Are RV forums dying?

[holstein13]

Seems to me we get less and less participation in this forum each year:

[Gene_Ginny]

2oldman wrote:

Gene&Ginny wrote:

holstein13 wrote:
Seems to me we get less and less participation in this forum each year:...

I wonder, 5 pages in under 5 hours. :h

x2

I think the forum seems quite alive. And this thread is going guns!

YUP!, now 28 hours and 11 pages. :C :B

[jetcare]

jarata1 wrote:
There are a few people on this board that seem to only make wise cracks, wish they would just keep comments to themselves I think they know who they are

I really appreciate the Block Member feature. I only have 6 people on the list but they show up (as blocked) on many of the posts I read. They usually have nothing of value to add.

[4X4Dodger]

toedtoes wrote:

tpi wrote:

I also agree with many of the posters who have said the forum software is getting long in the tooth. I'd love to see better searching, ability to like posts, ability to upvote and downvote posts, iOS or Android app integration, better highlighting of new posts, etc.

This.. if the posts can be upvoted/downvoted, liked etc. that could help the tenor of the forum. Upvote someone who's put a lot of thought into a helpful reply. Downvote sarcastic, grouchy, petty, unhelpful, etc.

If there is a problem attracting new users, then I would say the first place to look is the old, grumpy, and conservative angle-and try to minimize it somehow. Maybe some kind of free for all forum to divert it to. But if you can interact and don't have a thin skin, there is a lot of good here!

Great idea in concept - not so great in reality. In reality, people don't vote in an unbiased manner. They vote according to their biases. That means when someone like WesternRVParkOwner makes a quality, informative post, it will be "downvoted" because people won't like his park owner viewpoint regardless of how pertinent and how much thought was put in his post (let alone how accurate his information is). Instead, the posts that reiterate the "popular" or "cliche approved" opinion will get upvoted. And, yes, even those sarcastic, grouchy, petty, unhelpful posts will get upvoted because the poster once gave helpful advice.

As for updating the software, sounds like an easy solution. Except for the fact that updating software pisses people off (no matter how much they complain about the current software). 90% of the users will complain about the new software during the first 90 days. They will rant and whine and threaten to leave because "you were supposed to make it better and now I can't do X like I did before". For every thing the new software makes better, there will be something changed that people don't like. And they will have to voice that dislike ad nauseum.

I agree 100% with your take on the voting. It is a BAD idea. People will vote their biases and prejudices and alternative or opposing views will not be heard.

One or two moderators have their own "cheering sections" friends that lambast anyone who dare to call attention to bad or questionable moderation and I can see that turning into a revenge sort of vote.

And lastly any post voting system would only create a Chilling effect for new members wanting to post or those that disagree with some of the "OLD TIMERS".

As for the software let them complain it needs to be updated. I am sure people complained when we went from the crank telephone to the dial type too. Those will be the Luddites among us and their comfort level should not necessarily be the deciding factor.

[dave54]

The Forest Service, National Parks Service, BLM, et al have done the surveys ad nauseum. Yes, campers are overwhelmingly white. Ethnic minorities are underrepresented. As you get deeper into the backcountry and more remote campsites with fewer amenities people get whiter.
Not only are most campers white, they are predominantly of western European ancestry, eastern Europeans are underrepresented. This is holding true even into the third and subsequent generations where you would think they are fully assimilated, so it is not just a residual cultural thing from the old country.

The government has launched programs and initiatives to get more minorities participating in outdoor recreation, with little success.

No one is sure why.

[JiminDenver]

I live in a very diverse area, I see everyone camping.

Sometimes threads take on a life of their own and while you think you are opening a thread on one thing, you get another. Sometimes it is better that portion be of it own thread so that the info on another subject is accessible via its thread title. Otherwise we would have long threads spanning many subjects and you could not find anything if you were not a continual participant.

[n7bsn]

Fire Instructor wrote:
Go back in history.... (No, not too far... LOL)
Forums, in many cases replaced "list servers", where emails were shared with larger groups. ....

Actually Good Sam had an e-mail list before this web forum

[wnjj]

Naio wrote:

LOL :B

Somebody upthread accused me of assuming everyone here is white. I don't assume that, but I do think most people here are.

If I am wrong, then yes, that is racist of me -- to think that a certain cultural vibe must be white.

I'd like to know the facts if anyone has them.

So you think it's the case and don't have the facts. How is that not an assumption?

:h 😉

[tpi]

mockturtle wrote:
I see people of all ethnic groups camping but I don't think camping is quite as popular among nonwhite cultures.

Probably especially if you get away from areas like southern CA. And time constricted like weekdays when likely only retirees are out. Here, locally on weekends it really is pretty cool all the demographics out camping, both in tents and RVs. Latinos, Asians, gays/lesbians. Often quite a young crowd even in RVs. Lots of festive beach camping. Almost all having fun in the outdoors and not causing any issues at all. African Americans may be underrepresented in my area for camping. For what it is worth I do think many of these people are not posting on rvnet. Could be my area is just unique.

[mockturtle]

I see people of all ethnic groups camping but I don't think camping is quite as popular among nonwhite cultures.

[2oldman]

Naio wrote:
If I am wrong, then yes, that is racist of me -- to think that a certain cultural vibe must be white. I'd like to know the facts if anyone has them.

I see very few blacks camping. Or Chinese, or Japanese... or any other '..ese'

[Naio]

mockturtle wrote:

--Snarky Creepy White Person

LOL :B

Somebody upthread accused me of assuming everyone here is white. I don't assume that, but I do think most people here are.

If I am wrong, then yes, that is racist of me -- to think that a certain cultural vibe must be white.

I'd like to know the facts if anyone has them.

Aside from that, a theme I am seeing in this thread (and elsewhere here) is that there are two main, conflicting, ideas about what a forum should be:

Some people think it should be all facts, question and answer, off-topic posts deleted.

Others think it should be that plus social interaction, opinions, personal stories and experiences.

I think the second option is more fun, myself. But I see the tension between these two viewpoints everywhere in the forum. It may even be the heart of the 'use the search function, newbie' posts.

[hone_eagle]

spud1957 wrote:
I think people are getting tired of the same old rants and same old picture over and over and over........

HAHA I got it

[JiminDenver]

I have to admit I am more likely to just look something up for a quick answer than wait for a reply to a thread. The forum is better for in depth discussion of many opinions on the options and situations available. The devil is in the details and there are a lot of details in the forums even if there are a few devils too.

[Naio]

mockturtle wrote:


--Snarky Creepy White Person

LOL :B

Somebody upthread accused me of assuming everyone here is white. I don't assume that, but I do think most people here are.

If I am wrong, then yes, that is racist of me -- to think that a certain cultural vibe must be white.

I'd like to know the facts if anyone has them.

Aside from that, a theme I am seeing in this thread (and elsewhere here) is that there are two main, conflicting, ideas about what a forum should be:

Some people think it should be all facts, question and answer, off-topic posts deleted.

Others think it should be that plus social interaction, opinions, personal stories and experiences.

I think the second option is more fun, myself. But I see the tension between these two viewpoints everywhere in the forum. It may even be the heart of the 'use the search function, newbie' posts.

[fj12ryder]

mockturtle wrote:

that do not know what a carburator is.

And if they searched for 'carburator' instead of carburetor, what would they get?

--Snarky Creepy White Person

LOL