FORUM INACTIVITY

[kitchens]

Has the forum had it's day ...by the amount of posts it seems yes.. think most people seem to use other forms of media these days ie Facebook ,there are other groups active in Scotland with daily posts all related to Porsche . it is very frustrating for us all in these times not being able to interact in person with fellow enthusiasts and meet up for club meets and days out/runs with lunch etc. Stay safe everyone and keep the Porsche faith .

 

[AndrewCS]

Hi … from up the road !


Region wise … yep - in my four years of association it has always been that way.

I don`t use / wish to use any other form of communication other than this forum or the email of those I have met locally face to face.

Thanks for the wishes, you too …

 

[Motorhead]

Brian,

I think the current lack of face-to-face Regional activity doesn’t help. It’s the same for my Regions 10 and 24 despite the occasional Zoom meeting which just isn’t the same. That said, our monthly Cayman Register Zoom meetings and Cayman forum are very popular, maybe because we don’t get much opportunity to meet up as a group in the best of times owing to diverse geographical locations.

Like Andrew I’m not a SocMed fan and will continue to make full use of the forum, off only in an attempt to prevent its decline.

Jeff

 

[Notthedoctor]

I hope we can keep the forum. I rather not get sucked any more than I have to into the social media culture of gossip, trivia, fake news, arguments and adverts.
Maybe better to discuss how we can improve the forum and its usefulness. Let's be honest it's a bit clunky, dry and not great for searching. Maybe needs a new engine!
Denis

 

[kitchens]

Well my post did achieve something so people still use/read it []...my post was just that it seems the forum is not being used as much as other social media is ..I have been a owner and member since 1992 and RO for 6 years all before emails and social media when you had to plan events at least 2 months in advance to go in PP ...so much easier now, all can be done now in a few hours and reach every member via email .it just seems this forum does not attract the same volume as others .

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

Hi Brian as Jeff mentioned its a lack of real social real face to face and car events to gather with like minded enthusiasts afraid it's the sign of the times this year.
Not really much to chat about car wise with the car inactivity real time it's not a lot of point having a Porsche sat in the garage all year no road trips no events for us that use them for such things its become redundant .
I would not even consider buying another one in such times so I thinks it's the whole knock on effect why the forum is quieter now we are not doing real car things.
For me virtual car things are not my thing I didn't buy a Porsches for that.
All we can do is hope and pray things improve soon. []

 

[Motorhead]

I hope we can keep the forum. I rather not get sucked any more than I have to into the social media culture of gossip, trivia, fake news, arguments and adverts.
Maybe better to discuss how we can improve the forum and its usefulness. Let's be honest it's a bit clunky, dry and not great for searching. Maybe needs a new engine!
Denis

I couldn’t agree more with your SocMed comments Denis, and it makes a change to go on to a car-related site where I’m not bombarded incessantly by pop-up adverts..! I’ve given up with Auto Express with their new format ... for me it’s virtually unreadable.

It’s been a long time since the forum was updated, and even then I seem to recall that it was a relatively minor revision introduced with a platform change/upgrade. I suspect that a major forum revamp would be very expensive to implement and I would guess that forum usage is relatively small as a proportion of total membership, so unfortunately there’s probably very little justification [or appetite?] for an upgrade given that the Club seems to be encouraging other forms of communication.

Jeff

 

[kitchens]

Think a lot regions have set up their own FB page which seems to attract a bit of interaction ...I also agree that the internet can be a hostile place with very negative /hostile comments usually from the same people .

 

[keiththo]

I hardly ever use this forum as I don't find it easy to use and it's less active. I use other social media extensively however and am a member of at least 3 groups on Facebook relating to Porsche including my local region.
There is certainly a lack of events with PCGB due to covid but a Bristol group I belong to has continued to have drives albeit with restrictions, unfortunately as Cardiff has been locked down for 3 weeks already I can't join them

 

[Lancerlot]

The forum is a valuable resource but its value is underestimated and its not well supported by some Club officials. It seems often to be regarded with misgiving by those who perhaps fear the constructive criticism it sometimes brings to the fore. On many occasions, it can provide a window on the general mood of members that may sometimes be at odds with those running the show!

In truth, it provides a most useful channel of communication for far-flung members, bringing them together and should be cherished for its ability for discussion, humour, information, news, views, promotion - not to mention a useful point of reference.

It is not a fleeting, here today gone tomorrow proposition, as are other forms of social media. But it does need work and encouragement. As 997 Register Secretary years ago, we used to try to put some thing new in our sections on a daily bases - sometimes important, often frivolous. But there was always something new for people to read. All our events were promoted and booked out there and reference sections provided technical information and FAQ's.

RS's and RO's are normally the mainstay of forums, but nowadays, with FB, Twitter, Mailchimps, Porsche Post etc to feed, it's no wonder the forum gets overlooked. However, it's one area where members can have a direct influence themselves simply by logging on regularly, remarking on items and submitting their own topics and posts.

To paraphrase - "Ask not what your forum can do for you, but what can you do for your forum." []

Regards,

Clive

 

[Peter_Bull]

That’s a terrific reply Clive. I fully support what you say.

We have had this forum for nearly 18 years now and it has seen some rather 'well supported' big names ones fall by the wayside. At the time it was said this forum would not last long!

It's been responsible for many good and worthy changes within the club and we have all benefited from it too.

Perhaps if more ROs and RSs had embraced this forum in the manner which Clive did when he was the 997RS then the forum may just have been the one stop place to come.

 

[kitchens]

The initial post was aimed at R1 posts as it had not been used for some 48 days ,but other social media post's are used on a daily basis. I tend to view and post on Boxster related sites and frequently visit ARE SPYDERS EXSTINCT the longest running thread on the forum thanks to Robert Stone regular impute ,which as been ongoing since I bought mine in 2013 .there are off course other long established running threads within the forum that are supported .

 

[Chappelle]

It's strange how little chat there is Brian. It's a different kettle of fish but I'm a member of a Macan forum (not connected to PCGB) and there are half a dozen posts every day

 

[Lancerlot]

It's strange how little chat there is Brian. It's a different kettle of fish but I'm a member of a Macan forum (not connected to PCGB) and there are half a dozen posts every day

We've been taking steps to improve traffic to the Club's Macan Register site over the last couple of months and it does now seem to be more lively.

Regards,

Clive

 

[MJB]

Two good replies in Posts #10 & #11 from Clive and Peter, although the general lack of response to the OP would seem to confirm that it does not even appear on most members’ radar.

I agree that the two biggest problems with the forum have been that it does not always say what those running the Club want to hear and that there has long been a lack of engagement with it by some of those running regions and -particularly- registers. I feel that if these two factors had been managed differently it might be in a much stronger position today, especially given that it is so long-established.

As things are, the number of communication channels now available and the fact that many Porsche owners prefer to follow interest-specific online activities have eroded its relevance and it is difficult to see it ever being any better patronised than it is now.

 

[Notthedoctor]

Actually I thought ALL the replies were good.

 

[pwebb]

As proven by this thread, the great thing about the Forum is that it is open to all. Closed Facebook/Twitter groups are great for those who subscribe, but you can open up the Forum and see every thread from every region/register or admin and contribute.

It does help if the RO/RS is active though.

 

[loc944]

I think I may only be the third Region 1 member to reply to this,
the Region’s forum has be dormant for quite sometime, people just not tuned in anymore, I receive email notifications when someone posts which is how this post came to my attention.
As for the social media communication , the region has 2 Facebook pages, 1 public and 1 closed, there is little activity on there either.
Times are strange at the moment so perhaps that’s why, I’m looking forward to next year when we can hopefully meet up each month and do a few Club runs.

all the best
Alan Locke.

 

[greg_harm]

Although I recognise this subject started as a Regional question, perhaps it would be better asked in the members section. I think most officials know I have been banging the drum for a much-needed upgrade/rethink of our forum as this old one realistically is no longer fit for purpose, especially for a supposed cutting-edge forward-thinking car club. That said, I believe the board started looking at a much more modern idea some time ago which we were told would blow our socks off and be an unprecedented huge leap forward, but unfortunately after almost two years it still hasn’t come to fruition.

The biggest problem with the outdated clunky current format is dare I say laziness. The modern members expectations and demands massively out way our hard-working volunteers’ ability to keep up.
Thanks to social media many of our members demands have massively changed, not only do most at the very least expect the same level of ease when using the forum especially when adding pictures as the likes of Facebook, some also want immediate answers to their specific questions 24/7 and don't want to waste their own valuable time having to look up these items for themselves. Some will even openly tell you they can't even be bothered to switch on a computer these days and would much rather do everything via their smart phone so unfortunately there lies yet another problem.

In Region 3 the forum certainly is not dead far from it, yes, we utilise social media but only to advertise an event or to post about it afterwards. For any relevant Club information or registration, we always direct traffic though our members forum. Take a quick look at our section it's always got something going on. My point, put simply is, it's more about how we, as a club, choose to communicate with the masses and it should come as no surprise the healthy regions and registers tend to have a busier forum. As an RO, every Mailchimp included links to our Regional forum, ensuring that even new members became involved. It became a valuable tool for members wanting an impromptu drive out.

When I first stepped up as an Organiser social media was very much frowned upon and we were told that the forum was the Club’s preferred medium, (a previous R3 RO fought hard to be allowed a Facebook page back in 2010). I appreciate the Club’s stance back then, IMO, the forum is easier to moderate than any of the open social media platforms. Fast forward five years (and after recently passing on the organiser baton) we still find ourselves struggling to make sense of it all. Perhaps the real crux of it all is that we sadly lack management with the vision, direction and guidance to help us prepare and look to the future, perhaps even just an agreed strategy would be a good start instead of having 31 Regions + Registers all doing things differently.

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

At the Boxster Register we have a few ways of communication Porsche Post is the main way of getting things out there also Mail Chimp obviously more prudent in normal times advertising things.
Also we have Twitter and recently at the beginning of the year Facebook they are offered but only good if people take the opportunity to use things provided.
Obviously the Forum here which we think is ticking over for the Boxsters.
Its all anyone can do is provide such things.[]
But a few valid points Greg.