Death of The Forum

"MattViramontes" (mcv858) 07/06/2016 at 20:51 • Filed to: None

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Over the last few years I have watch the online automotive community slowly change. Recently I have noticed more and more people moving from forums to social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. While at first I was ok with this, it got rid of a lot of the lazy ass newbs and wannabe cheap ass flush kids. Which for me was a nice change, from having to tell people to use the search function. It was also nice to be able to log on and not have to see five different post about what’s the widest wheel and tire combo I can fit on my car or what power mod should I do first, intake or exhaust. To which I would almost always respond with get some good tires, brakes, and suspension first; then let’s talk about power, but I digress. Anyways, back to the topic at hand.

Like I said, at first I was ok with this. I was one of those that made that the jump to Facebook. Hell, I mean who wouldn’t want to have the ability to make a group public or private so you don’t have as many trolls. And let’s face it; social media makes it easier to sell something on. You don’t have to know any HTML or tricks to post videos or photos, which I know for a lot of people was way difficult (wink wink).

But as time went on I started to find some things were not as easy. I mean, yeah, social media was great for getting a pic of someone in case they ripped you off on a sale. It made it easier to know what a troll really looked like in real life; they aren’t all fat jackasses that sit behind a keyboard all day, well, for the most part. But what I did notice was that while there may be a search on Facebook and Instagram, it’s way too broad. You can’t narrow it to one topic; gone are the days where you could search by engine and chassis codes. And let’s not forget regional for sale threads. Yeah, we still have them to some extent on Facebook, but there are so many sub groups, each with their own for sale section. I have a hard time remembering where I have or haven’t posted an item for sale.

The one thing I found myself missing the most were the super long threads. You remember those: they were the threads that were 30+ pages long about one topic. Now while some of these were completely useless crap, some were build threads, chronicling one person’s journey with their car, which I sorely miss reading. These threads were also DIY’s, reviews/opinions, and meet threads. While some people will say, “good, who the hell wants to read through 30+ pages of crap to find some information.” Well, what you are failing to see is that information could have saved you money and a headache from buying some cheap parts or trying and failing to install something, or even worse, messing your car up altogether. Instead what we now have is automotive enthusiasts looking for that instant gratification and going out and buying a set of Racelands or some other cheap ass part because it was the first thing someone on Facebook told them or recommended to them.

The other and even more troubling thing is the effect I have seen on the local car groups meet threads. Meets were where you went to meet new people and talk about cars on monthly or even weekly bases. Now I have seen these go from 20 to 30+ people a night, to a pitiful 5 or 6 people on a given night, because people don’t know they are going on or where it is. And even if someone made a post about it on Facebook or took a quick pic when they got to the meet and put it on Instagram, there is no guarantee that everyone will see it in their feed in time to go, or even see the post at all.

With this recent migration, I have watched sites like Hondatech, NASIOC, Club4ag and many others recently turn into a wasteland with little to no activity on them. These sites that were once the lifeblood for many of us in the car world are now going very quiet, or disappearing all together. With the recent death of most print magazines over the last few years, forums look to be next on the block. I hope for next generation of car enthusiast that this is not true.

mazda616 > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 20:55

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I joined about 10 or so automotive forums in 2005 when I was about to turn 16. Loved them. They were a great community. But you’re right, they’re literally almost all gone now. It’s sad.

LongbowMkII > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 20:57

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Many many forum posts. *sigh*

I didn’t bother with car groups on Facebook. No coherence.

interstate366, now In The Industry > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 20:57

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Forums are great for obscure cars. Prelude forums have become ghost towns in the past few years, but they have a wealth of information you don’t see in social media.

RallyWrench > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 20:57

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Spot on. So many great forums over the years have gone by the wayside, including two local car clubs for me, because they moved to Facebook, which I still have no use for.

shop-teacher > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 21:08

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I joined the Impala SS forum when I got the Roadmaster last year. There’s still a lot of information on there ... But not too many people.

LongbowMkII > shop-teacher 07/06/2016 at 21:12

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I find info on there but it all seems to be dated to like 2008.

A lot of forums will stop having their servers paid for then *poof*

Dave the car guy , still here > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 21:13

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For those that thought VBulletin forums were the cool way to go, I think its what has in the end killed forums along with the fact that there are so many social media ventures to choose from. The old Kawf forum had continuity and a steady time line. Its still used for a few forums and I’m on two private ones and one public that spun off from Audiworld when they adapted VBulletin. We still have active forums but for the two we went pretty much private with no advertising and went member supported to prevent corporate greed intervention. It works, I have a place I can consult knowledgeable friends on car repairs in real time. Its great not to have to wait a month before somebody finds my thread and gives a half ass answer that’s no help at all.

Sneaky Pete > interstate366, now In The Industry 07/06/2016 at 21:15

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Preludeonline.com is dead. Died a sad death after :malken: sold it.

Hondaprelude.com is long dead and disappeared from the interwebnets. That site was the shit for looking up other people’s cars to see what mods they had done.

Viperalley is alive and well. Driveviper is as well. VCA is dying a slow death.

lone_liberal > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 21:18

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I noticed this on the nasty28 forum the other day. I popped in for the first time in a while to see if anybody was selling parts to get an idea what I should ask for some stuff I have laying around. It was a relative ghost town. That was always the best second gen Camaro page around.

Urambo Tauro > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 21:23

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I don’t have Facebook, so I don’t have an opinion about it.

But I’ve had good experience with forums. Every time I get a new (to me) vehicle, I find a forum or two to join. I run a search for “[name of car] forums” and sign up for whichever one (or two) has the most members.

shop-teacher > LongbowMkII 07/06/2016 at 21:27

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Apparently the servers crashed some years back and lost a ton of posts, and it never really recovered. Every single photo seems to be gone from every post I’ve looked at.

gawdzillla > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 21:32

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this is very true actually, sad

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 21:40

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I’m both (JukeFourms.com, and Nissan Juke Owners Group on FB). I find JukeFourms is smaller for more knowledgeable. NJOG is the opposite, and full of keyboard warriors. It should be renamed Nissan Juke NISMO Owner Group, when ever someone posts a non NISMO Juke they get grilled for not getting a NISMO. A post the Fourm might get 3 replies in a hour if you are lucky vs. on the FB group a post get 20 comments within a hour of it being posted.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Sneaky Pete 07/06/2016 at 21:40

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I think PreludePower is the only one that still has a decent amount of traffic. PreludeZone is a ghost town. Most of the FB-based groups focus on stance and other stuff I don’t care about, and the Virginia Prelude group is a farce. There used to be lots of big meets in this area: East Coast Prelude Meet was held at the beach (first at OBX, then Virginia Beach), and there was a Skyline Drive meet at a campground near Charlottesville. (Despite VA’s reputation here, we never had any trouble with police.) Both just dried up out of nowhere 2-3 years ago.

Sneaky Pete > interstate366, now In The Industry 07/06/2016 at 21:47

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What about NTPOG, are they still around? I’d never even heard of those other Prelude sites you listed...then again, I was in the Prelude scene about 15 years ago. Wow, that makes me feel older than hell!

interstate366, now In The Industry > Sneaky Pete 07/06/2016 at 21:57

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Not sure about NTPOG. The FB-based group BB Alliance is based out of San Antonio and has lots of Texas-based members, though. I was in it before I shut off my Facebook a couple years ago, but I was starting to feel like I wasn't welcome because my cars weren't trendy enough. Other than a couple guys in Delaware who helped me with my 5th gen's motor swap I rarely talk to anyone from any of the forums or groups anyway.

Scary__goongala! > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 22:09

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I’m sure this is not a surprise but Miata.net is going strong.

BigBlock440 > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 22:20

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I don’t know if that makes me happy or sad that the one forum I used to frequent also falls under that category. Happy because it’s not alone, sad because it seems to be a trend and there’s nothing that can really be done to prevent it. Forums have so much more knowledge and helpful tips/hints than anything I’ve seen yet, it’s sad to see them go. Even sadder knowing I don’t frequent them like I used to and am partly contributing. It’s not social media though, I don’t use those groups, just got busy with life.

ChrisGTOTT > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 22:34

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You make good points, but to me the death of the forums started when they became over monetized and several large forums were bought out, by the likes of autoguide.

sdwarf36 > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 23:37

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It even has happened to small groups. Our hillclimb club’s forum is barely used anymore. I avoided Facebook like the plague -but had to sign on because thats where all the communication moved to.

TC-Ruu > MattViramontes 07/06/2016 at 23:55

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To be fair, NASIOC killed them selves with their own hubris long before any of this occurred. Not every car community died because of Facebook or social media, and certainly not Nasty Sock. Some of them died because their user bases turned into a bunch of elitist pricks that stopped being inclusive and welcoming to genuinely new members.

npc58501 > interstate366, now In The Industry 07/07/2016 at 00:37

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My Ford Cmax hybrid is kinda considered an obscure car in the US, frankly an obscure hybrid (diesel model in the EU is common as hell). The forum’s members consists of what seems to be every owner in the US and information on there has saved my ass a few times working through the few trouble spots with the car.

BAM- Before Anything Melts > MattViramontes 07/07/2016 at 01:14

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Call me a luddite... CarThrottle is quite literally cancer. The forum was and is a good tool where you’d have a good chat here and there, getting fantastic info and help along the way. Social media envelops your life and may help you out with real world stuff if you have a lot of good karma and the like.

Nauraushaun > MattViramontes 07/07/2016 at 07:34

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Facebook was always a terrible platform. You get more kids and assholes because the forum is a quick search away from a page everyone is on every day. You have no moderators or control, the search sucks. There’s no history - the only thing you really do want.

Facebook is made as a social media platform, where old news is useless, new news is the only thing that matters, and the only detail you get is in links to external sites. This is not what you want for a car forum.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > MattViramontes 07/07/2016 at 08:34

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I havent been on the forums in a long time. I used to post whore a ton, and chime in on useful information as well from time to time. To be fair though, I haven’t joined the FB “forums” either.

MattViramontes > TC-Ruu 07/07/2016 at 11:37

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True I agree with some of what you are saying

MattViramontes > interstate366, now In The Industry 07/07/2016 at 11:45

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That sucks big meets are always one of my favorit thing to go to especially ones that were put together by a community and not run by a corporation looking to make a buck like all the stupid fest ones popping up now.

BayAreaMiataBoi > Scary__goongala! 07/07/2016 at 23:11

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Miata.net is indeed still going strong. I am looking at the “What did you do to your NB Miata today” entries (980 pages worth!) for ideas, and found:
(1) An inexpensive dog-leash strap idea to make it easier to raise and lover the convertible top.
(2) A suggestion to paint the centers of the rotors matte black to match the aftermarket wheels instead of using those delicate and hard-to-order Konig hub caps.
(3) Another suggestion for painting the calipers aluminum/silver instead of red, yellow, or black, like everyone else.
I would say that not all of the forums are dead yet. . .

JRC99 forgot his burner key > BAM- Before Anything Melts 07/12/2016 at 11:19

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I abhor Car Throttle. It’s a bunch of idiots who think they know everything attacking one another for personal preference.

AfromanGTO > MattViramontes 07/12/2016 at 11:22

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I have noticed this as well, but the interesting thing I have noticed is that people are starting to come back to the forums. I notice a lot of newer join dates on the LS1GTO, and they are coming from the facebook groups. The facebook groups are great for looking at pictures and getting ideas, but you are correct there’s no real way to search within the group.

Forums though still are a form of social media, and most people forget that.

daender > BayAreaMiataBoi 07/27/2016 at 20:02

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I know the first two as soon as I read it. doane2u really knocked it out of the park with the dog leash idea to help with soft top deployment.