|
|
|
I pretty much like it how it is, but perhaps the events reports section might be good, then perhaps it could have a section for event photos. Also, how about a motor sickle section? I'll second pistonpopper on this! It's a site where the Members can start a thread on pretty much anything they like as long as it relates to pre-2000 motors, if other Members are disinterested in that post it will slide down the board into oblivion so theoretically content is user-driven anyway. When I got my driving licence I was interested in all cars going back to the year dot but cars that were interesting AND affordable to me were 'bangers', 8yrs old+. Generally speaking, the average car had a much shorter life expectancy in the 70's / 80's. As ordinary cars last longer before they rot and the engines soak up much higher miles without complaint 'bangers' are probably now 15 year old cars. To an 18 year old a 15 year old car is retro, perhaps they had a memorable ride in a sporty Omega, (or whatever), as a youngster and now lust after one of their own. The demographic of this site is a pretty wide spread from teens through to veterans. Perhaps you could do more to cater for the youngsters and future Members by moving the goalpost to 2002? And in 2018, roll it to 2003, etc.
|
|
Last Edit: May 16, 2017 10:46:22 GMT by MkX
|
|
|
|
|
|
Like Pistonpopper says, I like it as it is. To me it's a small community type site where I get to see whats happening in the lives of likeminded Petrolheads. My own Retro might fall into Dez's not Modded or Interesting but I had 2 PM's asking me to put a thread up. If it doesn't interest you, don't click on it? There is SO much diversity on here it's unreal! Some I get 100%, some I don't get at all but that is my failing - it's all still interesting. I agree that there should be more meet ups locally by county but that said, I am not very outgoing lol.
All in all, I really enjoy the site and would be mortified if it changed too much.
|
|
96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 10:16:15 GMT
|
I think part of the issue here is that we've gotten older, the cars that we enjoy and consider to be retro have gotten older and more valuable and beyond the budget of some, and there's a younger set of RR members who are buying 20 year old cars (that's 1997! Agh!) and considering them worth making a Reader's Rides thread about. Back in 2004, if you had a 1984 Datsun Sunny or Audi 80 you'd make a thread about it. The equivalent now would be a 1997 Nissan Almera or Audi A4. I don't mean to open up the whole awful "what is retro?" debate because that's been done to death and gets us nowhere. I'm also not excusing people posting up their stock 2001 daily driver and updates about them changing a fuse or performing mundane maintenance... it's not really what we're about! However, I personally don't really mind people posting build threads about cars that I don't consider interesting (like a lot of mid- to late-90s stuff) if there's a bunch of 18, 19, 20-year old petrolheads who love modifying them, restoring them and think it's awesome that they're driving a retro car from a time before they were born. They're the next generation of petrolheads and will hopefully keep the retro cars scene going for many years to come.
Like Slater said, maybe a bit of self-moderation is needed!
|
|
|
|
THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
|
|
May 16, 2017 10:32:42 GMT
|
I'd like to see more 80's cars, more affordable cars and builds, more engine swaps and more American stuff, but at the end of the day what determines that is what people like, so that will just naturally happen if it's what the majority is into, and if it isn't it won't, and rightly so. I'd like to see a bit less of the negativity towards more modern cars and more basic projects. Quite frankly if a '99 Focus doesn't interest you, don't read the thread! I'm not doing loads to my 740 and it probably isn't massively interesting to the lads who do 2JZ swap in the space of a weekend but if people find it interesting they'll find it. Everything has merit to those who like it, and these days in the age of everyone driving a financed 3 year old 3-series stuff from the 21st century is getting retro I also love a lot of the threads by 17 year olds modding K10 Micras and mk2 Polos on a budget of 300 quid, takes me back to 2005 with my Fiat Uno modded on a budget. Bike carbs, stupid massive rally style mud flaps, spot lights, Akrapovic bike can bodged on and Cinq Sporting alloys, all done with little cash or knowledge and a few mates. To be honest that's the most fun I've ever had with modified cars, and I like to read about young lads doing the same now.
|
|
Last Edit: May 16, 2017 10:40:14 GMT by THE_Liam
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 10:44:39 GMT
|
I think part of the issue here is that we've gotten older, the cars that we enjoy and consider to be retro have gotten older and more valuable and beyond the budget of some, and there's a younger set of RR members who are buying 20 year old cars (that's 1997! Agh!) and considering them worth making a Reader's Rides thread about. Back in 2004, if you had a 1984 Datsun Sunny or Audi 80 you'd make a thread about it. The equivalent now would be a 1997 Nissan Almera or Audi A4. I don't mean to open up the whole awful "what is retro?" debate because that's been done to death and gets us nowhere. I'm also not excusing people posting up their stock 2001 daily driver and updates about them changing a fuse or performing mundane maintenance... it's not really what we're about! However, I personally don't really mind people posting build threads about cars that I don't consider interesting (like a lot of mid- to late-90s stuff) if there's a bunch of 18, 19, 20-year old petrolheads who love modifying them, restoring them and think it's awesome that they're driving a retro car from a time before they were born. They're the next generation of petrolheads and will hopefully keep the retro cars scene going for many years to come. Like Slater said, maybe a bit of self-moderation is needed! I think that SmokeEm has said above, ' If it doesn't interest you, don't click on it', no-one on here is force feeding us any particular topic or thread. I have no interest in football so I never select the LFCTV channel on the Sky box. Same principle!
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 11:24:22 GMT
|
I pretty much like it how it is, but perhaps the events reports section might be good, then perhaps it could have a section for event photos. Also, how about a motor sickle section? Another vote of agreement on this. For me there are 3 things that make me continue to come back to this forum: 1/ Variety. I Like Fords (Generally)...always have done. BUT I like seeing other makes and other styles of car 2/ General positive attitude towards most things (no date cut off's, no flaming of 'wrong' idea's, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all vibe...) 3/ Amount of posts (I've been a member of various single make/model forums over the years, and they just seem to have died across the board.. I'm not sure if it's a switch towards youtube content that means no-one can be bothered to write how-to's, or what-i've done content - whereas that still exists here) I think we just need to keep trying to spread the word about RR and keep the members coming :-)
|
|
|
|
Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,784
Club RR Member Number: 34
|
|
May 16, 2017 11:35:27 GMT
|
But on the flip side of the 'if you don't like it don't click on it' argument, I know of people who don't bother with This forum anymore as it's no longer what it started out as- generally modified old-but-not-quite classic cars.
Back when it started you could ready everything posted on this forum in a week in an hour. The difference was it was all actually worth reading, partially because everyone on here was very like minded, and partially as there was no other outlet for it anywhere online so all the good stuff ended up here. These days, the really good stuff risks getting lost in a dirge of mediocre. I see great stuff getting no comments and dropping off the page because people would rather wax lyrical about some stock late 90s car that they also had one of. The demographic is changing, and people are posting up fairly bland stuff just so they're contributing and are a 'part of things', but by doing so they're diluting the overall content.
If you let it self moderate it'll eventually just become a forum that's a mix of bangernomics and lightly modded moderns. At some point someone has to step in and go 'actually, that's not what we're really about'.
This place has evolved hugely in the time I've been on here, Facebook was barely a thing when this forum started and Instagram didn't exist. It's easy these days to get a quick online fix of your specific car perversion in minutes using either of the aforementioned platforms. But, they're instant gratification wth little depth. Where forums can excel is giving that depth that doesn't really exist anywhere else on the tinterwebs. But, to do that there has to be an overriding factor of quality over quantity. The 'best' forums I see online are the ones that are more heavily modified to keep the content on-topic. Places like the HAMB are the ones to look up to, they won't compromise on the quality of content that they allow and it shows.
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 11:51:56 GMT
|
But on the flip side of the 'if you don't like it don't click on it' argument, I know of people who don't bother with This forum anymore as it's no longer what it started out as- generally modified old-but-not-quite classic cars. Back when it started you could ready everything posted on this forum in a week in an hour. The difference was it was all actually worth reading, partially because everyone on here was very like minded, and partially as there was no other outlet for it anywhere online so all the good stuff ended up here. These days, the really good stuff risks getting lost in a dirge of mediocre. I see great stuff getting no comments and dropping off the page because people would rather wax lyrical about some stock late 90s car that they also had one of. The demographic is changing, and people are posting up fairly bland stuff just so they're contributing and are a 'part of things', but by doing so they're diluting the overall content. If you let it self moderate it'll eventually just become a forum that's a mix of bangernomics and lightly modded moderns. At some point someone has to step in and go 'actually, that's not what we're really about'. This place has evolved hugely in the time I've been on here, Facebook was barely a thing when this forum started and Instagram didn't exist. It's easy these days to get a quick online fix of your specific car perversion in minutes using either of the aforementioned platforms. But, they're instant gratification wth little depth. Where forums can excel is giving that depth that doesn't really exist anywhere else on the tinterwebs. But, to do that there has to be an overriding factor of quality over quantity. The 'best' forums I see online are the ones that are more heavily modified to keep the content on-topic. Places like the HAMB are the ones to look up to, they won't compromise on the quality of content that they allow and it shows. It's all objective. Re. ' I see great stuff getting no comments and dropping off the page because people would rather wax lyrical about some stock late 90s car that they also had one of.' Would suggest the stuff you view as 'great' isn't of much interest to the majority. My personal opinion is that the moderation on this site is as tough as it needs to be, use a heavier hand and it will send people away in droves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 12:20:37 GMT
|
If anyone is curious the average date of things on the first page of the Readers Rides section is 1977 ...........
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 12:39:04 GMT
|
'But on the flip side of the 'if you don't like it don't click on it' argument, I know of people who don't bother with This forum anymore as it's no longer what it started out as- generally modified old-but-not-quite classic cars'
Dez - Whoever these people are, I don't see posts saying how sorely they are missed? If they've gone, their loss.
As for my lightly modded 90's saloon - It might well be boring to you but I only put a thread on because I was asked to. (I assume you aren't singling me out personally though lol)
This forum is still awesome to me and every single day I find myself asking questions because of it. Yesterday, I spent my lunch reading through some of Fresh n Minty's Elgrand thread and found myself asking 'Why' - but that's his bag and I love that he wants his ride, his way - it's cool (I also learnt not to buy some chrome smoothies lol). Over the last couple of years, I've kept up with Vulgalors Princess thread - Quite why he has spent so much time & money on it amazes me but you know what? I love that he has - his attention to detail is off the scale. It doesn't matter why someone does what they do, they just need to keep doing it. I for one pray that they do, on here.
|
|
96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
|
|
|
THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
|
|
May 16, 2017 12:39:57 GMT
|
If people feel that they cant find the stuff they like in a sea of stuff they don't, what about themed readers rides sections? That way people can zero in on the stuff they prefer? Car culture is a broad spectrum, and while I can see the argument of lont-standing members who want to keep it the same, like anything that attracts a broad spectrum of enthusiasts, not everyone will be into that. Or does that risk over-complication? My only concern with stuff like that is driving away people who can't decide where their car fits. My 2p
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 12:42:30 GMT
|
Hold on HoTWire, I'll try to update my thread in order to bring the average age up a bit, SmokeEm if you could do the same that'll be great lol
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 12:55:44 GMT
|
This is descending into a "what is retro" thread. As I say I do need to have a think about how to handle more modern stuff appearing as Readers Rides and how we handle/ring fence it, but it isn't as much of a problem as people think it is, there is a bunch of Confirmation Bias going on I think.
|
|
|
|
Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,784
Club RR Member Number: 34
|
|
May 16, 2017 12:55:50 GMT
|
But on the flip side of the 'if you don't like it don't click on it' argument, I know of people who don't bother with This forum anymore as it's no longer what it started out as- generally modified old-but-not-quite classic cars. Back when it started you could ready everything posted on this forum in a week in an hour. The difference was it was all actually worth reading, partially because everyone on here was very like minded, and partially as there was no other outlet for it anywhere online so all the good stuff ended up here. These days, the really good stuff risks getting lost in a dirge of mediocre. I see great stuff getting no comments and dropping off the page because people would rather wax lyrical about some stock late 90s car that they also had one of. The demographic is changing, and people are posting up fairly bland stuff just so they're contributing and are a 'part of things', but by doing so they're diluting the overall content. If you let it self moderate it'll eventually just become a forum that's a mix of bangernomics and lightly modded moderns. At some point someone has to step in and go 'actually, that's not what we're really about'. This place has evolved hugely in the time I've been on here, Facebook was barely a thing when this forum started and Instagram didn't exist. It's easy these days to get a quick online fix of your specific car perversion in minutes using either of the aforementioned platforms. But, they're instant gratification wth little depth. Where forums can excel is giving that depth that doesn't really exist anywhere else on the tinterwebs. But, to do that there has to be an overriding factor of quality over quantity. The 'best' forums I see online are the ones that are more heavily modified to keep the content on-topic. Places like the HAMB are the ones to look up to, they won't compromise on the quality of content that they allow and it shows. It's all objective. Re. ' I see great stuff getting no comments and dropping off the page because people would rather wax lyrical about some stock late 90s car that they also had one of.' Would suggest the stuff you view as 'great' isn't of much interest to the majority. My personal opinion is that the moderation on this site is as tough as it needs to be, use a heavier hand and it will send people away in droves. By 'great stuff' I mean things that require skill and talent to create. Personally I see value in something someone has poured time, effort and skill into, even if the majority don't. Even reading something where someone has used a reasoned thought process to work something out for themselves/tought themselves something can be rewarding. 'I did this cos it was easy and cheap, isn't it great', I'm not really into.
|
|
|
|
mylittletony
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,391
Club RR Member Number: 84
|
|
May 16, 2017 12:59:28 GMT
|
Maybe the readers' rides section does need splitting so people can focus on what they're interested in.
Bookmarks are essential these days as stuff drops off the first few pages on readers rides within hours. If you only visit once every couple of days you might miss a 70s car among the 90s ones.
My tastes are broad so I'm interested in people doing interesting things, be it a 20s rod, 60s british or 90s japanese, or even a 00s durango with a body swap!
The key word is interesting. Oil changes and new valve caps don't qualify. Low budget is not an excuse for not modifying...
|
|
|
|
Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,784
Club RR Member Number: 34
|
|
May 16, 2017 13:11:11 GMT
|
Dez - Whoever these people are, I don't see posts saying how sorely they are missed? If they've gone, their loss. I'd disagree with that. There's been plenty of 'what ever happened to' posts. Johnnysomerset, tonycocacola, Arthurbrown, nitemaresracing. There even more I know who still do 'car things' through FB posts but don't seem to come on here anymore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 13:16:00 GMT
|
If people feel that they cant find the stuff they like in a sea of stuff they don't, what about themed readers rides sections? That way people can zero in on the stuff they prefer? Car culture is a broad spectrum, and while I can see the argument of lont-standing members who want to keep it the same, like anything that attracts a broad spectrum of enthusiasts, not everyone will be into that. Or does that risk over-complication? My only concern with stuff like that is driving away people who can't decide where their car fits. My 2p A simplified 'search' facility might help? A text box which will search word or phrase and pull up relevant threads. The current complex search facility might be a bit daunting for people whose IT literacy isn't so good, (although good to keep for people who want to use it).
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 13:19:06 GMT
|
Dez - Whoever these people are, I don't see posts saying how sorely they are missed? If they've gone, their loss. I'd disagree with that. There's been plenty of 'what ever happened to' posts. Johnnysomerset, tonycocacola, Arthurbrown, nitemaresracing. There even more I know who still do 'car things' through FB posts but don't seem to come on here anymore. Ok, I stand corrected - however, I've only heard of the last one so assume the others are from way back when as I have been on here years. People come and go, that's just the way it is. If they went because they didn't like what this was turning into, I still say their loss as many of us love it the way it is. Remember, not everyone has the skill/vision/balls or confidence to do roof chopping, weldathons and all the stuff that you can do, nor would want to. Each to their own and all that. (I have carried out a roof chop, many moons ago - I wasn't the shizzle at it )
|
|
96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 13:21:03 GMT
|
I'd disagree with that. There's been plenty of 'what ever happened to' posts. Johnnysomerset, tonycocacola, Arthurbrown, nitemaresracing. There even more I know who still do 'car things' through FB posts but don't seem to come on here anymore. By that reckoning you could say Volkszone is rubbish now because me and Rmad don't use it any more (obviously you don't show your face on there much either), but it is because we drifted away from that scene, and that is what it is. There are plenty of forums and sites I don't use any more that were once a huge part of my life (particularly gaming forums) that I still have an interest in the subject, but not enough to be on the internet chatting about it. As per your names Nightmares got fed up with the forum, particularly when he couldn't sell his Accord, and thought we were not what he was about because he had a hot rod now, which is a shame as it is exactly what we're about. I miss him, his Minx build looks great. Athurbrown is still around and about on here under a different name (although I've not seen that for a while). Johnny seemed to disappear off into musicland where I believe he still is with Secret Black Boyfriend. I went and saw one of the bands he had before that and they were pretty good. Tony CC I have no idea, I'm sure he is still around somewhere, wasn't he on No Skool Just Cool for a bit? Great to have this thread derailed into negativity though, super.
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2017 13:27:18 GMT
|
I think the nub of this is that; Everything evolves whether we want it to or not. but Not everyone handles change equally well.
Not all change is for the best so all we can do is to try to steer it a bit rather get crushed trying to stop it.
I get the feeling that there are people on here who'd happily confine membership to those above retirement age and would restrict car topics to fettling your Model-T and the benefits of leather band tyres over bare iron wheels. Be careful what you wish for, you might end up with a small handful old men on here each making half a dozen posts a week.
|
|
|
|
|