Just started a new group on Facebook for all windsurfers on the Sunshine Coast to connect,post pics and brag.
Looking forward to seeing you all there 
Search for Sunshine Coast windsurfing. and join group.
Cheers!
Why don't you just create a thread on here? Zuckerman has enough money already.
Something like the Sandstone Seabreezers. I think it has added quite a number of new sailors to our group over the time it has been going.
A mountain bike forum in Brisbane I am a member of that was a great central reference, and that was a very well used site has become very quiet since too many members went to Facebook.
Don't know Laurie, but I know the guys who ran the other site. A lot of time, effort and money for not much return. Visits to the site obviously equate to income, via the banner ads etc.
Would hate to see something similar happening here.
Just my two cents (or probably .002 cents ) worth.
Cheers, Brad.
Good on you Brad, I've been biting my tongue but you've tipped me over the edge.
My take on it that seabreeze has been providing us with a meeting place, a buying/selling point and an information source for years at no cost to us, the reason being that the large quantity of us using it creates an advertising income for the owner to keep the site up and running. It's a local site/forum run by Aussies for us all. Encouraging other seabreezers onto facebook is a slap in the face to the site owner and just helps the big guys like facebook slowly shut competitors down. I haven't seen a great deal of support for windsurfing being offered by facebook, but I could be wrong.
Calm down people it's just another avenue to connect
seabreeze isn't going to go bust just because a small handful of sailors connect through another social media platform
chill out a bit
Select to expand quoteballast said..
Whatever.
Yep, dunno what the advantage is to throw more dollars to Zuckerberg. I'm up north and like seeing what you guys are up to and learning from your experiences from a distance, really appreciate it when there's **** all sailors up here. I didn't feel I could join the FB group because I don't live on the SC. I subscribe to FB feeds from some of the windsurfing companies, eg, Starbaord, JP, NP, Black Project, only because I won't see their stuff fed into SB forums. I do understand the OP wanting to set up the local group but I find it a bit rich to do it on here. I assume he or she didn't understand they were throwing Laurie a raw prawn and I agree that they could achieve the same thing by a starting a post on here similar to several long running posts on here that are captivating to a lot of people.
Hi Bowsa, re "seabreeze isn't going to go bust just because a small handful of sailors connect through another social media platform". Have you heard the phrase "death by 1000 cuts"? I fully respect someone's right to use whatever social media they prefer and understand that Stribo never intended to throw a bit of a roughy at the owner of Seabreeze.
Facebook has some organising and communication features that you just don't get on the seabreeze forum for getting a bunch of mates up here in the Bribie area for a sail, and it would make a lot of sense to us to use it. However (and a few of us did discuss this) we'd hate to see people slowly trickle over to the big social media platforms and then see Seabreeze disappear, so that's why we have our thread on here.
There's also the benefit to the sport that a sunny coast seabreeze thread would provide. Our threads (Jeff started this with his learning journey thread and I started a new one to get everyone together for local sailing) have brought new people into the sport in our area and also motivated past sailors who weren't sailing much to dust off the gear and get back into it because they have mates to sail with in the local area. You would be surprised at the amount of people that use a seabreeze thread as their very first point of contact to other like minded people for starting up their windsurfing journey.
Crikey you guys! Far out such negativity.
I started the FB group and i won't stop reading and using this great site that Laurie has created and maintained over the years.
I'm sure that anyone who joined won't stop using and posting on Seabreeze either.
I simply looked for a windsurfing page for the Sunshine Coast on FB and there wasn't one. So i made one.
I am by no means trying to compete with Seabreeze.
I mainly created the group so people could say where they are sailing on a windy day. Most people have FB and when you are a member of a group and someone posts something your phone flashes and you look. Unfortunately Seabreeze's app doesn't have the ability to create groups and give you alerts at the moment.
But when it does i assure you all that is what i will use and i would encourage the group to do so as well.
So you negos ... don't join. Simple.
Laurie if you think the FB thing is inappropriate and I'm "throwing you a raw prawn" Please delete. I won't be offended.
Stribo
P.S. And it's ok if you're a Brisso and sail on the coast. I won't deny membership. If that's what you where thinking Ballast,Orange whip and Paddles B'mere. 
Good winds to you all !
Thanks for the offer Stribo.
Don't think I am being negative, just wanted to point out a previous experience.
I think there are more people on the MTB trails now, but what was the premier site for a great sport is sadly nothing like it was a few years ago. I witnessed the movement of members to Social Media groups there, but maybe that was not the cause?
Not a Facebook hater, it is a great way to stay in touch with family and friends. However as a specific reference tool, I find it is far less useful than this site.
Certainly wasn't concerned about not being accepted into the group. The reason I decided to comment was to point out that this site works very well for the group I sail with and can not see a reason it wouldn't work for you, and I guess I could see some irony in you advertising your group on this site.
Good winds to you too.
Hope to see you on the water.
Ahh should call this thread 'current/new tech' v 'old tech'!!
stribo isn't high jacking, he's just using one of the many digital media communication variations that are out there, there are heaps! and most are faster and quicker to access than website forums, isn't updating and communication.
websites are now running behind FB and all the other platforms, its just how it is and where the future is.
if you think FB is OTT wait till you get onto instagram and snap chat or wassup etc etc... in fact I'm just learning a new one called 'Hootsuite' so I can post to the 3 million different media forums for my business in one place!
its enough to do your head in!
Lauries challenge and I'm sure he already knows it, is to get SB onto these newe faster media types.
I put the occasional pic/link etc on the Sunshine Coast Windwanderes FB site ( so there kind of already is a SC FB site its just not used often enough) and they always get far more reads and connects than anything posted on SB, so there's some evidence on where it's all heading, some of the Freerace posts and videos received thousands of views.
So yes I will get on the FB site also, as also look here , although using the WWW stuff seams just so much slower than an App based product.
*edit..all the typos are Bec cause I'm trying to read and type on a website via my phone...and there is the best example....desk top computers and lap tops are fast being overtaken in sales by smart phones and pads...again all designed to work best with Apps...websites and forums are not dead...they are just competeting in a busy new market place with things that often are better and quicker... Stribo with one click could connect to say 100 windsurfers at once and say it's going off at xxxx spot get down there..and they would all get that message pop up instantly on their phone, even as an image or better still live video (Baysides 'live' race update on FB was pretty cool!) you cant do any of that stuff here on the forum...
time to go watch a windsurfing video on my VCR...
Great points Jonesy, and you're right there's a big challenge for the SB owner to keep it up to date and competitive. I just don't want it to dissappear. Is your VCR VHS or BETA?
So i'm at Boreen Pt and phone reception is in and out. It's going off and i try to log in to the SB forums to let my buddies and others know...
No network tap to try again... tap... Ok forums - windsurfing qld - start new post ....... no network tap to retry... Repeat process type seabreeze in google .... no network tap to retry.... Give up go sailing... fun but a little boring on my own.
Tap FB app type it's going off at the lake!! (sends message when signal is good) . Go sailing! Sails start to appear. Friendly drags and much frivolity is had by all !
Get home and check SB buy and sell for a new sail and check forums for pics and stories of the day. Click links to windsurf shops etc.
Select to expand quotePaddles B'mere said..
Great points Jonesy, and you're right there's a big challenge for the SB owner to keep it up to date and competitive. I just don't want it to dissappear. Is your VCR VHS or BETA?
VCR ive gone all tech...Beta is so yesterday..inbetween I play some Galaga or Pac man on the Atari! :)
Select to expand quotestribo said..
Crikey you guys! Far out such negativity.
I started the FB group and i won't stop reading and using this great site that Laurie has created and maintained over the years.
I'm sure that anyone who joined won't stop using and posting on Seabreeze either.
I simply looked for a windsurfing page for the Sunshine Coast on FB and there wasn't one. So i made one.
I am by no means trying to compete with Seabreeze.
I mainly created the group so people could say where they are sailing on a windy day. Most people have FB and when you are a member of a group and someone posts something your phone flashes and you look. Unfortunately Seabreeze's app doesn't have the ability to create groups and give you alerts at the moment.
But when it does i assure you all that is what i will use and i would encourage the group to do so as well.
So you negos ... don't join. Simple.
Laurie if you think the FB thing is inappropriate and I'm "throwing you a raw prawn" Please delete. I won't be offended.
Stribo
P.S. And it's ok if you're a Brisso and sail on the coast. I won't deny membership. If that's what you where thinking Ballast,Orange whip and Paddles B'mere.
Good winds to you all !
No worries mate, no big deal to me. Was just looking out for an Oz small business. But then again this site could be owned by the Chinese for all I know. 
Stay with Seabreeze; and stick with the Windwanderers thread; and don't change the topic heading. I'm getting proressively more peeved (to put it politely) with the endless trivial FB notifications and overflowing email inbox. And the huge advantage of Seabreeze is your not just 'preaching to the converted' - there are plenty of other various Seabreeze 'interest groups' that will check out your post; like me on hols in Noosa.
