Why is the Class B forum so dead?
I recall it being a lot busier in the past. Is it the season or something else?
Forum Discussion
First of all, I sold my B eleven months ago. We loved it! We had three of them over the years and now we have a small Class C. So, with a foot in both worlds, I offer a few thoughts.
1. When I joined this B forum it had a loyal and very helpful small group of participants. We stayed on topic for the thread. Roger moderated it for years very effectively. There was almost never anything but courtesy displayed by all the posters and we drew understanding and knowledge from one another. It was a lot of fun. Heck, I had dial up when I joined! We had one bad player that just drove us all nuts over her Roadtrek and she was soon off the boards.
2. The B world was mostly older folks. Yes, there were a few younger ones but mostly "upper middle age" and older guys. I was in my 50s when I joined and was one of the younger kids. Now, just as others have said, Facebook and the other social media sites have just about taken over. Some of us (me included) have absolutely no intention of using those services for a variety of reasons. Younger folks are buying Bs. They love the social media sites and find forums like this "antiquated". I have an Iphone, IPad, PC and a laptop. I use them all but I still like the feel and screen of the the PC. I guess I am antiquated. Younger folks mostly approach their RVs very differently.
3. Bs were more than transportation for most of us. They were an experience machine and a hobby. Now, I think a lot of the purchasers just use them and forget them. We love our RVs and still do. Whether it was one of my Roadtreks, my old Intervec Horizon or my current Phoenix Cruiser.....I mess with them, modify them, customize them, enjoy them. My wife claims I dream about them and she is right. So, others like me flocked to these forums. Now, to most, they are just another toy in their toy box.
4. OK. I now have a Class C and "don't belong" on the B Forum. I read all the rv.net forums and the B forum seems to often exhibit a sense of purity and exclusiveness that I suspect many find a little put offish. For example (please forgive me for using this term), new posters use the hated B+ term and are pounced upon with the vigor of a waiting mountain lion. Now, we all know the umpteen million comments that there is no such thing, that it is a marketing gimic word (as I recall it originated with Gulfstream and the BT Cruiser about 2002 or 2003...feel free to pounce if that is the least bit in error). But that kind of intellectual purity message is often delivered pretty harshly on this forum.
So, society has changed. Those that own Bs have changed. Ten years ago, I seem to remember that the B forum was pretty busyin the winter. We would chat about our upcoming trips, share, modify, enjoy, talk about spring and good weather. Jut a few thoughts on a cold winter day, snowing in Oklahoma City and my workshop is calling.
Paul
1. When I joined this B forum it had a loyal and very helpful small group of participants. We stayed on topic for the thread. Roger moderated it for years very effectively. There was almost never anything but courtesy displayed by all the posters and we drew understanding and knowledge from one another. It was a lot of fun. Heck, I had dial up when I joined! We had one bad player that just drove us all nuts over her Roadtrek and she was soon off the boards.
2. The B world was mostly older folks. Yes, there were a few younger ones but mostly "upper middle age" and older guys. I was in my 50s when I joined and was one of the younger kids. Now, just as others have said, Facebook and the other social media sites have just about taken over. Some of us (me included) have absolutely no intention of using those services for a variety of reasons. Younger folks are buying Bs. They love the social media sites and find forums like this "antiquated". I have an Iphone, IPad, PC and a laptop. I use them all but I still like the feel and screen of the the PC. I guess I am antiquated. Younger folks mostly approach their RVs very differently.
3. Bs were more than transportation for most of us. They were an experience machine and a hobby. Now, I think a lot of the purchasers just use them and forget them. We love our RVs and still do. Whether it was one of my Roadtreks, my old Intervec Horizon or my current Phoenix Cruiser.....I mess with them, modify them, customize them, enjoy them. My wife claims I dream about them and she is right. So, others like me flocked to these forums. Now, to most, they are just another toy in their toy box.
4. OK. I now have a Class C and "don't belong" on the B Forum. I read all the rv.net forums and the B forum seems to often exhibit a sense of purity and exclusiveness that I suspect many find a little put offish. For example (please forgive me for using this term), new posters use the hated B+ term and are pounced upon with the vigor of a waiting mountain lion. Now, we all know the umpteen million comments that there is no such thing, that it is a marketing gimic word (as I recall it originated with Gulfstream and the BT Cruiser about 2002 or 2003...feel free to pounce if that is the least bit in error). But that kind of intellectual purity message is often delivered pretty harshly on this forum.
So, society has changed. Those that own Bs have changed. Ten years ago, I seem to remember that the B forum was pretty busyin the winter. We would chat about our upcoming trips, share, modify, enjoy, talk about spring and good weather. Jut a few thoughts on a cold winter day, snowing in Oklahoma City and my workshop is calling.
Paul
