Is it just me?

[Eastep]

Is it just me or has the forum really gotten kinda flat over the last 12-18 months? Just seems kinda on going for no other reason then to be on going. From topics that have been covered at least a dozen times in the past, to lack the of use of the search feature, which clutters the archives with garbage threads simply because a key word is used. I see several threads containing basically the same topic, by the same members on several different sections, which is confusing and point less, not to mention boring. Maybe its my perception, but Xweb just sorta sucks lately and I'm not sure what the answer is. Anyon else feeling similar?

 

[DaveR]

Winter. Many cars are put away and not worked on until it warms up.
Many people are working more hours than during the last economic downturn. Work takes time away from playing with toys. It always seemed to me that I had time or money never time and money.
The forum has grown. New members may not be as familiar with old posts as those who have been here for years.
The forum is maturing. When it first started it was new and fresh and lot's of information that was acquired over the lifetime of the x1/9 was available to be shared for the first time. Now the bulk of the information that had been acquired over 40 years has been added to the forum.
You can only discuss best oil, sparkplugs, modification, and Brown wire mod so many times.
Availability of tires that fit is always changing so that continues as a subject.
Availability of parts also changes as parts are remanufactured or a replacement is found.
Adding new tech to old cars is getting more difficult. An example would be using a 500 Abarth engine in a X1/9. TonyK's work on installing a Abarth engine is amazing. I would never take on that kind of project, (until Tonyk starts producing a kit (lol)).

We are getting older.

What kind of topics would add interest to the forum?

Would adding more information to the Wiki or "Best of" section fix the issue of getting to may hits on a keyword?

I have similar thoughts, but keep coming back to Xweb. When I get this way I try watching "The View". After a couple of minutes Xweb seems so much better.

My two cents, I have to go shovel snow now, (insert bad words that are not allowed on this site).

 

[Dr.Jeff]

Would adding more information to the Wiki or "Best of" section fix the issue of getting to may hits on a keyword?

As far as redundant content or frequently visited topics go, it can be difficult to find answers or information when you need it. The "search" function does not always work well (or I can't make it work well). And lots of good content is buried in threads with other topics/titles so it is not easily found later on. Yes it would be great if there was a method of directly retrieving what we want when we want it. The newly forming "Best of Xweb" section may help with this. I don't know if there are ways to make "search" functions respond better? Otherwise we end up bringing the topic back up in a new post. Often that sparks someone's memory where related info is and links are offered. So it kind of works, despite redundancy.

As a side note, is it possible to enter keywords into the search so you only get results that have ALL of your keywords, and not every post that has ANY of them?

 

[NEG]

I’ve found the site to be a revalation to be honest. It’s way more active than the UK owners club site. There has to come a point where there’s nothing, little or new to say about the car that we dont already know and has been said before...it’s the same on an Alfa Romeo forum I’m on as well. What do you want to create more interest...Dancing Girls maybe?

 

[Janis]

Thread of my car will be more updated after a week or two, I hope it is interesting not only for me. Will there be any anything useful, it’s up to You.

 

[DanielForest]

Forums are out. Social medias are in. I used to visit 2 forums on a daily basis. My Solo 2 club and X web. Now, there is barely a post a week on the solo club. Competitors are replaced by younger ones and they favor Facebook. Soon, they will move to something for younger people.

This forum survived because we are a "vintage" crowd. But I have to disagree with Eastep. I remember a time I was writing tips everyday for new members who were asking week after week the same questions. After awhile, I became tired of it, but newer people replaced me (us) to do that. The usual subject. Which oïl to put in the transmission. Why your starter is taking 7-10 turn of the key before working. How do you bleed your radiator...

20 years later we have much more knowledgeable members on this forum. People with good expertise and working on their car for much longer. Also, there is a lot more people with money, being able to build their dream car. But not everybody...

Threads are becoming more specialized. A lot of interest for those few who are on the same road. Boring for some others. For instance, most owners don't care about which Honda intake you should use on your K20 swap. But that's OK to get some threads about that. There are some people concerned. After a few reading, I don't go there anymore.That's all.

For myself, I always tend to love the FSW forum. Not anymore. Not many cars for sale. And the parts for sale... I already got them. But sometimes, something pop up.

I tend to ask members when I got a problem. I received a lot of good suggestions. I'm sure a search would have gather most of the same, but sometimes, you need to find the exact term to get a result. So when I'm not happy with the search, I just ask. Then past thread was often cited to help.

Another "new" fashion is the wide use of pictures. There was a time where putting picture was more complicated. Now we could look at some members project on a daily basis, see the détails of a problem, etc.

So I thing this forum is as good or better than it was... even if most of the time, I don't read any new topic because I'm not interested!

 

[aarpcard]

It's kind of hard to have new content for a platform that is 40 years old. That said, there is new content that's created pretty regularly here.

I'm glad we have such an active and large community for a relatively rare and little known car like the X1/9. Xweb is at least 5x more active than the MR2.com forums. Ask a question over there and you'll be lucky to get a response at all and if you do there a 50-50 shot it will actually be helpful. It was much more active 4+ years ago. With Xweb, ask a question and you'll usually have several helpful responses within minutes.

I haven't been too active lately because I haven't had any new questions or significant updates (and I'm currently without a computer), but I have a few things planned for the summer that I'll hopefully get around to and document here . . .