Forums

[struth]

Been saying that for decades but the young get to an age and want better and join a forum just like we probably did. We are a pack animal and like company so most find it helps to meet others of similar persuasions

[Idlewithnodrive]

True, to an extent, Grant. I don't think that the numbers joining offset the amount leaving, for whatever reason, though.

You would like to think that the music element would bring the youngsters to whatever forum but the forums seem to be stuck in the 60's / 70's in that respect too, so ..............

[walpurgis]

I think it's "hi-fi" dying out with the youngsters, which will inevitably lead to the forums becoming less popular.

There also seems to have been a mad outbreak of forum and inter-forum politics / nastiness recently, which make them less appealing.

Hi-Fi has in general, never has been popular with "youngsters" really. There is a technical aspect that requires more attention than most sub-twenty somethings are happy to apply and of course the lack of serious income doesn't help, nor does the full and busy social life that most have.

Forums have always varied in their level of civilisation, as with any other type of group social interactions. If there's little control, things will descend into chaos. Happily, here good efforts are made to keep things polite and unconfrontational.

[Idlewithnodrive]

Totally agree with your first paragraph Geoff but "youngsters" now seems to extend into people's 30's and even 40's. I think proper hi-fi is just becoming an outdated concept.

[walpurgis]

Totally agree with your first paragraph Geoff but "youngsters" now seems to extend into people's 30's and even 40's. I think proper hi-fi is just becoming an outdated concept.

Well I'm quite happy to be 'outdated'. Will this lack of interest mean bargains will come my way, as everybody flogs off all the superb gear they no longer want?

We have many very keen members here in their thirties and forties.

[Idlewithnodrive]

Well I'm quite happy to be 'outdated'.

Me too

[YNWaN]

The forums, in general, aren’t particularly stuck in the past. In addition, I know at least two people who are really into their music and audio reproduction but have no interest posting on forums. I’ve also met a whole bunch of people who love their music and would like to buy some decent audio gear - again, these people weren’t interested in forums. I think what some of you gentlemen need to do is look outside the rather parochial forums you normally visit and look at the greater picture. The reality is that loving music, being into audio and posting on forums are quite separate enthusiasms. The first two are at least linked but the forum member part is another matter altogether. If one looks at what is posted on audio forums then a great deal of it is people basically filling their day and has nothing to do with audio - random words, political opinions, what one is eating (particularly facile), pics of pets etc. etc. The reality is that there have never been so many forums aimed at ever increasing niche elements of audio.

I regularly read only three forums (though I am aware of a dozen at least and there are many more than that) and I certainly don’t read every new thread posted. In line with the times there are a lot of threads about streaming but that holds no interest for me personally. I also see a lot of threads about stuff I have already written about in the past and I tire of repeating the same advice repeatedly. A recent enquiry about record clamps/weights was a good example and a lot of my response was actually cut and pasted by me from a previous thread I had contributed to.

[Marco]

I think what some of you gentlemen need to do is look outside the rather parochial forums you normally visit and look at the greater picture. The reality is that loving music, being into audio and posting on forums are quite separate enthusiasms.

Good point, Mark, and also entirely true. You're either a forum kinda guy (or gal), or not. There are also many divisions within that, such as mainly readers, as opposed to contributors, and folks who strictly want to talk about hi-fi and music, nothing else, and who see forums simply as an 'information resource' they can tap into when required.

Then there are those, whom I consider are the main lifeblood of forums, who seek to become involved in the whole 'community' aspect, by organising and attending bake-offs/meets, going out of their way to help fellow members in the real world and developing friendships in the process - *that* is what any good forum is about, and it's what ultimately will maintain their continued growth and survival. Because it's people, and their collective and diverse personalities, who make forums what they are, not 'data'.

And that brings me onto your pet bête noire: the off-topic discussions, such as you mention. The whole point of those, and why they are crucial to the success of any forum, is it gives members the chance to 'let their hair down', as it were, and be themselves, outside of their status simply as a lover of hi-fi and music, and to share something of themselves (their other hobbies, etc) with others, and in the process portray what makes them 'tick' as people, which in turn grows the community.

Consequently, you often find out rather more about someone, from their input on politics or other social issues, than you do during hi-fi discussions, and that all adds to the crucial 'community' aspect of forums, by giving them more of a 'human' feel. Otherwise, all you've really got is a rather bland and soulless 'bulletin board', which is something that we strive hard for AoS not to be. Instead we seek to create a warmth, 'homeliness' and friendly vibe, which encourages people to become a part of our community.

That is one of the reasons why we insist on new members introducing themselves and giving their proper names and locations, so that we can all feel that we're interacting with a real person, and not simply a faceless 'Internet entity', posting on a bulletin board. There are many forums out there precisely like that, which may suit some folk, but that's fundamentally NOT what AoS is about.

You're a very good and valued contributor here, Mark, and I always enjoy reading your posts, but perhaps you should consider the above in future, and the whole 'community' aspect of forums, before dismissing stuff that disinterests you as "facile"?

Marco.

[Macca]

You would like to think that the music element would bring the youngsters to whatever forum but the forums seem to be stuck in the 60's / 70's in that respect too, so ..............

That's because we're old enough to know that that was when all the good music was made.

[Puffin]

I started joining fora about 12 years ago to get a different perspective on all things hifi. Magazines just weren't doing it for me and for prob 10 years prior to that I had been tweaking stuff to get more out of it. The only mag that covered this sort of thing was Hifi World and they stopped doing the DIY supplements. I joined Diyaudio as I wanted to build stuff and I found that there was literally a world of information and gifted people that could help you, often within a matter of hours if you were struggling and needed help. It was a revelation that there was all this help and like minded people at the press of a keyboard. I never looked back it was fantastic. You get out of forums what you put in and I thoroughly enjoy the sillier side of fora. If you want to avoid conflict you just don't comment.....Simples.