Hello you people (whatever we call ourselves nowadays),
I'll have more free time during the summer and be able to mull about this site a bit more, and wanted to briefly discuss some future goals for Pokecheats. Basically, I'm going to eventually make a new Sun and Moon Pokecheats default theme and change things up just so the occasional person who views this forum won't be so confused about the site's overall identity. I noticed that I like these simple yet meaningful discussions we've been having over the past couple of months in threads like the "Nostalgia thread", the general chat, and the Pokemon news articles. They feel much more real and fun to talk in than another, "Hey what do you guys think of this random thing???" thread. These discussions are much more enjoyable because they bring us together to talk about our MAIN common interests: Our community... and Pokemon.
It would be best if the site had a greater focus upon Pokemon news (and revert to being an exclusively Pokemon forum), so people don't feel compelled to discuss other specific interests like Fire Emblem or "their favorite color" on this website. When we have so many different subjects to talk about, it really splits the community apart. For example, I don't have much interest in anime at this point in my life, but there are many users on this forum who love anime! I never go to the anime section, and neither do anime lovers: because there are simply better places for them to talk about their interests than being crammed into a tiny section of one forum! The Internet is evolving, and people have many other social media sites/programs that they communicate on. There's no need to try to encompass every single aspect of our lives in one forum when it is better done elsewhere!
It really makes sense if you think about it... People ONLY go to sites like Smogon to discuss Pokemon, and nothing else. I watch someone like the streamer Kripp on Twitch to see him play the game Hearthstone that he's known for; if I see him playing some other random game, I probably won't watch the stream.
I think that's our big underlying problem with the site; we're trying to incorporate everyone's interests and discussions into one forum as we've aged, when this really is just a "Pokemon" interest website at the fundamental level! I can follow you guys on somewhere else like Twitter if I want to see your rants about League of Legends, daily life experiences, or anything else!
I actually changed my mind and think forum user Derose is right: We're actually in a slump because POKEMON as a whole is in a slump. There hasn't been any (real) major news since the release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire nearly 1.5 years ago. I played ORAS for over 100 hours, but it's been over a year since I've touched the game. Somebody like me is not interested in Pokemon at the current time because of the lack of fresh content in the series. Once Sun and Moon come out, people (including myself) will be INTO Pokemon again and want to talk about it on a specific site like this forum!
So basically, the underlying goal is to promote the growth of a website by DOWNSIZING its focus. In 2009, Pokemon may have been every forum user's main obsession, but that is certainly not the case anymore. Although we've tried to expand the website over the years to promote activity, you ultimately can't take the "Pokemon" out of Pokecheats!
So this Summer (once I finish my coursework), look for some big changes on the forums. Since hype for Sun and Moon is soon approaching, this forum is definitely the place where people will get the best Pokemon discussion! With lots of new Pokemon content, we'll see more activity! We'll cut out most of the useless "fluff" and features that we've accumulated over the years, and go back to our roots of being interested in discussion about Pokemon with each other as friends. With the upcoming hype and release of Sun and Moon, expect more Pokemon news, tournaments, discussion, Pokemon giveaways, and more!
The outlook has seemed bleak for these forums in the past year and I had been pessimistic myself, but if you think about it, there has been absolutely no Pokemon content released (other than a couple of lame spin-offs) for a relatively long time now! There's definitely a direct correlation between our interest in these forums and new Pokemon games, so I ultimately believe that we'll have a bright future later on this year as content about Sun and Moon emerges!
By the light of the sun and the moon, time shines in our favor! (I apologize at that desperate attempt at a pun)
Remember kids... Smiles go for miles!
-Zachgoose :)
TL;DR - Let's make Pokecheats great again by putting the Pokemon back into the site once information about Sun and Moon comes in!