I can't speak entirely of FFI as I only see what you get if you're not a member, but, almost all the stuff posted on FFI is news. News, people posting new stuff they have brought or made, pictures, and thats about it. The only topics on the first page of FFI fingerboard discussion that aren't that is some guy asking about a bearing in his wheels that popped, and 'what do your parents think?'. Most of the stuff is NEWS. And if people copy it to here, or talk about it here, its for people that don't go to FFI so they can also see the news. Or, so they can discuss it, being as they can't discuss it there, because you have to be in the cool crowd to get on FFI.
You want to know what I think is killing the online scene? The SEGREGATION.
(I suppose this applies to english speaking people only, because europe has fingerboard.de, the spanish one I forget the name of, and others, which as far as I'm aware are open to join like here)
There is a big split. A great big split. The people who know someone, who've managed to get onto FFI or FBC, and then there are the rest of us. And we're deemed lesser people just because we're on that.
Yes, there are a lot of inexperienced little kids who think they're Mike Schneider and ask to get sponsored by anyone. And an equal amount of kids thinking they'll make companies, and they are the worst products in the world, or like the 100000000th company selling pivot cups and 4mm thick foam with no adhesive on the bottom.
BUT. And here's the important bit. THEY'D get weeded out almost instantly, recognised as a pointless company, and only the little kids who are too immature to think properly will attempt to support them, because they deem being sponsored more important than just fingerboarding for the love of it, and realising thats the way to get better and maybe get sponsored, even though it doesn't matter in the end as long as you have fun.
For every 100 people you don't let in to the scene because FBC refuse to ever reply to emails and FFI shut its doors long ago, you might have two very valuable people who are putting their heart and soul into fingerboarding, even if thats just riding and having fun, they're still good people. I guess everyone decided that thats okay. Close our doors and let ourselves wither away from the inside because no one new is given a chance. I mean, the only other alternative is youtube, and thats just a haven for little kids who are a pest to the scene because all they care about is being sponsored.
BUT, those kids probably think that you only get on FFI or wherever if you're good enough. So, they try and get a sponsor maniacally to prove themselves, with hopes of getting to FFI to meet other people who care about fingerboarding.
So, us left come to places like this. Its better than nothing, infact its kind of nice.
FFI and FBC aren't godly places or anything like that. I just think that it shouldn't be soo closed off. Who are they to state they're more elite than other people? Its hard to meet likeminded people if the famous forums people can't get on, and places like this are barely heard of. If everyone were in one, heard of place, then the nice people would go there and get noticed for their maturity, and eventually just get to talk to others who are like them. It'd be impossible to sift through random youtube channels until you found someone who you might see eye to eye with. I mean, imagine if the next time you went onto skateboarding.com or the sidewalk website there was a big box saying 'prove you can kickflip a 10 set and you'll get to see this site! Otherwise, you can't read the news or see the content.' (I mean, thats obviously an over exaggeration on the 10 set bit, but you get the point)
You might say in counter to all of that, 'well, try harder, make/do something brilliant and it'll get recognition eventually'. But, why should the FFI people get themselves broadcast to a massive amount of people, or get to talk to these people, and ourselves not? I know life isn't fair, so saying 'its not fair' doesn't really amount to much, but, when there is somewhere where people can go already, why not let everyone in? And, it takes money to get recognition. Making a company takes money, and if you don't have a decent video camera (even an average one isn't at all cheap) then people aren't gonna think anything of your videos. You could have mad skills and still no one would care if you recorded it on a phone.
I suppose the more you say about it the more it becomes a more and more complicated issue.
But, in my opinion, thats whats killing the online scene, the fact that its shut off.
And the fingerboarding world might not be dead, but, I see it like this: (Metaphorically speaking this is obviously)
There's this big castle, with all the people deemed by castle residents able to be in the castle in it. And surrounding this castle is a BIG moat, with piranha in the water. And then there's everyone else, camping outside in little blobs but too far away from each other to see other camps. And us campers look across the moat at the castle, and they look down on us thinking nothing positive.
We shouldn't build a moat, or have to build our camps, we should unite, fill the moat in, and donate the piranha to a prison or something where their flesh eating skills can come in use.
There are a billion people out there who'd try and attack you, hate you, insult you, all manner of horrible negative things, just because you enjoy fingerboarding. Shouldn't we unite?
The online scene may not be fingerboarding, as a famous rider I forget the name of once said (in so many words), but, without it, would we have met each other? Unlikely.
Sorry for a rant, but, when gnar said about killing the online scene I had to vent my thoughts.
