[BracedEunos]

I came online, went searching around the forum. Found that the PNW area chat hasnt has a real chat in years. I went looking around more and got a bit sad. Then I started looking for a thread with a title like this one. I then started to read your comments and became even more saddened. Now I am sitting here typing this message almost in 2022 realizing this place has been dead for 3 years. I do love lurking and researching on forums as I feel that more folks seemed to contribute that social media.

 

[Tekel]

I came online, went searching around the forum. Found that the PNW area chat hasnt has a real chat in years. I went looking around more and got a bit sad. Then I started looking for a thread with a title like this one. I then started to read your comments and became even more saddened. Now I am sitting here typing this message almost in 2022 realizing this place has been dead for 3 years. I do love lurking and researching on forums as I feel that more folks seemed to contribute that social media.

Agreed. Hopefully the owners don't decide to shut it down and are making enough ad revenue to cover expenses. There is tons of useful information stored in car forums that would just cease to exist if they start getting shut down.

 

[deprogram]

I came online, went searching around the forum. Found that the PNW area chat hasnt has a real chat in years. I went looking around more and got a bit sad. Then I started looking for a thread with a title like this one. I then started to read your comments and became even more saddened. Now I am sitting here typing this message almost in 2022 realizing this place has been dead for 3 years. I do love lurking and researching on forums as I feel that more folks seemed to contribute that social media.

If the Portland thread finally died out, that's definitely sad. Seattle never seemed to be able to keep a thread going.

I feel like it's possible that a lot of forum types have migrated to GRM from the model specific forums and the rest have gone to social media. r/Miata has a lot of traffic but I don't recognize posters on Reddit like I do on forums.

I miss forum culture. We used to do meets and stuff.

 

[freedomgli]

What happened is Tim Allen lost interest in keeping this place running using his own time and money. He became a neglectful admin and eventually sold out to VerticalScope, whose modus operandi is to buy enthusiast forums, sell their user data to big data brokers and also sell advertising on their ad platform that cuts across all their holdings. VericalScope basically lets their sites wither on the vine and die through neglect and attrition. InternetBrands is a competitor who does the same thing. Look at VWVortex and Honda-Tech. They both used to be HUGE. Now both are hollow shells of their former selves.

Many of the original members that helped build and manage this place with Tim’s admin help felt betrayed by the neglect and the sale so they bailed out. The community lingered on for several more years without the same energy levels as before. Simultaneously, sites like Facebook and Reddit and Instagram supplanted this place. Many people interested in the social aspects of any particular car scene had new outlets for interaction and to show off for clout/ dopamine. Many of my Japanese friends on Minkara also migrated to Twitter and Instagram, so Minkara is mostly tumbleweeds now also.

It’s kinda aad that so many of us spent so much time and effort curating and sharing hard earned knowledge that will just get lost in the ether. I wish I had done what revlimiter did and documented all my know how in a personal blog and then just reposted it here and elsewhere as needed. But that takes a huge effort and is water under the bridge now. Many of my friends are still Miata peeps. These days I’m mostly into my Miata for my own personal gratification and less into the social/ sharing/ community thing. So personally, I’ve kinda outgrown all of it. The forums are mostly dead and the Facebook groups are just plain awful.

 

[deprogram]

Man. That's a sad story.

I still end up referencing Adam's posts from time to time. I know what you mean.

There's no community on the social networks. Everything is so casual and everyone seems to be in it for themselves.

 

[Emilio700]

I think this forum's gradual demise has been the confluence of it's core demographic and changing SM (Social Media) usage patterns of that group.

CR has always been a forum of primarily younger enthusiasts, often with their first project car, still in school, unmarried, no kids, non-professionals, non-homeowners. The demographic is largely why we stopped sponsoring the forum about 7 years ago. Just this month, we decided to invest a bit here and see if we could reach some folks that aren't on other forums, and don't know who we are.

The core demographic of CR simply doesn't use forums any more. They're on tiktok, snapchat and the like. To a lesser degree, IG and FB. Shorter attention spans, the dopamine hit of being entertained and engaged 24/7 that they are accustomed to just isn't possible with forums. Forums require peer to peer interaction and sometimes even critical thinking (yikes) that the newer SM channels don't.

It seems like the holdouts here that actually engage, share and contribute are now married, homeowners, parents, on their 2nd-5th project car and either skilled tradespeople or professionals. You all represent the minority here but this forum is yours to do what you want. The kids are gone.

Miataturbo.net is the mechanics, engineers, racers and non-conformists that push the boundaries of tech in the Miata world. That wasn't always the case there though. That shift began about 8 years ago. Before that, MT was a lot like CR. The technocrats there bullied out the trolls, the lazy, the misinformed. It's not always a friendly place, but it is the best source for Miata tech.

Miata.net is basically a lifestyle forum. Populated by the demographic that spends the most (by far) Miata bits. Almost exclusively street oriented, with a smaller segment of hard core autocrossers. The road racers are all on MT.

I'd like to see CR become a low BS forum like MT. Weed out and scare off the trolls. Welcome everybody but let them know the rules. Better organization of content. Focus on the lifestyle aspect of Miata ownership and less the competition end of things. Try to get more sponsors that offer rare and unique MX5 bits. Chase membership of a demographic that actually has running cars that are well sorted that aren't their daily drivers, but a clean weekend toy.

It's up to ya'll to rebuild this place. I'll keep sponsoring it as along as we see some ROI.

My .02

 

[APEXistud]

You are spot on with your thought. I used to be on this forum religiously back in the day say 2004-2009. I then pick up an NB in 2014 and this place was still poppin. I bought some used Work Equip 03's from a dude in Ohio and surprisingly received them. Lol! I recently picked up a ND1 Club BBK and immediately jumped on here for the skinny on what people were doing for suspension and wow! This place is dead. So sad! Facebook groups seem to be where it's at for now. They're a pain to search for content and there are way too many groups to keep up with, but it's all we have now. I really hope CR.net makes a comeback too!

 

[deprogram]

I'd like to see CR become a low BS forum like MT. Weed out and scare off the trolls. Welcome everybody but let them know the rules. Better organization of content. Focus on the lifestyle aspect of Miata ownership and less the competition end of things. Try to get more sponsors that offer rare and unique MX5 bits. Chase membership of a demographic that actually has running cars that are well sorted that aren't their daily drivers, but a clean weekend toy.

It's up to ya'll to rebuild this place. I'll keep sponsoring it as along as we see some ROI.

I would love to see this too.

I think there's still a place for this forum. M.net never felt like the right fit for me and I ended up here.

Internal combustion cars are going to slowly become obsolete and with that will come the aging of the enthusiast community. I think it will take a long time, but there won't always simply be a whole new generation of car enthusiasts, at least not like there used to be. I'm ok with this.

 

[99blkx]

Tell Vertical Scope I'll buy the forum for $3, find a way to convert it back to VB, and ride out into the sunset.

 

[Emilio700]

I had the idea of trying to buy it too. How funny would that be? Then I though a better idea was to build our own forum like Goodwin has. So I'm doing that instead.

 

[Sploinkin]

We could go back to ClubPhillyB...

 

[sdemo45]

We could go back to ClubPhillyB...

I imagine this is like breaking into a shuttered dance club in Warsaw from the 90s and turning on the lights.

 

[C.L.ZinnII]

I have found forums full of mean know it all's. Every time I post, some one jumps down my neck and I'm so sick and tired of it!!! People on forums can't grasp the concept of The Car Hobby. The Car Hobby is all about helping one another. It was built on kindness and understanding and is meant to be FUN!!! So I have stopped asking questions as every time I do my question never gets answered just ridiculed or is answered with a why. I SHOULD be able to ask a question and just get a simple answer, but that never happens on forums, so I've stopped asking. I do continue to support them and do contribute to some with info on new or rare die-cast cars and keep my membership up as a way of support and I keep my eye on what's for sale but that's about it. I just find it sad at mean angry people ruin things. Best Always and in ALL WAYS,

 

[sdemo45]

I have found forums full of mean know it all's.

I’m sorry that you feel this way, but life is not going to mold itself to your preferred shape. Either you tolerate the setting to get the information that you need, or you don’t.

 

[vast]

I have found forums full of mean know it all's.

You Hit the nail on the head with this comment.

 

[vast]

I’m sorry that you feel this way, but life is not going to mold itself to your preferred shape. Either you tolerate the setting to get the information that you need, or you don’t.

I know you are just being realistic here but no one should tolerate that nonsense. People spend time commenting on a post without adding any value and at the same time putting someone down or just being a jerk about it. Why even waste your time doing that?

 

[99blkx]

I know you are just being realistic here but no one should tolerate that nonsense. People spend time commenting on a post without adding any value and at the same time putting someone down or just being a jerk about it. Why even waste your time doing that?

Related: what value have you added?

The reason you get "those mean ol know it all jerk faces" is that 99% of the time the question being asked has been answered a thousand times over. One of the forum's strongest selling points over facebook groups is the archived information and ability to actually search for it. Most people want to be spoon fed in one side of their mouth so they can drool it right back out the other and us that have been here for a minute are over it.

 

[deprogram]

I see someone has been posting on mt.net 😂😭

They have their own thing going on and it's not representative of the Miata community as a whole. It's important not to take them, or anyone else on the internet, too seriously.

GRM forums is the nicest place on the internet. It hurts sometimes. Go check it out if you aren't there already. There's something for everyone.

 

[sdemo45]

I know you are just being realistic here but no one should tolerate that nonsense. People spend time commenting on a post without adding any value and at the same time putting someone down or just being a jerk about it. Why even waste your time doing that?

You aren’t going to change people, so you either tolerate them to get what you want out of the interaction, or you walk away.

I’d happily share a beer / wine / cocktail with you and opine on why people are the way that they are, but that isn’t going to change the dynamic.

 

[turboedpickup]

Emilio you weren't kidding about time passing. When I first started here it was my first roadster back when I was in college. Now in my NB over a decade later, married, with kids, going an even slower pace. More money than back then, but MUCH less time.