Did forum rule change a year ago result in new members?

[Tom Boehm]

In May it will be a year since this forum required all participants to be CLC members. The reasoning was this would encourage forum users to join the club.

So... the big question is did it work? Did it result in a membership boost, a temporary blip, or no difference?

Aside from membership, to me, there has been a good and a bad result.

The good result is it got rid of the scammers.

The bad result is I think it has reduced traffic on this forum. I have a prewar car and conversation about prewar cars has slowed to almost zero. Some of this is because the hobby in general has moved on from prewar cars.

Does anyone else notice less overall traffic on this forum?

[Warren Rauch #4286]

   I'm sure you are right that the traffic is down. The people that are new to Cadillacs and had not joined a club were more entertaining to read and correct.  Maybe a few more cars were repaired and not junked.  I always hoped so.
   It seems only a few people are asking questions now ,and are the same ones ,over and over .  often about very trivial points. I know I'm not digging into my library very much. The answers may be there,but are buried so far as to being lost. The quality of the answers is  down to opinion instead of fact, too often.
   I know when I look into websites  on subjects I know nothing about, I won't join a Club to just get a quick idea .  I move on to the next. Never to return.
   I vote to opening it up again!

Warren

[Carfreak]

I vote to opening it up again!

Warren

And volunteering to be a Moderator? 

[Jay Friedman]

I have also noticed that the traffic is way down.

I never understood why someone would want to participate in the forum, while at the same time be totally opposed to joining the club. Having said that, I would prefer opening up the forum since it was much more enjoyable and useful before the change.

[TJ Hopland]

It does seem like we lost all the 'just inherited grandpas car' sort of people as well as some regulars that were always ready to help.  I'm not much of a pre war guy but did that slow down?  Now that I think about it I guess I have not read many of those myself.  I do recall that in the past I often followed some of those waiting for the issue to be resolved so I could ask some general questions about how things worked on those care or that era.   

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

I have a want to buy ad up on the forum....looking for a 47 brake drum....

In just five days there have been over 300 views of that ad....but no responses...

I wonder how many of those 300 might have a drum but can't get to me because of not having a membership....??

Mike

[Carfreak]

I wonder how many of those 300 might have a drum but can't get to me because of not having a membership....??

Mike

No need for a CLC membership to obtain your age, phone number, how long you've lived at your current address and more if you are including your full name and state. The contact information matches your CLC Directory info.

The internet digs deep into our privacy. 

[Big Fins]

But will a person go digging just to sell a brake drum? Laziness is overwhelming these days.

The mods already don't like me. Do you really think they would make me "one of them"?

[Carfreak]

But I think sometimes its not the decision of the Mods who becomes a Mod. 

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

In May it will be a year since this forum required all participants to be CLC members. The reasoning was this would encourage forum users to join the club.

So... the big question is did it work? Did it result in a membership boost, a temporary blip, or no difference?

Aside from membership, to me, there has been a good and a bad result.

The good result is it got rid of the scammers.

The bad result is I think it has reduced traffic on this forum. I have a prewar car and conversation about prewar cars has slowed to almost zero. Some of this is because the hobby in general has moved on from prewar cars.

Does anyone else notice less overall traffic on this forum?

Work for the Moderators has increased, but in the area of Membership Approvals.

Thus far, I would say that there has been about a 5% or more increase in new Members, but a huge number of Spammers attempting to join.   I personally have been banning up to

These Spammers are mostly from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, India and also USA.  One would never believe the Membership Numbers they come up with in an attempt to join.

From the 1st May, to the 23rd. February, I personally have banned 250 Spammers from joining, and banned another 3 today, whilst admitting 2 new Members.  So, it is working.

Bruce.

[Tom Boehm]

A few bad apples spoil things for the rest of us. It is a fact of life everywhere.

 The scammers were stopped but it came at a very steep price.

Pick your evil: scammers or lower participation.

[PHIL WHYTE CLC 14192]

I was unsure about the change in forum rules. A year on I have got to say I prefer it. One of the major improvements for me is that it got rid of some of the belligerent types on here. The technical discussions seem better informed to me.
My only problem is with loading photos (nothing to do with the rule changes) - I have been at events and taken photos of some lovely cars but when I start a new topic and try to post the photos from my phone they always fail.
Phil

[Big Fins]

Phil, your phone takes pictures at its maximum setting by default. Usually in excess of 5MB. I don't know what the forum maximum is because I always resize any pictures before posting. That could be your issue. Check with one of the tech experts here.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

The allowance for image size is 50 MB.

When downloading pictures to the Message Board, there is a guide under the box with a limit listed.   As one posts more pictures, the information changes.

Bruce.

[TonyZappone #2624]

The restriction is fine with me.  In any organization, if non members are allowed to post, there seems to be a plethora of nonsense and not related matter posted on a regular basis.  For a few dollars a year, very few, join or go away

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

It's basic economics that forum membership should decline when it comes at a cost or cost increase.

However, quantity is only one side of the equation; there's also a quality component that should be taken into consideration. Additionally, it helps reduce oversight efforts combating spam/malicious content and other hackery. 

[Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373]

I'm somewhat sad about the change.  There was a time when I was on here 2-3 times/day, now it's every 2-3 days.

The I just inherited grandpa's car posts were some of the best. Remember the wealth of knowledge that those posts brought ?? Well, except the What kind of oil do I use posts.

I don't know our demographics here, but I would guess that most of us are from a time before Facebook and the internet-- A time when everything wasn't out there, and being part of a club was a necessity. Now, just about everything is out there, some correct, some not, but the point is that it's out there.
Why would a 20 year old pay a membership to a group when he could get all the information for free??

I think the members only idea would have worked 5-10 years ago, but not now.

The forum is slowly dying, and I am very sorry to see it go. This group was invaluable when we brought our 55 back to life.

[jwwseville60]

I think we are seeing mother nature at work here.
Most younger car enthusiasts are into electric vehicles and very, very fast high tech cars.

Mostly its people over 45 who are into vintage Caddies, but there are fewer on the horizon. The car culture we grew up with is changing. Dying, really...

Trade wars may mean less parts and a more expensive import car tax/ logistics. (Those pesky Swedish Caddies).
Parts are in short supply as are qualified mechanics and engine machine shops. When my friend retires I will have very few options for service/repairs in my area. Maybe none.

Im 63 with a painful back injury for life. Bad arthritis in most joints.
In the coming years I will be draining the gas on half my collection and they will be static displays only with 40 psi in the tires. If I make it to 83 I'll probably only have  two drivers left if any.


I hope the forum survives and I think it will, but with fewer of us as we age. The hard core will remain.

[Big Fins]

Slide over a seat, John. I'll need a spot for this busted up old hard core body too.

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Don't have an answer to the original questions but the FB "Cadillac" groups are booming. Perhaps that's where the folks have gone
Greg Surfas