and Key just don’t seem to care about this forum nor the loss of all the contributors.  I don’t think it is knocking for the sake of it, just trying to get some life back into it before it totally expires. 

Member for

15 years 2 months

Posts: 408

Agreed, but since there isn't an alternative forum to migrate to perhaps we should use this and encourage others to use it rather than advertise its failings to any possible newcomers.

Member for

6 years 2 months

Posts: 313

And I thought only the TIGHAR forums could get heavy-handed when you disagreed with them ...