Future of PoA

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Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
I was just thinking, I usually go to facebook for most questions aircraft type related, or to buy/sell aviation items. The facebook 180/185 page has made the type forum completely obsolete except as a repository for documents. The one thing PoA has going for it is that when you google an aviation question, usually PoA is what comes up at the very top. Beyond that, and how massively facebook aviation pages have grown, I'd imagine most potential new member just join facebook groups rather than bothering over here.

Hell, I even bought my plane off of facebook and everyday that's getting less and less preposterous.

I'd imagine in 5-10 years PoA will be a shadow of itself almost entirely eclipsed by facebook groups with only nostalgics and those that refuse facebook staying here. It's not a bad thing, just my personal observation of where internet aviation discussions are going.

What do y'all think the future of PoA looks like?
 
I can't even guess what will happen in an hour, much less in 5-10 years. Do you think there will be a facebook in 5-10 years? I rarely go there, anymore, but that's only me.
My guess is we'll be on WeChat or something similar.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I was just thinking, I usually go to facebook for most questions aircraft type related, or to buy/sell aviation items. The facebook 180/185 page has made the type forum completely obsolete except as a repository for documents. The one thing PoA has going for it is that when you google an aviation question, usually PoA is what comes up at the very top. Beyond that, and how massively facebook aviation pages have grown, I'd imagine most potential new member just join facebook groups rather than bothering over here.

Hell, I even bought my plane off of facebook and everyday that's getting less and less preposterous.

I'd imagine in 5-10 years PoA will be a shadow of itself almost entirely eclipsed by facebook groups with only nostalgics and those that refuse facebook staying here. It's not a bad thing, just my personal observation of where internet aviation discussions are going.

What do y'all think the future of PoA looks like?
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There will be s core group of us left because we don’t facebook
 
Interesting question.

I’d have been more concerned had you posted the question a year or two ago.

Facebook has already jumped the shark, and tbh, really doesn’t meet the same needs as a board like PoA. You can’t choose what you want to see, and retrieving any older content is tedious (at best).

In addition, there’s the legitimate and growing concern about FB’s egregious privacy policies.

Bottom line: for folks more than trivially interested, there will be a place for forums like PoA for a good, long time.
 
The atmosphere around here definitely isn’t what it used to be when I first joined, pre-Xenforo. It seemed like things were a lot more civil and the discussions were much more intellectual and informative.

Nonetheless, I enjoy it around here. Met several awesome people and hope we can continue our camaraderie for many years.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
I can't even guess what will happen in an hour, much less in 5-10 years. Do you think there will be a facebook in 5-10 years? I rarely go there, anymore, but that's only me.
My guess is we'll be on WeChat or something similar.
Click to expand...

"Nobody goes there any more. It's too crowded." - Yogi Berra
 
I read a fishing forum that is going through this 'decline' right now. A few years ago it was THE go-to place for trout fishing information in our region. Now it has a handful of posts per week. Nowadays anyone can throw up a group on Facebook and start crowd sourcing very targeted information whereas on message boards, you have to thumb through subforums to find targeted info. What I DO like about message boards is I have one spot to go to to get to those subforums. USENET replaced dial-up message boards... Online forums replaced USENET... will Facebook replace online forums? What will replace Facebook?

 
When I decided to get back into this, I checked groups I was in 20 years ago, most still there, anyone remember Yahoo Groups, I noticed 1 person selling books, DVDs and info is still free in the yahoo group, I remember when it was new, and person wanted followers, now they are more popular. Lol....

As for Facebook, I not found but 2-3 groups that interest me, so at present I could care less. Maybe there is a group, but I can't find, that happens with small groups, never find until Facebook suggests it.

I do find this group to be the best, other than 1 subject, which is one I mentioned on Yahoo group, not naming it, as if owner thinks about, could close it down.
 
I'm getting to dislike the unseen manipulation that occurs on Facebook, Google, Twiddle, YouTube, et.al.

The less involved I can be with them, the better.

Will POA fade away? Eventually, maybe... When it does, I'll probably be 6feet deep in dirt... At least I hope so.
 
I have a Facebook and use it for stupid, non-relevant, unimportant things, when I use it, which is rarely. For anything remotely serious about a specific topic, e.g. aviation, motorcycles, writing, etc... I go to the forums.
 
Facebook is crap when it comes to searching the repository of posts for something specific. They group admins also seem to have a harder time moderating the trash from the group so you have to wade through a lot of trash in order to find useful info. It can be hard enough to find what you’re looking for on certain topics on PoA or other forums, but FB is a database hellhole.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Facebook is crap when it comes to searching the repository of posts for something specific. They group admins also seem to have a harder time moderating the trash from the group so you have to wade through a lot of trash in order to find useful info. It can be hard enough to find what you’re looking for on certain topics on PoA or other forums, but FB is a database hellhole.
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Yes I agree on all accounts. But that doesn't mean it isn't the future.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I was just thinking, I usually go to facebook for most questions aircraft type related, or to buy/sell aviation items. The facebook 180/185 page has made the type forum completely obsolete except as a repository for documents. The one thing PoA has going for it is that when you google an aviation question, usually PoA is what comes up at the very top. Beyond that, and how massively facebook aviation pages have grown, I'd imagine most potential new member just join facebook groups rather than bothering over here.

Hell, I even bought my plane off of facebook and everyday that's getting less and less preposterous.

I'd imagine in 5-10 years PoA will be a shadow of itself almost entirely eclipsed by facebook groups with only nostalgics and those that refuse facebook staying here. It's not a bad thing, just my personal observation of where internet aviation discussions are going.

What do y'all think the future of PoA looks like?
Click to expand...
FB is a mess to navigate, compared to PoA.
 
CharlieD3 said:
I'm getting to dislike the unseen manipulation that occurs on Facebook, Google, Twiddle, YouTube, et.al.
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Exactly. Facebook promotes all the pro-Cirrus posts, and deletes/blocks all the low wing Cessna posts.
 
Compared to the couple Facebook groups I'm on, this place is downright civil. Maybe it's the moderation/admins here on PoA, but Facebook has all the mud slinging and name calling you could ever want.
It's September all over again.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Yes I agree on all accounts. But that doesn't mean it isn't the future.
Click to expand...

Aren’t you too young to be using FB? That’s old people software.
 
To me, the Facebook groups have a useful but different purpose. Facebook is where you go for a quick blurb or to share something interesting fast. The discussions I see there are never very in-depth and while we have our share of personality issues here, I'd say things are much more civil than a lot of what I see on some of the FB groups.

Forums on the whole are declining, as you'd expect, but we're getting new members every day and our post count doesn't seem to be in much danger. As @SCCutler pointed out, Facebook has some egregious privacy polices, especially when you compare to PoA where we even allow anonymous posts for particular questions for which many would not want to share their identities (and rightfully so).

We've been around for close to 15 years, and I'd say we've got at least another 5-10 left in us, at a minimum. But who knows. Things come and go.

Ryanb said:
The atmosphere around here definitely isn’t what it used to be when I first joined, pre-Xenforo. It seemed like things were a lot more civil and the discussions were much more intellectual and informative.
Click to expand...

Were you actually reading the posts back then? :rofl:
 
Ryanb said:
The atmosphere around here definitely isn’t what it used to be when I first joined, pre-Xenforo. It seemed like things were a lot more civil and the discussions were much more intellectual and informative.

Nonetheless, I enjoy it around here. Met several awesome people and hope we can continue our camaraderie for many years.
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It might have been more intellectual and informative, but "civil"? I don't think so.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Yes I agree on all accounts. But that doesn't mean it isn't the future.
Click to expand...

Well, no one knows that. However, if FB maintains its current architecture I don't see that changing. They are built around a "news feed" where you have limited control over what shows up and what doesn't. When topics come up that you are interested in, it's more difficult to go back a day or two later and catch up. There aren't many ways to search for keywords unless you want to take stabs at cobbled-together hashtags. FB doesn't likely want to mimic a forum, they want to push advertisements and personal data by shoving as much content in your face as possible, preferably from paying customers.

There are some things that they do better than forums can. The FB marketplace has made Craigslist/Auto/Aero-trader a ghost-town. I'm more likely to buy/sell a car, boat, airplane, or other item off of FB than I am from the traditional classifieds sites. Same goes for getting people together for fly-ins and car shows. They make event planning and such much easier because they can broadcast it to people who may not have ever known about it unless they saw it in a forum or an airport bulletin board. They excel in some areas over forums, but I don't think they will take the place of PoA or other forums.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I was just thinking, I usually go to facebook for most questions aircraft type related, or to buy/sell aviation items. The facebook 180/185 page has made the type forum completely obsolete except as a repository for documents. The one thing PoA has going for it is that when you google an aviation question, usually PoA is what comes up at the very top. Beyond that, and how massively facebook aviation pages have grown, I'd imagine most potential new member just join facebook groups rather than bothering over here.

Hell, I even bought my plane off of facebook and everyday that's getting less and less preposterous.

I'd imagine in 5-10 years PoA will be a shadow of itself almost entirely eclipsed by facebook groups with only nostalgics and those that refuse facebook staying here. It's not a bad thing, just my personal observation of where internet aviation discussions are going.

What do y'all think the future of PoA looks like?
Click to expand...

My experience is much different than yours. I don't own but am part of the 172 FB group. I don't find a lot of useful information in that group and the general aviation groups I belong too don't come close to POA. Plenty of good information here and helpful people compared to FB.
 
AdamZ said:
Facebook can't IMHO build a community the way POA has.
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I think it already has. If you see the FATPNW group (Flights Above the Pacific NorthWest) it's an incredibly supportive tight-nit (and yes, well moderated) group
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I think it already has. If you see the FATPNW group (Flights Above the Pacific NorthWest) it's an incredibly supportive tight-nit (and yes, well moderated) group
Click to expand...
I do find the concept of a Facebook group with an optional paid Premium membership tier to be hilarious though.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I think it already has. If you see the FATPNW group (Flights Above the Pacific NorthWest) it's an incredibly supportive tight-nit (and yes, well moderated) group
Click to expand...

Same idea with North Texas Aviators - good for "what's happening around here"; not so much for big-picture.

Like I said, different roles.
 
The forums are where all the experience and knowledge reside. FB is much better for the quick up to date socializing.
 
Cluemeister said:
The forums are where all the experience and knowledge reside. FB is much better for the quick up to date socializing.
Click to expand...
I'd mostly agree, but you'd be surprised at the knowledge base some Facebook groups have.
 
I am new here... and love the site due to its passion and good balance of viewpoints. Not a Facebook member or fan. I am (almost) 59, so... figure I'll be here for another 20 years, then I'll go to that place they reserve upstairs for pilots who haven't learned how to make, at least, consistent B+ landings... My wife will marry an artist and the cycle of life continues...
 
Ryanb said:
I'd mostly agree, but you'd be surprised at the knowledge base some Facebook groups have.
Click to expand...

Let me rephrase that. Trying to find the knowledge on FB is near impossible. Come on POA, and there's years of experience you can search.
 
The folks who frequent forums like POA are not coextensuve with those who frequent Facebook forums, although there is obviously overlap.

What I notice most in Facebook groups is that many questions with clear answers generate the exact same incorrect firmly held "opinions" that were corrected 5-10-15 years ago in Usenet and online forums like this.
 
midlifeflyer said:
What I notice most in Facebook groups is that many questions with clear answers generate the exact same incorrect firmly held "opinions" that were corrected 5-10-15 years ago in Usenet and online forums like this.
Click to expand...
Is it time for the weekly "Who can log PIC?" thread already?
 
I joined this site a week or so ago. I could always have joined a Facebook group, but this site seems to be filled with enthusiasts... I appreciate that.
 
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