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Saito2

When folks leave forums

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Forum members come and go. Some stay for a good while and others are here and gone within a year. Having been on some forums for many years (Tamiyaclub being the longest by far), I tend to note these changes in "traffic" in the back of my mind. Classically, its down to waning interest I imagine. The member gradually post less and less and then fades away (sometimes popping back up years later when the "bug" bites again). What piques my curiosity is when and long time member goes along normally and then suddenly goes silent. I always wonder what happens in these cases. Forums and Tamiyaclub in particular are types of communities in the modern computer age so when someone goes away, I'm always left wondering, what happened and are they ok? Strange thoughts on my end perhaps...

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I think about this a lot too. There's been a few that left for "greener pastures" on various blogs and FB pages, which seems to be in line with the ever-changing nature of social media. I'm sure there's others that rage quit too, but I tend not to think about them much after they're gone ¯\(°_o)/¯

For me personally, during my nearly (OMG) two decades posting here, I've been in and out mostly due to life events and shifting careers. My interest however has never really waned. I truly enjoy this forum and never seem to bore of it. This is the only place that hits all the buttons for me. Topics like these (thank you @Saito2 for all of your thoughtful and insightful posts BTW) add a lot to my overall feelings for the hobby. The depth of conversation here is bar none. 👍

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I wonder about this sometimes too, but more about the new members than older ones. I've been here over 3 years and been pretty consistent in that time, and of course there are a lot of regulars in the same boat. Then a new member pops up and most post about a TT02B they've just bought or restoring their old Boomerang. There is always one though who dives in has 10 kits on order (first post showing the new Avante, Hotshot and Super Astute they just bought) in the first month and then disappear quickly. What happens to their kits? Are they married, and for how much longer? Do they do this every few months with a new hobby? 

I know everyones circumstances are different and some of my friends think nothing of spending thousands on a new toy or interest but that isn't me so it fascinates me.

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One thing I've notices after being on many forums of varying topics and interests, Tamiya Club is the most laid back and "jerk" free forums I've ever been a member of.  The vibe is super friendly.

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20 minutes ago, 78Triumph said:

One thing I've notices after being on many forums of varying topics and interests, Tamiya Club is the most laid back and "jerk" free forums I've ever been a member of.  The vibe is super friendly.

Having frequented many forums over the years i have to say that this is the main reason i like this forum. There's never any sarcasm or put downs, just genuine help. That goes a long way to keep members using the forum.

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My forum usage swings with my hobby fads.

 

I have to many hobbies and I am all or nothing with them all.

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Off the top of my head, without naming names, here are a few previous members I remember leaving and why:

  • One simply got all the satisfaction he wanted out of the hobby and moved on to another hobby.
  • One was a perfectionist and didn't seem to feel appreciated.  He deleted all of his 1200 posts and quit suddenly, which led to some policy changes around here about editing posts.
  • One was getting trolled by anonymous emails from the main site page, and he had had enough.  I think the main site page changed how it handled anonymous emails at that point.
  • At least two I can remember seemed to dive headfirst into the hobby and cycled through dozens of cars rapidly.  I think they both burned out or looked at their bank account!
  • At least a few have left due to job loss or financial circumstances; it's not fun if you can't build and share your creations like others here.
  • At least two have died from various circumstances.

In my mind, Tamiyaclub traditionally seems to go through a yearly cycle with more people joining and more activity in the autumn and winter months.  Once the nice weather hits again, forum traffic dies down.  This year has been an exception with The Virus forcing more people to stay at home.  I don't have real stats; it's just a perception of how many new posts there are each day.  There are more than usual right now.

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1 hour ago, speedy_w_beans said:

Tamiyaclub traditionally seems to go through a yearly cycle with more people joining and more activity in the autumn and winter months.

Folks in the Southern Hemisphere are probably having a bit of a chuckle about this. ;)

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I'm a real newbie here, and having been a member of Mountain Biking forum(s) in the past, i can honestly say the welcome and open answers to any questions I had were dealt with in a normal fashion. I wasn't looking forward to my first few posts!....

The main mountain Biking forum I used to use around 15 to 20 years ago was mainly populated by a younger clientele and n00bs were often given a hard time with what could be seen today cyber bullying. I think a lot of that came from the semi nerdiness of many bikers, and the fact it was, and still is a very expensive pastime so can often be much better off "kids".

I am still friends in IRL with many of those forumites. several came to my wedding 8 years ago from all round the UK. We used to meet up for rides, which was good.

 

I am much more of a reader and researcher on here at present, but that is mainly down to time constraints due to life. But I will make sure I contribute, including uploading to the main site showroom section.

 

 

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2 hours ago, OCD said:

Folks in the Southern Hemisphere are probably having a bit of a chuckle about this. ;)

Well we would have been until the bottom fell out of the Aussie $.......compared to $US......Nuts.....even worse compared to the Euro, so that’s anything from Tamico out the window for now......double nuts.


Still at least the suns shining again today to run what I already have 😁 and tomorrow.......and the next day.....and the next....

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Sometimes when an old thread gets resurrected, or when I search for something online and I get a link back here, I see the old names and wonder where they went.  I don't typically 'chat' much with other members outside of the forums so I don't feel I have a bit social network on here.  So if one of them was to disappear for any reason, I doubt I'd know about it for a while.  Same if anything stopped me posting here, very few people actually on here would know why.  Not that I've ever been tempted to leave.

I  made a few good personal friends through the forum, I would say two of them are still good friends - the others moved on or stopped collecting or just didn't have time to come to meets any more.  When I see any ex-TCer in person, they always say "So Tamiyaclub is pretty much dead now, right?"  They've been asking that for 4-5 years.  They're always surprised when I say no.  I tell them it's quite different now to how it was, at least the membership demographic is different, there seems to be more newer entrants to the hobby (even pre-virus) and less of the experienced crowd, or at least less people with humungous collections or posting seriously good custom work.  That's not to say those people aren't still around, but there seems to be less, at least to me.

I also know people who are Tamiya through-and-through, who have big collections, who still have their stuff from the 80s and still buy new cars now, but they refuse to join Tamiyaclub.  They're happy with their Facebook groups and don't want to have to learn a new environment.  I guess I'm the opposite, I have a page on FB but I almost never update it, I don't want to learn a whole new aspect of social media.

1 hour ago, Re-Bugged said:

Still at least the suns shining again today to run what I already have 😁 and tomorrow.......and the next day.....and the next....

but you can actually go out and run stuff, right..?

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Interesting topic and like others something that’s been somewhere there in my mind. I certainly keep coming back, but have never in the 15 years since joining TC and getting onto the forum been a regular/consistent voice, more just from time to time (albeit I’ve posted a lot more than will be visible as my history was wiped up to late 2019 - my fault). But what I do like is that over the years, having shared info, gained advice and got to know many members via trades, I’d agree about this forum having a good, positive vibe and great for those that can’t quite manage ever to get Tamiya out of their system!

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2 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

but you can actually go out and run stuff, right..?

Yes I can, we can travel up to 150kms from home for recreation now, not that lockdown really affected me as I was able to work through it. 

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21 minutes ago, Re-Bugged said:

Yes I can, we can travel up to 150kms from home for recreation now, not that lockdown really affected me as I was able to work through it. 

That's good.  Bizarrely enough (if my interpretation of our illustrious leader's speech epic Churchillian speech last Sunday is correct) we can travel an unlimited distance for exercise, but can we can only meet one other person (or possibly household) at our destination and must remain at least 2m apart, and we should be outdoors as little as possible.  Quite what that actually means is anyone's guess; during my walk in the countryside yesterday it appears to mean lockdown is over - the car park was overflowing, at least 7 paragliders were out in the hillside, people were gathering in groups (albeit keeping their distance), and two police cars drove past and did nothing.

Apologies for going off-topic... 

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For the purpose of staying off topic.

I was out with the lunchbox late at night early on in the lockdown. 

I saw the empty main road and decided to take advantage of the lack of real traffic. 

So I crossed over onto the main road and started performing speed runs.

I was consistently hitting over 30mph and was pretty pleased.

I think one more run, so I go screaming down the road and tumble wumble.,....

I run down to right it, and as I bend down to pick it up,.....a car stops,....

I look up and it's the police.

He says" What do you think you're doing?"

So I say" I'm out for my daily exercise, it's my first time out today"

Him" that's not exercise, you need to go home straight away"

Me" it is exercise, I've just ran down here, now I'm outta breath"

Him, " Don't argue with me, what's your name, I'm going to give you one of these new fines"

Me. No thanks, I'll take your first advice and go straight home, see ya later.

Him. If I see you out again, you're getting a ticket. 

He wasn't at all impressed when I boasted about 33mph being a new personal record. 

I'm sure some of them are ok but the majority are,......not nice at all. 

This was Midlands, U.K.

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I guess I fit this mold. I joined a few years ago in midst of a few projects. I finished those projects and other hobbies/activities took priority. Now, this hobby has gained momentum and I split it with others. Sure, covid and working from home w/ extra down time has something to do with this. It's important to emphasize that the interest never wavered, just priorities. Time is not infinite for me. Love TC because of all of the positives expressed earlier.

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16 hours ago, 78Triumph said:

One thing I've notices after being on many forums of varying topics and interests, Tamiya Club is the most laid back and "jerk" free forums I've ever been a member of.  The vibe is super friendly.

Totally agree - ive been a member of some forums where the constant bickering and one-upmanship between members was soul destroying for what is a niche "hobby" or activity amongst a small number of people.

Here its so chilled out, helpful and friendly and I think that the "characters" who ocasionally appear who are of the "me me me im the best" type only last a couple of months because no one else can be bothered to rise to it and they then move on when they are not getting the arguments they want or a following of sycophants (which is no great loss)

Maybe its because we are more focussed on the casual bashing / building / moddeling hobby side of it rather than the full on racing and competition aspect and even those members here who do race still participate in the how far can my Lunchbox travel on its roof before bursting into flames type posts which is great.

There have been times when the interest in the hobby does wane but its still a nice place to pop by and read whats going on.

 

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From personal experience, I fade in and out of forums depending on life situation at the time, information requirements, and general interest.

TC has been by far the best forum I have had the privilege to be a member of.

Facebook and other platforms have undoubtedly made an impact.

However, most of us here are too old to care or have 'been there, done that' with other platforms and stick with what is best. B)

As mentioned, I do wonder what has happened to regular/consistent posters who suddenly disappear and don't return...

 

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for me i have been a member since 2004 and tbh i have log'd in practically every day as i always have found members to be the best on here and that will make me stay here 

and tbh i dont really have other acctive forum accounts only this one 

i do have a traxxas account witch i used every day but that forum is full of mad and a very low patience thresh hold  (and the i know it all attitude and i will make sure every one knows it as i am the best and everyone else knows nothing)  and if i remember i last loging into it a couple of years ago and then only stayed for about 5 mins as it was still the same 

 

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I've been browsing more than posting for a while now.  Life getting in the way of hobbies.  Seeing the XV01 in storage without wheels is a bit like having an old car out on the front lawn sitting on bricks.  :(

Is it just me or do a lot of images load really slowly now?  I used to like scrolling through build threads and the postman/done today threads, but now it takes too long.  Wait for photo to load.  Scroll down a little.  Wait for second photo to load.  Doing that when even one post might have half a dozen photos puts me off reading as much as I normally would.

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2 hours ago, Blista said:

I've been browsing more than posting for a while now.  Life getting in the way of hobbies.  Seeing the XV01 in storage without wheels is a bit like having an old car out on the front lawn sitting on bricks.  :(

Is it just me or do a lot of images load really slowly now?  I used to like scrolling through build threads and the postman/done today threads, but now it takes too long.  Wait for photo to load.  Scroll down a little.  Wait for second photo to load.  Doing that when even one post might have half a dozen photos puts me off reading as much as I normally would.

I've noticed the same thing about the images.  I thought it was just my tablet which is getting old and assumed it would be better on my laptop which is plugged into a fibre connection.  Maybe not...

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Yes the I get the waiting for photo to load thing happening to at times @Blista, mainly on the home WiFi, but on the phone network is fine. I sometimes flick over to hotspoting of the phone for that reason.
 

This is only the second forum I’ve ever registered on. The first was a M/cycle specific forum, and over the years people came and went for what seemed the same reasons as mentioned above right down to somebody one day leaving and having all there posts deleted. Sadly that forum no longer exists as subs where never raised to cover rising costs even though members where happy to pay more, and some offering to help change how it was run through different servers etc, but never happened and instead relied on people clicking on ads to bring in revenue, so that was an inevitable one way route to the collapse of the site. 
However I still keep in touch with one good friend from there via email and another happens to be a member on here! I also still have the same bike. 
 

Days of the week don’t mean much in my world as I work a 4 day 4 night 4 off roster in my main job, a 12 day cycle so  to speak. I can’t really use my phone much at work and by the time I get home, clean myself up eat dinner chat the wife & kids get myself ready for the next day doesn’t leave much time to catch up on here, mainly doing so through email notification updates without logging in. I try and avoid getting to involved replying when I’m on nights as I often delete comments after typing as they don’t make a lot of sense when proof read which could create unnecessary confusion. 
My 4 days off are taken up at the family business so not much spare time there either. We had a bit of a lull there recently so I have managed to get a bit of run time and tinkering in which has lead to something worthwhile to post up. 
 

I just like the polite friendly vibe as others without every other word being a 4 letter seeming ever popular expletive. 



 

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apparently the network companys in the uk have turned down the speed of the internet access while the smeg is happening as their are more people useing it atm 

i have also noticed the tv like now netflix and amazon are also slow and the picture is really bad and looks like a 70's crt tv

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This forum just keeps me too busy and out of trouble.

I have been on different forums, this here The Tamiya Club has been the Very Best.

i've been on A/V and car stereo forums, other Rc forums, i do enjoy 2nd runner up OSE for the RC boats, and when i was building our HM(Hurricane Motorsports) kit car.

but here, this has been the most friendliest and responsive forum i have been on in years.

people here tend to be the most sincere and honest and hecka funny.

the knowledge and creativity here gives me energy and challenges my brain to do things out side the box.

for the most part when i was younger i always would think who are we really, what do we look like, how do we really act outside this screen?

well for certain if i'm building i am truly having fun.

everything else in life gets in my way.

There's a saying when IT hits the fan I'm the FAN!

i have missed Jason1145 he was Grand.

 

 

 

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Well, I was quite active when I joined, but had a child and that naturally took lots of time away from hobbies, now during lockdown I built a second car and together we drove it around the cricket pitch out back. I had the occasional visit just to read some articles  but now trying to find a new balance, I hope that involving the now 4yr old in the driving parts I’ll have more time for my interests too!

I bought the monster beetle, thought it would make a good ‘basher’ for the little one, in a non contact sense.. (plus I always wanted one as a kid) I bought the model from our local store to support local during lockdown, they were a little more judgemental than I expected when I mentioned it’s to share with my 4yr old. The ‘these aren’t toys for children’ attitude is a little odd.. If i enjoy building and he enjoys driving (supervised on an empty field) what’s the harm? I always think recommended ages are set to the lowest common... but I digress..

Good to be back :)

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