Members that go MIA

[dburdyshaw]

I've often had this thought about forums such as FEP.

What happens when a poster ---- especially a frequent poster ---- suddenly stops posting?

Many of only know each other through screen names ---- and our only method of communication is through posting. Many of us have no email addys or phone numbers of our Internet friends.

How would anyone know if something unfortunate happened to one of our friends?

[Hissing Cobra]

Good question! I know that I'm on face book too and I'm "friends" with a bunch of members from this site. I tend to post a little more personal stuff on that site so most of those members might see some of that stuff and would know what I'm up to. I post more personal stuff there 'cause my parents (I don't see my dad too often and my mother lives down in Florida so I never get to see her) and other relatives are on there too and they can see that stuff. It's all "harmless" stuff that I post though so I don't have to worry about my job or anything like that.

[Zap's 85 GT]

I know with many, cars are a flight of fancy. They get all revved up about something and go all in for a while, then quickly change direction like selling the car and doing something else. Buying a new car, family issues, health issues, you name it.

I know a guy that was into hot rods for years and now all he does is play urban assault style airsoft games. Kinda like paint ball. Has not touched his car in years.

[82GTforME]

I joined my local Mustang club this summer and went to my first meeting tonight. I talked to a few of the members later after I earlier introduced myself and said what cars I had. One member had an '85 gt t-top that he had done a roller upgrade and was having ECU issues...anyways, I had mentioned the site and he had said he was a member and when I asked what his username was he didn't remember. Not sure if he was a regular back when but there's another reason why.
I agree to Zap's first statement. To some, cars are nothing but things and objects with no attachment, nostalgia or whatever. I don't have a lot of free time, so Facebook and stuff takes a back seat to all of the rest but it works for others.

Good question Danny!

[TopGear85]

The time of the year has something to do with posting frequency as well. During the spring and summer people are out going to shows and cruises, so they tend to post less. Now that fall and winter are approaching those people can't physically enjoy their car so they come back and post more because it keeps them connected or gets them excited about next season. They may also be working on their winter mods and have questions or want to share their progress, which gets them visiting and posting a lot more.

[grabbergreen84]

E-flightiness is a phenomenon of message boards and forums. Some get a different car/job/whatever, and stop visiting for that reason, and others lose their internet for whatever reason, or just fall out of the routine of posting/visiting. Still others may find a different message board, which draws their attentions away. And some simply died. There's no coming back from that...

I'm sure that there are other reasons, but none which I could think of, in a timely enough manner to type them out, before hitting "Post Quick Reply."

Look at my posting history, I kind of tend to come and go, myself.

[dburdyshaw]

I agree with everything that you all are saying. Sometimes we get into a hobby -- discuss it online for a while -- and leave without ever telling anyone.

My awkward follow-up question is, "If DBurdy just quit posting today, how would anyone find out what happened to me?"

[80Notch]

i have a LOT of members on my facebook...even have a few phone numbers pretty much keep in contact wether its a stupid pik post on fb or texting them...there are some mebers on here that were really cool that just dropped off like Glenn "smokin' 89" he was the first forum member i ever met (we traded parts) soon after he just dropped off "1982 niGhTmare" is another one that just poofed away i do wonder some times what ever happened to them

[82GTforME]

My awkward follow-up question is, "If DBurdy just quit posting today, how would anyone find out what happened to me?"

Well I would think some of the "unique" cars you have an affinity for would go unnoticed, unsold and fade into obscurity.

The market for those 13" hubcaps on my son's coupe would shrink as well!

Who am I kidding, I'd miss your posts too!

[STL79Coupe]

I'm a landscape contractor and was big on some forums but this year I got burnt out so I haven't been on one since March. I use to be big into a couple other fox sites, but when I sold my old ssp car back in '04 I just stopped with all the car stuff to concentrate on my young family and the business. Now that I have another car and my son is 14 I'm back and loving it. Except all the jerks on some of the FB Fox pages.

[mercury-man]

I think it's great how you all let us post up our Carshow pics but my lack of ability of knowing much about these 4 eyed rides keeps me from posting up comments to help you all out.

[Chris Wood]

I have my e-mail listed on here, and I hve my PM inbox set up to send me an e-mail if I get a PM.

I know some people are ran off by the holier than thou, keep it stock attitude of some of our members; believe it or not ANY stock vehicle is horribly boring to me, I have never owned anything that stayed stock for long. I also realize that MANY people come on here to just troll for trouble.

I hang out here to mainly lurk and see what everyone is up to. I also browse the "parts for sale section DAILY". Capri parts are becoming very scarce.

[eric5oh]

We really wouldn't know I guess. Personally, in the last year and a half I have sold my home, built a new home, sold my in-laws old home, lost both my mother in law and father in law to cancer, and am now in the process of selling their home. I sold all my cars/projects/parts to help fund the extras on our new house. I have been out of the Mustang game for a bit. I'm ready to get back into it, so I'm on the hunt for the new 'ride'. I know a few other members have a lot going on as well.

[dburdyshaw]

..."1982 niGhTmare" is another one that just poofed away i do wonder some times what ever happened to them

He and I had actually traded emails when I bought some parts off of him. He wanted to focus on school.

Well I would think some of the "unique" cars you have an affinity for would go unnoticed, unsold and fade into obscurity.

The market for those 13" hubcaps on my son's coupe would shrink as well!

Who am I kidding, I'd miss your posts too!

You funny man.

We really wouldn't know I guess.

This is EXACTLY where I was going with this thread.

I've only recently exchanged emails with a couple of our members ---- as I'm painfully reclusive (seriously). Had I not done this -- and just disappeared one day -- would I have become the subject of members asking, "Whatever happened to that guy with the odd cars -- the time capsule dude? Anybody remember him?"

[Mike Croke]

I've only recently exchanged emails with a couple of our members ---- as I'm painfully reclusive (seriously). Had I not done this -- and just disappeared one day -- would I have become the subject of members asking, "Whatever happened to that guy with the odd cars -- the time capsule dude? Anybody remember him?"

This is yet another instance where the internet is not a good substitute for real life. Although the web is packed with info, it is ultimately isolating, anonymous, and impersonal. Life must be experienced in person, not vicariously and through proxy.

[PaceFever79]

I'm glad to have FEP, it's one of my favorite online places and I come here almost every day. But I do miss the old days when we motorheads would cluster at the local car hops, speed shops, swap meets, events, and the house or garage. There is nothing better about all the modern internet communities, except for the convenience, which also feeds into the isolation. But the experience is hollow. Back in the day, there was always that one local person who specialized in the information or parts you needed and you had to get in your car and go visit them to ask a question, get advice, or get a line on some parts or just hang out and shoot the breeze. I know it's still done today to some degree, but back then it was a way of life, and I really miss it. Being a motorhead was like being in some underground social club. Everyone "knew" everyone in the local scene. Hanging out and helping each other out was a way of life. And the competition was more friendly, less smack down, there was a competitive camaraderie.

[Bruce Mohacsy]

I totally get what you're saying. In the end the Internet is great for information exchange but not much else. That "connection" we get from that process gives us the illusion of relationship but in the end, an Internet relationship pales in comparison to the real thing.
I generally surf FEP with my morning coffee. (Thus the 6:00am posting time!) I recently went back to work full time installing kitchens so my car only gets driven on weekends now. I have three major (for me anyway) projects coming up for the pony. A full on weather stripping job, re-wiring the hatchet job left behind by a dodgy aftermarket radio install and fitting a new steering rack/shocks/struts/tires/alignment. Frankly, I'm so tired at the end of the day that all I can do is shove food in my mouth and try not to fall asleep at 8:00pm! It has been fun connecting with Darren in Calgary every so often even though it's 3 1/2 hrs. away! We buy parts for each other and meet half way and when I get down to see my Mom I set aside time to meet in person. I've tried to find other FEP users in the area but nobody seems interested in connecting in "Analogue Land". Maybe we could create area specific forum threads to help people connect with the idea of going to shows, help with parts, builds, etc. etc. We are entering into the winter months and a lot of people don't have the garage space open for project work so their babies are put under wraps till the spring so maybe that's why some "disappear" from the forum.

[tman1257]

I guess I'm one of those also Danny. Seems as if for me priorities have changed alot. Its not that I want my car sitting, just that it has to be on the back burner for a bit.

My son is a very active boy, usually in 2-3 activities at once. That takes up more time than I even realized. Next has been my house. I bought one that was easily livable but needed updates. Ive been trying to get that done and have mostly been redoing previous owners screwups. Between that and the furnace going out and needing electrical work done, that ate up alot of cash. Yea I could rack my credit card up and buy everything I need to get my Cobra up and ruunning, but I really cringe at that. I see all the reports of what the average c. card debt is and realize I'm in the minority on that.

My son wants the Mustang up and running too so it will be a good father son project but it will have to wait a bit. Unfortunately to answer your original question, if something did happen to me, it would probably go unnoticed for awhile. On the other hand Danny, if you stopped posting, there would be concern. It

[ZephyrEFI]

I've stopped posting on other forums for a variety of reasons. My local Mustang group, very few of the regular posters even have Mustangs anymore, and all they do is harp on conservative politics and make off-color jokes. And if you're not one of the insiders, you're likely to be driven off by it. It's a shame, I'd like to have a local site where I can talk cars, but that ain't it anymore. I know I stopped posting on Stangnet years ago because it was just too busy. I couldn't keep up. I don't even know if it's still there.

I posted on a Focus ST site for a while because I was anticipating getting one, but now we have 2 kids and it just doesn't make practical sense. Plus, I could see it drawing me in to spending a bunch of money on the car I didn't even have yet that was going to be a bone-stock daily driver.

I was on a Fairmont/Zephyr group on FB, but I kept being drawn into Ford vs Chevy arguments, so I simply had to excuse myself. They do not have the "no chevy power" rule there, and that's just one of my biggest pet peeves. There's another Ford forum I'm on too where people are constantly joining and then you never hear from them after that. It's really weird. It's a site that focuses mostly on "my car is doing this, what's wrong with it?" kind of questions, which is fine, but it used to have some good F/Z action until about last fall. Now there's practically nothing and the site is pretty dead. Again, it's a shame.

FEP is just a nice, civil place to post and talk cars. It has plenty of action, but not too much. I absolutely love the "no chevy power" rule. It keeps me from getting riled up. And FEP helps me appreciate my car all the more, as well as cars I've owned in the past.

[stableboy]

He and I had actually traded emails when I bought some parts off of him. He wanted to focus on school.




You funny man.




This is EXACTLY where I was going with this thread.

I've only recently exchanged emails with a couple of our members ---- as I'm painfully reclusive (seriously). Had I not done this -- and just disappeared one day -- would I have become the subject of members asking, "Whatever happened to that guy with the odd cars -- the time capsule dude? Anybody remember him?"

How intense is school? Or his internet habit?
I dont think any would notice me missing. I have almost 0% tech knowledge to add to threads and almost 0% ability to do things on my own so I don't do anything with my cars.

[Droog]

I haven't posted in close to two years, I think. FEP is a great resource; I've referred several people looking to learn more about Fox history to this site. But I discovered that I had a few... let's say, philosophical differences with a few members and management. Rather than argue, it's much easier to just cruise through once or twice a week, read whatever catches my eye, and move on.

[tman1257]

To finish what I was going to say lol: It would make me wonder a bit because your posts are some of the best. You make people smile and wonder. Your posts are ones that make people smile and sometimes wonder. Your whereabouts would be questioned. So yes, some would be missed and questioned.

[Gemini1999]

I've had a thought about this...

If someone joined because they had a project car, they would use FEP as resource,yes? But what happens when they finish that project? They might post a few pics when they're done, attend a few shows, post some more pics, etc... What if they aren't the type that starts another car when they finish the first? Sure, you've got that completely restored Fox that you always wanted, but then what? Of course you could always pop in every now and again to say hello, but if you've moved on to other things now that the car is done, how much longer before you stop posting altogether? Just in three years (this month, in fact), I've seen plenty of people that used to post constantly, but now you hardly see them, if at all. I guess it's just like life, people come and people go.

[grabbergreen84]

Then again, some of the MIAs are professional and backyard mechanics alike, who registered and posted on behalf of their four eye owning customers/friends/relatives/whoever.

A message board is like a bar. Some people (actually a lot of people) simply tend to come and go within a few month's time. Like any public place.

[vascj]

We should start a running tally, I'll start:
I hope these guys are okay and doing well
Super-G
Foxforward
Wilson
Todd900ss
Foxbody guy
Lumarkhood