Should North Florida be split into two areas?

[Alexander The Great]

I think it would be helpful to split out the Panhandle from the existing North Florida board. As defined on this board North Florida is a huge area, stretching ~400 miles east to west. As far as terminology, I'd also think that anyone that lives in the Panhandle would say that they live in the Panhandle, not North Florida (Wikitravel seems to agree about the terminology). Jacksonville alone could support a forum community: it's the 40th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the country and it alone gets enough posting to create a useful forum on another board (Eccie seems to be a much better board technically/for usability, though, so I'd like to see it do well). Jacksonville is the core of the First Coast, but I could see a useful geographic grouping for a forum stretching out to about Gainesville. If the board were more targeted than it is now I also think it would become more useful to members and thereby generate more traffic (a network effect).

[sunspots]

Yea call it baja alabama

[Dick BadCock]

As a part time visitor and former resident of NW Florida aka the pan handle I would say yes. Pensacola east to Panama City Beach should be separate from Tallahassee east.

[Alexander The Great]

Originally Posted by Dick BadCock

Pensacola east to Panama City Beach should be separate from Tallahassee east.

Yeah, I'd say smaller regions (reasonably drivable incall/outcall distances) are needed, or even just metropolitan areas. The problem as I see it, as a Jacksonville resident, is that a few Jacksonville postings are lost amongst a slew of Pensacola ones, with no way to separate them out except opening every thread.

[st_mike]

I always assumed it was this way because the Panhandle didn't have enough of a presence to have a forum all it's own so they grouped them with Jacksonville and the other metropolitan areas to make it worth while.

[Alexander The Great]

Originally Posted by st_mike

I always assumed it was this way because the Panhandle didn't have enough of a presence to have a forum all it's own so they grouped them with Jacksonville and the other metropolitan areas to make it worth while.

It seems to be working out just the opposite of that, though: despite its lower population the Panhandle seems to have caught on on this forum, and clearly could survive as its own subforum. Jacksonville, on the other hand, doesn't have a useful presence on the forum, while it does on a competing forum. I think that's because the Jacksonville posts are hidden amongst ones from another area, discouraging people from posting about Jacksonville on this forum.

A quote from the Florida forum:

Originally Posted by Cpalmson

I have suggested this multiple times with no to little action. I firmly believe we need the North Florida section split into the two following categories-- Jacksonville/Gainesville/First Coast and the Redneck Riviera (Tally, Panama City, P'Cola and Dothan, AL). If it is east of I-75, it should be in the Jax area; west of I-75-- the Panhandle area.

[st_mike]

Some of the decisions I am sure were made just to simplify running of the site. I agree with you that if it was up to me I would put everything from Spanish Fort east as part of the Panhandle and probably split up both Tally and Jacksonville into their own sub areas.

This however would probably confuse non-locals who wouldn't know where to post their ad or questions when they were visiting AL but the area would be listed under FL.

[KarynKumming]

It sounds reasonable to me. When I think of north Florida, it includes Jax and the surrounding areas. The panhandle is always the panhandle.

[gulflover]

Yes to Baldwin County being in the Panhandle! I'm closer to Pensacola than Mobile and do almost all my hobbying over there.

[Alexander The Great]

There are also some posts on this in the North Florida forum.

[tia travels]

When I think of North FL I think of: Tallahassee, Jax, Pensacola, Gainesville. But then again, if ladies would just put city names in the subject lines, there wouldn't be too much headaches for the gents.

[Alexander The Great]

Originally Posted by tia travels

...if ladies would just put city names in the subject lines, there wouldn't be too much headaches for the gents.

Reviews don't have city names in the titles or the hover preview. Even adding them wouldn't solve the problem though: we need localized communities to generate traffic/be useful.

[Dick BadCock]

I can see that working for Jacksonville. I remember back on ASPD the whole state of Mississippi was lumped in with New Orleans. Then it got it's own forum and blossomed. the mississipi forum is probably more active than the area I am in now that includes Tampa and Orlando.

[tia travels]

Originally Posted by Alexander The Great

Reviews don't have city names in the titles or the hover preview. ...

I didn't know this suggestion was mainly for the review section.

[administrator]

This is doable. Might not be overnight though.