SE on WhatsApp

[Dominic]

So this forum seems to be getting quieter and quieter as everyone moves over to SE on WhatsApp. I like the format of this forum and am less keen on the WhatsApp format, but I seem to be in a minority on that front (nothing new there ), so I get that times change and things move on . Is there a link or some way to let newbies know about the group? I have made a lot of good friends through SE over the years, and it seems like there continues to be quite a few newbies joining on here. Would be good to include them in the greater community, whether that's on here or whatsapp.

[campbell]

The WhatsApp group is not strictly an SE group. It was built to help organise Tut's Testimonial event last year and just kinda never went away.

IMO this forum remains the official home for Scottish Elises.

Happy to debate further.

[delands]

Missed the testimonial event..??

[mxvx]

Of course - there are benefits of both.

As long as the threads going on trackdays KH/curry/Spa/Frolic (and make sure new members are aware of these). As a first time venturing to Europe with a Lotus last year (and lots of KH days the last 2 years) everyone is very friendly/welcoming/inclusive.

[Dominic]

Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick, but been hearing peeps referring to "SE on WhatsApp". Also folk referring to conversations on SE, on WhatsApp.

Would be nice to maintain the SE's old philosophy of "all welcome, don't need to be Scottish or have an Elise" - so would be good to have some inclusion for newbies, or those who wish to use another media format.

Whatever the intention of the original WhatsApp group (or groups), there is no doubt that it has been at the expense of traffic on this forum. I don't imagine that will change anytime soon, a lot of folk seem to like the WhatsApp format better, so I think it would be good to look at a way of being a bit more inclusive / welcoming. We seem to currently have a two tier community just now - IMHO that needs fixing.

I do also realize that groups of friends form and move onto other media to have their own chats - that will always be inevitable. Just strikes me that if there is an SE on whatsapp, it should be open to all,... as SE always has been.

This place seems to be getting quieter and quieter, perhaps the entire SE scene is just fading away. However, if the there is a thriving SE community happening elsewhere, can we be more inclusive?

[tut]

I was very reluctant to go onto WA Dom and was admonished when I posted that it was to the detriment of the Forum. However it started as the Bikers Forum and the freedom of Moderation and instant posting made it attractive to more S_Er's. Sanj put me on, I kept removing myself but then gave in.

However there are two WA, one is an acquired taste for the hardcore and some try it and then leave, others do not realise that the abuse is not really abuse just banter, everybody on it is a c*nt expect Campbell, and anything goes including language and sexual preferences from the usual suspects. At the moment it is headed "Lovely people" but that regularly changes. It is invite by one of the originators, but not sure it is for you.

The other one was set up by the lads at the beginning of last year for the Aviemore get together and you might want to try that, a lot less hard core, "Still life in the old dog". There are 47 on that, mostly the old timers, I thought you were on but it does not seem so. Don't understand that as you were one of my original Elise friends.

I tried to keep the posts up on the Forum but apart from the odd burst it is very quiet. Even harder now that I no longer have N3.
WA on the other hand, went out for a coffee the other day and forgot my phone and missed 261 posts when I checked in again. Let us know if you would like to try it out and one of the guys will put you on with your mobile number.

tut

[BigD]

Was this not raised before Dom?

I actually think the demise started with Facebook and the ability to organise events via that medium.

The fast, easy to access format of Facebook/WhatsApp suits people as most folk have phones and use them frequently. Instant access. WhatsApp has very little structure but I wouldn’t have an issue with a proper SE WhatsApp group either.

[delands]

I was very reluctant to go onto WA Dom and was admonished when I posted that it was to the detriment of the Forum. However it started as the Bikers Forum and the freedom of Moderation and instant posting made it attractive to more S_Er's. Sanj put me on, I kept removing myself but then gave in.

However there are two WA, one is an acquired taste for the hardcore and some try it and then leave, others do not realise that the abuse is not really abuse just banter, everybody on it is a c*nt expect Campbell, and anything goes including language and sexual preferences from the usual suspects. At the moment it is headed "Lovely people" but that regularly changes. It is invite by one of the originators, but not sure it is for you.

The other one was set up by the lads at the beginning of last year for the Aviemore get together and you might want to try that, a lot less hard core, "Still life in the old dog". There are 47 on that, mostly the old timers, I thought you were on but it does not seem so. Don't understand that as you were one of my original Elise friends.

I tried to keep the posts up on the Forum but apart from the odd burst it is very quiet. Even harder now that I no longer have N3.
WA on the other hand, went out for a coffee the other day and forgot my phone and missed 261 posts when I checked in again. Let us know if you would like to try it out and one of the guys will put you on with your mobile number.

tut

And here's me thinking the quietness was due to people trading in for other models...




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[woody]

None of the WhatsApp groups, there are far more than 2, was intended to replace SE. However, they've supplanted large chunks of it by allowing more niche stuff to be organised outside of the forum.

Anyone can make a WhatsApp group. I'd suggest there would need to be a few to replicate the forum; general chat, technical, track days, meets and possibly others with the topic sticking to the intention.

Not sure if you can post a link to a group?

[rawsco]

Moving to something like Slack might bring the forum and messaging formats together with a bit of structure and searchability along with ability to post documents photos etc. Forums are great knowledge repositories, messaging is where it’s at for banter. Not sure of the costs to run slack tho. SE is not the only forum to suffer at the expense of FB groups, WhatsApp etc. Forums are going the way of usenet... adapt or die!

[Sanjøy]

Don’t forget SE on Drive Tribe!

WA is Instant messaging, no more no less. Yesterday’s messages are yesterdays news.
The forum is where historical help etc can be referenced for new and old people a like. Polls can be run, trackdays discussed etc.
I think the old timers just need to make more of an effort.

PS Thanks to Simon for the the free hosting and admin of the site.

[Shug]

The core issue with an "SE Whatsapp" (which is, as others have said, not what the probably about 4-6 Whatsapp groups that have cropped up between SE members, and friends from outside SE on various sub-interests are) is that Whatsapp has a 256 user limit per group.

Now I'm not saying for a second that I think we have 256 concurrent posters on SE at any one time, but how do you decide who to cull when you get to that limit - there's natural wastage of course as people leave Whatsapp groups far more freely than delete user profiles on forums, but it's a query...

They do different things. If you think the forum is quiet *solely* because of Whatsapp, though, I think you're wrong.

The online scenery has changed fundamentally - in the "glory days" of the SE forum, it was social media for most users. You had forums and you had emails. Facebook wasn't there, simple IM groups (which Whatsapp basically is) weren't really that much of a thing outwith the hardcore online types. Now, we have all sorts of ways of connecting across all sorts of platforms, which (for better or worse) are better than a forum format at thrusting themselves in your face (matron) therefore distracting from Forums.

The real question is what to move to from the forum format to keep the group cohesive, because Whatsapp isn't it.

[j2 lot]

WA groups have appeared behind the scenes and not everyone was aware or included so it does appear to those of us still here that the forum has been abandoned. I used to visit here several times a day but now only view a couple of times a week as there are very few posts and as I don’t use WA so it does seem like the support is slowly dying out.
I know I’m not the only person who thought it was simply a waining interest rather than another platform being used.

[renmure]

Not having had a Lotus for a couple of years now I don''t feel particularly part of the group in the same way as before. I also just assumed it was just going through a declining phase but still logged on most days to keep on top of the latest news/banter/newbies/etc.

I didn't realise there was an SE WA group (not that I should have known) but I find any WA group that has over half-a-dozen members to be almost unbearable due to the amount of background banter that's fun for the few folk actively joining in, but a bit bugging for the other 100 folk trying to tune it out.

[kenny]

For a long time it been more about the cliques and not the community, WA and associated cliques will kill SE to death eventually.

Nice one for trying though Dom, I know this place still means a lot, you even got me to reply.