Yes I would.

 

Excellent points and thread!

Tan

 

i agree with the OP... to a point.

people that post up otherwise easy to find answers (or a multiple thread that was covered just a day or two earlier) deserve any bitterness given IMO.

when someone is an actual member to the site i think many more people are nicer overall to them, and if someone made even a quick attempt at finding an answer (usually starting their post " i c ____ but i'm wondering about ____ could anyone help me out as i've already searched a little" ) i think people are easier on them as well.

like any internet site, there are going to be flame wars and other things that aren't needed, but i still find the information (and many members here) very useful. of course many folks have said that things here have changed in the last few years as s2k's prices are coming down.

i think posters also need to take into account where they post. post up links of a new car in "car talk" and chances are it's been covered and u'll get a bunch of "IBTL" 's if u didn't search first. post up pics of ur stock S in the gallery and don't be suprised when u get 10 responses saying "now drop it" or change "this/that". post up something not directly talking about s2k's in "s2000 talk" and don't be surpised for your post to be moved/locked by mods.

 

I'm not new to forums, I am/was very active in my motorcycle forums and the trend that the OP describes is growing more and more common. And I see it as a problem.

Seriously, just about all the topics have been covered, there are no more reasons for new threads if we only allow one thread per topic. I think people should ask dumb questions and post repeat questions as much as they'd like.

Sometimes there are new developments to an old topic and a repeat topic kind of jarrs the memory into going "oh yeah, I remember reading that DIY a year ago and I've done it since then, so I now have something new to add..."

Either that or there are many times when the question you have is an often talked about topic it's easy to find many results during search, but then the answer wasn't satisfactory. Why not start a new thread? Reviving an old thread is not ideal because alot of the previous posters don't even remember that thread. "Hey ___, so how did you get that fixed? I have the same problem...please answer even though you posted this 2 years ago!".

I say go ahead and start new threads, even if it was just discussed a week ago. There are always new ideas to add and new things to say even if the topic is exactly the same. Threads get lost and forgotten in a very short time, reviving an old thread isn't very efficient and often times it takes 5 or 6 threads before the answer you're looking for is found.

Also, according to the current trend in "no repeats", S2ki and all other forums might as well just become a search archive with no searching allowed.

Speaking of archiving, one thing that worked great in another forum I used to belong to is archiving. Threads older than 12 months get marked as "archive" and automatically get moved into a separate sub-forum. It was still searchable, but if you search a topic and the answers only pop up in the old archives then feel free to start a new thread again. But if it is in the current threads area then just post there instead. It gives incentive to stop excessive repeat threads yet have a growing "library" of old dead threads to search common topics in.

 

I've said this before in some obscure posts, but the forum format isn't really the proper format for disseminating information. It's still difficult to search and find the answer since the potential answers in a given thread may be 1 post down (if you're lucky) and 100 posts down (if you're not lucky).

We've kind of band aided the situation with FAQs, stickies and lists updated by the OP, but there's no way to hand off control if a list started by an OP sells his s2k and moves on, etc. I really do think a wiki integrated into the forums would be a fantastic idea. If no need arises, perhaps I could make one, but then again, I don't want to cause a mess by driving traffic away from s2ki...

 

This would curb 80% of the BS you see right now Eric

"guests" should only be allowed 1 post per day

If you say something to say .........spend the $20.00

 

^^Yo, I was a member. What did I get for my $$? A place to dump pictures and fattened the site owner's wallet.

Is there a lot of good info here? Yes. Tons. I've met a lot of good friends here. Will I member up again? Nope.

Imagine if all the knowledgeable guys on the forums were to not member up and receive only a limited number of posts per day...now, go to the EJ forum and see how many threads on the first page have multiple helpful posts by yours truly .

 

[quote name='Neutered Sputniks' date='Jan 2 2009, 07:39 AM'] ^^Yo, I was a member.

 

I agree the search button can be a pain sometimes but it can also be spot on, coming up with the answers you need right away. I always try search first if I don't find any info then I'll post and ask. I personally think this is a great forum tons of useful information and great members. I recently became a member just for this reason. I wanted to give back to all the people who made this site possible for someone like me to find all this helpful information. I've already saved a good amount of money from this forum anyways, so I didn't see it to be outrageous to spend $20 to become a member. Thanks to everyone who's helped me in some shape, way or form.

 

I agree with Sputniks on the membership thing. My $50/yr just goes to fattening up CThree's wallet. Have ya'll ever checked out the forum sponsor rates those guys have to pay? S2ki is a SERIOUS cash cow and its no longer near the caliber it used to be.

Other points that have been brought up and I agree with - the platform is 10 years old bringing in younger/dumber owners. Also, everything has been talked about and done really so all I see S2ki useful for is buying/selling and meeting other people.

There are a lot of good things about this site though. I love the gallery and as said before, the buy/sale section. Also, the community organizers do a great job and most people here have the right intentions.

All that said, I will probably not renew my membership when the time comes. I think I am jumping to the.. 'other' forum as its member owned and not a commercial site.

Lets see if this post gets deleted/thread gets moved or locked.