Declining interest in web forums?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
21

Well in the four years I have been around, I think the numbers of members seems to have gone up. It is not unusual to see 50 members online at a given moment, whereas four years ago 30 seemed to be a good number. That being said I do think the number of postings is on the decline.

I am posting less as I find my eyes rolling heavenward having to defend things I have done that just don’t matter. Go ahead and ask why I did something the way I did, but don’t tell me I am doing it wrong if it doesn’t matter one way or another.

One example. I showed a pic of my Buss wire and terminal blocks using 12 Gauge wire. A couple of people hung me out to dry on using 12 Gauge saying it was overkill and a waste of money ( yadda,yadda,yadda) If they had asked me WHY I have used 12 Gauge I would have told them that it was because I got 600 feet of it for free. I was not telling people to use 12 Gauge wire. I was showing how to Daisy chain. Do I need to defend this to people who seem to berate many members on everything they do from weathering to mountain building when no opinions have been asked for.

I will continue to enjoy this forum and participate. But I do think twice before responding sometimes.

Brent

22

I am going to have to agree that it is the economy and the time of year. I am usually doing my modeling around December through March. I do some in the summer, but I have other interests that are only can be done in the summer such as boating and camping.

23

Amen t that PastorBob, I will admit I have seen the negative on this forum from time to time but also have seen the benefits of being guided by very knowledgable and freindly people who have given great advise. I do think that the economy has been a factor since we cannot visit the LHS or E-bay and get what we want like before but this just gives us more to of an chance to find other ways. If I can’t build on my layout I am happy to help others with thiers even if with advise. Just my thoughts

24

John,Another thought crossed my mind…

Maybe many has out grown this basic forum? I mean once a modeler learns the basics he/she may want to move on to bigger and better things like a discussion group or a scale only forum.I know N Scalers doesn’t meet here to discuss new N products,faulty products or modeling-I go else where to engage in such activities…The same can apply to HO and HO products of course the same can be said about any modeling activity including prototypical operation or advanced layout planing.

Of course a forum is only as good as the information or modeling techniques shared by its members through topics…

25

Yes, the need to tell you what you did wrong is hereditary to anonymous mesasage-board formats, sad to say. All gets back to pastorbob’s comment about a lack of civility, especially online.

26

I’m a newer member here and on other railway/modelling forums, simply because I only recently returned to the hobby. I am, however, not a new member to forums in general and have been an active member on other forums for years.

I think Fred hit the nail on the head, particularly with his second point. You can only answer the same question so many times before you begin to lose interest in helping out. There is a trend, mostly with younger people, to ask rather than research, despite Google, and this trend isn’t limited to this forum. I don’t mind trying to help out, especially if someone has tried to search out information and been unsuccessful, for whatever reason, but continuously answering the same question is out. I skip those threads.

Another reason people might spend less time on forums is that it is time taken away from modelling or running trains. This is the case with me right now. My answer here is because I find this discussion interesting and can hopefully contribute.

The other point that was clear was the injection of rudeness, snippyness, personal attacks, lack of respect, etc., call it what you will. Nothing, absolutely nothing, will chase people away faster than these types of posts. We are here to have fun and share ideas.

I live in a model railroad wilderness and must rely on the net for most of my information sharing, learning, and purchasing. I have met one skilled local modeller who has become a good friend and who has helped me tremendously in my reentry to the hobby, but the net is still a primary resource for information sharing. There are others in the area, but I haven’t met any of them yet.

A computer is absolutely necessary in the hunt for a job in this day and age. I was forced to retrain for medical reasons and finished schooling in December 2008. I have had a casual job in my chosen field for over a year, but am still looking for full time wor

27

I can only speak for myself, but John, in the time I have spent on the forums since joining five or six in a short period between 2005 and 2006, I have become saturated. It is my nature…I do that to all interests, particularly if they are intense ones for me.

This means two things: my learning is now sharply focused, and I don’t need to devour every thread and post in them, and it also means I have become much more efficient in my use of time at the computer. I haven’t added any forums, no yahoo lists or whatever, so when I come to any hobby places I spend only a few minutes where I would have spend an hour or more.

Facebook has taken over for a lot of people, and someone mentioned blogging…all meant to feed the ego and shout, “Hey, look at me!” But, to be as objective as I can be, in terms of their social value and nature, they appeal much more to women than to men…or so it seems in my circles. Blogging is more in tune with the male psych, and there’s lots of it to do…apparently. Not for me.

As Larry and others have pointed out, there are flavours or cultures from place to place. The Atlas forum is about as rabid as they come. Sure, some great modelling and photography, and some witty and sharp guys with good manners, but it also seems to be a haven, maybe more a haunt, for some truly marginal personalities. Then there is the opposite, places like modelrailroadforums and trainboard…tightly run ships. Or, the vaunted railroad line forums, arguably one of the best and slickest run boards out there. If there is disagreement, the mods point to the door and ask them to sort it out off line. But there is next to no disagreement, and certainly the chest thumping doesn’t seem to pop up in an in-your-face kind of way.

It used to be that clubs and associations were THE thing to do, and at which to be seen. Now, who goes to

28

I am active on several forums, and not just MR/train related, and I have noticed the same thing across them all over the winter: lots less of the regular posters posting for whatever reason, more snippyness (sp?), more one timers who seem to get the answer they wanted and then don’t come back, etc.

I wonder about the economy argument since as long as you have your internet connection, then the forums are free (for the most part) and can be a way to help ride out tougher times. Unless things are so tough that people are dropping their connections too?

29

To my knowledge, membership in the forum does not “expire.” Once you join, you’re in the database forever, so the number only goes up. But, a few years back Kalmbach did a major forum upgrade, and as I recall they did not carry over the member database. We all had to re-register. This is probably the cause of the big drop in reported forum membership - thousands of inactive accounts were gone.

30

British Columbia is weighing in heavily in this conversation - two from the island and one from Merritt! Good for you guys!

31

I have found this forum very helpful and for some new to the hobby that has been a great help but here is an example from another thread that if I was the response I got as a newbie I would said F You to the forum and never come back

"There is a very simple solution to your problem. Order the missing magazines from Kalmbach. This is called a “back issue.”

It is people like this with their snotty that ruins it for people… and it is not just this forum, it is in forums everywhere… Just because some has not been modeling for 30 years does should not make them the center of ridicule

32

First, I have to agree with Pastor Bob. And to be even more specific:

Every time I have posted a new thread with modeling information, or responded to a question with my results of doing this for 40 years, most of the feedback I received has been negative, OR there has been no interest in the topic at all.

It seems that expressing any sort of alternative view that is outside the “mainstream” makes one a sniper, troll or whatever in the eyes of many.

People should be polite, but discussion involves different opinions, otherwise there is not much to talk about.

I have been called all sorts of names in my short membership on here because I don’t use DCC, don’t like onboard sound in small scales, think signaling is very important if modeling a class I line, I think selective compression of rolling stock is OK, I think curves (and layout spaces) are never “too big”, I like sprung metal trucks, I don’t worship brass or other high end models, etc.

I understand that not everyone agrees with me, that’s fine - but there is sometimes an attitude that everyone should “go alone to get alone” - not exactly a free exchange of ideas or learning, growing kind of view in my mind. And I admit sometimes in the past I let some of these people get me too wound up.

So after being told several times by “experts” how semi scale wheelsets “always” work just fine and how my 400 freight cars with Kadee trucks equiped with Intermountain wheelsets could NOT possibly work, I don’t fi

33

Well put Fred! The slow down in the economy may put a crimp in someone’s purchases of supplies and materials for the hobby but it should cause someone to stop participating in forums, especially free ones like this one.

34

Hi!

I suspect a portion of what may be happening is the usual “spring is here, lets go outside and play” scenario that we see every year - particularly (IMHO) with those MRs who live in places where winter means cold and snow.

Is there really a drop off from year to year? I don’t know, but believe that the folks running this website could quantify each years postings, OPs, members, etc., etc. and give some valid stats.

For what its worth…

Mobilman44

35

Here is my opinion as I see it.

I don’t think the economy accounts for the bulk. Many posters here do not have a MRR or any items. They do have plans and dreams and conversation is not effected by the economy.

Repetitiveness could account for some, I know I am letting my car magazine lapse because the content is repetitive in that though there are new systems out there, you can only read about rebuilding your first engine or painting your first car so many times before you say, why am I still getting this. In the magazines defense, and all magazines for that matter, they have to appeal to new readers as well as old. But in a free forum that could have an effect but I don’t think widespread.

One of the main reasons is I do believe, is they get tired of the aforementioned rude and better than thou posters. The ones that have been mentioned that don’t just offer suggestions but state it as though you are stupid because you don’t do it their way. The ones who instead of just keeping their mouth shut have to respond as if it is a great chore to skip a post and they must read and respond to every question even if it hasn’t been researched. Ever think some people consider forums a research tool? What better way to find info than from people who do it. 57 different ways to make a road on the internet. Which one do you recommend? Answer. “I figured it out you should at least try it yourself before asking a question. I went to great lengths to figure out what works best for me, you should too instead of taking my expense and experience for free.” OK. Why would I come back. Some get tired of getting those types of comments and reading them as well. If my LHS was rude, I wouldn’t go there I’d go somewhere else. If it was rude also, I’d buy from the internet. Simple. You have the right to talk that way, I have the right to not listen.

The other main reason I believe is simply weather related. It’s getting nice out in many parts of the world and inside activities such as

36

I think dilution is a big factor. There are so many forums, social networks like facebook, blogs, personal sites, etc. (and more coming all the time) that I think you just get fewer people on each one while overall the participation is the same. And many folks have interests besides model railroading and there are more of those places to visit.

Early on I made a decision to only participate in one general forum since I really don’t have time for more. I belong to 4 specialty Yahoo groups to cover S scale, S Helper products, NCE DCC, and Ma&Pa RR, but these are much lower activity rate than here. From time to time I check other forums. If I ever find one I like more than here, then my participation level here will decline even though my time on line remains the same.

Enjoy

Paul

37

These forums are a valuable resource for newbies. If I didn’t get help from here, I would be lost as a chicken crossing the road.

But I do agree about rude people, I know several of my newbie questions created quit a contraversy. I take it all in stride, and I remember I came here to get help and understand some people have strong viewpoints.

Wow, this thread sure got some attention! Where all you people been? LOL

38

I also have noticed a real shift in the direction of the hobby. I had stopped posting building logs for the simple lack of interest, it seams to me that only a few care anymore about interesting kitbashing, Now it all about open-the-box-and-put-it-on-the-track mentality taking over. Not many have the patience anymore for actual modeling. This is based on participation here, on the GR forum (which is veery slow now) and a couple other large scale forums including one overseas.

Last year I had to remove my large permanent layout and have since been building a much much much smaller mobile layout and have been in the process of downsizing my roster from 70 down to 40 and eventually down to around 20ish items. The layout dismantling really had a negative impact on my enthusiasm at the time. I have also stopped building kitbashes for the time being until I get rid of the stuff that no longer fits my current direction, so between the roster downsizing and the layout rebuild I simply havent had anything to post about. I dont post anything here anymore as it would be of little interest being not much more than a glorified Micro-layout, and would likely be deemed ‘boring’ by some here. So I toil in happy solitude.

I would have thought the economy would if anything, have brought more people into the hobby as more people look for things to do at home as a family and dont require a $10K motor vehicle for each family member to participate with. I’ve read that the hobby has grown during the recession but forum participation has definelty dropped off across all forums, maybe their too busy twitting each other on Facetube or something.

39

Sheldon,I can relate to your views…As you and others know I am a very basic modeler that goes against the main stream of DCC/Sound and 110% accuracy is a must for modeling and feel that model railroading is still fun in its basic form.You and others know my feelings toward “experts” especially how they love to complicate the simple and overstate the obvious.

Like you I have recieve vile e-mails because of my views…

You want to find the master modelers? They’re in SIGs or can be found on the RailRoad Forum and not on common forums because in some cases the “expert wannabes” drive

40

When I first joined all most 4 years ago I asked if being new was OK? I had tried a few other sites and was pretty much ignored or brushed off. (guess they where smarter than people here)

Far as it being slower lately I think springs and slower sales this last holiday season has a lot to do with it. More with it being Spring. Some areas had a pretty nasty winter.

Cuda Ken