Are forums fading out, or do they just burn red hot till they are done?

[toycar]

Seems like "forums" get going, get read hot, and then fizzle out.



Do you guys think this is from the social aspects, the forums interests, or ???



It seems like online, forums tend to rise and then fall in a basically predicatable fashion. Forums that actually thrive(in the car world) are actually dedicated to race-performance and not so much show and go.



I am/was curious if you guys think that the newness wears off and sends people to the next "blazing hot forum" or if maybe the forum itself self destructs, or what? What exactly do you guys think feeds this process?


On other forums(I have been reading on totalruckus for a long time, and used to post on dsmtuners) it seems like the following is much more dedicated, but why?


Even Honda-Tech has slowed way down.

But, dsm guys are true to the core racecar drivers(lol) and guys with bikes carry a different kind of passion than guys with cars.


So what do you guys think? What leads to the fizzle-out process? What do you think?

[deevergote]

Over the past decade, forums have gone from enthusiast-run collectives to corporate entities. I have had well over a dozen offers from "automotive forum companies" to purchase this forum. The latest of which actually offered me money, as well as the ability to maintain control of the forum (meaning I'd be a fee employee!)

Most forums you see these days are business first, enthusiasts second. There's less of a feeling of community in those forums than there ever was before.

The few forums that actually DO adhere to the oldschool enthusiast-centered philosophy struggle. They are often very niche-oriented (like this site), and maintain a steady flow of traffic only as that particular niche enjoys popularity. This site, for example, is slowing a bit... because the CB Accord is getting more and more uncommon. New ideas for this platform are even less common.
The oldschool forums also struggle because they are not shamelessly marketed as the corporate forums are. They also usually only occupy a single domain name, rather than having half a dozen domains linking to one forum.

Forums like this one are like little mom'n'pop shops or specialty boutiques... competing with WalMart. We give a better user experience, but we're not as visible or accessible as the big guys.


Facebook has also taken the wind from forum sails lately as well. Facebook is quick. It's like being in 3 dozen chatrooms all at once, complete with pictures and private messaging.
The information is most often TERRIBLE... but it's quick. In today's society, quick info seems to be the preference. (there was a time when the "read a manual and figure it out by turning a wrench" guys thought forums were catering to the lazy...)
Facebook would be better if it were easily searchable. Forums are far superior to Facebook groups in that aspect, I feel. On a forum, someone's post from 2003 could answer your question quite thoroughly. On Facebook, you have about 45 minutes to get a good response before your post is buried... never to be seen again.




If you ignore outside influences (corporate competition and Facebook), and focus only on the forum itself... there are a number of possibilities.
1) The focus of the forum may simply be losing popularity. This forum started when the newest of CB Accords were barely a decade old. Now, those cars are old enough to buy a case of PBR. A decade ago, these cars were inexpensive investments. Now, they're cheap beaters.
2) The format of a forum changes. I used to vised hondahookup.com much more frequently before the most recent software update. It just doesn't feel right anymore. I don't like being there. I miss the style that existed in 2002, when I joined.
3) The format of a forum DOESN'T change. Some people don't like old style formats, and they don't stay long on a site running archaic software. I'm sure people have left this site because the old software we run frustrates them.
3) The leadership of a forum changes. I've been on forums where the owner clearly lost interest, and the staff ended up getting out of control... or being fully absent. The aforementioned hondahookup.com is a good example of that. The owner is never around, posts made in the mod/admin forum go ignored, and the majority of the sections go unmoderated. I'm the only moderator of the Accord subforum, and I'm there MAYBE once a month cleaning up the place. When the leadership stops caring, the forum loses direction.
This forum suffers from that a bit as well. I don't drive this place with the same degree of enthusiasm as accordtunerx (the founder) did back in his day. However, that enthusiasm was easier to maintain with a smaller forum... one that is lacking our current expansive knowledge base, and one occupied by enthusiasts with similar goals and budgets.
4) The rules become too strict. This is something I noticed on DSMtuners that their list of rules is rather daunting... and at least the last time I looked, the enforcing of those rules was done mercilessly. I feel this is a good thing, though I can see how it would deter many potential members. I've gotten a fair amount of criticism for the way this site is run... with the Beginner Forum requirements and the lockdown of the Classifieds... but the function seems to outweigh the issues created... so I feel my designs are doing what I intended them to do.

[bobbycos]

when i first joined cb7t, i was told about by a member of superhonda.com which now has fizzled to the point the one other guy and me are the only ones that will actually post there nonwithstanding the spammers/advertisers.

i have found a few new cb owners that join up there and i tell them about us


as far as mom&pop style forums, i belong to elantraclub.com wchich is run by a guy named mitch and he is doing his best to not let it go under

elantraxd.com is a corporate forum with the same template as hondahookup.com

for kicks/giggles i tried to buy the domain of mycb7 but was told that is was owned already

as i have said before I don't facebook or twitter so i am out of that category and i still am the type to read a manual and twist a wrench

[illinois_erik]

This boards way better than Facebook or other media access portals..for this specific chassis. But forums are probably going the way of the BBS unfortunately . Id be interested in a spanning DVD backup of the site if the plug is ever close to being pulled.

[bobbycos]

i see that there are chassis specific forums for cars of all ages including my 1976 Cosworth Vega of which there are maybe and i mean maybe 200 of the cars still registered in the U.S. out of 3508 produced

[Accord problems]

But in time once they realize that they are getting advice from a 12 year old that heard it from his brother's friend " that heard it from a friend" that don't even own a car and they still can't start there's . they fined there way here and enjoy the people and environment or just some kid trolling because they can't comprehend what they are being told to check . so they throw a 2 year old fit leave go back to face book / my space get it wrong again / brake the car more then come back and fined the problem .

[bobbycos]

or get all upset/butthurt and just get rid of the car and complain how the car is just crappy to begin with

some people will never learn

[toycar]

Interesting opinions.



I figure its related to the whole "look at me" thing, and then once the newness wears off or they ruffle some feathers they jump ship.


Curious how many new members we get a month vs active users posting.


It seems like when people do something that matters, all sorts of people crawl out of the woodwork to put their two cents in on the matter-which gives the impression the views are there, just not the posts.


i dunno.


I wonder what others think...

[bobbycos]

some people get into the import car and forum thing thinking that they can be "Fast n Furious" on a budget

i have asked a few members "how long have they been working on cars?"

i have gotten interesting answers

certain forums will survive ,others will perish

it just depends on the true active members

[XCRN]

If a forum did well during it's existence, it would become an archive of knowledge. Reading some of the beginner posts they say they have been lurking around before joining and they needed some information they could not find. I did that and I found this site because I would google "90 accord how to..." and first few results were this site and Honda-Tech.

[deevergote]

Most good forums usually end up being an archive, and then thriving on the sense of community. As long as new people keep coming into the active community, the forum will stay active... long after the bulk of the new discoveries have been made.

This forum is pretty much there now. If you search, you can find most of what you need to do the majority of the most common engine swaps. Information regarding the most common suspension components is easy to find and understand. All common paint codes are documented. Wheels, brakes, body parts, electronics, etc... all covered. Very little new stuff is to left to add, aside from creative custom conversions.

At this point, all we can do is ask questions to help clarify the old info, post pictures to show off our projects (many of which are still worth looking at, despite the people with $500 beaters), buy/sell/trade parts, and plan meets. Beyond that, we can pal around in the OT sections, talking about nonsense with people that might eventually evolve into friends.
I have a number of CB7tuner people that I've never met in person that I consider to be friends on some level. Not best friends, perhaps... but people that I can talk to about random things, as I would my real-life friends.

That real sense of community is something that I think only a forum like this can provide. There's little "community pride" in the corporate forums, and despite displaying real names and profile pictures, Facebook remains rather... faceless.
I feel that as long as that community sense is preserved, the forum will never truly fade away. It may slow, the population may dwindle... but I don't imagine it will ever cease to exist.

[Honda_Lady]

-- The leadership of a forum changes. I've been on forums where the owner clearly lost interest

I know of a forum that is a good example of this one. he lost interest because him and his girlfriend had started it and he couldn't go back when they broke up, the other "co-administrator" then took over and destroyed the forum, chasing everyone off and removing admin/mod privileges from those the former owner had given to them. I won't mention any names or the name of the forum.

[wed3k]

i know the norcal section fizzled out. if you don't have someone that is willing to collaborate and get everyone together then people just move on.

i used to setup a few deals but nowadays im just too busy considering i practically work everyday and i don't even own a honda.

[h22sparkle]

Usually what it is on forums people move on and the newcomers do hop aboard but there's not enough to keep the scene alive when it was live. Now the scene is dead a majority of the topics about cars are already covered.

Even though it's there as far as the information and proof to support the theories on cars not a lot people see it or enforce it on what it is so you have a lot of people either lost or pick up and move to something else. Its like a phase it comes and it goes. The scene lives on though its more low-key and quiet.

[deevergote]

The car companies also seem to be responding quite well to the market's desire for affordable sporty cars.
Right now, you can spend $20,000 and get a new or nearly new car that offers considerable performance... right out of the box. Many of those cars can be taken back to the dealer for upgrades.

Because affordable performance cars have come such a long way, old "enthusiast" cars are likely getting less popular. Serious projects are less common, and fewer newer enthusiasts are actually looking to modify and customize old cars. With fewer enthusiasts about to participate in forum discussions, the forum activity drops drastically.

Back in the early days of internet forums, everyone was learning about all the fancy JDM parts, super-expensive race parts, etc... Now, those parts are usually common knowledge, or they're so old and rare that finding them is impossible.
Back in those days, people would get excited about a 5hp gain. These days, people take their factory turbo car back to the dealer, throw money at them, and walk out later that afternoon with an extra 50-100hp.

Not saying that the enthusiasts aren't still out there, turning their own wrenches... but the naive, innocent forum dwellers of a decade ago are a dying breed.