Salty

iTrader: (14)

...It's because of "Teh Politics" forum in my honest opinion.

Ever since the addition of the "Teh Politics" forum, BAIC and other forums have lost that "edge". Eventhough the statistics haven't changed and people are still posting as frequent ...things just don't seem the same and i believe it's hurting the forum.

I'm not reccomending we cut throats again in BAIC but certain drama isn't a bad thing if you think about it. It'll bring back that lost "edge" and gives us interest in certain heated topics.

I'm suggesting we either attach the forum to BAIC with a new "catchy name" like IS2's "House of pleasure and pain" because people are too lazy to scroll down and browse the other forum OR cut sling load on the entire forum.

Dre, Myself and others like Scott@S-Squared have been trying to keep the forum as active as possible. On top of that I think Dre and myself have managed it fairly well IMHO. But if you look at the amount of posts you'll realize that 50% are from the moderators and we hardly get any bites.

Just throwing this out...

-Eric.

dr3d1zzl3

iTrader: (1)

ya dang it if people dont start posting in that forum im going to start handing out the beat downs like tic tacs on a summer day.

Kevin M

iTrader: (12)

There may be a grain of truth to this Eric, but it's mostly just a natural dip in activity due to summer being in full swing. in 8 weeks or so it will pick back up.

Wingless Wonder

iTrader: (7)

I guess it's a matter of perception. I really haven't noticed anything negative at all about the way BAIC is right now. Members are still posting. They still express how they got screwed by some dealership or some vendor. They still ask where a local place is to get mods installed or glass replaced. They still post the usual OT (but funny) stuff about threads posted on other car boards like the VW-idiots-driving-around-construction-zone-cones-caught-on-camera.

I think I don't see BAIC as going downhill because what attracted me to the boards in the first place were the technical forums. I see noticeably more participation in those forums since Alex asked for help from the membership in both BAIC and HIIC. I'm grateful to the members who take the time to share their technical expertise with their fellow i-Clubbers. I wish I was more knowledgeable in those areas because that's where I'd spend more of my time.
Could it be that they simply aren't interested in posting? I don't think the idea is that far-fetched. When I meet with the guys and gals at my local area meet, the subject rarely ventures into political or social topics. Okay, maybe we're 'lightweight'. So, what?

If Alex wants to re-integrate Teh Political forum back into BAIC in one form or another, that's great. Will it work? I have no idea. What I can tell you is that since Teh Political forum was created, I no longer receive posts from members reporting each other and asking a Staff Member to "please close this thread!"

I think Alex's goal is to promote i-Club as a technical board for Impreza owners because that is something that is universally attractive to members whether they live in Oakland or Oklahoma, Millbrae or Michigan. The regional forums are a place to socialize but have little draw outside of their respective areas. This is why Alex experimented with things like Scooby Snacks and the current Product Review drive for more submitted reviews (with an avatar as incentive) - to promote the technical forums and Reviews sections. IMO, the technical forums are the future growth of i-Club.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

Wingless Wonder

iTrader: (7)

Guys, I should also mention that the above post is only my opinion, not Alex's official position. I don't know what he thinks about the forum issues.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

Salty

iTrader: (14)

I suppose Alan And Kevin are right. I think it's just the weather... I don't know why it has this type of effect on people but it almost makes me feel sluggish.

And to tell you the truth i have noticed the activity in BAIC but didn't really consider it because of the sentence above. People seem to be posting frequent with topics suggested by Alan but i think everything seems slow because it's that time of year.

Sorry for posting this in the clear... i don't have the ability to share my view in the mod forum so please delete this melarky.

dub2w

I agree with Salty on this 100%. Perhaps some minor rules could come into play regarding postings in BAIC (re: politics, religion, etc...), but pulling discourse out of BAIC hurts the forum in general.

When I go into the Hawaii board it is a lively group that talks about all sorts of different things