Looking to the future, expanding horizons?

[nordwulf]

I have been thinking about a few ideas for SaabWorld and beyond. Think of a site for any kind of automobile, any type of motor vehicle or any kind of vehicle with or without motor/engine.

A few things why this is good:

• Non-profit enthusiast site, an alternative to the many commercial forums owned by VerticalScope and other large companies that are controlling this market
• Many of us own vehicles or have interests in other brands, motorcycles and so on.
• When we sell our Saab and buy a different brand car, it would be nice to stay in the same community

The challenge is to convert SaabWorld to a new, more generic location and domain name. Will it have the same community spirit, for example saab.automobileworld.org? SaabWorld is pretty small when it comes to automotive or other forums. However, we made it to almost 2 years now so that's a good sign.

Would this even have any chance of growing beyond our Saab content? Would it erode the Saab community spirit here or will it benefit being part of a larger site?

Let's face it. They are not making any new Saabs anymore and it will be difficult to grow the community. There are not going to be any new Saab owners in the future. And any of us will probably buy a different car sooner or later.

This will apply to the forums, articles, marketplace, garage, downloads, gallery and so on.

Another idea is leave SaabWorld as is and start something completely new. But as we know, starting a forum / enthusiast site from scratch is nearly impossible.

Automobile site: Any car, truck, crossover and so on. http://automobileworld.org
Motor vehicle site: any automobile, motorcycle, boat. Pretty much anything with an engine or motor http://motorvehicleworld.org
Vehicle site: any motor vehicle, bicycle, train, aircraft, any watercraft http://vehicleworld.org

These are just some thoughts, nothing will change overnight and without giving it some serious consideration and feedback from all members here. So.... discus!

[Hirsch]

I agree that we should expand our horizons, but going about won't be an easy task.

Let's face it. They are not making any new Saabs anymore and it will be difficult to grow the community. There are not going to be any new Saab owners in the future. And any of us will probably buy a different car sooner or later.

You're right, no more new Saabs are being built, but I think the community can grow as the last new cars start to age. Also, any first time Saab owner is a "new" Saab owner!

[rpiereck]

Well, lots of reviewers have always said that SAAB makes more sense as a used car than as a new car, so I wouldn't say the community won't grow anymore because there are no new SAABs. Hirsch is right when he says any first time owner is a new SAAB owner. I was one two years ago.

With that said expanding the horizons is a great idea, but thoughtful consideration is a must. I actually like Automobile World, I think the other two are too generic. It will be hard to maintain some sort of focus, might as well make it Stuff World then. Automobile World has a nice ring to it too.

[nordwulf]

You both are right about new future members. Without warranties and support from Saab, there should even be more reasons to visit a site like this.If I ever would switch to another vehicle than a Saab, I probably wouldn't be an active member on any other site. Mostly because most are commercial sites.

Any other suggestions for site names are more than welcome. However, it is very difficult to find a good one these days.

The challenge will be to keep the site identity for SaabWorld, create new identities for other brands but still provide a sense of community for everything.

[nordwulf]

Poll added to the thread.

I actually like Automobile World, I think the other two are too generic. It will be hard to maintain some sort of focus, might as well make it Stuff World then. Automobile World has a nice ring to it too.

That's a good point to have at least some kind of focus. The more I look at it, Automobile World is now my favorite as well.

We could start with adding new sections for different brands, add new brands to the Garage and Marketplace and so on. The domain would remain SaabWorld for now and, if we like what we see, we can change to the AutomobileWorld.org. If we don't like it, no harm done and no links or search engine results have been messed with.

The domain name StuffWorld.org is available as well, if you want to start something new.

[rpiereck]

StuffWorld.org, where we talk about anything! (it's just a huge off topic forum!)

[nordwulf]

Mission: To provide a free and open community for automobile enthusiasts worldwide. Enthusiast owned and operated.

Free to use
Free from commercial sponsors
Free from advertising
Free from heavy moderation
Free from censoring
Free to express yourself


From dictionary.com

Free:

1. enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery: a land of free people.
2. pertaining to or reserved for those who enjoy personal liberty: They were thankful to be living on free soil.
3. existing under, characterized by, or possessing civil and political liberties that are, as a rule, constitutionally guaranteed by representative government: the free nations of the world.
4. enjoying political autonomy, as a people or country not under foreign rule; independent.
5. exempt from external authority, interference, restriction, etc., as a person or one's will, thought, choice, action, etc.; independent; unrestricted.

[Dave T]

This can eventually be a Saab and beyond website. It could be about those who have a 20 year old 2008 Saab 9-3 (in the year 2028) and those who moved on to VW, Subaru, Audi, BMW, Ford, etc. but still want to come back here. The buying process and some mechanical problems are common to all cars.

[nordwulf]

As you probably noticed, there already are a few things re-arranged on the forum home page and the Garage is now open for any make of automobile. Again, nothing is permanent yet but as per a favorite quote from Steve Jobs: "people don't know what they want until you show it to them".

[rpiereck]

Didn't Hitler say the same thing with respect to Autobahns? Why have highways when people have no cars? Build the highways and they will want cars! Visionairies can be dangerous sometimes, but not always

I guess I'll be adding my former cars for memory sakes!