JordanD
Here so I don’t get fined
I wonder what the hell happened to the generation after me
The Future of JC
- Thread starter derg
- Start date
Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
Air Wolf Attack Helicopter parents happened.
🦈💜
Well-Known Member
And datcord.
WacoFan
Bigly
With the talk of deletions, might I suggest an addition? Let's get people interested by creating a sub-forum called "Wacofan's Hot Girls and Cool Planes Spank Bank". Just as it says - hot girls and cool planes, of which I've got extraordinary taste. We can make it the Discord and maybe have it on the TikTok. Ideally hot chicks AND airplanes in the same pic. Like Carole Lombard with a Waco.
Rosstafari
Likes tacos
I’ll tell you what… this site has been with me through my entire aviation career. Four carriers, two instructing gigs, three different ATC facilities, a desk job, CSA, and something involving sleeping in airports and appearing on the news. A lot of what brought me here on day one is what keeps me here on day… whatever this is. Somewhere in the thousands.
It’s that JC is one of the most *genuine* and helpful places for people wanting real information, from real people, offering real help. There’s no influencers here. No people looking for a payout. Just people helping. When I was becoming a controller and there wasn’t any information on how to do it online, I found it here. When I needed help on a medical issue, it was here. When I was looking for a place to live a thousand miles away from home as a 135 pilot, that help was here. Landing an Airbus? Acing an interview? Which bag I should get? Where to eat on that tenth layover in Atlanta for the month? All here.
That genuine touch is something that doesn’t exist in the quick nature feedback loop of social media or even Reddit. And as Google results become increasingly useless - dead internet theory is coming more true every day - this site is going to become that much more necessary.
So it’s the community, for me. I’m not someone with a background in aviation. No family, and just the friends I’ve made along the way. This has been my community. And I’m sure a lot of people can say the same.
As far as tweaks… I like the suggestions of bringing back the career pages. That got me from the beginning and I pointed a lot of people there. Consolidating some lesser used sub forums sounds wise. Leave The Lav alone. Sure, it lives up to its name sometimes. That’s why I rarely post there. But people are gonna talk; let them. A Discord? Sure, why not. It plugs JC into a popular forum-esque feature younger generations like to use.
Hope that helps. Internet forums may be evolving, but they’re more necessary than ever. Aviation needs JC.
It’s that JC is one of the most *genuine* and helpful places for people wanting real information, from real people, offering real help. There’s no influencers here. No people looking for a payout. Just people helping. When I was becoming a controller and there wasn’t any information on how to do it online, I found it here. When I needed help on a medical issue, it was here. When I was looking for a place to live a thousand miles away from home as a 135 pilot, that help was here. Landing an Airbus? Acing an interview? Which bag I should get? Where to eat on that tenth layover in Atlanta for the month? All here.
That genuine touch is something that doesn’t exist in the quick nature feedback loop of social media or even Reddit. And as Google results become increasingly useless - dead internet theory is coming more true every day - this site is going to become that much more necessary.
So it’s the community, for me. I’m not someone with a background in aviation. No family, and just the friends I’ve made along the way. This has been my community. And I’m sure a lot of people can say the same.
As far as tweaks… I like the suggestions of bringing back the career pages. That got me from the beginning and I pointed a lot of people there. Consolidating some lesser used sub forums sounds wise. Leave The Lav alone. Sure, it lives up to its name sometimes. That’s why I rarely post there. But people are gonna talk; let them. A Discord? Sure, why not. It plugs JC into a popular forum-esque feature younger generations like to use.
Hope that helps. Internet forums may be evolving, but they’re more necessary than ever. Aviation needs JC.
invadertim
In my experence, its always my fault.
I dunno...My 2¢
1) I'm all for getting the forum wired in to whatever the yoots of today are going to use/see. I see a few other of these types of forums, they're all slowly dying off, its old tech. Many simply can't be bothered to read much (TLDR...), and won't ever have use for a text forum. Some will continue to use it, and I suspect for every active poster there are many lurkers, but its not growing. And a few have been run off from here, some perhaps for the best, but some have simply been beat down for expressing a different, though valid, opinion.
2) I'm not sure ditching the lav is a good idea. Yes it does get stinky in there from time to time; but getting rid of it won't mean no more stink, it'll mean the stink gets everywhere. As it stands you have to be logged in/be a member to even see it; perhaps a more blunt warning that its not the most zen of places would be in order. And perhaps more direct warnings to those who use anonymity to push the limits of civility, no one is going to win the internet, so stop trying. Its a fine line though, and I do recognize the dissonance with point 1 above...
3) Aviation, both 121 and GA, have changed. The GA of even the aughts has changed, its really far more expensive. Kids today are looking at a future where they're likely to never own a home with less than a 6 figure income, dropping $10k on a PPL isn't on the list of priorities. They can get their flying jollies on a variety of flight sims. Some will continue to want to fly, but the landscape has changed, its really go big or go home anymore I think. 121 feels like you need to go to school for that anymore, either a university program or a puppy mill, or have Uncle Sam pay for it. How 135 gets troops is a mystery to me...
4) I'm not sure I think flying is a great career option for kids anymore. Single pilot is coming, and after that, no pilot. The tech isn't really there yet, despite what the tech-bros say, but I think it will be there eventually. Your 17 y/o kid is going to see it, and I think before they get to whatever retirement age will be for them. I don't think I need to worry, I'm 55, and change in aviation is glacial. That said, well, the glaciers are melting...
5) Celery is a fibrous, crunchy, green abomination; vile both cooked and raw. This simple fact deserves its own sub-forum, really everywhere.
1) I'm all for getting the forum wired in to whatever the yoots of today are going to use/see. I see a few other of these types of forums, they're all slowly dying off, its old tech. Many simply can't be bothered to read much (TLDR...), and won't ever have use for a text forum. Some will continue to use it, and I suspect for every active poster there are many lurkers, but its not growing. And a few have been run off from here, some perhaps for the best, but some have simply been beat down for expressing a different, though valid, opinion.
2) I'm not sure ditching the lav is a good idea. Yes it does get stinky in there from time to time; but getting rid of it won't mean no more stink, it'll mean the stink gets everywhere. As it stands you have to be logged in/be a member to even see it; perhaps a more blunt warning that its not the most zen of places would be in order. And perhaps more direct warnings to those who use anonymity to push the limits of civility, no one is going to win the internet, so stop trying. Its a fine line though, and I do recognize the dissonance with point 1 above...
3) Aviation, both 121 and GA, have changed. The GA of even the aughts has changed, its really far more expensive. Kids today are looking at a future where they're likely to never own a home with less than a 6 figure income, dropping $10k on a PPL isn't on the list of priorities. They can get their flying jollies on a variety of flight sims. Some will continue to want to fly, but the landscape has changed, its really go big or go home anymore I think. 121 feels like you need to go to school for that anymore, either a university program or a puppy mill, or have Uncle Sam pay for it. How 135 gets troops is a mystery to me...
4) I'm not sure I think flying is a great career option for kids anymore. Single pilot is coming, and after that, no pilot. The tech isn't really there yet, despite what the tech-bros say, but I think it will be there eventually. Your 17 y/o kid is going to see it, and I think before they get to whatever retirement age will be for them. I don't think I need to worry, I'm 55, and change in aviation is glacial. That said, well, the glaciers are melting...
5) Celery is a fibrous, crunchy, green abomination; vile both cooked and raw. This simple fact deserves its own sub-forum, really everywhere.
What do I want to see....? For me now the current version of JC works just fine. The offline aspect has been great and I have developed friends from all parts because of it and it keeps me busy at work (Don't tell J-Pow) ;-). As for what it was when I joined back in 2003...That's a different story. There were far more students around. The people in some aspect of training were abundant and there was more a sense of the online community. If I was a student pilot that stumbled upon JetCareers now I'm not sure I'd stick around if that was my focus. I cannot count the number of people I've seen connect and move onto/into a position that wasn't helped in some way from a connection made here and THAT is one thing that I think JC and all it's members can hang their hat on. Maybe it's just a technology ebb and flow and the days of a website itself have moved onto something of more instant gratification who knows. Some of us have been around a long time and seen the insides and work that go's on to keep it up and running. Not sure how one can maintain outside of work and everything else. Sorry @derg as I read this it isn't much to offer but just some insight from Malko. Either way I'll be around until the inner-circle decoder ring stops working.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
Also, /r/flying sucks and there's not a lot of good advice being handed out over there.
bike21
9-5 Ruins Lives
I mean, the wealth of knowledge that rando commenters pose on Insta and such flying pages is amazing!
/s
killbilly
Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
I've been a member at Metafilter for more than 25 years now, and I've watched it really learn to manage (and evolve with) the changing landscapes of community. They've mostly done it right, but have had painful times. It's a tough, tough thing to do. JC has been a statistical outlier in terms of outliving most themed communities. For a lot of reasons, I think.
Ah. Back when it took two guys - even if they were blocky CGI creations - to move a television. (see what all I did there? So meta!)
Eh, I think it would be great if @derg and @ppragman started working with the APIs to just shove all the lav content to APC as a dumping ground. Like that trash planet in "Soldier." That's a dev project I'd happily pay for.
I'm a 2-year 121 grunt and don't know stuff from shinola, but it seems to me there's a lot of technique that goes into flying jets, even within the confines of your respective FOM. Or maybe we're outliers, I dunno. Mine, anyway, for sure, because the user interface provides at least 13 ways to perform every simple task and there's a lot of room/ways to meet the SOPs.
Which gives me an idea....more on this in a second....
The signal to noise ratio there is almost as bad as it is on APC, but there *are* some good nuggets of content on r/flying by some of the long timers there; TxAggieMike is one of them, and I know a few of our own JCers also participate over there as well and try to contribute some value.
Anyway....the word I keep coming back to is, honestly, "curated." I think about the things that some of the better aviation podcasts do, for example....they go deep on 2-3 topics for a given episode, and there is a clear entry and exit point, so to speak. When you think of the initial draw to JC, it was the "Perspectives" page....I'm wondering if our user base - the dedicated, longtime core base, anyway, could and would be willing to collaborate on curating content/depth like a podcast, which then supports discussion below. I'm spitballing some....the idea is that the hit-and-run nature of a place like Reddit reaches a very, very wide audience to a skin-deep level. We have less reach, but we have outstanding depth/resources here to provide greater quality/depth, and if we're willing, to make it "living content" within its respective guardrails....
Gonna give this more thought but it's giving me some ideas....
Ah. Back when it took two guys - even if they were blocky CGI creations - to move a television. (see what all I did there? So meta!)
Eh, I think it would be great if @derg and @ppragman started working with the APIs to just shove all the lav content to APC as a dumping ground. Like that trash planet in "Soldier." That's a dev project I'd happily pay for.
I'm a 2-year 121 grunt and don't know stuff from shinola, but it seems to me there's a lot of technique that goes into flying jets, even within the confines of your respective FOM. Or maybe we're outliers, I dunno. Mine, anyway, for sure, because the user interface provides at least 13 ways to perform every simple task and there's a lot of room/ways to meet the SOPs.
Which gives me an idea....more on this in a second....
The signal to noise ratio there is almost as bad as it is on APC, but there *are* some good nuggets of content on r/flying by some of the long timers there; TxAggieMike is one of them, and I know a few of our own JCers also participate over there as well and try to contribute some value.
Anyway....the word I keep coming back to is, honestly, "curated." I think about the things that some of the better aviation podcasts do, for example....they go deep on 2-3 topics for a given episode, and there is a clear entry and exit point, so to speak. When you think of the initial draw to JC, it was the "Perspectives" page....I'm wondering if our user base - the dedicated, longtime core base, anyway, could and would be willing to collaborate on curating content/depth like a podcast, which then supports discussion below. I'm spitballing some....the idea is that the hit-and-run nature of a place like Reddit reaches a very, very wide audience to a skin-deep level. We have less reach, but we have outstanding depth/resources here to provide greater quality/depth, and if we're willing, to make it "living content" within its respective guardrails....
Gonna give this more thought but it's giving me some ideas....
killbilly
Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
I think we need two buttons:
“New Posts”
And then in really small font,
“New Posts in the Lav”
This would filter out a lot of the petty BS that drives new people away.
This is 100% a great idea.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
Alternatively, raise the barrier to entry to the Lav (I seem to remember there was a 10-post minimum at one point?) substantially.
I think we need two buttons:
“New Posts”
And then in really small font,
“New Posts in the Lav”
This would filter out a lot of the petty BS that drives new people away.
HOWEVER, you can un-include showing Lavatory posts when you click “New Posts” under your control panel.
JordanD
Here so I don’t get fined
The problem children have been around long enough I don’t think it would curb anything.
Hell yeah! The man has good taste here!
roundout
VNAV monitor
N826AW
Well-Known Member
As I said earlier, I've been thinking a lot about the site since Vegas. I'd like to see JC's primary focus continue to be one that links those with a career in aviation to those who pursuing one. But I think we need to make an effort to bring fresh faces to the forum.
If I could offer up a few things I'd like to see the site accomplish in its next 25 years it would be the following:
My first visits to the site began with the profile pages; a forum introduction then progressed to on/offline networking with other members. Those writeups helped me identify with existing members and it made joining the forums a natural transition. So I would echo the sentiment to bring them back along with developing additional aviation career content.
Many of us can trace our career path back to JC and would love the chance to 'pay it forward' by extending a hand to those coming up after us. If we think big for a moment, I think there's an opportunity for us to do more with the career profiles than we previously did. It would be great to have a dedicated set "trusted members," "mentors," "ambassadors" whatever you wanted to call them. Nothing too formal. Maybe they have forum mod capabilities or maybe not. Just a system where if a new career changer posted, a designated member like @killbilly or I reached out in a DM.
Also, identity is everything. I think it would be very cool to see this section of the site enable a more diverse set of people to connect with existing members. There has been a tremendous effort to diversify hiring pools but when was the last time a female student pilot posted on the forum? Hell, when was the last time a female besides Kristie posted here? Would our LGBTQIA+ friends say JC is a resource to connect with others? I think it's important to intentionally cast a wider net for new members. Wouldn't it be amazing if OBAP or NGPA had their house forum hosted on JC?
A part of getting people here and getting them to stick is to make sure the conversations we are having are at the level of professionalism we seek in our career field. I think there needs to be some discussion around the scope and tone of conversations allowed on the site. Back in the day we treated this place like Doug and Kristie's living room. Somewhere along the way a small number of us lost that decorum. I'd hate for a new member's intro to the site to be some of our lav topics and the virtrol found within them. I think there are members of the site who are great professional resources but candidly, don't belong in the lav.
I hate to sound like I'm handing out tasks to @derg. JC and its community occupy a very special place in my heart. Especially with the goals I've achieved this year. I'm always up for the challenge to help make this a better place. So anything I can do, let me know.
-TheDo
If I could offer up a few things I'd like to see the site accomplish in its next 25 years it would be the following:
My first visits to the site began with the profile pages; a forum introduction then progressed to on/offline networking with other members. Those writeups helped me identify with existing members and it made joining the forums a natural transition. So I would echo the sentiment to bring them back along with developing additional aviation career content.
Many of us can trace our career path back to JC and would love the chance to 'pay it forward' by extending a hand to those coming up after us. If we think big for a moment, I think there's an opportunity for us to do more with the career profiles than we previously did. It would be great to have a dedicated set "trusted members," "mentors," "ambassadors" whatever you wanted to call them. Nothing too formal. Maybe they have forum mod capabilities or maybe not. Just a system where if a new career changer posted, a designated member like @killbilly or I reached out in a DM.
Also, identity is everything. I think it would be very cool to see this section of the site enable a more diverse set of people to connect with existing members. There has been a tremendous effort to diversify hiring pools but when was the last time a female student pilot posted on the forum? Hell, when was the last time a female besides Kristie posted here? Would our LGBTQIA+ friends say JC is a resource to connect with others? I think it's important to intentionally cast a wider net for new members. Wouldn't it be amazing if OBAP or NGPA had their house forum hosted on JC?
A part of getting people here and getting them to stick is to make sure the conversations we are having are at the level of professionalism we seek in our career field. I think there needs to be some discussion around the scope and tone of conversations allowed on the site. Back in the day we treated this place like Doug and Kristie's living room. Somewhere along the way a small number of us lost that decorum. I'd hate for a new member's intro to the site to be some of our lav topics and the virtrol found within them. I think there are members of the site who are great professional resources but candidly, don't belong in the lav.
I hate to sound like I'm handing out tasks to @derg. JC and its community occupy a very special place in my heart. Especially with the goals I've achieved this year. I'm always up for the challenge to help make this a better place. So anything I can do, let me know.
-TheDo
DE727UPS
Well-Known Member
I agree with your thoughts. The perspectives page as the home page has to come back. I'm on a facebook page with mostly newb moms who's kids are interested in the career. I've been on there a while and think I have a pretty good rep. I could probably get away with just linking to JC as a way to explore the reality and facts of the career as a resource. These people need mentors. Their kids need mentors. It's the most common theme of what I read there. The JC perspective page was a great start to understanding what the biz is all about. Also agree that the tone of a few JC members is trollish. I just ignore those people. It's the ignore feature that has allowed me to continue here. I know that sounds weird but there is stuff you can't unsee. So I choose not to see it. Which makes it better for me.