josh-kebob wrote:

For instance, Ninety percent of the hotlinks at the top of the forum page are simply dead. Pretty sure that didn't happen on its own and I'd hate to see more info lost forever.

That was all info from MS's old site.  If that info is still available Mike could host those pages or MS could have those pages hosted somewhere new and the address of the new location could be used to fix the links on this site.  The broken links at the top of this forum are a perfect example of the dead link situation I am trying to warn about that would happen on other pages if this forum moves.  
 

josh-kebob wrote:

That info is no longer available.

I know the links are dead but Mike or MS don’t have a copy on a computer somewhere?
 

Really good discussion.  The fact that the classic Mustang market is shrinking isn't a problem we can solve.  That means that the number of potential members is shrinking.  That may also mean that our membership is shrinking.  If there aren't new members coming in, and each year we sadly lose a couple of older members we are just seeing a microcosm of the entire classic Mustang hobby. 

One way we could work around this is to expand our discussions to include Fox bodies, which are increasingly hot.  Many of us also own them.  This gives us a new market for membership.  This demographic is already represented well by various other forums, but this market is growing, so there's likely room for another player. 

Another thought I had on picture posting and links going dead.  We could each create an account with a hosting service, but if that account goes dead I think we end up in the same place with any pictures posted through that service.  I run across this a lot on other forums.  The written content is still there because the forum is active, but the links to the pics are dead.

Social media is almost a must if we are going to reach younger potential members.  Most people of my generation are on social media.  In the Millenial generation its almost everyone.  That's just a fact of our modern world to which there's no work around. 

All things considered at some point it becomes adapt or die.  We can keep this thing going as is until enough of us are gone that its no longer viable.  We can change formats, adopt a social media approach and look to continue on using new members to replace old ones as life takes its course.  The downside is we will lose things if we migrate.  Its pretty much a crap decision either way.  This forum is definitely unique.  I've never been on another forum where members annually gather in person.  I don't know exactly how to leverage that, but that's our greatest strength IMO. 

Raymond_B wrote:

With all due respect being worried about search engines and traffic is a red herring, most links on the site are broken anyway and there's hardly any new folks coming in.

I say this with nothing but respect and by no means a jab at your intelligence:  Just because you do not see/understand the problem does not make it any less real or less of an issue.  It is by no means a "red hearing".  I am speaking from a place of knowledge and experience.  I have a business degree, and because of that a vast understanding of marketing.  I have owned and maintained my own webpage since 2004.  I don't just supply the Mustang content I am the web designer and sole creator. I do the coding in HTML and use web design software not one of these "build your own website" sites that do most of the work for you.  I keep track of and analyze my own web traffic as it directly impacts my business.  Moving this site is a direct parallel to what I went through with my own site.  This forum is on the decline and moving it will significantly hasten that decline.  It is kind of like this, if you have bad knees but need to exercise you don't take up running.  You walk you swim you do what ever you can that gets you the exercise you need and won't add to the problem.

From a personal standpoint, I don't care what platform this forum is on.  I would love for there to be more features and for it to be easier for the members.  I am good with computers and can easily adapt.  What I don't want is to loose this amazing community any faster than its already shrinking.
 

Great points to consider guys!
Restoring/re-doing/modifying classic Mustangs IS on the decline because we are mainly only talking about 7 years worth of Mustangs (that are even still on the road)
Like what someone said "everybody that's fixing up a Mustang has done so already"!

The "membership" has declined because the interest to work on Mustangs is declining. (they're ALL fixed!!)

Think back to earlier times it was the VW bettle!
ALL kinds of hop-up parts....replacement panels 'everything!' and at a great price.
Once the new(er) VW's came out ... the bug was no longer produced... VW parts vendors went out of business...less interest in fixing-up a bug........Kinda like the Classic Mustang.
The archives ARE important butt to whom?! Not many guys need them anymore comparitively speaking!
Wish I had the answer to our problem butt.............
6sally6

If a decishion is made to move the forum, it would be IMHO in the best interestes of this community to go with a major upgrade and not just the same basic thing only with picture posting ease. That (sadly) would probably require a social media pressence.  It is kind of like having a high mile bone stock 289 in your car that has nothing major wrong with it it's just high mile.  I don't think anyone in this group would replace it with a bone stock high mile 302 from the same era just to gain 13 CI.  It is not worth the time effort and expense for the slight increase in HP.  BUT if you were replacing that 289 with a fresh built high performance 331 stroker with a more agressive cam, performance intake and aluminum heads, it could be worth the time effort and expense due to a significant increase in HP.  Same is true of the forum.  When we upgraded in 2013 we gained some features (one of which at the time was easier posting of pix) and as MS pointed out the group was still not as active as it had been before.  over a million posts from 1999-2013 and around 100,000 from 2013 - now.

First of all I appreciate the well thought out response and questions

John Ha wrote:

But what you state above has no relevance to your Galaxie forum (or to the FYIFord forum), does it?  If it does, how, exactly, did you solve the photo posting issue? 

It is not exactly the same but it is similar.  My business model with DazeCars is to sell "upgrade" parts to help modernize a classic car.  I do not advertise.  To promote my site I have created over 20 tech articles with free information on modifications I have done.  People read my articles and use the information to modify their own cars.  Often times they contact me with questions and we have a dialog on how they can work on their project.  In cases where they don't have the time or skills to make products like the ones I sell they purchase parts from me.  I'm not in it for the money.  The business does not pay my mortgage but it douse help support my classic car habit 😁  Sooo people do a google search looking for information they find one of my pages, we have a dialog and they are able to improve their cars...that sounds a lot like the forum.  The success of my business is directly related to my internet presence and peoples ability to find my site just as it is with the forum.
​

John Ha wrote:

Using a service linked to a specific user as suggested in one of your other posts is not the right long-term solution, since when the user is no longer able to pay the service fees and the account closes, all the photos posted from that site go away. 

That is exactly why I suggested a community hosting site and not that each person get their own site.  As long as the community is intact the hosting site should be covered as well.
​

John Ha wrote:

There is also the potential legal issue of sharing credentials if the photo hosting site has clauses in their user agreements that prohibit sharing login credentials with others.  Anyone who does share is thus exposed to legal action.

That is a fantastic point and one that I had not thought of.  If there were to be a group hosting site the rules would need to be looked at to see if it was a problem.  I seriously doubt there would be legal action but the hosting site could easily close the account if it was in violation of their rules.

Some people have heard my concerns and find them valid, others think I am full of ..."red herring" 😁😁  

Worst case scenario we move the forum, we loose members, those members aren't replaced because we are "starting over" and the forum dies off, and that is what I am hoping to avoid.

Best case scenario we move the forum to a new location, we make it through the growing pains and the forum grows and thrives.  I would love it if that was the case.  I have no connection to boardhoast and from a strictly personal point of view couldn't care less where the forum is hosted.  I will come and join the group no matter where it is.  I would be thrilled if my concerns were 100% misguided and wrong.  With that said I would have been remiss to not share my own personal experiences and understanding of how "internet presence" works when I feel that moving has the potential to be a fatal decision for this group.

Daze wrote:

others think I am full of ..."red herring" 😁😁

I do!  
 

I have been saddened to see my tech articles eliminated from the MustangSteve web site. Apparently their value in driving customers to the website was not understood.

I don’t think we have much here in the way of searchable archives since the pictures are all gone. And, even the links at the top of the forum that direct viewers to the MustangSteve site are broken.  To me, as a new viewer, that states that MustangSteve must be in some serious state of disrepair.

I would think a new forum reader that finds the site through a link and then finds the link missing its pictures would certainly move on to another search after about 1.5 seconds.  It saddens me to see what has become of the forum and the former tech articles on the site.

When I have briefly visited one of the facebook mustang sites, I see questions and answers that are the type questions that the regulars here would be great at answering.  We rarely see basic questions here any more.  Those questions routinely garner 50 or more responses very quickly.  And, the responses are intelligent in alot of cases, not what you would think would show up on facebook.

My leanings are towards a social media type site just because that is what younger people are geared to.  I do not believe all Mustangs are already done, as evidenced by the questions I see posted on facebook. Not saying facebook is the answer, but something similar might be.  The challenge there is to have s forum that stands out from the rest.  I did it in 1999 when I started this one by demanding a clean platform with no BS and no name calling and no cussing, etc.  I still get letters from guys that appreciate the clean approach.  So, I think it could be done again.  Start a page that stands out from the rest with those same values and is noted for getting the “right” information. Even though there are thousands of other pages, I think it could be accomplished. I just don’t want a page that is flooded with advertising.  My biggest hatred of facebook is when I try to look at something, three clicks later I am looking at s bunch of stupid posts that have nothing to do with what I was originally looking at.  Maybe somebody knows how to set things up so that doesn’t happen.

On the subject of ads, *modern* forum software permits placement including size when you see them (in forums, in posts, on the main page, etc, etc) you can even turn ads on and off depending on what group the user is in. Meaning you can have both paid and not paid users allowing the visitor to decide. Picture hosting among other things can also be a perk of a paid member if one so wished. To Steve's point the more modern packages allow better social media integration, like buttons, etc.

Anyway, it all goes back to getting on a modern platform.

mustangermike wrote:

Daze wrote:

josh-kebob wrote:

For instance, Ninety percent of the hotlinks at the top of the forum page are simply dead. Pretty sure that didn't happen on its own and I'd hate to see more info lost forever.

That was all info from MS's old site.  If that info is still available Mike could host those pages or MS could have those pages hosted somewhere new and the address of the new location could be used to fix the links on this site.  The broken links at the top of this forum are a perfect example of the dead link situation I am trying to warn about that would happen on other pages if this forum moves.  
 

I do have those pages.  They're not gone.  When I got the website redone I forgot to include those into the mix of stuff that needed to be on the new site.  It's just a matter of me sitting down and getting it back up on the website.  It'll require time and a little more money.  But don't fear!  I still have the content!

Mike, you also need to fix the "shop" for parts area on your website. When you click on "shop", it gives you three tabs: make, model, year. But, they are outta wack.
Clicking on make gives you a list of models; clicking on model gives you a list of years; clicking on year gives you nothing. 
Shopers like attention to detail...please address this area too.

Does a FB page allow you to have click on tabs for how-to, or any other easy to find section? Of the few car related FB pages I've visited I haven't seen that option like your normal website has. My experience at searching for a particular post on FB ends in crap results.

There has been a lot of great discussion here. I agree with a lot of the things Daze talks about with moving to another format. I rarely visit other forums and consider myself behind the curve on what makes up a modern site.  It would be great if it was easier to post pics and videos, but I am content with a flickr and youtube account to make it happen. I guess I don’t miss what I don’t have.
 
It would be great if MustangerMike could get items corrected with the links that used to be up top. I understand time constraints and things that need to get done…. I started this post 2 days ago!!
 
I used to frequent VMH about the same time I joined here.  They made a format change and started adds. I didn’t like the new format and the adds made it difficult to navigate from a phone, so I stopped going. I went back earlier this week for a look and saw they've had another format change. My log-in ID is still active after a password reset. I searched and found posts I made in 2013 / 2014, so the info is still there and can still be posted on too. 
 
MustangerMike, it might be worth reaching out to other forum owners to get their take on making a swap.