Why is the Class B forum so dead?

I just got my B (1999 American Cruiser) in October and used this forum to find folks who had owned the same brand/model. One of them connected me to another forum that is only for B owners and I joined it as well. I cross post general questions to multiple forums and I message the folks who are specifically familiar with my camper for specific questions.

I can't understand the pouncing that happens some times and I have never written a post that has been closed by a moderator.

I use this and other forums as a means to learn new things/have my questions answered, connect with other folks who have an interest in camping, and to entertain myself. I appreciate the folks who provide the service and everyone who provides the content here!

If you used the Facebook Groups app on an iPhone you could discover how easy it is to read and post to groups of your choice on Facebook and completely ignore the trappings of The rest of Facebook. Any message board that requires you to reference or link photos in a message or have to use BBC code is antiquated and more user unfriendly.

The Pleasureway group and the seemingly many Roadtrek groups have many daily postings. There are many groups for just about all aspects of Class Bs, brands, topics, etc. it is jus a matter of picking and choosing. You can even follow what "B"ing in an Advanced RV is all about. I never thought an iPhone could be a better message board reading device than a computer but it is getting there.

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

Everything is down.
I belong to another non-rving website and it's down in participation big time.
Not sure what the cause is but remember we are just a small percentage of the RVs world. There are not that many people that want a RV the size of a Class B. I would think that they appeal more to single people rather than the family group.

Admin w/2 cats :)

I joined up a while ago but never posted anything until now. Sportsmobile owner since last August. Never had any RV related problems but this forum is full of good reading. I looked for the most active "B" forum and joined up here, but it does seem slow'ish.

Just posting now to keep it alive :D

I'll throw out a couple possibilities:

1. There is a difference between campers and RVers. The majority of B owners fall into the camper category; the majority of posters on RV.net fall into the RVer category. New B folks come online and are active for a while, but realize that other than getting technical answers, there isn't much discussion about their interest in camping, so they wander away.

2. With the popularity of Facebook, Twitter, etc., people don't communicate the same way online. Forums like this were built to be discussion centers based around a subject in common. Facebook, Twitter, etc. were built to tell the world what you think and get validation (likes, retweets, etc.). Fewer and fewer folks are interested in discussions so they only come around if they have a specific question or aren't getting enough validation from their usual haunts (e.g., the first post complaining about a product, business, person).

Well, at least *this* topic is generating a little traffic! ;)

Not to doubt the OP, but does RV.Net compile data on the number of topics, post & views over time? It'd be interesting to know how recent years compare to a decade or so back, if that info could be shared.

In any event, the Forum is also useful to those who don't post topics or comments. I lurked here fairly regularly for years as I approached retirement and considered whether the Class B adventure would be for me. Since buying a B & joining the forum, I've also enjoyed many threads where I wasn't in a position to add anything. Even if the quantity is lower these days, the quality of the Forum seems pretty good.

On Moderation - it is a thankless task, no doubt. Difficult to do just right with so many opinions as to what that would be. I'm pretty tolerant of "conversational style" posts that may drift a bit off-topic over time - a poster can always return to the original topic if he/she feels there is more to be said. Others apparently prefer a tighter, more limited discussion. Something to be said for each approach, and I'm content to leave it to the discretion of the moderator.

rtz549 wrote:
I'd say it's the proliferation and commonplace of $100,000+ Class B's. Same thing has happened to the truck camper market too(They aren't cheap anymore).

I'm sure both the Class B and TC manufacturers are wondering "what happened to our market?" Priced themselves out of their own markets.

I think you're probably on to something. I actually would like to have something like a class b for road trips. Nothing to big but bigger than a car with some comforts. BUT if I wanted to pay 100k or more I'll just get a class C or go all out with a class A DP.

It's hard for me to see a lot of value with the current class B's available.

I've observed the same thing as you guys. My forum's software is quaint too and there's also a lot of competition for the same readership. I don't like FB and don't participate on it. I prefer these types of boards.