Modern world?

[r10crw]

So just wondering why we dont have new folk coming onto the forum every year. Busy paying TV's, Houses, blaming the current economy, just life?

Ive been coming on to the forum for the last sorta 10 years although it was a different forum then and its mostly the same folks. Are we horrible opinionated scary folks? Or is it just the lack of new affordable little lotus (for plural how is this done, lotus's?).

I had a look at cost of a average lotus in 96 compared to average lotus now, are the cars now at level where the stigma associated doesnt breed these kind of forums?

Poor Karen is the prime example, contributed I dont know how many hours and little response (myself included), Karen Im really sorry.

My life has changed considerably with kids and that but hope there is still a group of like minded folks when the geets get kicked out in the next 16 years or so....

[tut]

Piss head, what are you up to?

I think it is simply that you are all getting older, I have been there for some time so don't count. Take Campbell and Lisa, a couple of reprobates in Spain in 2001, now a respectable settled down family with two kids and lots more responsibility. We are still getting new owners joining in and we have a fairly healthy base of oldies and regulars. Nothing can last for ever as shown by Tut Towers, six great events but it had to end at some time. Track days, Euro events, road runs are still going ahead, the guys had a good get together at Oulton.

The Forum still seems to be healthy as regards posts, and also subjects that seem to cover everything above and beyond Elises. We have four members with over 10,000 posts and one on the way to 20,000. From a single model in 1996 which many of us started with, there are now dozens of versions, and as soon as a new model comes out, several on here will be buying it, so that keeps regeneration going.

I think that we are still in a healthy state, but like marriage, you have to work at it.

tut

[j2 lot]

The output from the Lotus factory probably reflects the fluctuations in newbies appearing. The late 90's into the noughties had cars being produced in 000's with production a late being in hundreds, so less new owners. Obviously the second hand market differs but follows a similar trend and a lot of native cars have gone abroad so there are less locals.
I suppose the othe variables are the average costs of the cars for sale - new Elise variants have been increasingly more expensive and Evora and V6 are going to more affluent buyers.
The internet itself has changed massively over the years too so there is a wider choice of places to go. This place is still fairly healthy compared to somewhere like Pistonheads that has reduced as a social forum and is now a sales medium above everything else.

[Kugaman1]

As a newbie!
Id lack to add a few comments.
I think the biggest reason you dont get too many posts from newbies is simply that pretty much every issue that people have with their cars has been covered! I had an issue with the starter making a strange noise- a quick search revealed it was a symptom of my battery dying. Bought a battery charger and conditioner and all is well, so no need to post.

Also, a lot of the time we newbies dont feel like we can bring anything to the party. Certainly for me, I feel like all I do is ask for help and drain your collective grey matter! Thats why id rather research the forums and try to find solutions myself.
Im delighted when I can add something worthwhile to a thread, but often cant bring anything of use to anyone!!

[pete]

I was wondering the same myself. Interesting point.

Kugaman1, worry not about draining the collective grey matter. I don't.

[Stewart]

More recently I suspected that more interaction was happening on Facebook and bypassing the forum. I am not on FB so wasn't sure.

Personally I know one of the reasons I started posting less was because I generally surf using my tablet or phone. Neither are conducive to typing long winded replies. For example I just happen to be sitting at the desktop tonight. If I had been on my tablet I wouldn't have attempted a response.

In it's hay day SE2 used to generate a full page of "new posts" each evening when I logged in. Not sure if it manages that any more? Of course most of that was drivel posted by serial posters

2p

[robin]

It's a place where people can come if they want to, but it doesn't mean they have to ... just as us Dinosaurs still used email when this fancy forum stuff came along, this fancy forum thing is lost on the younger generation ... I suspect sooner or later somebody will create a facebook thingmy and we'll all be wondering where everyone has gone

I think we're generally welcoming, helpful and friendly so I hope the forum itself is not a barrier - I suspect there are fewer cars being bought at the younger end of the spectrum - maybe the Elise is no longer exciting or maybe they are just unaffordable/unavailable?

Cheers,
Robin

[tut]

FB probably has its place but not for me. Twitter should be nuked.

Will plod along on here until the second coming of the asteroid that will wipe out the present age of the dinosaurs.

tut

[rossybee]

Not the forum's fault, but the fact lots of the regulars have known each other (in many cases, in person) for many years, quite possibly makes it a little daunting.

I'd say we are generally a friendly bunch but a newbie doesn't know this and has to find this out for themselves.

And I'd also say things are far quieter of late, not sure if that has much to do with the owner demographics, take me for example, I drive a sh!tey auld Volvo and have never owned a Lotus


Oh, and did anyone else think of The Jam when first reading the thread title?

[tut]

Can not agree with the daunting aspect, we go out of our way to welcome every newbie, also help them to choose and look after their cars, and answer all their questions despite having heard them all before.

Also there is no hierarchy on here whether it be salaries, age, experience, driving ability, penile size, or anything else that I can think of.

tut

[kerryxeg]

You should try some other forums. I have limited experience of others, but tried to ask a couple of technical ish queries on a Porsche forum and got a fairly consistent response - take it to the garage.

SE participation may well vary over time as personal interests and distractions change, but it has a good foundation.

[j2 lot]

Oh, and did anyone else think of The Jam when first reading the thread title?

Has been rattling about in my pea brain since I read it

[Dominic]

I think that quite a bit of the banter has moved over to facebook. Which IMHO is a pity.

I also think it's important to be welcoming to the newbies (which we are). As a well established group, where many of us know one another, it can be quite daunting for new comers to integrate themselves. As per others comments, there are other forums, some of which I have dipped my toe into (for other marques) and it really makes you appreciate what a friendly and supportive bunch we have on SE! Many newbies may be expecting to receive the sort of welcome they may get elsewhere.

[Shug]

I obviously pay attention to new sign-ups to the forum (waiting on spammers creeping through our defences!) and whilst, yes, there's not a massive influx all the time, there is a steady trickle (of genuinely interested people, it seems). Kugaman hits a point square on the head that the first thing people would sign up to a forum like this for is support on the car. Searching the tech forum here is a mine of information - plus, if you look at other forums, the general response to common questions is to "do a bloody search", so it's now ingrained with people to search before asking (although I'm glad that it's not the common response here).

WRT the banter thing - yes, there's lots of folks who have met on here and friendships developed, then migrated naturally over to Facebook. It's a far more natural place for general banter and life stuff - there was a time when people moaned on SE about off topic drivel So - you pull away the general nonsense that made up a good proportion of daily posts, this makes the forum seem a generally more on-topic place. Knock-on effect being that new posters see a general lack of drivel and banter and feel they shouldn't be posting that sort of thing.

It's simply a natural thing - the forum has developed organically to where it is now. It's friendly and open, it's perhaps a little lacking in ongoing content sometimes, but what is here is generally interesting & civil. I guess the message is that if people miss content of a certain type - start posting it again and keep at it - it'll catch on if the wider membership want it on their forum

[BiggestNizzy]

Twitter should be nuked.
tut

From orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

I found this place becuase my car didn't work unfortunatly the cars are built better. It's not the easiest place to find either. I understand that it has been taken off Google etc to prevent bots.

Just noticed my post average has dropped but that's fatherhood for you

Finally to add we are better than the renault forum I used to be on.