The above picture has no connection whatsoever with today’s entry; I just thought that it was funny.
Neither does this one, but, again, it’s funny.
So, back to the subject in hand. Over the years I have been a member of many online forums, mostly of the motorcycle persuasion. However, like most motorcyclists, I am guessing, I am now really only active on two of them, my local one www.illawarrariders.com and my favourite brand-specific one, www.ozvfr.net
Motorcycle forums (and perhaps forums in general) have taken a big hit of late. The advent of the other social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and others, has impacted heavily on forums and their following. People find them more accessible, easier to join and participate and more wide-reaching in their coverage. You can converse with more friends from all over the world on Facebook, for example, than you can on a local forum.
That said, what seems to be being overlooked is that the online forum has advantages that none of the other platforms can offer. Whereas information on the other platforms is haphazard, un-moderated and disorganised, information on forums is organised, searchable and semi-permanent. As posts on Facebook and Twitter “age” they disappear off the “front page” and finding them again becomes difficult and eventually impossible. This is not the case with forums.
However, it seems that there is a strange thing happening here. A perception has grown up that the social media platforms are wholly the preserve of the young and “hip” people while the forums are more for “sensible” (and, by inference) old people. I am not sure how this happened but it couldn’t be more wrong.
Both of my favourite forums have been languishing of late and there are many reasons for this. People move on, sell bikes, have a family, get a mortgage, diversify their leisure-time activities, have more demanding work schedules or simple lose interest. Now someone is going to say, “Well, they can’t be real motorcyclists if they lose interest,” but that is facile and wrong. One of the foundation members of my local forum still has three motorcycles but his work and family commitments prevent him from being able to ride much.
Someone is going to mention the classic “peaks and troughs” that are a normal part of life. They will, of course, be right. Every organisation goes through this and forums are doing the same. And the”faithful few” who have maintained the forums are looking for ways to re-invigorate them and make them continually relevant. Because the fact is that they ARE still relevant for all of the reasons that I have enumerated above.
With that in mind, both of my favourite forums have recently opened a Facebook page as a means of attracting new members and of giving the forum members another avenue for them to socialise. And, surprise, surprise, the move has attracted equal amounts of support and criticism. Some see it as an attempt to kill the forum off while others believe that the move could be the very thing that the forum needs. And, it seems that the second group are winning the war at the moment (not that it is a war, you understand). Since the introduction of the Facebook pages, traffic on the forums has picked up and some members who haven’t been involved for a long while are coming back and posting again.
Because, you see, the naysayers have overlooked a very important thing. New riders are still buying bikes, getting out there and riding and looking for the fellowship of online communities where they can share their passion and enthusiasm. This won’t change and it is the responsibility of clubs and motorcycling organisations to continue looking for ways to make their organisations relevant and useful.
The way I see it, there is a legitimate place for both platforms. Facebook and Twitter for the instant social interaction and the forum for the, dare I say it, “formal” stuff. I am happy to say that I use both and feel that a combination of the both could be the salvation of the online motorcycle forum.
Time will prove whether I am right or not, but, the early signs are that it might.