This is a moribund forum

[Jeffers]

What's going on with this forum? Quiet isn't in it. This is positively moribund. What generates most posts in any lively forum is a little bit of good natured controversy but that's died out on here. The old pro and anti hunting posts are extinct; badgers are never mentioned; and no-one seems to have anything left to say.
Maybe the content of the magazine is at the heart of it. Perhaps it is necessarily a trifle bland in that respect. I don't know. Has anyone got any ideas?

[Fergus Collins]

Right Jeffers – that's a challenge if ever I've heard one.

Firstly, I'll hold my hands up and say that I haven't been on the forum much since I took over from the Feb 2010 issue as the team and me have been revamping the magazine. We've now got to a stage where we can see a marked improvement in sales and subscriptions so can turn our attention to the website.

On the subject of the forum, we're about to relaunch the website in September, making it much easier to navigate and with loads more features. The whole Countryfile mag team will then be hitting the forum on a daily basis – answering queries and asking questions.

On the subject of the mag: I really hope you don't think it's bland – and we don't shy away from controversial subjects (eg, we've never run a feature about gamekeepers before this current August issue). Rest assured, we will certainly be tackling the badger tb issue in all its gory glory next year – but we need to wait until we hear some news about what's happening with the proposed cull in Wales. Tell me what other subjects that we might have missed and that you'd like to see covered.

So keep with us and I guarantee some action!

Fergus
(ed)

[Abigail Whyte]

Hello Jeffers. Sorry you're finding the forum moribund...I'm new on the editorial team and have just joined the forum, so I will try my upmost to raise some interesting discussions.

You could always kick off some energetic topic if you like - whatever you feel passionate about or against, you can always vent it here, within reason!

Let us know your thoughts.

Abigail
(ed.asst)

[Jeffers]

It's really good to hear from you two and learn that there are plans to get things going on the forum. I don't think the mag is actually bland and I'll keep on subscribing as I have from day 1 and I see that the vegetable gardening on the roof issue has spearked a little bit of a debate.
Part of the problem is I guess that many subscribers have similar views on topics other than animal rights, hunting, badgers, raptors etc. (On those subjects there seems to be three camps, for-against and on the fence and there will never be any common ground).
For instance, I am frequently appalled by speeding motorists in country lanes and I encounter them quite regularly. But I don't expect any of them read CF and so, if I post a complaint about them, most others would agree. Hence no debate except maybe about whether there is anything that can be done about them.
I will try to raise a few issues from time to time.I have seen your posting about gamekeepers and that article in the August issue, Fergus. Hopefully that should help get things going.

[Jeffers]

BTW I'd like to see a bit more about issues affecting villages, things like pub closures, affordable housing and what is being done to aleviate these problems. But on the whole the balance is now excellent imho, especially articles like the gamekeeper's and features on British food and drink, country crafts etc

[bearsome2]

BTW I'd like to see a bit more about issues affecting villages, things like pub closures, affordable housing and what is being done to aleviate these problems.

I agree, Jeffers. I live in an area which is a hugely popular holiday destination but, because of government and council cutbacks, we're losing our bus services at a ridiculous rate. That means that any non-drivers and/or elderly in the villages will be stuck at home, or have to pay extortionate taxi fares. Access to almost anywhere, even for necessities, is very difficult.

[Little Acorn]

I used to pop in a lot and post, but only pop in now and then for a look.
Personally I got a bit uncomfortable by the large amount of Pro Hunting postings that where happening in other areas of the Forum by people who stated that they wanted to shake the site up a bit, think they where encouraged in by a link to a hunting magazine. Dont remember really.


I will try to post something interesting on here soon, I'm now halfway through my ecology course so should have lots of questions to ask and points to make.

[Jeffers]

Hello L A, nice to know that you're still around. Must say that I don't miss all the vitriol stirred up by the pro and anti hunting extremists but hopefully that's all behind us now and will look forwrad to reading your next post.

[Little Acorn]

Ho dear thats pressure then....

Darn, I just posted dint I..