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Samba daily online users declining
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Bobnotch
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 1:36 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

theastronaut wrote:
TDCTDI wrote:
I think the declining numbers also has to do with the fact that as the cars get older & gain value as antiques, they are being priced out not only enthusiast's hands but also those that would enter the hobby. The only reason most of us started tinkering with VWs was that they were inexpensive to buy AND to work on, and we bought them for basic transportation. Now, it's rare to find a complete car for less than $1,500-$2,000, much less one that doesn't require lots of rust & mechanical repair. Who, in their right mind, is going to spend $5,000 for an entry level hobbyist vehicle for a daily driver when they can buy 2006 BMW for the same money? As the cars get priced out of the market for people, so does the interest in them.


The Ford Festiva forum I'm on is also slowing down since most traffic is on Facebook now... those are $2,000 cars at most so it's not the cost of the car, it's just the trend of moving from forums to Facebook.

And, VW's are still cheaper than most older collector cars. 55-57 Chevy's, two door Impalas, Novas, Camaros, Mustangs, 32 Fords, etc... All of those have been popular forever and have always been a lot more expensive than VW's. You can't buy any of those for less than 10K and not be ashamed to take it to a car show... but you can still get a very presentable early VW for under 10K.


I'm on a couple of Honda Accord forums, and we've been seeing a slight increase of traffic from those who left the forum for face book due to some of the things already mentioned about FB. These cars are like your Festiva, in that they're 2K cars or less, with real heat, working AC, and parts that actually fit and work. They're also daily drivers, and most are being driven. Add in this super cold snap we've been dealing with, and those forums start to get busy with people who want real solutions to their problems.

However I do believe several other factors do apply in reduced traffic like it being cold so less work is actually being done (not fixing the broken car), or are instead looking for parts to buy to install in the spring. Things like that.
But at the same time, for those of us who get a real winter, we might actually be on line more often, and on the forums. I know that I'm not on as often in the warmer months, because I'm outside working on something, or doing some life stuff. But when the outside air temps are below 32*F, I'm more than likely indoors, or still out in the shop (had the heat on), so I'm on line.

All of that said, I think you'll find that there's always a kind of ebb and flow of participation on the forums. Some days there are a ton of posts, while other days are fairly quiet.
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rtr2006
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 6:54 am    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

Facebook isn't stupid. They're going to get us all there, and then switch to a subscription model.
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APPLEGREENVW
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 4:07 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

I wonder which state or country has the most samba daily users? I'm thinking California would be number 1, right?
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 7:43 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

I didn't check again but yes, I believe it is USA, California
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APPLEGREENVW
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 7:36 am    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

EverettB wrote:
I didn't check again but yes, I believe it is USA, California
Cool
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 6:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

i like the fact that Facebook is another option. It keeps a lot of the pimps and hustlers off this site.
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LucKaS
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 10:02 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

I looked at vw groups on FB before joining this site, and none of them had a whole lot of members, so here I am. I belong to a couple FB groups that have to do with part of my job, and for the most part they’re crap. After a few frustrating minutes of not being able to find what I need, I usually end up figuring it out for myself. Here, I can find specific answers to specific questions, and a lot of times learn how and why something happens along the way. I prefer to think of The Samba as the VW Encyclopedia Brittanica. Very Happy
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 18, 2018 1:32 am    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

LucKaS wrote:
I looked at vw groups on FB before joining this site, and none of them had a whole lot of members, so here I am. I belong to a couple FB groups that have to do with part of my job, and for the most part they’re crap. After a few frustrating minutes of not being able to find what I need, I usually end up figuring it out for myself. Here, I can find specific answers to specific questions, and a lot of times learn how and why something happens along the way. I prefer to think of The Samba as the VW Encyclopedia Brittanica. Very Happy


Yep if you want your ego massaged FB is the place. If you want good solid answers The Samba...no contest. Smile
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:41 am    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

don't rule out Instagram either. i see a lot pf photos being posted on IG of various VW's. All it takes is a minute to post a photo there.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

Here's a question for Everett:

Statistically, have NEW users leveled off? It is more difficult to track people who have been scared off the site, either for facebook, or because of the occasional nastiness here. But new users should be something easy to track and determine whether we are growing or shrinking.

M
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2018 9:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

I don't know if new users is a good metric as people come and go but:
Yes, the # of brand new users has declined over time.

It's very much cyclical over the year too - it looks like November/December always has a dip in new accounts being created.

We are also much more aggressive about deleting spammer accounts from the site now than in the past, in addition to new accounts that are never completed.

I wish I could say the spammer accounts don't account for much but sadly, they never stop.

The number of visitors/day or month is probably the best metric and that has definitely declined over time.
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Busstom
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

Did anybody notice that just a few weeks after this ^ last post, The Samba set itself a massive new record in the most visitors online at one time? If I recall correctly, the previous record was in the 3-thousands, now it's 5,312. Man what a huge jump.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 2:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

Busstom wrote:
Did anybody notice that just a few weeks after this ^ last post, The Samba set itself a massive new record in the most visitors online at one time? If I recall correctly, the previous record was in the 3-thousands, now it's 5,312. Man what a huge jump.


Anyone with a classic, air cooled VW knows this is the site for the best information. Facebook is comical and poor format to help others in. Some of the technical help posts I've seen there are comical to say the least.

I personally haven't seen any other format that comes close to this site.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 2:48 pm    Post subject: Re: Samba daily online users declining Reply with quote

wcfvw69 wrote:
Busstom wrote:
Did anybody notice that just a few weeks after this ^ last post, The Samba set itself a massive new record in the most visitors online at one time? If I recall correctly, the previous record was in the 3-thousands, now it's 5,312. Man what a huge jump.


Anyone with a classic, air cooled VW knows this is the site for the best information. Facebook is comical and poor format to help others in. Some of the technical help posts I've seen there are comical to say the least.

I personally haven't seen any other format that comes close to this site.


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