Is it just me?

[Rustyone]

Hi everybody.

I certainly don't mean to step on any toes and I apologize ahead of time if I do but this has been bugging me since I "re-joined" last month.  I've been coming here 3 or 4 times every day for a month or so and it just doesn't seem like it used to.  There was a page or more a day of new stuff back in 01/02.  There was a certain camaraderie among the regulars that I don't see anymore.  Don't get me wrong, I've asked a few questions and I've always gotten good answers. It just seems like the "spark" is gone.

I came back here 3 or 4 times the last couple years and it was a pay-to-get-in deal.  Wow!  What happened there?  I knew Dave was trying to get PUT off the ground and funds were tight but a pay newsgroup gave me really negative vibes, especially for guys like myself that had a script.  Better no forum than a pay forum.

Whats all the old timers think?  Is it me or has this place lost a little of it's luster?  Jeez I feel like a character in the Emporers' clothes here!

And Dave, if you see this I'm going to re-subscribe today man.

Russ

[hoppy]

I think I know just what you mean.

 I was a member of the original PUT forum, (and also a loyal subscriber to the magazine for the past 6 years) and remained a member until it went to a pay for use site.

 I joined again around two years ago, and it seamed a lot of the previous posters had gone their seperate ways.

 One thing to keep in mind, Dave was the founder of the original pop-up forum site concept. At that time, it was the only game in town that was dedicated solely for us pop-up style campers. It only stands to reason why there was so much more activity back then. So much, that the forum was sapping so much of his resources from the magazine, that his decission was to make it a pay site.  
 
 His first responsibility was to publish a magazine for us, and the forum was a added benefit for us all to share ideas. The forum participation just became overwhelming.

  There are now other PU forums that copied Dave's original concept, so we are all spread out much more than in the past.

   Granted, this is all just my opinion, but it seems to make sense.  

 I personally am a member of five different message boards, and find it hard to hit each one every day.

[ForestCreature]

No it's not just you that see's this. Things haven't been the same in quite some time. I just rejoined back in Nov after a years absence.
 
 Things had been changing before then, but when some of us brought it up we got slammed down for being negative, maybe coming from someone who has just rejoined it won't be read as a "negative". Many of those that saw it as negative have moved on.
 
 
   With the board being free again, it's good to see people returning.  Maybe we can regain some of that old feeling back.

[SkipP]

rusty, you've asked a very thoughtful, well-worded question.
 
It ain't the same as before.
 
Just before it went "pay", it (the site) was almost out of control and losing the "home town" feeling that it had enjoyed in the past. I think, in some ways, it was a victim of it's own success and not sustainable.
 
Like Forestcreature said, it's good to see people returning.

[Old Goat]

Lately I have noticed that some of the other sites seem to be loosing popularity and their posting numbers dropping.......It's good to see the old timers coming back to PUT...Surely the posting will pick up and this site will once again be the high roller..........

[chasd60]

The board went to a pay board when the volume was so great that it began to cost too much money. Dave has the magazine as the business and the board was supposed to draw new subscribers to the magazine. The board did draw a lot of members but that did not roll over into magazine subscriptions.The cost of the bandwidth was eating all of the magazine profits. The board ended up being priced around $5 year if you purchased the magazine. There were a lot of people spewing negativity about the board going to a pay board. Most of the people moved on to other boards and those board solicit donations to keep the boards running. I think the bottom line is that anyone can host a board but how much do you want to take out of your own pocket to do it?
 
The camaraderie has dropped off some but I think that is due to changes in lives and going in different directions. I think the new "regulars" will build that same camaraderie that was once here.

[Seguinrv]

The board went to a pay board when the volume was so great that it began to cost too much money. Dave has the magazine as the business and the board was supposed to draw new subscribers to the magazine. The board did draw a lot of members but that did not roll over into magazine subscriptions.The cost of the bandwidth was eating all of the magazine profits. The board ended up being priced around $5 year if you purchased the magazine. There were a lot of people spewing negativity about the board going to a pay board. Most of the people moved on to other boards and those board solicit donations to keep the boards running. I think the bottom line is that anyone can host a board but how much do you want to take out of your own pocket to do it?
 
The camaraderie has dropped off some but I think that is due to changes in lives and going in different directions. I think the new "regulars" will build that same camaraderie that was once here.

It seems to be this way with most Internet forums.  When the Internet and technology made all this possible, it was free for so long, that many people either refuse to pay for services, or switch to free services.  Why?  I think partly because the flow of information allows them access to many other options.  Once, a government could hold its people in check by restricting the flow of information to them.  Now, that is nearly impossible and has become an impetus for change in much of the world.   The same here.  People skip and hop around to find better matches for their time and needs.

I think that is flawed, though.  Dave has placed a lot of time into building great forums and a token fee should not be met with opposition.  I own several forums and lists myself and we have the same problem.  People move because they get mad, or things change that they don't like.  I've minimized advertisement on our forums, but the forums do not convert to sales which pay for the web site and technology enhancements, yet the people want them.  I've looked for the answer, along with countless others.  I haven't found it yet.  I've experienced this trend of "less" in Ham Radio, my forums, and others.   I think Popup Time is not an exception???  I really miss the evening chats our neighborhood hams had but that has all gone away.  Sad... We had some good times.

Regards,

Seguinrv Alias "Cactus Phil"
One Princess, One Queen, One Me, and One Big Boss Chihuahua
http://www.bigchihuahua.com

Obligatory Note: How is the weather in Maine?  I've spent a few years there working, fishing and shoveling snow.  I enjoyed going to Booth Bay Harbor to eat lobster, boiled potatoes, and corn on the cob, all for $10.00.  Couldn't get that here in the Texas HIll Country for that price!

[Used 2B PopUPTimes]

3 years ago we had the busiest pop up forums on the internet - averaging 7500 visitors a day. But the costs were killing us. We couldn't sell enough banner advertising to cover make ends meet and an analysis told us that the majority of the income from our online store was coming from other than forum members, we couldn't eat that cost anymore. The $1800/ month hosting and other internet fees were draining the cash out of the magazine and we had to stop the gushing. On Jan 1 2003 we switched to a paid membership site hoping that would fix the problem. It fixed our financial woes but the posts on the new forums that popped up all started off with comments like "He's biting the hands that feed him", "Dave is a greedy", "PUT is out of touch" and "I'm done with PUT".  I became the biggest A**hole on the internet. It was tough for awhile.

Well, our store volume didn't even dip and our subscriber base continues to grow. Several months ago when Coachmen/Viking looked as if they were going to be producing the Coleman camper they agreed to sponosr the forums and make them free again. I think it's great to see our membership growing again and I thank those of you that stuck with us and those past members who are coming back, we're upto 2500+ visitors a day.

It'll never be the same, it'll be better.
Stay tuned.
Dave

[Kelly]

It'll never be the same, it'll be better.
Stay tuned.

Never tuned out!    

If it weren't for Dave, I wouldn't be towing home a new-to-me PU from the Ohio Rally.  Thanks Dave & HersheyGirl!  

Not going anywhere and looking forward to better days and new friends.   :! [/FONT]

[HersheyGirl]

Never left either.  And...if it wasn't for Dave, I never would have had a chance to meet my very good friends tlhdoc, matco man, and all of my COTOC family!  I never would have had a chance to meet Kelly either!   And...I wouldn't be towing a new to me Palomino popup that has a pottie/shower and Kelly wouldn't be towing home from the Ohio rally a new to her Jayco!  Thanks so much Dave!

[cyclone]

Whew!   I'm so glad Kelly didn't say she was looking forward to better friends.    

I am glad to see this board "coming back".  This is the place that feels like home.  I just wish we could share more real-life campfires.  I've met a lot of great friends through PUT.  Maybe it's not quite like it used to be; but maybe it's like the saying "sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction."  It's up to us to help determine that direction.

[SkipP]

Count me amongst those that PUT hasn't been able to run off!:D
 
This site has given me friends that I wouldn't have met otherwise and I have learned a great deal about camping too!
 
I'll get the pop corn (and stay tuned)

[OC Campers]

I also want to throw out a big Thank You to Dave and PUT. I have been a member of PUT for 5 years and have seen the highs and lows of the forum. Yes, it does seem that things have slowed down but it is also great to see all the new popup campers that are joining.
 
I owe PUT a big thank you and will never stop visiting the site. If it wasn't for the great advice we received after buying our camper we probably would of sold the camper. Although our Chevy Astro was a strong tow vehicle it had some severe towing issues especially with sway. We got the info we needed to try a WDH (something our dealer never told us).  Another huge keeper for me is the number of friends we have made through PUT,  Just the other day as my family was heading into Yosemite thru the South entrance there was a Chalet being towed by a Subaru.  I said to myself I know that person from PUT.  Sure enough it was JimQPublic.
 
The number of posts in the General Forum is already starting to increase. Keep up the questions everyone. Lets make PUT the best popup site out there.
 
Jacqui

[Dee4j]

I love all you guys and I'll always be around..Thanks Dave!!! I always look here for questions and even now I  have a hybrid ..someone out ther is ready to respond. I've met a wonderful group of people to go camping with, and the kids enjoy playing with each other, which decreases the bordom level and the parents can get a little R&R time...

[Camping Coxes]

I've always found helpful info on PUT that has made it well worth the cost, or the time involved to put back into this community what I've taken from it.  We upgraded from an old, old Viking and I researched via PUT what I should look for and be aware of.  Then we upgraded again, and again I researched to determine what I wanted.  In fact, when I went to one dealer, I could tell him more about his product than he could!  I sold our second PU through the site, at no cost to run the ad by the way, after one week of advertising.  We've problem solved with the help of members' knowledge that has surely saved us a fortune in service calls.  Then there's the sense of community -- I've made so many friends that we camp with and my family has some great memories that we might not have had otherwise.  Though we don't get to do it often enough, my DH prefers to camp with PUT friends.

As far as the site not being as active as it used to be, as someone mentioned before, when anything's "new" there's a flurry of posting because it's, well, new.  Many of us are now "seasoned" so we don't have as many questions, and hopefully as many mishaps, to post about.  However, there's always newbies every day who need advice.  I have personally E-mailed specific people I've never met in real life because I knew that person had specific knowledge about repairs, solutions or products.
 
Remember, you get what you put into it -- be it a marriage, a friendship or a website/camping club.  I have a wonderful E-mail pal on the east coast whom I met when I found she had the model trailer I wanted to purchase and I asked her how she liked it.  We ended up E-mailing back and forth, and it's going on about two years from now.  I've been through stuff with her, such as with her family or her many animals or currently building a new home to retire to, and she's talked me out of killing my teenage son in those emotional awful times of his growing up.  We would be msising out on this friendship if it weren't for PUT.  In fact, she and her husband are vacationing in this area next summer and we're very excited about finally meeting!  
 
Thanks to PUT community, Dave for having this site for us, and to the sponsor who makes it available, though I suspect many of us would pay for it ourselves if we needed to.  I mean, come on -- how much do you spend in one week on coffee/cigarettes/beer (choose your vice) and then compare it to the value of PUT.