Forum Stats...upd 1st Qtr p.8

[Amskeptic]

Feel free to comment.
It feels like the sales curve of the air-cooled Volkswagens.

If you have insights, suggestions, comments, complaints, let's hear them.
Colin

[surfdad]

well your stats don't reflect how many lurkers like myself are out here peeking in the windows. Yep we are out here.....soaking up the good information, laughing at the jokes, and sharing the sadness when members post about lost loved ones and those battling life's darker side. "We" the unaccounted.

[Sylvester]

Are we dropping like flies? Heck I am far away from my VW but I am still posting!

[RussellK]

bring back the santa claus and global warming thread!

[sped372]

My favorite parts of this site have always been the "travel story" portions, primarily Colin's anecdotes from the road but also member posts in the camping section. I know there were valid reasons, but both were lacking this last year. This site is like a big, fragmented novel story and I was eagerly anticipating the 2012 chapter; details of a 1600 powered bus (more familiar to me than the late bays), desert wanderings, diet-coke can shims, halleluiah sunrise mornings and insect-laden misery nights. Unfortunately, I was left feeling like the chapter was pretty sparse and it didn't live up to my hopes so I found myself drifting away a bit.

Any online enterprise needs content to keep folks coming back for more. The technical support offered by this community is great, but routine visitation requires something more. I enjoy the stories and hope we can increase the volume of them this year. In my humble opinion, Colin, you are a master at explaining technical things to people, but your true gift is storytelling. Tech content appeals to a select few, good stories appeal to just about everyone.

[zabo]

I find myself agreeing with sped.

Colin I hope you do realize your gift of storytelling and pepper your much awaited book with some of these gems. I think it would go a long way in making for a more enjoyable learning experience as well as providing real life examples of how where and when you may have to tackle these problems.

[yondermtn]

I too gravitate towards the camping thread and the itinerary thread for the trip reports and stories.

Maybe a midwest campout can happen in 2013? We can't let you Portlanders have all the fun.

[hambone]

A lot has changed around "here" over the years. I do know the whole "turk" thing turned a LOT of people off, and after that fiasco a lot of "old timers" stopped posting. Also since I quit that horrible desk job my posts are wayyyy down, that must account for something since I was the World's Grandest Poster for years. A lot more of my posts are technical these days - I wouldn't be able to keep Volks Folks alive without the wisdom between these binary walls.
I always pass on the IAC to my Portland Volks Folks customers, not sure how many actually sign up though.

Colin you also know you have a strong personality and some people just don't know how to take you, and move on after getting panty-bunched about misinterpretation.

Since I started the Green Cascadia blog all my camp writing goes there - it has been really important for me to really focus on writing, and the blog has really helped.

Look at it this way: 2012 has more registrations than ever. Potential energy.

[RSorak 71Westy]

I agree w Sped. Colin and his story is what drives this site and he has not been as present this past year. I too expected to learn much more about my bus now that Colin was driving a bus w a type 1 engine, but that didnt happen.

[hambone]

Yep. Maybe the old bus turned Colin into a hippy.

[sped372]

1600 buses are like molasses. I like it but it don't move real fast.

[yondermtn]

I don't know what the "Turk thing" is. I do know that he is gone and that seemed to be what everyone wanted, maybe I'm wrong about that but that was my observation as a self proclaimed outsider.

IMO, there is a cliqueiness to this place that is probably a turnoff to some.

[ruckman101]

It might just be a general trend. Is it possible to compare the data with other sites?


neal

[hambone]

Klick by proximity alone, all are welcome.

[deschutestrout]

It may be a combination of things.

The "novelty" of having a fabulous site like this has worn off for some.

People relied (and still rely) on this site for tech information...both basic and advanced...and the site was/is successful in teaching us all the basics of keeping our VWs happy, and many don't need the level of "help" they once needed...because they learned (and are learning) things here. How's that for a run-on sentence.

People are using the search function more and finding the info they seek without starting a new topic and/or posting.

People PM those with proven knowledge and expertise to go "straight to the source"

Hambone doesn't post 73.67 times a day .... there's the kicker

IAC is STILL the BEST VW site going. Don't get discouraged ... just keep doing what you're doing. And when your book is FINALLY ready for sale, traffic will increase