Today I am in search of sea-lice laden striped bass. I am hearing rumors of fresh migratory fish so perhaps today I will find some. In the meantime enjoy this guest post from John D. Silva, a great local outdoors writer who will be contributing regularly to MFCC throughout 2015!
I think if you’re here on MFCC in the first place, this may resonate with your own line of thinking.
I first started posting and sharing useful information on fishing websites back in the mid-1990s when they were still fairly basic, single-page, HTML formatted pages.
Soon I started writing pro-bono online fishing articles for some of these websites as a way to get my foot in the door in the outdoor publishing industry.
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The "Nastier" Side Of The Online Community
I made a lot of friends those first several years, some of which I still fish with regularly and are very close friends. Unfortunately though, as the web expanded, and more and more people began plugging in over the next 10 years or so, communication on many of these websites began degrading to the point of gridlock.
Otherwise polite, friendly, respectable people in public society began turning to their nasty side hidden behind the freedom and safety of anonymity. For every useful post there would be trolls and agitators that would hijack and degrade an otherwise productive conversation about fishing and turn it into a tennis match of insults, or into a political or philosophical rant.
Sometimes things got way out of hand -- threats, racial comments, and the like -- not exactly friendly family viewing for any aspiring young anglers that you may have living in your household.
As a result, myself and many other early-internet, online anglers started shying away from certain fishing websites, and eventually from posting anything online whatsoever for fear of getting sucked into – and having your name forever associated with – whatever wrong turns the conversation may have taken.
The Internet Is Forever
As it states above, the internet is forever. Therefore I still cringe at some of the things posted online 10, 15, even 20 years ago that can be tracked back to certain individuals to this day. After all, anyone can perform a search on your name from anywhere they sit in this world with their personal (or work) computer, iPad/iPhone, Droid, Kindle, etc.
This led me to begin my own online fishing website and blog back when there wasn’t even a word for blog. There I met more good people that I still fish with and call close friends to this day.
We had many enjoyable fishing adventures together. Then, eventually my first magazine article was published (about fishing the Cape Cod Canal no less) and I was off and running. As a married-with-children working man who liked to fish a lot – 12 months a year – my free time was limited, so I no longer had time for the blog/website and I took it down.
Today's Friendlier Online Fishing Community
Before long I stopped posting on the internet altogether. For the reasons outlined above, I had to keep a clean public persona now as a published (albeit part-time) outdoor writer. Editors can do internet searches too.
Truthfully though, I never really left the online fishing community at all.
To this day I still lurk -n- surf many of the same websites where I used to share information with my fellow anglers within the local fishing community. During the last 6 or 7 years or so, I began to notice a slow change occurring in the tone of these same fishing websites.
Gradually the trolls, haters, baiters, and agitators began to dwindle. And conversations began creeping back toward complete fishing saturation, as it should be. I believe it’s no small coincidence that this is a direct result of the advent of the Facebook/Twitterverse.
Most of the knuckleheads seemed to have gravitated over to where they can hiss and spit back and forth in real time, and with their favorite music, sports or movie stars. Even so, I am still very selective when/if I post anything in a public (available to anyone in the world) forum. Old habits die hard.
Now suddenly here I am again. So why is that?
My Fishing New England, and Beyond?
It’s not that I have any more spare time on my hands -- actually, quite the contrary. Fact is, Ryan invited me in when he first started up the MFCC website. Over time I even began posting a little, again, and even more so lately, even trying to put in an effort.
No small reason behind it is because Ryan has made this a secure zone of sorts for its members. Perhaps we all have that in common.
I believe that aspect (and the in-depth, exclusive library of printed, audio, and video resources located here) are what prompted you to take a little money out of your pocket when there are so many “free” (with advertising and tracking cookies of course) websites available.
I even recognize a few of the folks here from past fishing websites, entered under different names of course (something even as simple as an avatar can be very revealing).
Since then I have watched this site grow into quite an impressive resource of all things fishing in the SE Mass, Cape Cod area. Ryan is the real thing and I think he’s doing a heck of a job for his members.
Perhaps someday I can even talk him into spreading the MFCC content throughout New England and beyond.
Until then, I look forward to meeting, fishing with, and making new friends here on MFCC .
-JD-
What do you think? Let me know by commenting below.
John, I definitely enjoyed your perspective and agree 100%. Ryan’s content, reports, and community is a unique and valuable resource. I have been disappointed by the available resources out there, including some of the striper forums, and feel so much more could be done to help anglers (outside of the Cape Cod area). I am a technologist and geographer so I apply mapping in my process. Would love to pick your brain sometime offline, and include Ryan in that conversation.
Thanks Chris, I’d love to be in on that conversation as well. It’s a fascinating concept. I’m in.
It’s funny… I was interviewing a museum director in upstate NY earlier today about a classic lure for an article I’m working on and she asked me the question, “How often do you actually hear feedback on your work?”
I replied, “Well, almost never,” I laughed.
Thanks for the response!
They are all, always appreciated and well received.
-JD-
Thanks Zakmio, I appreciate the comments. I remember a time before moderators were invented. But before things went completely sideways, I sure did meet some great folks who are now lifelong friends. I suspect this is just the place to recreate a similar community-like atmosphere, (without 7500 unknown, lurking party crashers, lol).
-JD-
Great piece John. Indeed, the great resource here and the respectful conversations here are the two major reasons who motivated me get the paid membership. I tried couple other forums when I started fishing 4 years ago and found the vitriolic comments to be way to overwhelming. It was like being in a battle zone. I just want be part of community where members are respectful and enjoy nice conversations. At the end of the day, I became a fisherman because I enjoy it and want to have fun doing it.
Kudos to Ryan for choosing a higher path with MFCC.
And it is terrific to have you on board!
I am looking forward to watching MFCC grow through 2015 and well into the future.
Exactly Zakmio. That’s been my contention all along. Some people simply forget to keep the “fun” in fishing foremost.
And heck, it’s just fishing. So how serious does it have to be?
ha-ha-ha…
-JD-
Keeping a balance between sharing helpful fishing information, without giving away the entire cake is my theory for posting online.
Nice post John and I’m looking forward to your next!
I enjoyed reading your article John. I’m glad that you’re a part of our online community.
Thanks Dex. Happy to be onboard. Like riding a bike, right?