8 cylinder front engine iconic vehicle
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By fpena944
#35427
Shifted wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:09 am Just to trying to consolidate the tangents into a single thread.

There is no doubt that there is a clique on RL. Feel free to expound on that. :)

Personally, I feel bad for those who are just now getting into a 928. They will undoubtedly find their way to RL. And it won't be a beneficial experience for them. Just imagine what you would want to encounter were you to get into a field completely different from anything that you are currently familiar with. RL is almost the antithesis of that ideal experience.

It also confounds the efforts for in person gatherings. RL will currently still reach the widest audience. But, at what cost?

Can this forum not only be better, but also somehow attract the new owners and a broader audience? What can we do to make that happen? Buy some ad space on the search engines? Get the site onto materials passed out at events? Reach consensus on how to post technical articles and set some goals for creating them?
I've been thinking a lot about this but we have the chicken and egg situation here.

If you go to Google and type in "928 forum" you'll see that we are in a number 12 position out of 49,300,000 results. Not great because it puts us on the second page of results but pretty impressive considering this board is only four months old. I have money in hand and I'm ready to start an ad campaign but the problem is, I want to make sure we have enough to keep someone interested when they first land here.

I created this page about a week ago:

https://openroad.site/pages/resources-porsche-928/

The purpose of this is when I create an ad it needs to go somewhere the summarizes what we have. We have a decent number of posts, but I also wanted to share the technical content (which is why I had been asking if we could use our repository to store some of the DIY articles) and then I added the YouTube videos just for visual effect.

But I don't want someone to come in here and think, "Oh this is a dead board" and never come back again. So I'm a bit challenged now because I'm looking for the hook to get people interested in returning.

I'm open to suggestions but a big part of it will likely be more posts and technical content. And hey some more pretty pictures won't hurt either. In that case I can change the YouTube section into a 928 photo gallery instead as that will keep visitors here instead of leading them elsewhere.

I'm actually planning on doing this with all of the models. I noticed we are climbing in rank for "993 forum" as well - same thing applies. If we can get to a #10 or better ranking we'll be on the first page of those Google results - that increases chances that someone will click on the link and head over here.

In the mean time, personal referrals always work quite well!

Thanks everyone!
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By fpena944
#35449
Shifted wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:59 am Take this as one person's personal perspective: I prefer if the technical articles are threads and that they are either stickies, or they are linked to from a single stickie. I have a lot of interests beyond the 928 and am often searching for information. When I encounter a site that has a collection of technical articles, I mentally put them in the "backup" category. If I find a thread, I put that in the "primary" category. My flawed logic is that a thread has community input and is more likely to be recently updated and peer reviewed. I also like reading the comments from others to confirm or clarify the original post.

In my perfect world, there would be a single thread titles "Technical articles and how-to's". That thread's first post would be a categorical list of all of the other threads (that are not sticky) that have how-to's or specific technical information. Categories for interior, body, electrical, engine, transmission, etc. The comments in that thread would be community suggested updates and corrections, with the first post being edited and updated to stay current. The linked threads would be a similar style. The first post would be the information or how to, the comments would be suggestions and comments that would get incorporated into the first post.

With that format, the ad could point to the forum, and the user would get both the technical articles and the general discussions in a single spot.

And why not make the photo thread sticky for the same reason?

I think that you, or a moderator, should lean on us to provide content. You should post a general call for specific content, and then send private messages to specific individuals to ask them to put together an article. You could even provide a template to make it easy. Just ask them to fill in what they can and let the community contribute the rest. Even just a skeleton article would get things rolling.


Just my two cents. My approach and logic is probably different from most people's. So, I'll work within whatever structure works for the most people.
You raise some excellent points and it also aligns with how I've done research in the past myself. I guess I'm taking inspiration from Pelican where they have a section with specific tasks but there is still the ability to comment on the repairs. Our article section is set up the same way like this: https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticl ... cement.htm

My thinking is that is would be easier if these repairs are categorized and searchable instead of putting them into the big sticky like you described. Again I prefer the forum format for the same reasons you described above but was not sure if that was the most user-friendly format for someone just searching for the content they desire.

But I do like your idea of one-stop shopping - I could still create a splash page for advertising reasons just to introduce the site but then drop them directly off into the forum. That could potentially work!

Also I hear you about content calls, this is a great idea and should help to create some content for us. Appreciate the input!

Shifted wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 9:03 am Another thought...IB does this as a business. They have either done market research, or learned by trial and error, to determine what attracts and retains the most people. Is that research an industry norm that could be found or bought? Or, can a reasonably objective analysis be done of their, and other corporate owned, forums to determine what works and what doesn't? I don't intend to push this in the direction of a business. But, if someone else has already figured out how to attract and keep users, it might save a lot of time and guess work if that information could be acquired directly or inferred.

I'm asking because I don't know, and you may have already gone down that path or determined that it's not viable.
IB does cheat just a little bit though as their business model is to purchase assets that have already built up a following. So the forums that they own are usually those that have a longer history and started before many of these spaces got saturated with competitors. They then continue to expand on the audience by using SEO (which is what I've tried to do and got us to that #12 position) and their influence on a network of other sites.

But it is much easier to accelerate when you're already in motion. We're doing something a little different here with starting from a stationary position. I know once we get some additional momentum things will improve quickly but just getting that critical mass is the challenge.

Let me give this all some additional thought, still open for input on everything though. Thanks again!
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By fpena944
#35461
Shifted wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:16 am You could satisfy both formats of articles by having the tech article section link to threads. I haven't dug into the code here, but you could also do iframes or another reference method to draw the thread content into the article. Or, just pull it directly from the db.
We're thinking the same here and yes that is very easy to do. I can import into the database easily or just use a static reference point. Lots of options.

Only thing I don't like about iframes is the mobile experience is compromised.
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By milrad
#35604
You guys are already over my head on the structure discussion.

My simplest suggestion is to encourage people to be thoughtful about thread titles so that they are more easily searchable by key word.

I’ve been on RL for almost 20 years, but new to the 928. Its history is invaluable to me. But when I learn something new, or at least something that may be different than what others have said elsewhere, I plan to post it here and not there. Like the pilot bearing post. But I’m no SeanR lol, and never will be.
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By maddog2020
#35717
I have some really cool docs (928 frame construction research for example) that I wanted to upload, and when I tried to upload it wanted my name and contact info, which I'm not really interested in posting here due to the off topic nature of some of the forums.

Attached
928 frame reinforcement.pdf
The Use of Aluminum in the Porsche 928.pdf
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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By fpena944
#35721
milrad wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:02 pm You guys are already over my head on the structure discussion.

My simplest suggestion is to encourage people to be thoughtful about thread titles so that they are more easily searchable by key word.

I’ve been on RL for almost 20 years, but new to the 928. Its history is invaluable to me. But when I learn something new, or at least something that may be different than what others have said elsewhere, I plan to post it here and not there. Like the pilot bearing post. But I’m no SeanR lol, and never will be.
I think this is where the sticky with most read topics would probably come in handy. So if you wanted to see a reference it would be searchable that way.

Appreciate the effort getting this place off the ground!
Fox_ wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:39 pm Quality guides for common problems could drive traffic.
Agreed, starting work on building a structure for it!
maddog2020 wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:59 pm I have some really cool docs (928 frame construction research for example) that I wanted to upload, and when I tried to upload it wanted my name and contact info, which I'm not really interested in posting here due to the off topic nature of some of the forums.

Attached928 frame reinforcement.pdf

The Use of Aluminum in the Porsche 928.pdf
Thanks I'll archive it.

I'm not sure where you tried to upload but here is a screenshot of the content submission form. It does ask for a name but you can add anything on there. It's just if you wanted credit for creating the content then this is where you enter your info. If you prefer anonymity then you can actually just enter "anonymous". As for contact info I'm not sure where you saw that. Here is the form, please send a link to where you saw that contact info request.
image.png
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By linderpat
#35801
Good points raised here. I'll give a somewhat counter position. First, I disagree with the premise that RL 928 forum is no longer a beneficial experience for new 928 owners. I find it the best and deepest resource in the world, with most experienced folks happy to share that experience and help out. Like a lot of places however, over time folks come and go. The old guard eventually evolves into a new "old guard" and the flame keeps burning. On RL there are dust ups, but there have always been, and some of them epic, and some of them a long time ago. The place still survives.

I quit OT/PC completely over there, as this site fully takes its place for that - which is for me an actual source of news in addition to opinion and entertainment. I can't thank Fernando enough for what he did when the RL massacre occurred. I jumped over here pretty fast, and this place didn't miss a beat. It is truly a phenom.

But for the technical stuff, there is no comparison, and I am not motivated to try to rebuild the technical ocean here. I will chip in on a topic when I have something to add, but it does not make sense to me to reinvent that wheel.

Besides RL, for 928 content there is also (already) Pelican, 6 Speed Online, and of course the 928 OC. Pelican isn't very good, but there is some useful stuff there. 6 Speed is really a 911 forum with some 928 content available from 911 owners. The 928 OC is a valuable resource and really of the type that is being discussed here - technical topics organized as such. There is a good library there.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. I want to see this place succeed and will do my part to make it so, but as to the technical forums, I do not see a practical alternative anytime soon to RL 928 (or RL 997, which I also frequent). It is never a bad thing to have more of them, but if I look at it honestly and candidly, RL 928 will always be my first choice for that subject, for research, for questions, and for other things.

Lastly, I have established wonderful relationships that started on RL and then moved into the "real world". Things like Frenzy, SITM, Hershey and the PVGP, plus informal visits out west to LA and meeting the gang there. There no doubt are "cliques" on RL, just like in real life and elsewhere, but I have not experienced any fire walls to participation and good relationships across a pretty wide spectrum. I go in with the attitude that I love 928's and if you do too, we have a common starting ground. Even if your politics differ from mine, we can stay in the swim lane (of 928's/997's) and enjoy each other's company.
SeanR liked this
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By jej3
#35873
^^^ I agree with all of this ^^^

As for RL... I've had a few issues in the 928 Forum.

I refuse to think some people over there should be given a pass for acting like jerks. I do wish more people over there would call GB out on his absolutely toxic BS of attacking everyone and any other supplier of products.

It's childish.
User avatar
By worf
#35976
I went and looked at the oil cooler line thread on RL.

As that thread now reads - after any edits, deletions, etc. since it began - it is a thread in which few participants have distinguished themselves. There are a lot of rocks and a lot of glass houses and only a few posts the authors of which should feel proud.
User avatar
By fpena944
#36020
I've said it from the beginning that we are in no way real competition for RL or the other sites that have a long running history. We just don't have the content or number of users that usually comes along after many years of existence and devoted following.

What we can offer is an alternative to those who feel either unwelcome or would like to help mold this community to become what they would like for it to be.

I'll work on content structuring and start promotional activities. We'll get more people here and hopefully they can then decide if this is where they'd like to set up camp.
linderpat, jej3, milrad liked this
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By GT6ixer
#43418
I fully agree with what Ed wrote above.

I'll be honest, I only come here because Sean and Dave are here now. It sucks that the 928 forum community got divided, but RL just has way too much historical technical content to ever just abandon it.

If Rob Edwards and Stan started posting regularly here it would go a long way into growing this forum. But I doubt either one of them has the time to dedicate to publishing on two forums.
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By Charlie
#43647
Ditto to Nate's post re Sean/Dave. I never use Off Topic in RL and once in a while look at the Diner here just to gather info on our wacky species. I never understood why people feel the need to get in a fight online. To each his own...

I am pleased to be a member of Open Road and appreciate the cameraderie. But the problem with the split is that it has simultaneously made RL less valuable and been a huge damper on the inspiration to share insights. I just don't feel the warmth on RL any more. It is amazing to me that the administration did not recognize this goodwill asset as they destroyed it.

And as Fernando points out OR is not the substitute for the RL tech info. So there is a vacuum. The result is that I am now more likely to get in touch with an appropriate individual directly for advice than to post about it.

It is also a little depressing to see so many stupid parts of human nature on display.
SeanR, worf, linderpat liked this

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