Fixin' Oldies

[matthfam]

I would like to get a new forum started called "FIXIN' OLDIES". It would be just like the "FIBERGLASS RV FORUM" but for old aluminum side trailers. Old trailers have specific needs to keep them authentic and replace broken parts, lights, cabinets, stopping leaks, etc. etc.
If you would like to have this forum, please weigh in and let us know. Forums are started according to traffic on any particular interest.
Thank you
Ray M.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Do you mean shiny aluminum as in Airstream, or painted like the HR Alumalite, or anything with aluminum siding (corrugated as well as smooth)? There are several popular Airstream forums already, but none I know of dedicated to aluminum siding in general. Just about every major trailer brand has an aluminum sides model, so the brand name forums as well as general RVing forums (like this one) cater to their siding questions.

 

[Kirk]

Old trailers have specific needs to keep them authentic and replace broken parts, lights, cabinets, stopping leaks, etc. etc

As Gary pointed out, there are still many new trailers for sale today that have aluminum siding. Many of the ultra-lite models use it because it weighs less than fiberglass. Our most recent travel trailer has aluminum siding.

 

[Tom]

If you would like to have this forum, please weigh in and let us know. Forums are started according to traffic on any particular interest.

You seem to have misunderstood what I told you in my reply at the Help Desk. Having a lot of folks say "we want a XXX forum" does not constitute relevant message traffic. If we see a lot of discussion in a particular subject area, that might cause us to consider adding a relevant forum, although it's not a given.

FWIW over the years, we've seen folks request that we add a forum for a specific subject area, and they disappeared after a short time &/or a limited amount of discussion.

 

[Ex-Calif]

Hmmm... I have a vintage (1948) Marquis teardrop that I am gonna restore (someday) - I poked around for vintage RVs and irv2.com has a pretty active Vintage RV forum.

It would be an interesting idea to start one here. What is vintage? <1980? The other problem is that irv2 has this covered and apparently a lot of traction.

So while a vintage RV forum is likely a decent idea - it would be hard to gain member users and traction.

 

[Tom]

So while a vintage RV forum is likely a decent idea - it would be hard to gain member users and traction.

Agreed. Without the traction (in other forums here) it would be unlikely we'd open a dedicated forum for it.

 

[Jeff in Ferndale Wa]

Agreed. Without the traction (in other forums here) it would be unlikely we'd open a dedicated forum for it.

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but am curious why you would not want to open another forum to try it out? Close it if there is not much use. Is it a lot of extra work? Is these an additional cost?

 

[CharlesinGA]

A completely separate forum, such as the AirForum (very busy) or the Fiberglass forum (also very busy) works well, but there are many forums out there that don't have enough traffic to warrant their existence.

The Airforum (for Airstreams) suffers from dozens and dozens of specific subforums that have very little to no activity and moderators that are constantly moving a post from say the General Repair Forum, to some obscure, non-active sub forum where it is never seen again. Very hard to follow forum layout.

I stumbled into one Aluminumcamperforum.com and while the stats, 11,339 Posts in 1,468 Topics by 876 Members make it sound busy, it really is not.

Most people restoring old stick and tin campers either know what they are doing and need very little help, or are totally lost and simply cannot be helped, no matter how much advise you give them.

Charles

 

[Tom]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but am curious why you would not want to open another forum to try it out? Close it if there is not much use. Is it a lot of extra work? Is these an additional cost?

If there was an interest in a subject, I'd expect to see some relevant discussion in one of our existing forums. Opening a forum just to see if there's any interest makes little sense. It does involve a little work, including finding a home for any orphaned messages if/when we close it down.

I've lost track of the times I've been asked to open a forum on someone's whim, only to find they post a few messages on the subject and leave. In this case, the requester hasn't posted a single message on his requested subject.

 

[Tulecreeper]

If there was an interest in a subject, I'd expect to see some relevant discussion in one of our existing forums. Opening a a forum just to see if there's any interest makes little sense. It does involve a little work, including finding a home for any orphaned messages if/when we close it down.

I've lost track of the times I've been asked to open a forum on someone's whim, only to find they post a few messages on the subject and leave. In this case, the requester hasn't posted a single message on his requested subject.

I have a suggestion: Women of Wales, Scotland, and Alabama. Kind of a comparison-type forum. And one called Men of England, Ireland, and Chad. You know, just to balance things out.

 

[Ex-Calif]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but am curious why you would not want to open another forum to try it out? Close it if there is not much use. Is it a lot of extra work? Is these an additional cost?

I was an admin on a sailing forum. I didn't understand how much happens behind the scenes until I got immersed in that. I was on the forum like 12 hours a day.

It's pretty unfathomable how much spam needs to be cleaned up every day. Then there are "crap" fights and a ton of private messages complaining about moderating and freedom of speech - LOL...

Hats off to the moderators here and the membership in general for the collegial overall atmosphere.

If there was an interest in a subject, I'd expect to see some relevant discussion in one of our existing forums. Opening a forum just to see if there's any interest makes little sense. It does involve a little work, including finding a home for any orphaned messages if/when we close it down.

This is how all the forums I've been on works. Drive the traffic up then ask for a sub-forum.

I have a suggestion: Women of Wales, Scotland, and Alabama. Kind of a comparison-type forum. And one called Men of England, Ireland, and Chad. You know, just to balance things out.

I really think we need a "Challenges of Being a Left Handed RVer" - I am not a leftie but I would look forward to posting stuff like "Quit complaining. It's a right-handed world so deal with it."

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Tom Jones & I have probably debated this a dozen times over the many years and experimented several times. No matter how logical a separate sub-forum (aka "board") sounds or how well its purpose is explained, people post all over the place, often without rhyme or reason. For example, we get technical questions posted on the Account Info board, For Sale ads in General Discussion, and so on. The more specific a sub-forum is, the less likely it seems to succeed. Sometimes we think that we should have just one forum/board and let each member sort out what titles they want to read.

 

[Ex-Calif]

Sometimes we think that we should have just one forum/board and let each member sort out what titles they want to read.

I know (hope) you are joking LOL...

As good as the search button is when I started looking at TTs I "browsed" the TT forum scrolling through many pages.

 

[Kirk]

Since he has not been back since making the post, I have to wonder why?

 

[Ex-Calif]

Since he has not been back since making the post, I have to wonder why?

Yeah - What I couldn't figure out was his join date (2012) then he waits 11 years and posts the same question 3 times.

I can't remember my password here for 3 days much less 11 years - LOL...

 

[Tom]

I know (hope) you are joking LOL...

He's not, and this was always a big part of our discussion/disagreement over the years. The more I see of people posting 'anywhere', ignoring our forums structure, the more I think Gary might have been right all along (but don't tell him I said that!).

 

[jackiemac]

I see posts that don't get many of quick answers in some sub forums and I usually move to "general discussion" where they do.

 

[Ex-Calif]

He's not, and this was always a big part of our discussion/disagreement over the years. The more I see of people posting 'anywhere', ignoring our forums structure, the more I think Gary might have been right all along (but don't tell him I said that!).

I think the problem with posting in the wrong forums is that everyone who comes here is ancient and can barely operate a cell phone. GenX and Z don't have that problem.

Maybe you guys should have a max age limit here instead or geriatrics have to be supervised by a grandkid or something-

 

[Tom]

I think the problem with posting in the wrong forums is that everyone who comes here is ancient and can barely operate a cell phone. GenX and Z don't have that problem.

Maybe you guys should have a max age limit here instead or geriatrics have to be supervised by a grandkid or something-

Running web sites and forums for multiple groups/clubs (have done for many years), I have a different perspective:

- The "grab and run" folks of any age who post a question, grab an answer(s) and don't have any interest in participating. They often don't have sufficient interest to figure out if there's even a "most appropriate place" to post their question; It's something of an entitlement mentality; "I have a question and you need to figure out what/where it is, and give me a response; I also won't bother to acknowledge your answer/help".

- Folks of any age who do all their online stuff on a phone; Many don't or can't be bothered to scroll through a page (or an email) and read simple explanations/instructions.

 

[Ex-Calif]

The "grab and run" folks of any age who post a question, grab an answer(s) and don't have any interest in participating.

We used to call them seagulls.

"Land-Squawk-Crap-Fly Away"