...is the popularity of our forum waning?
 

Is it just me, or did it seem as though there were far more people tuned into this forum several months ago? Looks like our high water mark was back in March, when 214 people were logged in at once.

These days, I will log in and see just a few new threads (most of them off topic). So, I check the users online and find only two or three people on the forum. Come to think of it, it's been a while since we've had any huge topic that generated rabid enthusiasm. The WOMP SC kit was (and continues to be) a big draw. I think we need to take another project from concept to finished product to get the same kind of reaction. Or, we could expand our forum to include other models of Mazdas.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Maybe the protege people can't find us anymore :P

:withstupi and also it's summer... people tend to be out and about more. school is out, people are on vacation, and nicer weather means more time to spend with the car. i wouldn't worry about it.

I'm here EVERY day during the week for 8-12 hours b/c i'm at work - this forum has a permanent spot in my taskbar :bt:

Hahaha yeah, they're like "where did protegeclub.com go" oh yeah...we had our URL changed.

I think people read anonymously, but don't post for whatever reason. There are still the other Protege forums to go to...

yup. i spend about 25% of my time at work on here and eBay

Yup...me too..it's my HOMEPAGE believe it or not.

Maximum Ownage bitches!

It's my opinion that this forum will never be as large as the others due to a few reasons.

Mainly, maturity. It's a sad fact that those of us who are on this forum are mature. We are a true minority now-a-days. I'm on the other protege forums as well and all I see are useless off topic rantings, fighting and porn. If you filter out all of the garbage there is so little ACTUAL content it's disturbing.

We won't have those big numbers like other forums ever again. They have steamrolled on past us. And honestly, I'm fine with it. "Advanced members" like everyone in this thread have nothing to gain from any other forums. Trying to educate noobs on that forum is an uphill battle because there is so much misinformation and "hating" that everything ends in a fight.


I'm working on one other small project but after that I'm done. too much time, not enough money in it. Sad facts. Also the fact that the car isn't in production anymore really hurts future growth.

I actually think there is a lot more traffic on here than there was a while ago. I used to come here pretty often, but when I'd go two days and see like 5 new threads, I gave up on protegeclub for a while and went to msprotege. But now's it seems to be a lot more active over here.

I think a lot of ppl just can't find us. I mean, look what happened with Flyin' Hawaiian. He was out for a while and came back to find protegeclub gone.
Matty is right about how this forum will never be as large as the others, and I'm okay with that too, but I disagree that this can't be a growth forum because as the 3rd gens age they will become more affordable to younger kids, which means more n00bs who need to be educated. Like it or not.
Let the e-food fights begin.

Dat's true.

yeah, as the cars start getting out of warranty more modders will come out of the woodwork....BUT..... how long have the first and second gen cars been available and look at how many of THOSE owners we still have here....very few. It seems as though first and second gen owners are on clubprotege, third gen MSP owners are on msprotege and the people who are sick of ricer kids spamming porn are here.

lol...dat's true pt. 2

yeah thats why i like it here its more mature we dont cuss each other out just to feel better about ourselves and we actually know stuff on this forum the other forums everybody thinks NOS stickers add 25Hp.

....maybe our problem is that we do go after the hp and better handling in this forum.

Wringing out a lot more hp in these cars is no easy feat for a novice, many of whom want to believe that bolting on a fart can muffler makes them a terror on the streets. That's why I suspect a lot of the noobs out there buy the car, join the forum, surf a few threads and give up after slapping the APC decal across the top of their windshield. Our garage is FULL OF cars without a single real mod on them, posted by people who have long since bolted for the next big fad.

Hard work and dedication to our hobby is rare among those who are looking for a scene. However, hardcore commitment (financial and otherwise) are lasting qualities. Someday, nearly all of us will be driving something else I would imagine. However, I also imagine that the serious gearheads among us will never stop wrenching and congregating in places where we can swap ideas and tell stories about our cars. For me, that's a major ingredient in what I would consider a high quality-of-life.