Well, It is a travel forum. And there isn't a lot of travel going on right now. That could say a lot for the lack of traffic. But it's not something that can be blamed solely on travel bans.

Facebook has killed more than forums. It has rooted itself so deeply into our lives with it's dirty data harvesting and mind controlling agenda.. Sure, it's easy to share pics and stay in touch blaah blaah but at what cost ??

I use it A LOT. Most of us do. Way too much. I hate to say I need it for my business and I rely on it a lot to keep in touch with people. I do hate how cheap, shallow and throw-away everything is on FB. And I hate that I'm totally hooked on scrolling like a brain dead moron through my newsfeed without even any memory of what I've just looked at.

However, It's the new evil drug that is NEVER going away.

The only way for forums to survive is to adapt. Or to integrate. Or accept the fate of so many huge forums which have just turned into the ramblings of a few old faithfuls.

A few suggestions......................

The Hubb is an absolute wealth of Knowledge. And it is knowledge that can be searched, held on to and referenced. And the real beauty in a forum is that a reply is 'usually' thought out and considered. Far more than a fleeting reply on a Facebook group.

I think that's a unique selling point that should be pushed more. But push it to where people are listening. Social media ?

I've said it before. Integrate, adapt or disappear. HU has a HUGE Facebook presence. And it's a missed trick not to try and meld them both together. Sharing popular threads on the Facebook page etc ?

Also,

Maybe users should be forced into signing in before they can search ??

Maybe everyone should be forced to sign in before they even read posts ?

How about a mandatory yearly subscription fee. Of like $5.. The price of a posh coffee. But it has to be REALLY easy to subscribe. And maybe offer paid up members exclusive content. Maybe download links to your DVD series ?

Forums like UKGSER charge £20 a year if you want to use some parts of their forum. It's too expensive and I think only really works because everyone on there rides expensive bikes. And I think their subscriptions are WAY down.

I know HU offer membership options. But those options offer no obvious advantages of being a regular user. Who cares how many pixels they can have in their avatar ?

But I think by far, the biggest problem of forums is that they're still too complicated for use on handheld devices. Even apps like Tapatalk are clumsy and faffy. But there is nothing a forum can do about that.


So I think for forums to survive, they need to promote and charge for their exclusiveness.

There's no point having millions of members if none of them contribute anything or even sign in to at least generate a little advertising revenue.


Adapt or disappear....


P.S. I am one of HU's biggest supporters. Everything I say is because I'd like to see it thrive.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.