Where have all the members gone on this forum?

[Thunder_Mountai]

Couldn't figure any other place to ask this question... I've been here since 2005. Have no idea how many posts I've done during that time. Back a several years ago I could ask a question about something and get numerous answers quickly. In the last couple of years I've noticed a very real decline in the activity on RV.NET. So, where has everybody gone? Other forums, Facebook, etc.

[fj12ryder]

pianotuna wrote:

DallasSteve wrote:
I may be wrong but it seemed like the personal attacks in posts here increased a lot during the Covid-19 panic of 2020 with people getting very emotional over their opinion on that subject. I won't comment further to not stir up that hornet's nest.

And the attacks are not limited to new members. For the first time ever after all my years here I've had to block someone. I'm now considering adding another person to that block. It makes me wary of offering help to other members.

"Illegitimi non carborundum".

[pianotuna]

DallasSteve wrote:
I may be wrong but it seemed like the personal attacks in posts here increased a lot during the Covid-19 panic of 2020 with people getting very emotional over their opinion on that subject. I won't comment further to not stir up that hornet's nest.

And the attacks are not limited to new members. For the first time ever after all my years here I've had to block someone. I'm now considering adding another person to that block. It makes me wary of offering help to other members.

[shelbyfv]

Caveman Charlie wrote:

shelbyfv wrote:
FWIW, there is an "Old-Biscuit" on IRV2. OK forum if you can stomach a heavy dose of politics.

No I can't. Thanks for letting me know. I won't be checking that out.

Yep. They are running hard with one now, two pages in two days, complaining about having to look at poor/unfortunate folks when they are out and about. Disguised as yet another "gas" thread. The sense of entitlement is astounding.

[Diamond_c]

I haven’t been here very long,just a few years. I just don’t post very often.but I do cruise through just about every day.

[B_O__Plenty]

I've been here a long time just don't post much. Been camping over 40 years and just don't have many questions anymore.

B.O.

[Caveman_Charlie]

shelbyfv wrote:
FWIW, there is an "Old-Biscuit" on IRV2. OK forum if you can stomach a heavy dose of politics.

No I can't. Thanks for letting me know. I won't be checking that out.

[dedmiston]

2112 wrote:
It started before the pandemic. It may have become a bit more aggressive and certainly more politically motivated during lockdown.

We had a newbie yesterday ask if diesels generally require upgraded suspensions in order to handle well on the road in the Class A section. He spent a lot of coin getting his gasser suspension stable. The first few replies were so negative and snarky they were deleted. I'll be surprised if the newbie returns. It's cr@p like this that turns most people away.

Of course he's referring to a diesel Class A, he's posting in the Class A forum.

I saw that and I thought it was pretty shocking. The first response asked for a bunch of clarification about whether it was a towable or a moho...but the question was in Class A. C'mon man. And then another regular chimed in with his typical snark. It was so disappointing.

[2112]

It started before the pandemic. It may have become a bit more aggressive and certainly more politically motivated during lockdown.

We had a newbie yesterday ask if diesels generally require upgraded suspensions in order to handle well on the road in the Class A section. He spent a lot of coin getting his gasser suspension stable. The first few replies were so negative and snarky they were deleted. I'll be surprised if the newbie returns. It's cr@p like this that turns most people away.

Of course he's referring to a diesel Class A, he's posting in the Class A forum.

[dedmiston]

DallasSteve wrote:
I may be wrong but it seemed like the personal attacks in posts here increased a lot during the Covid-19 panic of 2020 with people getting very emotional over their opinion on that subject. I won't comment further to not stir up that hornet's nest.

I agree 100%. And it wasn't just arguing over the pandemic either. The lockdown frustrated a lot of people and the tone of their posts got mean and bitter. I'm not sure we've completely recovered from that yet either.

I think we all miss the good old days when we could just post about camping and camaraderie and ask questions about WD hitches and dumping our tanks.

I think a lot of the old timers have also forgotten what it was like to be new and have a million questions. Folks aren't as eager to be helpful like the previous generation of experienced campers were. Instead they tell the newcomers to use the Search and they shame folks for asking something that's been asked a million times before. If the topic is so worn out and we all have so much muscle memory around it, then why isn't it more simple to just type out a helpful answer for the millionth time instead of shaming the ones who asked the question?

To avoid being called a hypocrite though, there's a very experienced senior member who will surely jump in with his counter argument since I've deleted every one of his troll responses to this thread. A few years ago he posted one of the dumbest questions I've ever seen here and he's experienced enough to know better. The crowd jumped on him like raw meat and I ended up closing his thread (not deleting it) to make the noise go away. He's never forgiven me and takes every opportunity to take pot shots at me. He's Sideshow Bob and I'm his Bart Simpson.

My only point with that is that sometimes "dumb questions" transcend the newbie stuff and enter the realm of the trolls. This shouldn't discourage us from offering a hand to the newcomers though, because they deserve the same experience that the rest of us got when we started out.

[DallasSteve]

I may be wrong but it seemed like the personal attacks in posts here increased a lot during the Covid-19 panic of 2020 with people getting very emotional over their opinion on that subject. I won't comment further to not stir up that hornet's nest.

[AllegroD]

blofgren wrote:

dedmiston wrote:

IAMICHABOD wrote:
Also Old Biscuit,when going to his profile it says"member could not be found" Did he pizz off the wrong person and get banned again or was taken out by mistake like last time?

He quit the forum and asked to have his account removed about a year ago.

That's truly a shame; I really enjoyed his many very informative posts. 😞

I too benefited and enjoyed Chris Bryant's posts. His request to be deactivated/deleted speaks volumes.

[dave54]

Too many other RV forums. I get confused on which thread is where and when I visited them last.

[Wanderlost]

I'm still here. I prefer here to over there, since most of the threads I read tend to stick to RV subjects. Don't post as often, since we aren't going anywhere, but I do like being here.

[2112]

Old-Biscuit is actively sharing his wealth of knowledge elsewhere. It wouldn't be difficult to find him.

[shelbyfv]

FWIW, there is an "Old-Biscuit" on IRV2. OK forum if you can stomach a heavy dose of politics.