Any interest in creating a divers network?

[DaleC]

Remember in field of dreams when Kevin Costner hears that voice "If you build it, they will come"?
Well I've been toying with this idea.

Some divers I talk to like the idea of having a "place" to meet other divers but don't like the "club" atmosphere (me either). They don't always want someone planning their dives, telling them how to dive or who to dive with; they just want to dive but also want a way to connect with other divers.

I also see new members posting into the Vancouver roll call asking to be put on the list but I don't think any list exists.

Some divers belong/dive with an LDS club but also want to connect with others outside of that environment.

I draw buddies from three different sources and wouldn't mind having a common spot where divers can check in and see who's diving and where.

I imagine a network of divers who belong when they say they do. There are no fee's, no president, no rules. Belong to a club already - no problem. Sometimes solo? so what.

I don't know where it will go but is there any interest in doing that here on SB? I believe if enough of us want to give it a try SB will create board space for us in the regional club section.

The non club club with no structure and no leaders... why wouldn't it work

I dive weekly and would commit to throwing my dives open to anyone who needed/wanted a buddy.

Interest?

BTW, I know of a great name

 

[sschlesi]

I think you already have what you need right here in the Western Canada group. If I were organizing, I'd do it in this group where you already have the regular attention of many Vancouver and Victoria area divers. Moving to another group just limits the number of people who will see your posts. If the group is successful enough that it generates enough traffic in the Western Canada group to become annoying, then I would petition the mods for another group.

I know you are well aware that there have been a couple very successful Vancouver area dives organized through this group recently. It may be that the Western Canada group has finally reached the critical mass required to regularly organize dives.

Post your plans, I look forward to participating when I can.

 

[Julian55]

count me in

 

[KrisB]

It might be something best pulled off scubaboard.

The forum format works for a lot of things, but if you're trying to do last-minute arranging of dives & buddies, I don't think it works as well.

If you setup your own site with e-mail notification options, with a way that people can post the dives they're thinking of doing (i.e. date, time, site and level -- allow multiple selections of each), then people can come in and find something that might suit them.

I'd be interested in getting involved in that sense -- let me know if that idea strikes your fancy.

Basically, an online buddy-book... I know divebuddy.com had that sort of idea, but it's too myspacey to really pull off what I would be looking for, personally.

 

[Skookumchuck]

I like your idea Dale, since I'd never join a club that would have someone like me as a member.
Also looking for someone to dive with this Saturday, are you going out Scott?

 

[Sintax604]

I'm in for anything that gets me diving more often with good, reliable people. Especially if someone else organizes it

I like your idea Dale, since I'd never join a club that would have someone like me as a member.
Also looking for someone to dive with this Saturday, are you going out Scott?

I assume you're talking to the other Scott, but for the record, I'm not diving this Saturday.

 

[DaleC]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I have considered the email route as about 5 of us use that method successfully now (diving weekly). At one time we had over 15 people on the group email list but three problems tended to occur. One, we kept sending emails out to some people who never replied but I didn't know if I should take them off the list or not. Two, it was pretty easy to forget to cc someone and leave them out of the loop. Three, with more people the problem of too many emails in the box could develop.

I could start another site dedicated to this idea but in my experience it's usually better to stay where the people are already rather than trying to persuade them to go to another site. Here it would just mean clicking into the subforum to see what the dive action was that week.

Actually, what we are doing here now works. I just wonder if we would want a sub forum dedicated to dive/buddy posts instead of having them mixed in with all the other various posts.

I remember how frustrating my first year was trying to connect here and there with buddies. It's hard to break into established groups when you're the "unknown" new guy. I wound up soloing by dive 21 and now solo about half the time. I want a social meeting place for divers (and am willing to put some effort into it) but don't want all the rules that go along with traditional clubs.

 

[TheWetRookie]

I would just post the site and date/time of the dive on its' own thread (like the Kelvin Grove dive we did) and then those that want in can add their names and then we know to look for them. That day we can figure out buddies and such.

 

[sschlesi]

I think TWR's suggestion of a thread with site and date/time will be a good starting point.

If you want something through email, Yahoo Groups or Google Groups will work well. It allows users to add/remove themselves so you don't need to worry if someone is still interested in the emails or not. The only downside is I think fewer people will discover the group if it is not regularly mentioned on SB. Regularly posting a review of each group dive on SB and mentioning the group could solve that problem.

As for too many posts/emails. It's a nice problem to have, and I wouldn't worry about it until I had it. A solution will probably be obvious at the time.

 

[Sintax604]

I was just farting around and I noticed the calendar at the top of the Western Canada section.

This may be a simple way of getting the word out about dives that are happening in the area. There's even a check box that allows users to confirm that they will be attending as well as the option to send out reminders to those who are attending.

I posted an evening dive for next week just to try it out. If it works out ok, I would suggest that everyone post when/where they are diving (if they don't mind company) and maybe we can get a sticky post in our main forum pointing users to the calendar.

Whatcha think?