How to get the VASK forum momentum cracking along again?

Started by RS ZWEI, March 17, 2016, 09:51:33 AM

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RS ZWEI

We would like to hear your positive ideas on how we can improve the forum/club.

If you have any ideas please post them below.
1980 VW Golf GTI Track Car
1995 Audi RS2
2003 Mini Cooper S (Written off - rear ended)
2005 Mini Cooper S
2006 Skoda Octavia vRS Combi
2009 Renault Megane 230 R26 (Written off - rear ended)
2013 Renault Megane RS265 Redbull RB8

RobClubley

I think forums generally have taken a hit in favour of Facebook/Twitter and other social media. They are more instant, but also more transient, it's almost impossible to find a post again after a few days.
It would be great to get more action going on on the VASK forum.
John from Drive Life NZ (JSG on VASK) was interested in running an article about VASK and giving some publicity. Has he contacted anyone yet?
1985 ur quattro
1992 Ford Courier - the sensible daily

RS ZWEI

Quote from: RobClubley on March 17, 2016, 09:58:48 AM
I think forums generally have taken a hit in favour of Facebook/Twitter and other social media. They are more instant, but also more transient, it's almost impossible to find a post again after a few days.
It would be great to get more action going on on the VASK forum.
John from Drive Life NZ (JSG on VASK) was interested in running an article about VASK and giving some publicity. Has he contacted anyone yet?

John has been in contact with Ash.
1980 VW Golf GTI Track Car
1995 Audi RS2
2003 Mini Cooper S (Written off - rear ended)
2005 Mini Cooper S
2006 Skoda Octavia vRS Combi
2009 Renault Megane 230 R26 (Written off - rear ended)
2013 Renault Megane RS265 Redbull RB8

Brett

Facebook now has a search group function(unsure how new) which works very well for finding old posts.
Previous:MKIII Golf GL, MKIV Golf GTI, E36 325i, E36 323i, B5 S4 sedan, C32 AMG, B5 S4 avant, BMW 740iL, MKV Golf Gti 2dr.

Current:
Company car
Weekend toy-2007 Golf Gti Edition 30

zyeffur

For a start, I think we have way too many groups; forum, VASK FB and Just Dubs. They're essentially the same bunch of people communicating in three different channels.

Would be beneficial if all event organising are done via the forum instead of FB to drive traffic but then, it is just so much easier with the provided functions from FB.

Compared to 3-4 years ago, there isn't as much on-going builds happening or people aren't selling anything anymore. The scenario now falls more towards "if you need something, you know who to contact".

What really drove forum users away to FB? The malware issue.

Pristle


Poonmobile

I would like to see more centers initiate meets, go to events and gatherings. It just seems like it's just Akl and occasionally Wellington and sometimes the South Island. I know there are Heaps of people around the country who would love to meet up but just don't have the outlet or someone to set it up or organize it.

SO would it be beneficial to have a 'president' or 'organiser' elected/appointed/volunteer to organize a region/city. From there we can grow the club and have a little more direction? Have a little more structure implemented?

A lot of the spin of FB groups all started here and at VASK meets. So it's about getting back to doing things under one banner so to speak.

There are lots of people on FB who don't use the forum so it means quite often you will need to inform people or set up meets in two places (not hard I guess) but as Bryan mentioned, FB is easier to rally and invite people because you can target specific people, and not just an anonymous avatar or handle on a forum.

I'd like to see the club grow and get more people involved in meets and events and see more happening around the country. We have a pretty good crew of VASKers here in Auckland, and some of us have gotten to be good mates outside of just the cars. I'd like to also see the dealers look at us seriously and want to partake and participate in things with us. We can only do that with the power of a club.

Current:
06 NZ B7 RS4 Avus Silver, 01 NZ B5 RS4 Avus Silver, 93 NZ VR6 Tornado Red 3dr, Renault Clio 172 & Renault Clio 197
Past:
MK2 VR6, MK5 GTI, 2 x MK5 R32, 8L S3 Imola, MK4 Golf V6 4MO, Polo GTI, 2x MK3 VR6, D2 S8, B5 S4 Avant, 03 NZ R32 Deep Blue Pearl, Renault Megane R26 liquid yello

Y0RKI

Quote from: Poonmobile on March 17, 2016, 03:38:58 PM
I'd like to also see the dealers look at us seriously and want to partake and participate in things with us. We can only do that with the power of a club.

Happy to help Ash ;)
Everything is for sale, you just have to offer the right money
2002 Maserati 4200 Spyder
2006 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA - For Sale
2001 Fiat Coupe 20Vt Le - gone
1998 Fiat Bravo HGT - gone
1996 Fiat Coupe 16vt - gone
1990 Fiat Uno Turbo - gone (to heaven)
1986 Fiat Uno Turbo - gone

80 Vert

Just my view, seems to me that facebook has killed the forum mostly, a lot of the members are on facebook so posting your build thread on here seems a bit of a waste as it still takes a lot of effort to do so and if hardly anyone is going to read it then what is the point?

I'm not on Facebook personaly so I'm not up to speed with events anymore as they don't get posted up on here any longer so you never know when something is going on hence its been ages since I went to anything. Yes I could join Facebook but I have no desire to do so and if the Forum is to be revived then why not post it up here?
The forum used to be a very busy scene but in the last few years I find myself hardly visiting as nothing much seems to happen / change.
I've posted my fair share of build threads in the hope others will share their build and a few have but most don't which is a pitty.
2010 T5 Transporter TDI  Tuned by Superior Tuning NZ
2003 Jetta Coupe soon to be R36TT
1991 Golf GTI 2.0 TSI swapped
1963 Type 34 Karmann Ghia, turbo 2.0
1990 Porsche 964 911 Carrera 4
1980 1303 Beetle vert, under restoration

Mike1410

Quote from: zyeffur on March 17, 2016, 11:40:03 AM
What really drove forum users away to FB? The malware issue.

I would agree with you 100% there. After the best part of 18 months of being unable to access the website without hitting a "not safe to proceed" warning I had given up entirely - just not prepared to take the risk of pc viruses. It was only a comment on the FB page noting that it had been taken over/sorted/was working normally again that brought me back. I'm sure I cannot be the only one. I think some former users have moved on to other VW forums, yet more have gone to the Facebook page and some have just moved on altogether. 

Mitch

My 2c.    The fb page is just basically a buy and sell, or a meet organising page. Most the people with the knowledge are on the forums but not fb.

THink of it this way.   FB is for one nighters, the forum is for long term relationships.
My point is, that on the forum you have the troopers who stick with vags but on fb it seems to be 80% hipsters cause they cant afford a bmw lol.

I like people on here cause they know stuff that google doesnt tell.

00quattro00

I haven't touched my vag for a while, have a land rover defender  110 that requires some work
Land Rover Discovery 300tdi
Land Rover 110 4bd1t

thomas.dq

An option could be:

Turn off the ability for users to post to the Facebook group, then replicate posts made on the forum over to the Facebook group.

The Facebook post doesn't have to show the whole forum post - only the title and URL to the forum post is required.

This will direct traffic back to the forum, while still keeping the Facebook users informed of new things on the forum.


It wouldn't be hard to implement at all :)
2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1000
2017 Mitsubishi Outlander
2016 Nissan Leaf

1997 Mk3 Golf VR6
2010 Mk6 Golf GTI

ranton-inc

Register VASK as a actual established Club, paid up memberships etc.

that will separate the men from the boys,

forums are pretty crappy in this day and age thou tbh, however I'd rather use a Forum over crapty Zuckerbergbook any day.

RS ZWEI

Quote from: thomas.dq on March 17, 2016, 09:47:38 PM
An option could be:

Turn off the ability for users to post to the Facebook group, then replicate posts made on the forum over to the Facebook group.

The Facebook post doesn't have to show the whole forum post - only the title and URL to the forum post is required.

This will direct traffic back to the forum, while still keeping the Facebook users informed of new things on the forum.


It wouldn't be hard to implement at all :)

I was thinking something along these lines.

It seems about 80% of the FB members join to sell some parts then disappear.
1980 VW Golf GTI Track Car
1995 Audi RS2
2003 Mini Cooper S (Written off - rear ended)
2005 Mini Cooper S
2006 Skoda Octavia vRS Combi
2009 Renault Megane 230 R26 (Written off - rear ended)
2013 Renault Megane RS265 Redbull RB8

ranton-inc

Quote from: RS ZWEI on March 17, 2016, 09:58:12 PM
I was thinking something along these lines.

It seems about 80% of the FB members join to sell some parts then disappear.

Hence my suggestion from years ago which was ignored was apply limitations on the Trading post,

ie viewing only, or minimum 50 posts to list a item etc etc etc.

and doing a mandatory clean out of the Trading post threads only leaving the recent most 6 months still in play.


The Red Warrior

It's all VW's fault.
They've been making our cars more and more reliable as the years go on and we just don't need each others help as much as we used to 🙄

Mike1410

Quote from: Mitch on March 17, 2016, 09:04:41 PM
on fb it seems to be 80% hipsters cause they cant afford a bmw lol.


;D personally I'm closer to hip replacement than hipster - am afraid I wouldn't have a new BMW even if I could afford one!

Brett

Quote from: RS ZWEI on March 17, 2016, 09:58:12 PM
I was thinking something along these lines.

It seems about 80% of the FB members join to sell some parts then disappear.

You would lose all of the younger generation doing this. Facebook is convenient. Builds are no longer posted start to finish as they are either "just wheels and coilovers" or people keep it fully secret till the reveal as it creates a bigger splash.
Previous:MKIII Golf GL, MKIV Golf GTI, E36 325i, E36 323i, B5 S4 sedan, C32 AMG, B5 S4 avant, BMW 740iL, MKV Golf Gti 2dr.

Current:
Company car
Weekend toy-2007 Golf Gti Edition 30

Poonmobile

Current:
06 NZ B7 RS4 Avus Silver, 01 NZ B5 RS4 Avus Silver, 93 NZ VR6 Tornado Red 3dr, Renault Clio 172 & Renault Clio 197
Past:
MK2 VR6, MK5 GTI, 2 x MK5 R32, 8L S3 Imola, MK4 Golf V6 4MO, Polo GTI, 2x MK3 VR6, D2 S8, B5 S4 Avant, 03 NZ R32 Deep Blue Pearl, Renault Megane R26 liquid yello