Facebook gear pages....future of Rigtalk?

I’ve been a member of RT for about 10 years and have seen many things come and go from original/frequent members to ownership. I know that many of the original members were pretty vocal about their dislike for social media but times have definitely changed. Brad King, though not the founder of RT, was at the helm during its largest growth period and arguably its golden age. He attempted a FB page (though not a closed group with members) early on that never gained traction. Over the past 5 years or so it seems more and more gear heads are moving to social media, especially Facebook, to discuss gear. For example, these FB groups have the following number of members: Bogner group has 1.6K members, Gear Talk 23k members, Ibanez RG/Jem/Universe has 21.4k members. The format makes it much easier to post pics/clips directly from your cell, FB sends alerts if a member responds to your post, and it reaches many more players and manufacturers. Plus, it seems that’s where most of the pros in the industry are posting.

I think its time to have RT (the best gear related forum on the internet) have a closed Facebook group. It’s sole purpose would be to supplement this online home-base forum. Here’s a link if anyone wants to join. Thoughts?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/8460458 ... ?ref=share

I'm not on Facebook.

I'm one of those peeps who's managed to avoid social media (apart from audio forums) completely.

I use Little Snitch to block FB, twitter and Instagram so I couldn't load a page even if I wanted to. That said, I've never seen any of these sites before; I wouldn't even know what they look like.

Why so Hell-bent on avoiding these sites? It's a matter of trust, and when it comes to the mobs who run these things, I have none.

Of course, some others will think your idea's a fantastic one and embrace it wholeheartedly.

Another here that's not on facebook.

I have a Facebook but only for the messenger app on my phone. I haven’t logged in for years, and I don’t even know my password. I guess if I got logged out of the messenger app I would just stop using it since there are only two people I talk to using the app, I could just use something else.

Facebook in general I think has been haemorrhaging users for a while. Forums are kind of the last generation of the internet and not really growing, but I think Facebook is on its way out also. Maybe some other social media sites like Instagram or other stuff I don’t use/know about.

I kinda prefer the conversational format of forums so I’ll stick with them, for as long as they’re still around

mnemonic":2gf1ovbk said:

I have a Facebook but only for the messenger app on my phone. I haven’t logged in for years, and I don’t even know my password. I guess if I got logged out of the messenger app I would just stop using it since there are only two people I talk to using the app, I could just use something else.

Facebook in general I think has been haemorrhaging users for a while. Forums are kind of the last generation of the internet and not really growing, but I think Facebook is on its way out also. Maybe some other social media sites like Instagram or other stuff I don’t use/know about.

I kinda prefer the conversational format of forums so I’ll stick with them, for as long as they’re still around

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The conversation format flows a bit better on FB and it automatically lets readers know who you’re responding too.
Again, this would just be to supplement the main forum.

My FB feed is 95% guitar related. What’s great about social media platforms is that you can steer them into any direction that you want.

also not a member of FB. I do own FB shares tho. Shoulda sold when they were above $200

I've never to this day been on FB or any other social media site and honestly don't plan on it. If this RT platform were to fade away, I'd more than likely say bye bye.

I don't waste my time with Facebook

Facebook is for fat divorced single moms with 3 kids with different dads posting inspirational quotes about their fucking journey.

I hope this doesn’t turn into a mostly negative thread about social media, though I’ve been around RT long enough to know that I would primarily hear from the people that don’t use it. If you’re unfamiliar than you won’t know the benefits as it’s not all about debating politics nor is it a popularity contest, unless that’s what you make of it. Use a false name, create an account and only befriend gear pages and guitar players. The amount of info and internet knowledge you’ll gain will far exceed what these forums offer as of late.

Many of the original members who were on RT from the beginning and who have helped make it great no longer post here but are very active on many FB gear pages.

Avi8r2005":e92ky7je said:

Facebook is for fat divorced single moms with 3 kids with different dads posting inspirational quotes about their fucking journey.

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Only if that is who you choose to follow.

Not to try to make it a negative post. Personally I pulled the plug on my FB account about a years ago. After seeing how shady Zuckerberg is and the privacy concerns, how it divided relationships between people with differing views, I chose to not use it. I do still stand behind it as a platform for overuse of "inspirational quotes" YMMV

Haha, I clicked on this thread expecting a wave of support...

While I have a FB account, I have un-followed every friend, and only follow gear related pages. I think a lot of the dislike for FB shown here is based on the traditional use of it: to stay connected with friends and family. And for those purposes, I have grown to hate it.

However for following specific groups and getting involved with certain communities, it can be hugely helpful. Case in point - my wife follows a fertility group on FB and has had a tremendous amount of support/knowledge sharing as she goes through some tough times.

My experience following gear related pages has been a mixed bag. I definitely prefer the traditional forum format like here (I think Sevenstring.org has a superior experience, ie when you click to revisit a thread, it takes you to your last post viewed). But I would be willing to experiment with a FB Rig-Talk group. Thanks for the idea!

Totally not interested in anything facebook. Some of us just don’t prefer that platform. I have enough things going on in my life to keep me busy these days that I don’t need another social media piece to monitor. I like the fact I can search here for previous stuff archived and the classified forum has been one of the best for me to both buy and sell.

Avi8r2005":2vxdp69r said:

Not to try to make it a negative post. Personally I pulled the plug on my FB account about a years ago. After seeing how shady Zuckerberg is and the privacy concerns, how it divided relationships between people with differing views, I chose to not use it. I do still stand behind it as a platform for overuse of "inspirational quotes" YMMV

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I don't understand this way of thinking towards FB.

Example: I have a FB account where I
don’t use my real name and only befriended guitar groups and pro players (Soldano Amplification Players Group, Friedman Amps, Pete Thorn, Andy Wood, etc.). When I open FB my entire wall is ONLY from these groups and players. No one else can even find me. I don’t even get friend requests from family or high school classmates because I use no identifying details in my profile such as where I went to school, where I work, or where I live. Suckerberg knows nothing about me. It’s the same thing we do here on RT. I don’t see the single divorced moms inspirational quotes because I’m not friends with them. Please, someone explain.

PBGas":37rwr472 said:

Totally not interested in anything facebook. Some of us just don’t prefer that platform. I have enough things going on in my life to keep me busy these days that I don’t need another social media piece to monitor. I like the fact I can search here for previous stuff archived and the classified forum has been one of the best for me to both buy and sell.

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I totally respect the time argument. FWIW you can also search each closed FB group.

Meeotch":2408c3kc said:

Haha, I clicked on this thread expecting a wave of support...

While I have a FB account, I have un-followed every friend, and only follow gear related pages. I think a lot of the dislike for FB shown here is based on the traditional use of it: to stay connected with friends and family. And for those purposes, I have grown to hate it.

However for following specific groups and getting involved with certain communities, it can be hugely helpful. Case in point - my wife follows a fertility group on FB and has had a tremendous amount of support/knowledge sharing as she goes through some tough times.

My experience following gear related pages has been a mixed bag. I definitely prefer the traditional forum format like here (I think Sevenstring.org has a superior experience, ie when you click to revisit a thread, it takes you to your last post viewed). But I would be willing to experiment with a FB Rig-Talk group. Thanks for the idea!

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My feelings exactly.

nevusofota":2bbgunzw said:

Avi8r2005":2bbgunzw said:

Not to try to make it a negative post. Personally I pulled the plug on my FB account about a years ago. After seeing how shady Zuckerberg is and the privacy concerns, how it divided relationships between people with differing views, I chose to not use it. I do still stand behind it as a platform for overuse of "inspirational quotes" YMMV

Click to expand...

I don't understand this way of thinking towards FB.

Example: I have a FB account where I
don’t use my real name and only befriended guitar groups and pro players (Soldano Amplification Players Group, Friedman Amps, Pete Thorn, Andy Wood, etc.). When I open FB my entire wall is ONLY from these groups and players. No one else can even find me. I don’t even get friend requests from family or high school classmates because I use no identifying details in my profile such as where I went to school, where I work, or where I live. Suckerberg knows nothing about me. It’s the same thing we do here on RT. I don’t see the single divorced moms inspirational quotes because I’m not friends with them. Please, someone explain.

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As I stated YMMV, your mileage may vary. I explained why I dont use it. I'm sorry if you dont find that acceptable. I likely could have phrased my initial post a bit less coarse as to not create negativity. I do see the similarities and parallels of FB to a forum such as this. However, I choose not to use it. I didnt find to be an enriching part of my life, i gained nothing from it and it provided nothing that enhance my quality of life. Why would I continue to use such a tool that has little to no benefit to me?