Worldwide Best Flight Sim Sites

[Garry J. Smith 19]

Worldwide Best Flight Sim Sites.

 

You may be aware that I am trying to create a quality reference resource listing the Best Flight Sim Sites as a reliable guideline for all simmers to use as a safe reference tool for our simming community.

 

See: http://topflightsimsite.gotop100.com/ - just started last week.  - Please note that I have added a Banner for AVSIM - which is already getting some interest - this can be removed  -  or I can send you the details of the Member Account and your staff can take it over and manage as you see fit.

 

The gist of it is that simmers vote for sites that they believe provide a quality of service to meet their simming needs.

 

The negative is that it has to be displayed in some sort of order - options available are the number of votes received or the number of people who clicked on a particular link on the resource listing and then visited a site.

Either way, this type of list implies a sort of "competition" for top positions.

 

This is assumed by some that First is best and last is Least.  Natural perception, and a little frustrating to some sites but ultimately all sites in the list are there because we, the simming patrons, have voted for them or visited them in the Worldwide Best Flight Sim Sites listing.

 

Initially it will be limited to 100 sites (about 4 pages of links).

 

Voting frenzy's will naturally occur when a new sites joins the list, particularly ones with many patrons, which will naturally surge ahead of others with patron enthusiasm to demonstrate their faith in that site.

 

However, there is a bucket of traps to stop repeat voting by any one person for a particular site - both IN and OUT. Plus the list will be regularly moderated to ensure that things do not get out of hand.

 

Every applicant site for participation in the list will be carefully vetted before approved to participate.  If complaints are received, from patrons or participating sites against a listed site, and complaints are validated or it is deemed as an inappropriate site then that site will be removed.

 

Advantages for sites to participate
 
(1) every vote for any site brings the voter to the Worldwide Best Flight Sim Sites page - displaying all participating sites for the simmer to browse and consider visiting.

 

(2) opportunity for every site that participates to have FREE advertising for their site and services as visitors peruse the list.

 

(3) every site that exists in the listing has been voted into the listing by their patrons which, in turn, gives confidence to the browsing visitor to visit and experience the various listed sites.

 

Cost - Zero - just a bit of time and effort and then set and forget.

 

However, for this to work for both the Sites and the simming community there has to be participation by the Big Sites and the Little specialist sites - all who offer excellence in their particular field/s are welcome. 

 

Basically the more sites that participate and send visitors via votes to the Worldwide Best Flight Sim sites the better it is for their site, and they enables their patrons access to the other sites exist on the list because simmers have voted them to be there.  Some see this as a negative - but, as mentioned sites get free advertising and presentation every time votes come in from participating sites.  So it is a win-win for sites to belong.

 

And most importantly it is a win for simmers worldwide to have a reference source for the Best Flight Sim sites recommended by their peers. 

 

Disadvantages:

 

(1) - Frenzy voting by patrons in the initial posting of a site - to cater for this, the Best Flight Sim Site will be reset every now and again and return all votes back to zero thereby creating a new level field for all - However, on reset,  all sites will still remain visible to all visitors.

 

(2) - perception of First is best and Last is least - not the case - being one of the top 100 ultimately will be advantageous to participating site as visitors will most often browse to see what is available for their needs.

 

(3) - have to add a vote button to their site so that patrons can vote for their site.

 

Goals of this Project.

 

(1) Present a safe and reliable listing of the Best Flight Sim Sites that has been voted/validated by patrons to have a position in the list.

 

(2) By the absence of the "undesirable sites" we, as a community, will be recommending to the new and sometimes long-term simmers the sites that the simming community believe provide their community with quality and safety in achieving satisfaction in meeting their simming needs.

 

In a nutshell - the creation, membership and management of this site will ultimately become a reliable resource for the entire community to use confidently to meet their simming needs.

 

But this service can only be effectively achieved by sites (the good ones) participating and taking advantage of the privilege to be one of the best Flight Sim sites which have been keenly recommended by their patrons from within their sites

 

Looking forward to your support - or critiques of this project. 

 

Please note setting this all up has not been an insignificant task - in fact a daunting amount of work undertaken - hopefully not a wasted effort, but as always I am just trying to improve the simming environment to the advantage of the best sites and support the novice through to experience users of our simming community to find the best resources - and, most importantly, try to steer them towards reputable sites.

 

Thank you for your time to read through this thread - appreciated.

 

Regards Garry J. Smith

 

PS - as I am a stakeholder in the contents of this Worldwide Best Flight Sim site - ultimately I would welcome a dedicated simmer or group of simmers to take over management of the site if it becomes an active and busy site.

 

 

[raymar 969]

A few thoughts

 

1. Avsim is barely ahead of Abacus. Whew.

2. Downloads has an Ell between the n and o.

3. Could be a useful site.

 

Is there really a hundred Best Flight Simply sites out there?

 

Regards,

Ray

[Canelo_Kid 0]

All flight sim sites have been asked to join, some have some have not. The sites listed that show a '1' under 'in' have not finished signing-up and not included the voting banner/graphic on their web pages. If you read Garry's announcement the Top 100 is meant as an aid to people looking to find resources and is not a popularity contest. I think it's a great idea, I also believe there are more than 100 resource sites that should be on the list.

 

Personally I visit many different sites and appreciate the people who give their time freely to this hobby.

 

Variety is the spice of life and there are a bunch of good sites that need to be known and frequented. There are hidden treasures if you go out and look around.

 

Garry has given much to the community, he is well respected and is just trying to help community members so why not support his effort and sign up, what is there to lose?

[raymar 969]

Is there really a hundred Best Flight Simply sites out there?

Is there really a hundred Best Flight Sim sites out there?

Darn spell checkers.

 

Regards,

 

Ray

[Garry J. Smith 19]

Thanks Raymar,  The curse of cut and past on the "Downoads" thing - will fix the banners this morning.

 

Thanks Canelo Kid for the explanating about the current position of the "1" vote - these are sites which should naturally be in this listing - so I created them within the site - so that simmers could see and visit them - even if the sites do not participate.

 

The more good sites that participate and add a vote button to their site then the greater number of  simmers will be visiting the site and view all of the other sites that provide and excellence of service for our simming community.

 

It is not a competition for first - but an attempt to create a safe and reliable listing - voted by patrons of each site - as a reliable source for quality services and products.

 

By omission the "disreputable" sites will not appear.in this listing - which hopefully will help protect simmers from falling into their traps. 

 

Anyway some graphics work by me to be done - so off my soap box.

 

Regards

[Garry J. Smith 19]

• Graphics tweaks done - please bear in mind that all "participating" sites can access their accounts and edit the banner as they see fit - limitation is 480x100.

Sites can use this banner and the text area to highlight various things that are going on within their world.

For example - change the banner to highlight coming events - something special etc.

Using it dynamically to their advantage  - changing banners always catch the eye of browsing patrons.