another forum gone

[Digitalwave]

Hey look, tags don't notify me for some reason.

I'm very much alive, but busier than ever these days. I did a ton of additional database tweaks the other day when TJ (Thanks!) hit me up on Facebook regarding slow performance. It isn't perfect but neither is the vBulletin database schema.

To cover a few things, the site has not been sold, just partnering with BMWCCA E30 Chapter so we can try and drive up some traffic and utilize this as a discussion board. I'm very willing to chat with folks regarding the future and keeping R3V more relevant and would be happy to jump on a conf call, discord, whatever to keep some movement going on it.

I also don't post much on the R3V Facebook group.. frankly I don't care for it (or FB for that matter)

I would be happy to help out as a mod, or to come up with a game plan to drive traffic to the site, simplify the forum heirarchy, anything really.

[Panici]

or to come up with a game plan to drive traffic to the site

This could almost be a separate discussion topic by itself.

I think we have a new crop of enthusiasts that are used to asking questions solely on facebook, or turning to youtube for DIY videos. They don't know what they're missing in the forums!

Much like a well-written instruction manual, a forum full of knowledgeable folks brings something that can't be found elsewhere. The ability to store information concisely in written form IMO is vital.
This is the reason libraries and books haven't disappeared with all of the modern-media alternatives.

Heck I use my own build threads as reference to keep track of minutia I did years ago and have since forgotten.

[James Crivellone]

Thank you everyone for the support (and enthusiasm for that matter). If you guys could send me an email james (at) r3vlimited.com I'd like to setup a conference call to get several of together (will invite Agent/CCA crew as well) and we can discuss ideas/options/thoughts, etc. I'm 100% for it as long as R3V survives.

[MrBurgundy]

My 2 cents..

I think we should expand the Tech side of r3vlimted.com.

It very hard to sift through some of these threads and the filler comments..


therangerstation, for example has a very awesome tech library and I've always thought that this board would benefit from something at that level..

Click through some of that tech section of TRS. It's siiiiiiiick

[Reichart12]

My 2 cents..

I think we should expand the Tech side of r3vlimted.com.

It very hard to sift through some of these threads and the filler comments..

Might be interesting to have some of the active members repackage info from build/ride threads of specific value. As in if someone did a retrofit mod in their build thread, post that as its own topic and discussion with a reference link to the OG posting.

[NORBY]

I've been a hardcore lurker of the forums over the years, it has been an invaluable resource for me in my journey. The thing I have noticed is almost everything seems to have been 'worked out' - many of the other forums I have been on were people working together to come up with some kind of solution to a newer or less developed car.

What i would say is the quality of the R3V build threads are amazing, reading back over build threads with 5+ years of effort is awesome and you learn so many things.

I feel like people like me who read pretty much daily just need to make more effort to contribute to the conversation rather than just lurk.

[AlexJ]

YouTube is the way. It's the first stop if you're looking for DIY instructions. Why read when you can watch? Well-done YouTube content will drive traffic to the site.

Also, vBulletin is dated. As far as BB systems go, it's a trusty workhorse. I've been on vBulletin boards for at least 20 years, which is part of the problem. Forums don't look like this anymore. They look like Reddit, which is maybe something worth considering. Where R3v has different forums, Reddit has searchable tags and flair. All content shown on a single feed. which can be filtered instantly by interest. There's no chance for a discussion board to go stale and stagnant because it's all one discussion board. It's a good system. Also, there's already a small E30 community there (www.reddit.com/r/e30), that I'd bet is filled mostly w/ young people (because old people don't use Reddit), and it would be very easy to merge with.

I realize I'm a newbie. No one wants the site to die, but times have changed, and old school, vBulletin style forums are confusing and ugly, and don't have an smartphone app. Does this place even use Tapatalk?

<3

[cory58]

Does this place even use Tapatalk?

<3

Yes - been on Tapatalk for years.

[rturbo 930]

YouTube is the way. It's the first stop if you're looking for DIY instructions. Why read when you can watch? Well-done YouTube content will drive traffic to the site.

Because it's far easier to reference something in text than in a video where you have to find the timestamp and replay it back over and over. A written DIY with photos is vastly superior to a video.

Reddit also sucks. The way posts are threaded (you have to click more replies over and over), and the very thing you suggest that makes it superior - that it's all one feed - makes it inferior to a forum. Having everything all in one feed is a mess. Forums are # 1.

Forums are not confusing if organized well, the ugly comment is just silly as that's gonna vary site to site, and as confirmed by above poster, has been tapatalk compatible for ages.

[roguetoaster]

Because it's far easier to reference something in text than in a video where you have to find the timestamp and replay it back over and over. A written DIY with photos is vastly superior to a video.

This, just this. It would be less problematic if YT DIY vids just focused on the details of the job, but they provide too much fluff to be worthwhile as compared to a written/photographed step by step guide. Written guides are also eminently more searchable, especially if they include part numbers.

[Digitalwave]

Agreed that reddit is not a suitable heirarchical replacement for vB. vB is definitely dated, but reddit style isn't the way. YouTube has it's place too, but I'm a geezer and want to see a text/photo right up, rather than pausing and rewinding videos constantly for an indepth DIY.

James, I shot you an email as requested.

[Panici]

but I'm a geezer and want to see a text/photo right up, rather than pausing and rewinding videos constantly for an indepth DIY.

I definitely have a three-ring binder of E30 threads / DIYs that I have printed in the past.
Have even went to the trouble of arranging things in a word processor first then printing.

Pretty handy to have papers in a binder to leaf through with greasy hands rather then using a laptop or phone.

Also, vBulletin is dated.

Can't argue there, the interface does look dated. Although it is for sure still usable.

I logged onto Jeepforum.com for the first time today in years, and it appears they are using a Xenforo-based platform now. I haven't used it enough to recommend, but the homepage does look modern. They seem to have migrated successfully, as my build thread (which I started in 2008) is still intact.

[82eye]

i've yet to see a youtube vid that didn't gloss over or omit a real world dynamic. they can help but i've yet to complete something based off one alone. the forums always provided deeper and more detailed info.

you do have to research and read, which is probably where there is a generational gap in the tech and how the info is delivered. that's my old man yelling at clouds with clenched fist statement.

[Digitalwave]

XenForo is probably the best alternative to vB that I've seen. No idea what the costs and considerations to switching are, though.

[AlexJ]

Probably Reddit and YouTube are worse. I think it depends on how they're used. I'm not talking about replacing. Supplementation, maybe. YT and Reddit are two of the largest platforms and they both compete with forums like this. And they can both be used to drive people here.

I agree that forums are great as histories and for general documentation. Maybe the best. So, just let the people at Reddit know about it. Even better to go ahead with the plan to organize/simplify things, making the forum index less cluttered, getting rid of and/or combining sub-forums, and creating a simple and effective means for obtaining the best information as quickly as possible (not a wiki, but maybe a wiki?). Make this place as easy to use as possible, because the people out there were weaned on Web 3.0, which means automatic videos, neverending feeds, and links to DIY sites that look just like the site they came from. This sites Web 1.0 goodness is like fire to Frankenstein's monster.



Long story short, a presence in those places will generate a greater presence here, which would be pretty coo.

<3