loads of forums are quiet, why? is facebook killing them off?

magicmat

magicmat

Active Member
Hi all,

a bit of a negative title to the thread but i've noticed a real shift in loads of the forums that i've been visiting after some time away. I wondered if i could bounce my frustration off you all?

I've been out of the car and drift scene for about 4 years but have now returned with a new project (R32).. and in doing so i've been returning to alot of the forums i use to visit, classic mini forums to sell car parts i've been hording, forsale and wanted threads on driftworks, skyline, SXOC sites to buy parts for the skyline but they are all really quiet.

Even the chat pages on here are really quiet, im looking at the threads and on the first page there are threads that are weeks old?

Whats going on?

- is it that we are all having kids so have no time? (i find myself in this boat)

- its summer, so everyone is on their jollies?

or is it facebook which has changed the dynamic?

Is the facebook 'forsale groups' which have taken posts away from the forums? While facebook forsale groups are easier to upload photos to, there about 10 different pages for drift/skyline parts. Making the job of finding parts increasingly hard!

then on the flip side, skyline and mini forums just seem dead empty, is this again due to facebook pages?


I feel like an old man returning to the world, saying whoa :ken: this is not okay !

5212012012910iwsmt.jpg


my gripe list atm is

- there are too many facebook groups to follow
- you cant easily scroll through them
- Photobucket being #$%^#$ have made hosting photos so much harder

and dont get me started on the driftworks parts for sale section, my favourate past time was to browse long lists of wanted parts, just looking to see if there is something nestled in my garage that someone may want ..

but i guess its been combined because there have been so few threads?

.. okay, rant over ... Anyone have any thoughts?
 
Facebook is killing forums, which sucks because the FB groups are terrible for anything other than stuff posted today. Ever tried to go and find a post on FB from a year ago? Guides/info on forums are easy to find and can be referenced by so many easily. Also the new DW forums is great!
 
I don't think Facebook is killing forums per-se, the vast majority of people using these groups you don't want to take advice off anyway.
 
the DW forum is much slimmer than it use to be, and the mobile web version is very good.

I dont like that i no longer have a user control panel were i can see all the threads i've commented on.

Im struggling to see an easy way to see where i've been? so i can go back and comment.

BigJames said:
Facebook is killing forums, which sucks because the FB groups are terrible for anything other than stuff posted today. Ever tried to go and find a post on FB from a year ago? Guides/info on forums are easy to find and can be referenced by so many easily. Also the new DW forums is great!
Click to expand...

I cant find a post from bloody yesterday, its a nightmare

r3k1355 said:
I don't think Facebook is killing forums per-se, the vast majority of people using these groups you don't want to take advice off anyway.
Click to expand...

tons of people that found the forums hard work just dont use them,

they are all on instagram now, or facebook..

just think about it,

you dont have to mess about with photobucket or hosting images, you also dont need a PC ...


But navigating it all is a nightmare
 
Its the way of life,

Idiot teenagers these days think the sun shines out of Apples arsehole, and hence they want everything instant, connected, simple, except that then they wonder how the fuck you do ANYTHING and immediately ask the same questions non stop online like they did on forums.

As said, trying to find any useful information is impossible on failbook and is just full of penises shouting loudly, hopefully the real people understand ths and dont leave forums forever.

J.
 
FB marketplace will kill For Sale / Wanted sections on forums, except for maybe the high-dollar items where you want more certainty on who you're dealing with

But as long as people contribute meaningful, accurate information in the other sections then they will continue to be (and further become) the best source of unbiased information

If you need questions answered, you current options are:

- Post in FB group and get 100 different views, 98 of them wrong and 2 of them asking for bobs and vagene pics
- Ask friends and be hamstrung by their knowledge limit / how many people actually talk to you
- Ask a shop and get sold the most expensive fix that will be fitted incorrectly and you will be blamed for it not working
- Type it into Google in a grammatically correct sentence (ala what people used 7 years ago) and review a selection of forum-based topics over the first 2 or 3 pages
- Navigate the confusing and indecipherable sign up process and structure of forums (sc) and completely ignore the search button
 
To continue (and because this is one of the best topics posted in the last 276 days)

Whilst there isn't a lot of activity on forums these days, there are still huge amount of views on existing threads. S13's, R32's, AE86's, mini's etc have all been around long enough for 97% of all tech questions have been answered already. Many questions have been answered 72 times over

But threads like these, ie discussion threads, are what is lacking

But not just any discussion thread. They need to be meaningful

Not "what is your favourite colour" or "can you give me money for my Bosnian drift career"

I don't care if it's a fad, or a laugh, or a new way to mount tyres, as long as it's not been covered before and not inane. Or about fidget spinners.

I say this very loosely, but forums are the last bastion of intelligent life on the internet. But someone is bound to prove this wrong in three....two....one....
 
I might see if the old doripedia Idea I did would pick up momentum again , and have it for knowledge and info only

Back in the day no one cared but a few.
 
I agree, I work long hours and visiting driftworks on my breaks etc is a good pass time, but it does seem that if I go on here a few days in a row, im just looking at the exact same stuff with no real updates etc, a good/interesting topic of discussion is fun and I also enjoy reading Build threads and technical section just for knowledge really and seeing how people are doing things differently...

Bring back DW :dw::dw:
 
Seems I started a debate !

There's some good points here, yes the forsale and wanted sections will be killed by Facebook mainly, but atm Facebook forsale system isn't as good as a forums, stuff gets lost and everyone is a member of a million for sale threads across the country.

I like the point about most technical questions being answered.

Would just be nice if forums didn't become like a library full of knowledge but no people !
 
It's something that we've obviously battled with for years. Part of it's reduction in use is our own fault as the forum had needed an update for some time, & it always came second to our webshop / business development work during a really busy time for us.
We've still not really done much shouting about this new forum. It's the product of months of work & tens of thousands of pounds, plus it's something we're really proud of so we probably should really :wack: .
The whole redesign was based around making it easier for people to digest content, easier to post, easier to use on your phone, and most importantly easier to post media. So we're now hosting all images ourselves with the easy uploader, we're also converting old images (where they exist) to our own hosting so threads shouldn't lose images in the future.

I don't think we'll ever see use like the old days, but I do think forums still have a place purely because FB is so useless with archiving content & administration of these FB groups is often done by people who just don't get 'it'.
Whether the new updated forum improves use or not, I just hope this place continues to offer guidance where required & ridicule where necessary, as I genuinely believe that over the years, it's had such a positive effect in steering the European drift scene in the correct directions, which Facebook just isn't capable of.
 
DW is bucking the trend by investing in the forum. Fingers crossed other follow suit

Maybe the tools are evolving as a changing of the guard occurs? The next generation prefers the SM platforms rather than the websites of old:

Youtube vlog's replacing Build Threads, FB marketplace replacing the For Sale/Wanted section, IG replacing the Pics section.

The only thing remaining untainted by SM is the Tech sections.

Some would say FB Groups are trying to, but when it comes to Tech problems people still tend to seek out more trusted information sources. There are simply too many trolls and 12yo's on FB groups to take the information seriously

Just because the different SM platforms are replacing aspects of forums it doesn't mean the two can't coexist. The changes to the DW forum to work with SM is something more forums need to do. Ideally you'd like to take it further with the advent of linked/integrated SM platforms: the ability to post something on IG and on the way through the posting process also post to Facey is a great feature.

Imagine being able to post something for sale on FB marketplace, ebay and DW For Sale section, or post a vlog on YouTube, FB and your DW Build Thread, all in the same screen by just selecting or deselecting a button.

Food for thought

(I have a degree in online comms hence why this is interesting to me)
 
Funny subject I've thought the same for some time now, I don't do Facebook or any of the social media sights not my cup of tea

Forums seem to be dead a massive reduction of posts , a great shame and makes me feel old I remember this forum along with others never sleeping , not having time to read all the projects bits for sale and wanted and general banter, I seem to find my self now searching the forums for just a new post

I think you can make a forum the nuts muts with all new age teck but if the people's aren't interested then they just won't come on regardless of how hard it is to upload a pic etc

Phil and team this forum has been a great place to be and you have helped the sport no end the forum may/ will die but the sport will certainly not

Just my thoughts
 
I am only months into drifting and I will say, I would not get anywhere without DW forum. I like how things were already done multiple times, so you are certain when going about doing something yourself.

I am of the generation that still used forums, young ones don't. Then there is also the paradox of forums. You have to contribute to be get the best experience, but at the same time you can't contribute because you are a newb. You try to contribute by saying and you get shut down. You try to contribute by asking and it was already asked, several times.

In the end you don't have that much to write about because since E46 BMW untill GT86 there were no new drift cars (exaggerating) to discover new things about. Facebook with it's instant notifications, PMs and faster picture sharing makes for a better marketplace. And for me personally FB provides THE BEST news feed. What facebook doesn't do as best it could is a calendar. This forum needs a calendar of ALL events. User provided. Even if it is in Bosnia.

I have seen similar happening on another forum about a completely unrelated thing. It slowly started to die. If you posted you were shut down unless your account was really old and had a lot of those ranking points. Discussion threads were only a few pages long. Years ago they were a few dozen pages long. What needed to be said was said on the first page, everything else was people throwing half assed ideas at each other and people shutting them down.

My suggestion, something that would suit me, change the forum into a more car prep, mechanically oriented one. A place where it isn't possible to talk tech, but the only thing that goes on. With people who actually know what they are talking about and even internet celebrities frequently visiting.
 
I genuinely miss how this forum use to be.
I've been on here for just shy of 10 years (fuuuuuck!) and it's unbelievable how quiet this place is now compared to the good ol days.

Every section would be busy.
If you didn't receive a comment on your thread in 1 day then by the next it would be on page 2.

It was a great community of like minded enthusiasts.

R.I.P to the golden years
 
I just joined the forum but have been an avid reader on occasion (asking a question for a project car down the road), but I figured I'll put in my two cents on the matter.

First off, you would be surprised how many people find forums confusing. I always encourage my friends to dig into forums, and at first, they entertain the idea, but once they open the home page and try to create a profile, they get cold feet and give me that "It looks too complex!" look, and they just drop it. I don't blame them; I can see how a forum can be a complex discussion platform for people who open apps that have only 3 buttons and 2 kinds of pages. I know you are all probably scratching your heads, but a forum for people who never used them looks like C++ coding. When I browse the classifieds, people next to me look at me like I'm hacking the Fed Reserve.

Second, people use FB on a daily basis, and so for them, they just think "oh if I post this on a forum no one will reply or they will call me an a retard who cant use the search button", so they just ask away on an FB classifieds page instead of logging in into a forum profile they created 2 years ago to browse the classifieds with a password they forgot and trying to fit the topic/thread where it belongs only to get like 2 replies. It's a vicious cycle.

Everytime I visit a forum these days, I keep realizing that I'm late to the party; almost all of them are dead or are dying slowly. Surprised how you guys are considering this forum is "dead". Would have loved to see it when it was full of life! It's way better than the one's I used to use.
 
I was literally saying this to a few mates a few days ago. Facebook replaced forums but did a terrible job at it.

Forums are nicely laid out. You can actually find stuff. There's a sense of community. FB sucks!!!

I say we should encourage people to go back to using DW forums for anything drift related just like the good old days.
 
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