Decline in site popularity

[EDIT]For clarity's sake, this content has been split from a technical-related thread.[/EDIT]

Re: offset on the LDCs

I don't think technicality is the issue. The forum received about 20 posts in the last 24 hours. There's plenty visiting, but nobody is posting about how to change their oil either, so I would venture to say that the issues are the decline in the site's popularity combined with the forum having enough history to answer most people's questions via a Google search.

thanks,
json

Re: offset on the LDCs

schwim said:

I don't think technicality is the issue. The forum received about 20 posts in the last 24 hours. There's plenty visiting, but nobody is posting about how to change their oil either, so I would venture to say that the issues are the decline in the site's popularity combined with the forum having enough history to answer most people's questions via a Google search.

thanks,
json

Click to expand...

yes that is a real shame.

I shall hide my thoughts within this thread rather than a new: 'is this site healthy?'

very few people have been prepared to put up technical stuff for free on the site, to a lesser extent me included. I still experiment but I'm fighting to keep my business going - it's a struggle. without a doubt a lot of americans have decided to stay on k-talk where, with 90% of the membership it would seem, they are able to shoot the shinola in their own way, I think americans feel comfortable among themselves. at the beginning it was gearing and then it moved to 'what oil' but it has moved on further from that BUT IT IS PEOPLE ANSWERING AND GIVING INFO that makes a site.

JD and I virtually built thumpertalk. when I left on 2,000 posts I was the postie with the mostie and JD aand I quite literally gave away our info as we worked tirelessly at weekends to learn things (well me mostly).

I came here and Linaweaver did it followed by me. this site went up and up. you could come here, read the doc, do a search and you got a lot of info. whether you gave a sh%% about the place.....I bet 75% didn't. they came, they read, they pheqed off!

But there is little you can do if you are you Json about technical people etc joining. right now it could do with a really geeky member joining who knows his stuff and will share it around. Ned's on old bikes, few technical guys here are on the later bikes.

the list of people who won't share is endless and I would include in that
Dale'O' - sorry Dale, but you could be so helpful but you do it all off screen.
that guy in Oz who rallies - never said a dicky bird
we initially in 2009-10 had an electronics guy here who again said nothing
they are the obvious ones to me. people with something to share and yet did nothing....

and Viking joins us today of all days so he is still lurking around....but no input! come on Per!

It might be worth you Json, writing to one or two members that are technically good and asking them to GIVE something? surely Kadlec has learnt so much? I remember him telling me that he knew nothing about Husabergs when he became a main dealer and used to go into the Doc everyday!

I would have to say that in that case he didn't know a lot as a mechanic as all Husabergs have that makes them different is a few parts to "watch out for" after that it must surely be the 'same old, same old'. well anyway, what has Kadlec added here? a top rider?

even my friends at Mid-west, the Uk importers of the works bikes, they come on here once every 6-months and say....nothing! They get tons of info off the factory to help them run the team each season in EWC. are they frightened that they'll have said something wrong for the masters in Mattighofen! I don't believe dealers are encouraged to come on here.

it's all very disappointing.

highlights nowadays are reduced to waiting for something from Dr_C.

regards

Taffy

Re: offset on the LDCs

Well David what did I miss you got my opinion on the clamps but if you wanted respons is this site healhty
sorry did not see that one I am simple
the topic 22 versus 19 usually turn the forum on fire and you got next to no respons if you measure site healht
in intansity of fire well I guees site is not very healhty
now what were you fishing for
Later Per

Re: offset on the LDCs

He is just spoiling for another fight Viking, it happens with monotonous regularity, this is almost a carbon copy of how the is the site healthy thread went down.

Taffy look in your own back yard for the answers you seek, it might help to stop acting like a ****** and abusing the technical people and chasing them away, yep it's going down just like the is the site healthy thread :roll: :roll: is there a moderator in the house ?

Think about it, what Json said is exactly correct, coupled with the fact that the new bikes are devoid of berg DNA, and the reliability of the 70 degree bikes, I'm sorry but I just don't see a future in this site or in basing a business on these bikes the niche was just not big enough and is virtually eliminated with the '13 plus machines.

Re: offset on the LDCs

Hi there taffy,

Please keep in mind that these are just my thoughts concerning the topic at hand. I'm not trying to tell the community how to run the site, but just wanted to give my little bits to some comments made.

Taffy said:

It might be worth you Json, writing to one or two members that are technically good and asking them to GIVE something? surely Kadlec has learnt so much?

Click to expand...

I really don't think writing members would serve any purpose. They left for a reason. If no change were made, inviting them back would simply result in their leaving again. From the few I've talked to, that reason seems to be that they feel that the site no longer fosters a sense of community. Personally, I would say that I often feel the same. I no longer read the content of the site. I browse all the threads, but only for spam, to fix links and help people having a problem with the workings of the site. One reason for this is that often, there is a reminder of some ongoing argument in a lot of the threads. If it's not in the post content itself, it's in someone's signature. Depending on which threads are at the top, It's sometimes very easy to stumble over some form of hostility. There are so many great people on this site, but their welcoming and helpful posts are often buried by the very few vocal representatives of the community that will go 4 pages deep on a topic repeating what they said 20 posts in the past just to make sure they're the anchor of the thread. Often, they will carry the arguments over to other threads. This of course keeps these topics at the top of the recent posts and acts as the door greeter for anyone hitting the site. I really can't imagine many people wanting to hang out after reading some of the flamewars of recent history.

Taffy said:

I don't believe dealers are encouraged to come on here.

Click to expand...

I may be wrong, but I don't think that it's got anything to do with the site itself. I always try to respond to them when they contact me, everyone gets advertising for free and I've done what I can to help them have a place to get started(vendors and services forum). If they don't feel welcome, that may also fall into the issue I spoke about above.

Taffy said:

it's all very disappointing.

Click to expand...

I have no vested interest in how many people visit the site, but I agree. It's not very warm-fuzzy inducing to see the current state of things. It also makes it hard to troubleshoot things. I had to wait over an hour for someone to make a new post so I could figure out what I did wrong on the front block of the site

Taffy said:

highlights nowadays are reduced to waiting for something from Dr_C.

Click to expand...

I love his posts. Reminds me of some of the epic VW threads I keep track of.

Just some things to consider and of course the chances are great that I'm completely off about why the site is quiet. It's just some things I've pondered while perusing the site.

Hope you're well,
json

I've edited the post in an attempt to clarify my point, but for brevity's sake:

When a thread begins to degenerate into an unwinnable tennis match of derogatory comments, maybe it would help the site if it were taken into account before returning the volley.

You do get spurts of interest every time someone gets frustrated and makes a 'subframe fuel tank' post...... :bounce3:

Odie singlehandedly quadrupled our daily post count. I guess we could thank him for that

My final 2c while im cleaning up my PM box

Im a regular member of a lot of other sites, there will always be pissing matches and they are always more popular in view count than questions about screw pitch or how to change the oil.

often it is within one of these threads that the most valuable technical information is shared or "spilled" just look at the RFS section of ktmtalk recently

Json what Im getting at you could hide all the threads containing pissing matches and the sites popularity won't change one bit perhaps it would even fall further.

there is a long list of people who have left here for the same reason.

taken from another site

I'm a long term berg owner but I cant be bothered going onto the uhe.org site to ask these questions. One man kind of dominates....shouts down, and generally behaves like a duckwit. .......censored .........but cant handle his attitude.

Click to expand...

another recent thread here

lesjive said:

Taffy-
Guy had problems with his tank, can't get it fixed.
All you can do is belittle him?
I sincerely believe that you- Taffy are the reason that the post count on site has deteriorated to the extent that most Berg owners have gone elsewhere to seek info.
But, heck what do I know.. I'm just a parrot..
Chill out on the insults, learn how to post in a language that doesn't take a UN code breaker to decipher, and learn to control yourself while posting a response.
Regards, (Whatever that means)

Dan

Click to expand...

there are plenty of PMs around to the same effect

I agree with json there is no sense of community here anymore but IMHO it is not because of perceived hostility from reading past posts. The reason is that a sense of community is founded when there is a group of technically knowledgeable members regularly exchanging info and helping others.

this site has lost quite a few of those members over the last 5 years primarily because they can't be bothered dealing with a certain member, past pissing matches or not they won't be back anytime soon.

now please lock my account Json I believe I may have violated my parole conditions

bushmechanic said:

Json what Im getting at you could hide all the threads containing pissing matches and the sites popularity won't change one bit perhaps it would even fall further.

Click to expand...

I did try to make sure that it was understood that mine was just one thought concerning what might be the issue. As I also mentioned, I'm far from the best judge of the site's health, since I don't closely follow the content any longer.

bushmechanic said:

now please lock my account Json I beileve I may have violated my parole conditions

Click to expand...

Haha, no way, you're here more often now that you no longer visit than you were when you did

I'm a12 month newbie to Bergs and this site. As such and as a complete novice on running these bikes i enjoy using this site for help and also to be party of the Berg club - having this bike makes us different and therefore it's good to feel part of a community with like minded riders. I do feel that the issue with this forum it's that it feels quite hostile. Ask a dumb question and you can be shot down our simply ignored. Sit on the side lines and you see hostility and points scoring between members trying to prove they are the best.

I think successful forums are welcoming, fun, bit of banter, tech info and ride reports. Not sure what the aim of this forum is really, sometimes feels like a shop window for those trying to sell their wares.

Hope that helps.

I am a new berg owner ( 6 months ) & as such new to this forum also, & I've owned & been a member of KTM talk for about 7 years & think its a superb site. I think this forum has potential but because of the much smaller numbers involved with our somewhat unique bike it will never be huge.
I am enjoying the site so far but can sometimes feel friction or animosity & it does not feel as friendly or welcoming as perhaps it should at times, the previous post sums it up pretty well, anyway that's just my initial thoughts could be totally wrong often am but that's the way it seems to me.

Ask a dumb question and you can be shot down or simply ignored

Click to expand...

funny, my wife tells me the same thing :? she says most people don't understand my sarcasm. i just attribute it to being a grumpy old man :bounce3:

bushmechanic said:

My final 2c while im cleaning up my PM box

Im a regular member of a lot of other sites, there will always be pissing matches and they are always more popular in view count than questions about screw pitch or how to change the oil.

often it is within one of these threads that the most valuable technical information is shared or "spilled" just look at the RFS section of ktmtalk recently

Json what Im getting at you could hide all the threads containing pissing matches and the sites popularity won't change one bit perhaps it would even fall further.

there is a long list of people who have left here for the same reason.

taken from another site

I'm a long term berg owner but I cant be bothered going onto the uhe.org site to ask these questions. One man kind of dominates....shouts down, and generally behaves like a duckwit. .......censored .........but cant handle his attitude.

Click to expand...

another recent thread here

lesjive said:

Taffy-
Guy had problems with his tank, can't get it fixed.
All you can do is belittle him?
I sincerely believe that you- Taffy are the reason that the post count on site has deteriorated to the extent that most Berg owners have gone elsewhere to seek info.
But, heck what do I know.. I'm just a parrot..
Chill out on the insults, learn how to post in a language that doesn't take a UN code breaker to decipher, and learn to control yourself while posting a response.
Regards, (Whatever that means)

Dan

Click to expand...

there are plenty of PMs around to the same effect

I agree with json there is no sense of community here anymore but IMHO it is not because of perceived hostility from reading past posts. The reason is that a sense of community is founded when there is a group of technically knowledgeable members regularly exchanging info and helping others.

this site has lost quite a few of those members over the last 5 years primarily because they can't be bothered dealing with a certain member, past pissing matches or not they won't be back anytime soon.

now please lock my account Json I believe I may have violated my parole conditions

Click to expand...

+1 :roll:

Hi
I have written about it but will write again, the problems of the older bikes and the uniqueness of this bike brought together a very particular community.

Because of this, in my opinion, this forum is much more technical than others, we change bikes to solve the problem and we do it ourselves, we don’t buy solutions, than we didn’t had in the market like other brands. For example we didn’t buy a JD jetting kit, we made our own jetting and Taffy even made a needle, or we didn’t buy an aftermarket muffler, we manufacture one like I did and we mixed parts from several years, etc. So we are a particular breed.

This forum is changing also because HUSABERG is changing, and specially now, you know what I’m talking about.

Like I’ve seen several times, if someone comes here and asks about a 2 stroke, it will someone come and tell him to go to KTM talk. So next year what will we do?? Tell everyone to go there?? I think this community can change and it will change and also can be better than the other neighbors.

And if someone comes here and asks a dumb question or asks a question that it’s been asked a 1000 times, that someone should be treated right and guided the best way we can and know. Many others forums are fed with dumb questions and issues like the best boots on the market or the best looking decals, so get used to it !!

Finally about the “animosity” that sometimes was felt, I mean the private wars going on, in my opinion that went so far because of the failure of the moderators, and their failure to keep things in perspective. But that’s just me.

May the FORCE be with you
:cheers:
ZAGA

Well I have been here on and off since my 99 with a 501 then with the 1st 650 with all its problems in 2000, join again when I bought my current project 550 which Lineaweaver has been doing the machine work, which I am waiting its eager return, for a major revamp.

This site has been very helpful and I have large order or parts & upgrades to place with Taffmeister etc, in the next few weeks. I hope it will come into its own as the 70 deg has changed the mark and eventually these earlier models are going to be sought after, sure it will take awhile but as long as small niche business provide continued services i hope this will aid in keeping this marque alive, after all in offroad racing the later models are still very formidable race bikes.

Well, I'm relatively new here when you start comparing how long others have been around. The way I see it, the decline in popularity is directly linked to how popular the brand is. I sure don't see many 09-12 bikes at events and I see even fewer pre 09 bikes. If people aren't riding them , then they probably aren't talking about them. You don't see many showing up new on the board with new to them older bikes. I watch classifieds and these bikes are not fast movers. Personally this site helped me purchase and repair an older bike. I probably would not have been able to do it without the site, the docs and a certain vendor who helped me through and put up with a lot of questions. People can be a little rough at times online but I think more often things are just taken the wrong way. Life is full of characters...enjoy them! If you get your feathers ruffled, relax. It is the Internet.
On The other hand, I do think the mods need to moderate when hell breaks loose ... Or better yet, before all he'll breaks loose.

I like this site. Not much goes on some days though ... Kind of like government!

Well I for one am now Husaberg free. I have a bike that starts first time, parts are cheaper and available and I dont have to sit at this site looking to overcome all the design flaws the early bergs had. Roller bearing mains? Dell'orto carbs?

Ride Red!!

Peej said:

Ride Red!!

Click to expand...

Rock on!

:ninja:

Peej said:

Ride Red!!

Click to expand...

i used to have a freind who said that all the time...hes dead now though....stupid rockets