Other Forums

[HONDO74]

Today I decided to see what was going on over at the O-Gauge Hobbyist. The last time I looked about a year ago it seemed to be almost DEAD. Apparently the person who is paying the bills is thinking about shutting down.

Reality Check
http://www.ogaugehobbyist.com/wp/forum/ ... ity-check/



I'm about to decide what to do with this, "this" being "O-Gauge Hobbyist" in its current state.

Believe it or not, this costs me money and it's been straight out of my pocket since it was founded in the Fall of 2011. You'll notice there are no membership fees, and no advertising to offset costs.

Content updates dropped completely a few years ago: I haven't heard a peep out of the other two original founders in years.

Technology has changed, both with O and Standard Gauge trains, and with web/internet technologies.

Let me know if you think there's something worth preserving here, or if it should simply succumb to inevitable change. I'll leave this up for a couple months to see what the response is.

Thanks!

[healey36]

There were some good bits there for awhile, especially on the tinplate side.

[J. S. Bach]

I was surprised, my login was still valid and I saw that I had last visited in MAR2014. There was just nothing there that made me want to go back. Frankly, I thought that even OGR had better content. Spoken from the two rail point of view.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

In my mind, it's sad when any of our hobby's forums diminishes or vanishes because of what such loss may (or likely) portend.

[jwse30]

I just went there for the first time in a month or so, or I tried to I should say. It seems it has been shut down and the name is for sale. I'm not really active in the hobby much any more, so I haven't been contributing there or elsewhere. It's still a shame to see it go though.

J White

[rogruth]

That forum was started because of some events that happened on this forum.
I am NOT happy that OGH is gone but I am very happy that MTJ is not.

[Joseph Frank1]

Hello Guys ---

Well, it is sad and unfortunate to see another O Scale / Gauge Railroad with a Traction section, "FORUM Board", make its last trip to the end of the line. Frank Knautz - (AKA Frank 53) the owner who paid for it also - started it as an alternate to and a respite from MTJ and OGR forums -- and as we know, it attracted numerous folks from both sites. Frank even early on started that Subway-Transit Forum for people in my form of the hobby to participate.

O G H did well for some years -- but the last 3 years showed less and less participation -- down to near nothing over the last 1 to 2 years. I have noted that some other rail and traction related forums at the Yahoo groups have closed - vaporized in recent weeks -- and some others are basically rudderless, adrift, in the "internet sea" with no leadership, activity and no posting on some for a few years --- others with little to nothing posted each year.

Frank got what, maybe 5 replies only , to his "reality" posting about what to do with OGH -- I was the last posting person to Frank's "reality" message before Frank turned out the light a week or so later. No outcry to save the place ! Sad !

I see a large drop in the volume of postings in the notable present forum sites from 5, 10 or so years ago -- seemingly more guest and lurker-readers than actual daily posters. Seems to be a pattern as obviously many of us are getting older - and some others are no longer with us.

Well, if you are out there Frank K, (aka Frank 53) thanks for the years you gave us over at O G H Forums anyway !

Regards - Joe F

[v8vega]

I recently got into slot cars. The slot car forums have little activity but slot car groups on Facebook is where all the action is. Lots of posts there daily and it's easy to post a picture. Still I prefer forums.
On forums you can judge by the title if you want to click on it or move on. On Facebook notifications you have to click on every new post to see if your interested or not and often your not.

[Joseph Frank1]

Hello V8 vega

I REFUSE to join Facebook --- from long (years) ago -- my knowing even long ago then then the intense and massive invasion and abuse of member (and friends of members) privacy issues -- Facebook harvests and targets every nuance of what you write about for disseminating and delivering to vendors and sales entities related to any "keywords" in your messages.. ALSO - the big problem with Facebook is there is no archiving in the usual way --- you make a post today -- and a week later you have to wade thru hundreds of newer messages to find that particular message or topic, or photo. There seems to be no thread connectivity. Its a P I T A to find things from a week, month, ago ---

And of course, you comment about no TOPIC or TITLE --- just endless one after another random messages in an endless downward scroll process.

I like much better the forum board setup (like here, OGR, my own Forum groups that I own)

regards - Joe F

[healey36]

It would be great if we (I include myself in this) could get back to more actual let's-build/refurbish-something type posts, here and elsewhere. I used to learn a lot at MTJ...not so much anymore.

Healey

[Rufus T. Firefly]

.................more actual let's-build/refurbish-something type posts, here and elsewhere.

Yes!