Enduro website moving to Facebook

[omaroo]

Hello all

I haven't been here in a while, for work-related commitments, so sorry. Flat-out isn't the word. Cars, even Saabs, have to come second once in a while! LOL

Just to let people know, I'm trying move my presence to Facebook rather than support a separate website. Interaction is far easier without having to maintain a forum.

For those interested, please go to: https://www.facebook.com/Saab900Enduro and visit me once in a while. Hopefully this year I'll get back to work on the Enduro, putting her back on the road will be a priority in the near future.

Thanks all

PS - Please hit "Like"!

[nordwulf]

Why have a separate website and forum? We have a forum, image gallery, downloads section, personal blogs, registry and everything else right here. Much more functionality than Facebook and no need to maintain your own site. And we have many members and visitors interested in anything Saab. Just saying...

[rpiereck]

That, and not everyone is on Facebook (like me).

[omaroo]

Why have a separate website and forum? We have a forum, image gallery, downloads section, personal blogs, registry and everything else right here. Much more functionality than Facebook and no need to maintain your own site. And we have many members and visitors interested in anything Saab. Just saying...

Hi Frank, and thanks for your comment. Thanks for the pointer, but I like to keep my sites separate from established forums if I can. I chose Facebook because is is simple to manage, there is a high-level of social interactivity that is inherent in the product, and there are nearly a billion people on it now - and that's a lot of people. For those not on Facebook, I know you have your own reasons, but those on it have theirs too. It is a phenomenal resource if you have something to say.

This does not diminish the role of forums such as this one iota, and whether my own site is presented as a fully-fledged website on its own, part of Facebook - or both, I will still utilise this resource here for specific things I want to show or say relating to the Enduro. I'm treating it as an additional platform, not the only one.

[rpiereck]

Reading the above makes me think you are a Libra...

[nordwulf]

I chose Facebook because is is simple to manage, there is a high-level of social interactivity that is inherent in the product, and there are nearly a billion people on it now - and that's a lot of people.

I have thought about social media sites like Facebook versus forums before and I think they are completely different. I am not sure what your goal is in using Facebook and wanting to keep Saab content separate from established forums but here are a few of my thoughts when it comes to social media vs forums.

• I am using Facebook for my personal life with friends and family. They are not interested at all in Saab or other specific interests so I won't post much about that. We have a Publish to Facebook feature here on SaabWorld to share a post, thread or blog entry on your personal FB account but I have only used it a few times, mostly to share trip reports with friends and family. They don't care about any other Saab stuff.
• Facebook content and pictures doesn't show up in Google searches. Not sure about other search engines.
• I am not going to add people or fan pages about 100s of Saabs to my Facebook account. I only connect with people I personally know. I go to forums about Saab stuff and don't want to visit individual websites of Saab owners. Same can be said for the many websites and forums for local/national and special interest Saab clubs.
• Facebook content is mostly a lot of mildly entertaining stuff that gets posted and there is a lot of information overload. Discussions are usually just a few lines, not much more than that. Quantity of social activity is high but quality usually seems pretty average or worse. Same can be said for many forums though.
• The main goal of a forum is to bring people together who have a specific and common interest. Facebook is the total opposite. I go to a Saab forums because I want to read and write about Saab. Many members here have an interesting life but I don't really care how their kids are doing in school or what they had for dinner, for example.
• Forum software has so much more functionality. And not just forums but also classifieds, downloads, image gallery software and so on.

However.. forums are changing and many are commercial marketing engines as opposed to the enthusiast driven communities they once were. Not wanting to open up a can of worms again but I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time and content on commercially driven websites like SaabCentral or SaabLink either. Or Facebook, for that matter. Zuckerberg is rich enough already..

As I mentioned, just a few thoughts of social media sites versus forums. I respect your decision to host it on Facebook and hope it works out for you and the Saab fans. Don't be a stranger here, we still want to hear about and discuss the Enduro and other Saab stuff.