Facebook killed the Forum Star

Phizinza · Post by **Phizinza** » Tue May 26, 2015 1:12 pm

Has the facebook groups killed the forums? It's so slow on here, my forum and Ultimate Subaru.

I see some positives about using the facebook groups. Such as ease of posting photos and it works much better on a phone than the forums do. But the negatives always outweigh. Archiving is near useless on Facebook. Google doesn't index the groups so it's almost impossible you find a previously answered question, this leads to the same questions being asked every week and no way of just easily linking to the previous one as an answer.

What do you think. Are we digging ourselves a grave?

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Tue May 26, 2015 1:44 pm

I must be one of few people who doesnt use facebook, dont like it and never will, and yes I have had a facebook account but rather use the formus

Lets keep the forum alive

Johnny T

Tigger · Post by **Tigger** » Tue May 26, 2015 2:42 pm

I hope this forum does stay alive! I remember when it was a hive of activity during the day and was great for me to get my Subaru fix

Post by **TOONGA** » Tue May 26, 2015 7:37 pm

Phizinza wrote:Has the facebook groups killed the forums? It's so slow on here, my forum and Ultimate Subaru.

I see some positives about using the facebook groups. Such as ease of posting photos and it works much better on a phone than the forums do. But the negatives always outweigh. Archiving is near useless on Facebook. Google doesn't index the groups so it's almost impossible you find a previously answered question, this leads to the same questions being asked every week and no way of just easily linking to the previous one as an answer.

What do you think. Are we digging ourselves a grave?

I'm on Here as much as I can be during the week. on the weekend I have more time to read and post the same goes with USMB even though when I post on USMB 90% of the time it is night shift there

As for the last question

yes but thats because I'm anti facebook

TOONGA

henpecked · Post by **henpecked** » Tue May 26, 2015 8:25 pm

I don't even know where / what the face book pages are - and I am on facebook.

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Tue May 26, 2015 8:28 pm

We've had this discussion more than once on here

showthread.php?t=25250

And yet here we still are. I'll just say what I said last time this was asked; forums like this will never die and it is impossible for facebook to take over the job of a forum. There is next to no archiving as Phiz says, impossible to find previous posts, you get the same newbie questions over and over again because nobody can see if it has been asked before.

So yes there has been a lul in forum activity, but I sincerely hope nobody has ditched this forum to post all their pics and info in some useless FB group.

Sent from Changi Airport on free wi-fi

Phizinza · Post by **Phizinza** » Tue May 26, 2015 10:08 pm

I've been very inactive on the forums and didn't even think to search for this question being it is in the off topic area..

Maybe we need to answer more of the facebook questions with just links to the answer on a forum...

Proton mouse · Post by **Proton mouse** » Tue May 26, 2015 11:24 pm

I love FB for all the reasons listed above..
I hate FB for all the reasons listed above..
Good call Phiz. On FB I'm a member of an appreciation page for another brand of car, and a lot of Questions are answered with links back to the good old Forums regarding that car!!
For us it would work best of course, if people who were linked back to our Forum, could contribute to it as well, to help keep it ticking over with stories and ideas.

Viva La AUSubaru!!!

Nubaru · Post by **Nubaru** » Wed May 27, 2015 8:09 am

facebook is going to be a fad, like the hoola hoop, yoyo and skateboard ...OK, th skateboard came back to stay. Think I have heard twitter and other non forum stuff is no longer as popular/big/ worth as much. Facebookers are going to do same as forum users, get married, make babies, buy house, lose interest in FB, buy an old car and want to do it up to bond with children, get away from wife (or husband for girls like Charlene

)

Maybe if fbookers keep dropping links to ausube in fb articles we get new members from around the globe ? Seen some new names pop up recently

pezimm · Post by **pezimm** » Wed May 27, 2015 2:23 pm

I'm not sure, but sometimes it seems this is a Subaru specific issue. If you look at Australian Land Rover forums and Australian Jeep Forums, they seem very busy to me.

Is it a case of new Subaru owners not having the same mindset as the old? What's the newest Subaru you've seen offroading?

I feel that this is a closing niche market/use of vehicle that will keep shrinking for the time being...

dfoyl · Post by **dfoyl** » Wed May 27, 2015 2:55 pm

>I'm not sure, but sometimes it seems this is a Subaru specific issue.

I don't think so. I am on a number of other (un-Subaru-related) sites and they are having the same issue and the same conversations. The same thing is happening on eBay, people are now selling on FB (or so I am told), and eBay is moving towards being like Alibaba - heaps of cheap junk from China.

This site has migrated away from being 4wd-centric to a more broad appreciation of Subaru's - like USMB. Yes, there is still plenty of 4wd discussion but it's dropped in volume with the WA off-roaders moving on to Toyobishi's and the like...

Phizinza · Post by **Phizinza** » Wed May 27, 2015 5:47 pm

That's a good point Pedro. I would say the newest I've seen offroad with my own eyes would be yours.

Most of the questions I have now are either just generally car related (not Subaru specific) or in regards to something no one has done before so there no point asking them. I would answer the questions here, but there is barely any to answer.

pezimm · Post by **pezimm** » Wed May 27, 2015 7:32 pm

Phiz, in a similar fashion to the dying profession of a blacksmith, I think the amateur/home mechanic is also a disappearing role. Mainly due to the technological evolution of vehicles these days requiring specialised attention.

Some of the effects of that are shops like SCA selling more and more seat covers and less and less clutches as well as enthusiast forums like this being less busy...

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:27 pm

I really do need to log on here more often. I've been reading but not posting :/

Might have to look into setting the phone up for an auto log in whenever I visit the forum (I have this setup on another forum and I have recently been posting over there more often as a result).

As for Facebook I really need to spend less time on ther reading crap and just use it to communicate with other mates or groups of mates as I find it very good for that purpose.

Cheers

Bennie

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu May 28, 2015 8:56 am

I noticed some eight or ten years ago this forum was very much MY and L dedicated when compared to a NZ forum I found which was predominantly EJ stuff. This forum is still pretty much MY and L stuff...yeah ? Notice how many MY and L's you see about the roads and highways - getting rarer - which might explain the drop in interest in here.