Future of the Forum

[MYT150]

Hi all,

This Forum has now been running for over 12 years, and in that time things have changed, and I no longer own a Tvan or any Track product, and haven't for a number of years, but have still managed the forum. But it is now time for me to step away and either hand the forum over to someone else or close it down.

The Web hosting and domain registration cost about $250 per year and I have never asked for anything form the members to cover this, but I am now no longer able to continue to cover it out of my pocket, especially as I no longer have a Tvan.

So if someone wants to step up and take over I am happy to hand it over otherwise the hosting will run out in just over 2 months time, at which point the forum will be shut down.

Regards

Aidan

[Gumb]

Many thanks for your efforts over the years Aidan, it's been a great resource.

I started up a BBQ forum (Smoke Fire and Food) over 7 years ago and stepped away late last year. It's a lot of work and like you, paid for the hosting with 3 other guys out of our own pockets. It's still going OK but not to the extent it once was.

The days of forums being very active finished with the increased use of Facebook for information like this forum provides but trying to search through a Facebook group for specific info is a nightmare and that's the big problem with it.

This forum has gone the same way as an older BBQ forum I was on called the Aussie BBQ Forum, which is virtually a ghost town these days. The owner still keeps it running but it's full of Google advertising which I assume covers his bills but not in the way it used to do.

All the best and thanks again for what you have done.

[obeeone]

G'day Aidan

Like you I no longer own a Track product but do look at the forum often.  Have you approached Track to see if they would take it over after all it's a benefit to them you would think.

Thanks for keeping it going for so long

Carl

[Cuppa]

Firstly thanks for having kept the forum alive as long as you have Aidan.

I sold our Tvan very recently, moving on with somethng different as we always knew that one day we would, but our Tvan time has been wonderful & I still consider it to have been the best choice we could have made, to travel as we have. Despite all the modern bling & add ons on so many offerings in the marketplace , I continue to believe that it's hard to go past the Tvan, particularly those models which remain closest to the original design parameters, & I am so thankful for this forum being here to support my wife & I's choice in past years. It was a definite contributing factor in our decision to buy. Less of a factor I suppose once we were owning & using one.

I agree with what Gumb has written. In my early days of looking for, then buying a Tvan this forum was my primary source of information. Facebook is good, but it is not easily searchable & I don't think it has the same continuity which facilitates 'online community' in the same way a forum does. Nevetheless the 'instant gratification which FB offers is unarguably popular. 

For my part I am as guilty of the demise of this forum as many other members. I still have a look now & again, but haven't posted anything here for a long time, it's a downward spiral, lack of regular activity doesn't encourage me to contribute. When an online community becomes 'just a resource', & even that dwindles with lack of activity. It is a sad sign of the times.

I'm uncertain whether Track would be interested or not for a number of reasons, but there remains here a lot of useful info to prospective & new owners, particularly those considering purchasing a used Tvan. If the forum closes this will be lost which would be a great shame, but I absolutely understand why Aidan cannot continue any longer.

[peter_mcc]

Hi Aidan,

I'm interestred in seeing it kept online, at least as a resource.

How much admin time does it take to keep it running? Do you spend much time dealing with spam?

Approx how much disk space is it using?

Peter

[luke]

I'm definitely not going to complain if Peter can keep this forum going, but if it does disappear, what other forums do people use for camping / touring related information ?

I know there's a facebook group, but I haven't joined facebook yet and if possible I would still hope to be able to find a good community elsewhere.

[Ray]

I check the forum everyday and respond where I can be helpful. I would love to see it continue and get some traffic. I would be happy to contribute to running costs but I don't know anything about managing it, in spite of an IT tech background.

Ray

[Jim and Lyn]

Gday Aidan,
Like the others here I echo the sentiments that it will be a great shame to see such an excellent resource lost. I don't recall the year you got this going but having owned our Tvan since 2008 we must have been very early members and have really gained an enormous amount from our membership. Our Tvan will be advertised this week and we'll go to the dark side so my views so should hold no weight but I would like to thank you for your time and energy in providing a great source of information and cooperative problem solving. If the forum does close then I hope a way can be found for the technical information to be made available on the FB site.
Thanks again for your amazing persistence,
Jim

[Jim and Lyn]

Gday Aidan,
Like the others here I echo the sentiments that it will be a great shame to see such an excellent resource lost. I don't recall the year you got this going but having owned our Tvan since 2008 we must have been very early members and have really gained an enormous amount from our membership. Our Tvan will be advertised this week and we'll go to the dark side so my views so should hold no weight but I would like to thank you for your time and energy in providing a great source of information and cooperative problem solving. If the forum does close then I hope a way can be found for the technical information to be made available on the FB site.
Thanks again for your amazing persistence,
Jim

[wolfgirlkitty]

Hi Aiden,
Thank you for all you have done to keep this forum running - you do a great job, it would be a shame to lose it.
If I wasn't running the FB page, I might have taken it on, as the FB page keeps me busy enough. However, I would have considered it, but the fact that it costs $250 per year to run is a problem for me.
Perhaps Track/Outback HQ could subsidise or pay for this cost, so that it could continue running with someone at the helm. Just a thought!
Anyway, hope you find someone to run it, Aiden - but if push comes to shove, I may consider it (if I could have help with the cost of it) - Another thought - is it a yearly cost or a pay by the month cost?.
Thanks,
Connie

[peter_mcc]

Hi Aiden, We're getting close to the 2 months + a bit. Did you see my post above? I also tried messaging & emailing you - not sure if they made it through. Peter

[MYT150]

Hi Peter,

Yes it is getting close to 2 months. I didn't see any messages or emails from you.

At present Track trailers are working with there IT guys to get it transferred to their servers, but it is taking time, so I am waiting to see what happens in the next week or so.

Regards

Aidan

[peter_mcc]

At present Track trailers are working with there IT guys to get it transferred to their servers, but it is taking time, so I am waiting to see what happens in the next week or so.

Great! Glad to hear it will be in safe hands. Thanks for running it for so long.
Peter

[MYT150]

Tracks IT are supposed to be working on moving the forum but I haven;t had any update from them on it. I have extended the hosting for a few more weeks to give them a chance, but if there is no updates then the forum will be closed in June, unless other arrangements can be made.

Regards

Aidan

[peter_mcc]

Tracks IT are supposed to be working on moving the forum but I haven;t had any update from them on it. I have extended the hosting for a few more weeks to give them a chance, but if there is no updates then the forum will be closed in June, unless other arrangements can be made.

If it comes to closing it please get in touch - I'm interested in helping keep it alive