What topics provoke discussion?

[ghostrider1971]

Evening all,

Was just wondering, with the forum on the whole being pretty quiet still, what kind of topics provoke interest and discussion?

I would guesstimate a few months ago that a "good" (OK, a non-descriptor descriptor!) thread would get approximately 500 views and a "very good" thread might hit 1,000 or so.

Now I reckon these numbers have dropped to say 150-350.

As you know, I love our AAEC chats and would love it to be buzzing here again

[Perpetua]

I've popped your thread onto our Forum Feedback/Suggestions Board ghostrider1971 . . . . which seemed like a more appropriate place ( to me ) for it. I hope you'll agree.

The forum is a very different place to what it was when I first joined and bit by bit we've seen interaction tail off. Facebook plays some part in this, the Vendor's Board for example has been considerably affected, as many Vendors now have their own groups/discount codes/competitions, so don't feel the need to be so active within forums.

To some extent, the same also applies to the membership . . . . . although people come and go, but such is life. For a percentage they will have found what works for them and have no need or desire to keep their activity up on here. While others are happy just to view as guests.

So there's a number of factors that contribute to the overall picture, plus this time of year is always a bit sluggish after Christmas and New Year both in the real as well as cyber world.

So be patient, wait for everyone to gather themselves again . . . . and find a fabulous bargain deal that we can go into raptures over meanwhile, while remembering nothing stays the same for ever.

Personally, I just go with the ebb and flow.

[joeten]

Got this today, there is a very long list of flavours and they won't be restocking this size though larger sizes will be available.

[sydsut]

I think the slowing down of activity has for me at least one main cause. A few years ago Vaping was under attack from all quarters, government, the EU, medical authorities, the press, the ANTZ etc. This occasioned a hell of a lot of debate in these pages, but recently the Anti Vaping lobby has been sidetracked by the change of heart of the government, especially in the House of Lords and the about face by much of the medical fraternity in the face of overwhelming evidence as to the safety of vaping compared to smoking. A few years ago there were a lot of posts, seemingly daily, about some of the outrageous crap spouted by the ANTZ and there fellow travellers. Newspapers, especially the Daily Mail, were full of spurious tales of exploding mods, vaping being much more dangerous than smoking etc. This appears to have dwindled down to a trickle at least here in Britain. On the whole vaping has now become rather old hat and has settled down into it's accepted place as a relatively safe pastime, enjoyed by millions and increasingly seen as the best way to give up the fags. Unfortunately this isn't worldwide, and there is much work still to be done in the States, South America, Australia and Asia. But I no longer fear that vaping will disappear in the UK.

[gill2009]

  I truly believe that there are so many people going to be trying vaping...& this is the Forum for these people.

  As long as AAEC is here...help will be available to all...so don't be disheartened members...thread posts will always fluctuate 

[Roscopecotrain]

I have certainly noticed over the last 6 months or so that quite a few of my friends that vape have now stopped vaping all together. It was a means to an end to quit smoking and now they don't need the vaping either.

I also agree with Perpetua the amount of advertising done on Facebook and social media is huge and I feel the shops both online and brick know a lot more about vaping now so people don't need to find out more information about it as they are getting it elsewhere.

[DaveJ]

Yeah *sigh*

Even in Oz, where vaping isn't nearly so "mainstream" as I believe it is in the UK, vaping forum use seems to be down.

I do think the facebook thing hurts forums hard.

[kreed]

Users Online in the Last 24 Hours
3 Staff, 159 Members, 1,501 Guests.

That's still pretty damn good...... but it's interesting there are 10x as many people visiting that are not members.

Either that or members visit that are not logging in?

[Perpetua]

Jan 11, 2018 6:58:11 GMT DaveJ said:

I do think the facebook thing hurts forums hard.

It does Dave . . . . but where our forum will always score, is in the delivery of advice given. On FB I often see people's questions being answered in a demeaning, patronizing or just down right rude fashion.

Yes I use it, for information as much as anything - but there's an element of self styled know it all types on there who try to score cheap points being clever, so I'll never be fully engaged with it.

Can't be doing with people like that!

[DaveJ]

Jan 11, 2018 7:44:26 GMT Perpetua said:

Jan 11, 2018 6:58:11 GMT DaveJ said:

I do think the facebook thing hurts forums hard.

It does Dave . . . . but where our forum will always score, is in the delivery of advice given. On FB I often see people's questions being answered in a demeaning, patronizing or just down right rude fashion.

Yes I use it, for information as much as anything - but there's an element of self styled know it all types on there who try to score cheap points being clever, so I'll never be fully engaged with it.

Can't be doing with people like that!

Oh, yes....

Aside from the manner of some of replies you see in facebook (and not dismissing just how bad you and I feel about that) I feel a forum also seems to allow far greater depth of response in dealing with a topic. To me, a forum just seems to help with that in a way that facebook completely misses. And that, often, is something that a beginner really wants or needs. I recall my own early days searching for info that related to my particular gear and stage of learning .... a long, deep, meandering forum thread offering lots of different ideas gave me far more than ever a coupla short (perhaps even terse) one liners on facebook could.

I think trying to track back into past discussions is far easier and more rewarding in a forum too. Many's the time I've just idly browsed back thro a sub forum (in many places - not just here  *grin* )  and I often encounter interesting and sometimes useful info.

But, I guess, that book of farce is the way of things nowdays. (queue: grumpy old man talk )
 

[DaveJ]

Lighthearted response:
Mayhap someone just needs to start with the very controversial stuff.

Ya know, like religion, or politics or something - then sit back and watch the hate fly *grin*



*** Oh, wait - don't you guys already have that hidden place for just such a purpose? Not for me, thanks, I've seen enough forum hate for quite a while.

[Perpetua]

Jan 11, 2018 8:31:10 GMT DaveJ said:

Lighthearted response:
Mayhap someone just needs to start with the very controversial stuff.

Ya know, like religion, or politics or something - then sit back and watch the hate fly *grin*



*** Oh, wait - don't you guys already have that hidden place for just such a purpose? Not for me, thanks, I've seen enough forum hate for quite a while.

It's been pretty quiet in there of late . . . . and in fairness even when something ' controversial ' is discussed, it's still largely restrained and respectful.

Happily we don't seem to attract the hating brigade, personally I'll live with the forum being quieter if that's a consequence.

[DaveJ]

Jan 11, 2018 8:45:57 GMT Perpetua said:

..
Happily we don't seem to attract the hating brigade....

That is why I'm here. Seen far too much of it elsewhere.

[snow]

It isn't just this forum or vaping forums though it's all forums regardless of the subject, facebook killed off an awful lot of boards and has very much impacted on post counts and membership, however as Perpetua said in some ways the slow down can have some positive effects. One of the boards I'm also involved with used to have thousands of posts per day, now its lucky to get 20 but the hard core of members who remain are now a very close group of friends, very supportive of each other and very much enjoying having time to really talk about things that matter to us away from the goldfish bowl of social media.

Whilst a lot of vaping stuff has ended up on facebook I've found myself using the new "snooze" feature for almost all of the vaping groups I belong to as I was sick to death of reading the non stop posts from people asking for juice recommendations, or constantly droning on and on and on about ohh look how big/dense a cloud I can make. There is so much misinformation out there it winds me up no end and any attempt to correct it invariably ends up as a huge row. Not forgetting the scammers and backyard juice makers - it bothers me no end seeing home brew being advertised and sold for silly money and recommended in groups with the inevitable fights when the sellers get overwhelmed with orders, can't cope, fail to deliver and then the wheres my juice complaints start and fights break out between the people who support one side or the other.

And then there are the raffles - more than one group hold regular raffles for donated vape stuff ostensibly they are doing it to raise money for charity but I have yet to see any proof that the money is passed on to whichever "charity" is named - I'm not saying that they don't pass on the money simply that they are not being as transparent as they should be.

Now that I have "snoozed" the groups at least they aren't showing up on my feed irritating me and I can choose to go to their page and see what I want to see when I want to see it.

I think AAEC will pick up again, but may never get back to the pre TPD heydays and thats OK so long as we remain welcoming, friendly and a source of good knowledgeable support and advice we'll do fine.

[gill2009]

Jan 11, 2018 9:25:28 GMT snow said:

It isn't just this forum or vaping forums though it's all forums regardless of the subject, facebook killed off an awful lot of boards and has very much impacted on post counts and membership, however as Perpetua said in some ways the slow down can have some positive effects. One of the boards I'm also involved with used to have thousands of posts per day, now its lucky to get 20 but the hard core of members who remain are now a very close group of friends, very supportive of each other and very much enjoying having time to really talk about things that matter to us away from the goldfish bowl of social media.

Whilst a lot of vaping stuff has ended up on facebook I've found myself using the new "snooze" feature for almost all of the vaping groups I belong to as I was sick to death of reading the non stop posts from people asking for juice recommendations, or constantly droning on and on and on about ohh look how big/dense a cloud I can make. There is so much misinformation out there it winds me up no end and any attempt to correct it invariably ends up as a huge row. Not forgetting the scammers and backyard juice makers - it bothers me no end seeing home brew being advertised and sold for silly money and recommended in groups with the inevitable fights when the sellers get overwhelmed with orders, can't cope, fail to deliver and then the wheres my juice complaints start and fights break out between the people who support one side or the other.

And then there are the raffles - more than one group hold regular raffles for donated vape stuff ostensibly they are doing it to raise money for charity but I have yet to see any proof that the money is passed on to whichever "charity" is named - I'm not saying that they don't pass on the money simply that they are not being as transparent as they should be.

Now that I have "snoozed" the groups at least they aren't showing up on my feed irritating me and I can choose to go to their page and see what I want to see when I want to see it.

I think AAEC will pick up again, but may never get back to the pre TPD heydays and thats OK so long as we remain welcoming, friendly and a source of good knowledgeable support and advice we'll do fine.

  A great post snow...& I totally agree