Is the forum on the way out?

[389 Hood]

It seems this forum went from one of the most active to taking a dirt nap. I was told that forums would be dying out as places like FaceBook and the rest of the social media platforms were going to be carrying the load because they were less restrictive. Even my own classic car board is down to 2 or 3 post a day.

Are we just not doing anything out there or are the summer doldrums kicking in?

I was thinking we'd get to read a few stories of guys bring in relief supplies to the hard hit areas of the Carolinas. Or do I need to go to a pilots forum to get some action? With no roads left, the only way supplies are getting in is by plane and chopper.

 

[Electric Chicken]

 

[Electric Chicken]

Forums in general seem to be dying but the busy ones are full of curmudgeons who claim they wouldn't be caught dead on social media, but post Facebook links on the regular. Go figure.

 

[389 Hood]

I look at social media and have a faux FB account. I have never been to X or Instagram because you can't even look at them without an account. I enjoy reading the crying and complaining of a lot of people on Reddit, but they have so many sub forums that have something for everyone.

SO, I'll never say that I wouldn't be caught dead on any site. I just lurk and don't participate because I mainly don't want to get into an online argument with that one pig in the mud that gets a woody arguing with people he/she doesn't even know.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I look at social media and have a faux FB account. I have never been to X or Instagram because you can't even look at them without an account. I enjoy reading the crying and complaining of a lot of people on Reddit, but they have so many sub forums that have something for everyone.

SO, I'll never say that I wouldn't be caught dead on any site. I just lurk and don't participate because I mainly don't want to get into an online argument with that one pig in the mud that gets a woody arguing with people he/she doesn't even know.

What's your excuse for us then?

 

[389 Hood]

It gives you something to bitch and complain about!

 

[Electric Chicken]

It gives you something to bitch and complain about!

You too!

Sounds like we both benefit!

 

[Mike]

It seems this forum went from one of the most active to taking a dirt nap. I was told that forums would be dying out as places like FaceBook and the rest of the social media platforms were going to be carrying the load because they were less restrictive. Even my own classic car board is down to 2 or 3 post a day.

Are we just not doing anything out there or are the summer doldrums kicking in?

I was thinking we'd get to read a few stories of guys bring in relief supplies to the hard hit areas of the Carolinas. Or do I need to go to a pilots forum to get some action? With no roads left, the only way supplies are getting in is by plane and chopper.

Many go to social media because it is simply easier. One Facebook app, access to thousands of groups instantly all in one feed.

Forums require active content, lots of it, to maintain momentum. Things happen daily that get posted on social media, the issue with the forum is nobody creates that thread. Or worse, they may talk about what just hit the news, but do it in an existing old thread that was created years ago, so once again, no new content. Google isn't interested really in what is posted on page 100 of a thread. Google looks at threads as if they are an article, with the most important stuff at the top. Since that important stuff is years old, it's buried on page 10 of search which nobody ever makes it to.

I create a thread now in the forum based on each new article, and the only reason I do it is to spark activity into the forum in hopes that it will revive itself. That said, if the initial paragraph is all that gets posted, or the followup posts are nothing but jokes or unrelated to the topic, it won't get seen in search, only by the same 4-5 people who come here daily.

The best content on this forum is buried all within a couple threads that will only be seen by 4-5 people. Hundreds of potential new topics, but unseen as a result of being in one long thread.

I do what I can at this point by creating the threads I create, but it will take more than that to jumpstart this community. We need people to actively engage in the discussions that I am creating, as well as creating new threads of their own. This forum has always failed at the latter. Like clockwork, anytime I have had excess downtime and got active creating threads and posting, we get spikes up into the 100's in regards to new posts. The moment I walk away, it's back down to 10 posts or so if we are lucky.

 

[Duck]

Many go to social media because it is simply easier. One Facebook app, access to thousands of groups instantly all in one feed.

Forums require active content, lots of it, to maintain momentum. Things happen daily that get posted on social media, the issue with the forum is nobody creates that thread. Or worse, they may talk about what just hit the news, but do it in an existing old thread that was created years ago, so once again, no new content. Google isn't interested really in what is posted on page 100 of a thread. Google looks at threads as if they are an article, with the most important stuff at the top. Since that important stuff is years old, it's buried on page 10 of search which nobody ever makes it to.

I create a thread now in the forum based on each new article, and the only reason I do it is to spark activity into the forum in hopes that it will revive itself. That said, if the initial paragraph is all that gets posted, or the followup posts are nothing but jokes or unrelated to the topic, it won't get seen in search, only by the same 4-5 people who come here daily.

The best content on this forum is buried all within a couple threads that will only be seen by 4-5 people. Hundreds of potential new topics, but unseen as a result of being in one long thread.

Correct.

Conversations on here happen naturally.

I mean, we were talking about the teamsters strike in EC's thread just recently.

In the past, moderators have split stuff like that out into a new thread, but then people get mad. It's as if we're not allowed to talk about current trucking related events in older threads because the actions of a moderator are always interpreted as a response to a rule violation.

It's also a difficult task for a moderator because sometimes the off-topic posts contain multi-quotes and only one of them is off-topic, so you'd have to clone the post and edit the original and the new one in such a way as to not interrupt the flow of the conversation in either thread.

I'd volunteer to do that again but I don't have a laptop that I can connect to the internet with. And I don't want the other responsibilities that come with it. I don't want to be a disciplinarian I mean. And I don't want that "staff" or "admin" or "moderator" title on all my posts.

My advice - get EC or hood to do it.

 

[Mike]

Correct.

Conversations on here happen naturally.

I mean, we were talking about the teamsters strike in EC's thread just recently.

In the past, moderators have split stuff like that out into a new thread, but then people get mad. It's as if we're not allowed to talk about current trucking related events in older threads because the actions of a moderator are always interpreted as a response to a rule violation.

It's also a difficult task for a moderator because sometimes the off-topic posts contain multi-quotes and only one of them is off-topic, so you'd have to clone the post and edit the original and the new one in such a way as to not interrupt the flow of the conversation in either thread.

I'd volunteer to do that again but I don't have a laptop that I can connect to the internet with. And I don't want the other responsibilities that come with it. I don't want to be a disciplinarian I mean. And I don't want that "staff" or "admin" or "moderator" title on all my posts.

My advice - get EC or hood to do it.

We haven't had a moderator in years, lol.

 

[Electric Chicken]

We haven't had a moderator in years, lol.

Definitely not a moderator. More like an extremenator.

 

[GAnthony]

It seems this forum went from one of the most active to taking a dirt nap. I was told that forums would be dying out as places like FaceBook and the rest of the social media platforms were going to be carrying the load because they were less restrictive. Even my own classic car board is down to 2 or 3 post a day.

Are we just not doing anything out there or are the summer doldrums kicking in?

I was thinking we'd get to read a few stories of guys bring in relief supplies to the hard hit areas of the Carolinas. Or do I need to go to a pilots forum to get some action? With no roads left, the only way supplies are getting in is by plane and chopper.

well this site used to have many colorful characters.

iron pony, being at the very least, one of them.

but then too, mike has google (if i recall) that prohibits some content, and they just suck.

when mike owned this site and ran it, you could pretty much say as you wanted...but not since the google assholes he connected with however.

every once in a while, a 4 letter words got used, and it passed...

every once in a while a subject was posted and passed....

but with the left wing sponsors to this site, much cannot be said anymore, before the BOT's catch it, and eradicate it.

this is what happens when the cost of owning and running a site goes thru the roof, sponsorship monies are pulled in, and frankly, many rights/privileges are given up, all to appease the sponsors, otherwise, revenues are lost.

i have a facebook account, due to my gun club, and public range are on facebook, and i get needed updates to events, or other gun related news.....

it's the way it is, when sponsors take over what the creator built from scratch.

 

[krelithous]

It gives you something to bitch and complain about!

come on drivers have plenty to bitch about the weather the traffic bitch about bitching

 

[Spread Eagle]

May as well pull the plug. I tried to start a thread about the coming election and it’s been deleted.

So I’ll just stick to X formerly known as Twitter. I can get more freedom of speech and expression from a Billionaire South African then whatever communist is running this dump.

I can’t say I’m surprised of all the good members who ghosted. There is a political board on the (other trucker site) that’s mostly unmoderated. Maybe I’ll see some you over there.

 

[Electric Chicken]

May as well pull the plug. I tried to start a thread about the coming election and it’s been deleted.

So I’ll just stick to X formerly known as Twitter. I can get more freedom of speech and expression from a Billionaire South African then whatever communist is running this dump.

I can’t say I’m surprised of all the good members who ghosted. There is a political board on the (other trucker site) that’s mostly unmoderated. Maybe I’ll see some you over there.

I didn't ghost. Are you calling me a bad member?

 

[Spread Eagle]

I didn't ghost. Are you calling me a bad member?

Lol, if anything I admire your resilience. But you know what they say.

Nobody wants to eat in an empty restaurant.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Lol, if anything I admire your resilience. But you know what they say.

Nobody wants to eat in an empty restaurant.

I like empty restaurants because the waitress acts like a stripper.

 

[389 Hood]

Some people live and breathe politics. Personally, I hate it. The main reason is, social media. Way to many lies and disinformation and misinformation. It's all in an attempt to sway a person to vote they way they want you too.

There shouldn't be a right or left, but an AMERICAN way of thinking. I'm leaving it right there.

 

[Spread Eagle]

I like empty restaurants because the waitress acts like a stripper.

Ha! You and duck will be the ones that I miss. Probably couple others too, but I haven’t been on much because it’s been slow and now it’s about one blip a minute and about to be a flatline. I do remember years ago when this place was hopping and on its way to being one of the highest trafficked forums. But just like the trucking industry as a whole, as technology gets better the experience gets worse.

 

[389 Hood]

Ha! You and duck will be the ones that I miss.