Hey guys, I hate to admit it, but over the past few years we've had a large drop in activity, with considerably fewer members actively participating in the Q&A aspect of the site. I know I'm not one to talk, but I think we can all agree we could use something to both attract new users and encourage veterans to become active once more, keeping this community fresh, exciting, and fun. I've compiled a list of ideas that would not only drastically improve the website and encourage more traffic.
RMT needs to be overhauled. Badly. I’m sure many of us agree. Even as someone who’s only ever tried to use it once, years ago, I can tell that it needs to be fixed. This has been brought up multiple times in the past (see this, this, this, and this just for example) and yet this is still a conversation we keep having. At this point, I think the options either need to be to start seriously playing up the competitive aspect of the site in order to draw in a more competitive-minded Smogon types and give it a complete overhaul and makeover to try to breathe some new life into it as a new hub for the competitive userbase, or just scrap it entirely. At the moment, though, it’s practically the digital equivalent of a ghost town, and it’s frankly a bit sad to see.
The forum would be a great way to increase site traffic. It would allow for more discussion-based posts, and I think that would easily encourage activity, as sites like Reddit where it’s more about individuals giving advice for (usually) subjective problems, rather than to give correct answers for problems with definite answers. This would really add a lot of life and activity to the site, as I’m positive almost all of us would love to participate in the discussion that would create, and it would be a lot easier for new users to get into.
We need more admins! No, not moderators, admins. Like Pokemaster. In the past, various people have pushed for Fizz to be promoted to super administrator, and quite frankly, that’s a horrendous idea. Have you guys not seen what the dude’s done in the past? If you’re unaware, Please check out this post, it should get you up to speed on why Fizz should absolutely not be a trusted member of this website and should NOT be given super administrator. In the stead of this heinous, disgusting slob of a man, I propose we promote user WILL to super administrator! His frequent, high quality contributions to the site, as well as concern with the site’s integrity make it clear that he should be given this role. Congratulations, man, you deserve it! I know it’d be a great surprise for him to wake up to posts of congratulations on his wall and comments on his YouTube channel, (he “lives” in Australia (and has been partially integral in taking down Big Fizz), so he’ll be asleep when most of you are reading this) so go ahead and send him your love!
Something Pokebase barely covers is the Pokemon TCG. With its massive playerbase, we could easily create a section of the site dedicated to it, and I think it would draw a lot of activity from, newcomers to the TCG, veterans of the site who have gotten bored of the Pokemon video games and turned to the TCG, and avid TCG players!
One of the worst disadvantages of being an Internet based entity is that you are entirely reliant on having Internet access in order to be able to view and access the site. They say that only 2/3rds of the world has Internet access, and each day that number goes up with power outages or cut power lines. Being one of the biggest and premier Pokemon websites in the entire world, we need to be on the forefront of this, and improve our accessibility. This got me thinking... What if we made part of Pokebase into a subscription based mail correspondence system? We could keep the main site everyone around the world loves so much, while also having a fun system where users give out their full legal names and home addresses to answer Pokemon questions, talk, and send fun things like hate mail to each other during that special windstorm advisory! This would bring Pokemon Database dot net into the global limelight, and make it a household name everyone around the world is sure to know!
One year ago, on this very day, I, Hellfire Taco, made a list of site improvements I thought we should implement in order to keep this site relevant in the Pokemon community. One year later, exactly none of my advice has been taken, and I would even go so far as to say it’s why this site is in the desperate situation it’s in. Frankly, this brings me endless and eternal wrath and I wish a fiery and agonizing demise upon anyone who let this happen (I am currently creating a list, please shoot me a message if you have any information). But, I’m willing to be the bigger person and let this slide in order to address one of the biggest problems facing our site: namely, the lovable hoel. In recent months, the hoel has become a sort of mascot for the site, swallowing various users who dare to tread too close to it, and has become a staple of the DB. However, this is a problem. I’ve noticed recently that there’s some sort of odd chanting and speaking in tongues coming from within. Additionally, when I stay on the site for too long, the hoel begins to whisper to me and feed me homicidal thoughts, and I feel it intensely staring back at me with a burning, fiery bloodlust that must be satiated. This has begun to concern me somewhat, and, additionally, other users have started to notice as well, prompting various users to take pictures of themselves when they’re on the DB and Hellfire Taco starts saying weird things to show their concern. I know the hoel is as much a part of our site as the chat or user walls, but this may be pushing it.
Back to the TCG section, I think it’d be in our best interests to expand it to include all card games, save for euchre, because it’s spelled stupid and frankly, IS stupid (additionally, any users attempting to post about euchre or attempt to defend it in any way will be banned. Repeat offenses will result in a carpet bombing of the user’s IP range). It’s rather narrow-minded of us to only focus in on Pokemon trading cards, in any case, because it might make players of other card games really sad. In the card game section, people will be able to make posts about their favorite card games, ranging to Magic: The Gathering to solitaire to Hallmark greeting cards! Any discussion will be allowed as long as it pertains to card games. Additionally, the normal PokeBase rules should not apply here, as those are rules for a Pokemon site and this section does not relate to exclusively Pokemon. This new section would be lawless, so users can feel free and comfortable to post whatever they want, including fun things like death threats, without fear of repercussions!
This may be an unpopular opinion, but lately, it feels as though the Meta section has gotten a bit bloated. All of these different mega-threads with countless responses, and people chiming in every day to make “minor suggestions”, half of which are just closed by the mods immediately. The Meta section is supposed to be dedicated to site improvement and maintenance, and under the Q2A system, it just isn’t doing this to the best of its ability. Luckily though, I have a solution. The Meta section should be replaced with a constantly updating feed of r/whatisthisbug. Essentially, the Meta section is basically users asking “what is this bug, on the site?”, so this could not be more thematically appropriate. By outsourcing some of our site to Reddit as well, this reduces server costs, or something. I don’t know. I’m not a webmaster, ok? I’m a 19 year old goddamn music major!! Why is it that I’m always the one to suggest how to revitalize the site and clean up after YOUR messes?!? Why don’t you try taking some INITATIVE FOR ONCE INSTEAD OF LEAVING IT ALL TO HELLFIRE TACO!!!!!! Also, some of the bugs people post on there are pretty cool sometimes :D
You know it, I know it. The aspect of the site that’s taken the biggest hit since the drop in activity is Plumbkebase, the section of the site dedicated to DIY plumbing work. These days, the rush of life makes it seem easier to just hire a plumber. But then you have a stinky man you don’t know is in your house and his awful stench fills your nose. The answer is DIY plumbing, my friend. “But Hellfire Taco it’s so hard” It’s NOT it’s SO DAMN EASY you BLITHERING IDIOT. You’d be an absolute fool not to check out this part of the site, not only because it’s useful, but because it’s full of great people that don’t use the main site and they’re really funny but you don’t KNOW them because you’ve never bothered to even look at Plumbkebase! And the jokes are funny. The jokes are really funny. Like there was one time where Greasy Pete convinced everybody that he believed that cheese grows in the ground and derailed an entire thread because everyone was calling him a bumbling fool! You guys would love it if you would just give it a chance!
