We want to know what you like and don't like and where you want DS to go as a community. Downspike is totally yours, and it goes wherever you guys want to take it. We've given away probably $500 worth of kendamas through the #DSGS thanks to our kendama partners, and more are going out the door every month That has been a big hit. But we need to keep listening and keep improving. Behind every avatar on here is a person who loves kendama, and wants the best for this cool little community we have. So to that end, tell us what you want! Based on community feedback, expect to see a few changes in the coming weeks: Re-arranging the sidebar menu in the app Instagram embed support A "how to use DS" tutorial video for n00bs More fun contests like Paint a Pro or Leaderboard Superlatives A DS Podcast from @htimSxelA More recaps from @Ben Lowe More DS original videos new partners, moderators, and content contributors that are down for the cause We will work to make sure that we listen to everybody if you guys work to make DS the best. And finally, if you have a 'dama friend who hasn't installed the Downspike app yet, tell 'em! <3 Side note: For any tech problems and questions, please post in the FAQ thread
I think straight-up "repost this" contests are not very fun. I'd like to do more creative comps, so... brainstorm session, go!
What I would like to see from DownSpike is a monthly interview with a random member. I realize that there is the "Introduce Yourself" thread, but this would be a Q&A format. A golf forum I belong to does this and I always felt it was a great thing.
I really dig that member of the month idea! Player interviews would be sick as well. I think a cool idea would be a post event follow up. There are so many events and competitions going all over the country and outside. We can't all make it to them but would always want to know what went down.
This might be a little long. So me and by friend who plays dama and another friend who does not play were hanging out the other day. Our non-dama friend has been practicing karate for like 12 years, and we were asking him about the different combat styles. He then asked us if there were such a thing as "combat"-style in Kendama. I told him "kind of", mentioning spacewalks and stuff, but my friend were all like "totally! if a pro would enter your body right now and start playing, I bet I could guess who it was". So, I don't know how realistic this would be, but what if there were a contest with let's say 7 different pros. It would be filmed POV style, and each pro would do 1 trick each. People would then have to guess which pro did what trick, and the first one to get all 7 right would win. Maybe everyone in the video would have to wear black longsleeved shirts or whatever to kinda obscure who they were, play the same model and film in similar locations (like a lawn). This would be a really interesting contest to me, because it would also showcase how there are unique styles in kendama, and how they are recognised by other players.
A calender of events. It could have up coming events as well as reports from the events. So right now is NYC toy fair. "Let's take a look at all the kendama companies representing." It could also include local meet ups or region specific forums. For example: Left Coast, Right Coast and... Central Coast? Maybe more like Northwest, Southwest etc. I don't think all 50 states is a good idea but the regions work well.
More apparel please? Also, member interviews! Send them some questions, have them record themselves answering, post it here!
Exclusive interviews with players or companies about recent drops, player profiles, whats coming in the near future, etc.
More apparel!!!! Also, I would love a live chat section for the members that are browsing. Or, a specific section for Dama Dares!! Seems like this gets asked all the time. It would be cool to see a section with specific trick dares. For instance, a "lighthouse" section or a "lunar" section.
CHAT SECTION has been my number one feel / hope since the early days !! Nel.slay on point... good ideas all around <3
I suggest you do a "person of the month" kinda like how madden 17 did it... but the people who not just do the "dankest" tricks... but the people who do the most for the community of dama players ie: spreading the love, random packages to random people, basically going above and beyond, the extra mile... because all these people are doing is making this "family" tighter... those are my 2 cents...
How about an encyclopedia of tricks. Organized by alphabetical order, dificulty(beginner, intermediate, advance, or by JKA standards), grip methods, string trick, etc. I envision it as its own section curated by admins and moderators. Adding a video clip would be secondary, after prioritizing written steps with illustrations.
I think bringing Ben on as a news guy would be incredible. A great place to get unbiased news about the dama community in a 5 - 10 minute video. I think he has demonstrated that people want to watch those types of videos.