What happened to this site?

[wa_RANGER]

Hey all, I’ve been away a while and Tue for sale section here used to be vast, what has happened that there are only (6) handguns for sale and (3) rifles total. I remember the classified section used to be massive and very active. It’s good to be back on the forum but I must say I’m disappointed in what I’ve seen. Not trying to bash just would like to know why the big change?

[Mike Irwin]

This site is like so many other discussion boards on the internet that have seen participation fall off dramatically over the past few years.

I credit much of it to the rise of Facebook.

[ballardw]

Demand has been so high for the past couple of years I suspect people with things to sell have been able to sell locally without having to post on a forum.

Or just decided not sell in general watching prices skyrocket and perhaps waiting until prices level.

[50 shooter]

You also have to remember that the site was shutdown for awhile years back. Other sites like THR, ARFCOM, GlockTalk and the like, took up the slack.

I'm sure members check in on the board but being slow, probably don't post as much.

[jmr40]

Most of the folks who post here also post over at the Highroad. They are sister forums. I often see folks, often using the same screen name, post identical threads on both forums seeking advice.

The Highroad gets a lot more traffic, and with mostly the same guys. I still come here once most days to see what is going on. This is a good forum, just not as busy.

[BobCat45]

To me, this site (TFL) is the primary gun forum. I check in every day but do not log in because I seldom post. I only post if I know the answer to a specific question, and am sure I'm correct. But most people here know more and explain better than I do, so there is no point.

THR came into being years ago when TFL was shut down for a while. People migrated there and I went along, but TFL was 'first' and this is where I come to get the latest.

[Mike Irwin]

Just to be clear, we were seeing quite heavy visitation and posting rates up through about 2012 or 2013, then the slow taper began.

Which coincides with Facebook's major growth spurt of around the same time and its expansion to theme groups.

The same thing has happened to many, many forums.

[FITASC]

I would also suggest the older software used here might be part of it. Other sites make uploading pics and similar a LOT easier. IIRC, this site was supposed to go through an update several years ago, but it seems it never happened.

[Aguila Blanca]

Just to be clear, we were seeing quite heavy visitation and posting rates up through about 2012 or 2013, then the slow taper began.

Which coincides with Facebook's major growth spurt of around the same time and its expansion to theme groups.

The same thing has happened to many, many forums.

True.

I have a friend who owns an Internet forum and he has commented multiple times that his site has lost traffic to Facebook. A desktop publishing forum I'm a member of has given up -- the site is still up, but it's no longer moderated and even the admins have migrated to Facebook. There hasn't been a new post on the forum for months.

[rc]

I hate the change RFC made. It became visually hard to even look at. The drop off here may be in part due to the older folks passing on and yonger folks being into snap chat and tiktok but not guns.

[MTT TL]

Just to be clear, we were seeing quite heavy visitation and posting rates up through about 2012 or 2013, then the slow taper began.


Which coincides with Facebook's major growth spurt of around the same time and its expansion to theme groups.

Now Facebook traffic is crashing as well.

https://mediamakersmeet.com/publishe...t-the-decline/

I think YouTube and other video sites are actually the bigger reason. Being able to post videos and imagery makes explaining things worlds easier than talking about it. Why should I ask someone to explain about the best way to bed a stock when I can watch videos of five different ways of a step by step process of bedding a stock? What is the point in asking about the accuracy of the new XYZ Firearms when 25 people do a video review on the firearm and post their results? Training videos? Defensive uses breakdowns? If you can think of it it is on there in video format.

The posters also have finical incentive to post videos through advertising so there is no shortage of content and if they think long term their information will be accurate.

Gun and related material is dropping off of YouTube now as the site is decidedly gun unfriendly. However there are other sites that have a conservative bias that are starting to pick up the slack. They are just micro level by comparison.

[Double Naught Spy]

What happened to this site?

This...

Hey all, I’ve been away a while ...

[MarkCO]

Older software, FB, Social Media, GUN LAWS, other sites have come along with new glitz.

Moderation is also a thing. The mods here actually moderate, and that drives away a lot of the chaff, which, many who just come to forums to sell are.

Many other gun sites are for profit, ad driven entities, so they need the traffic and will allow things that won't fly on good gun centric forums.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by rc

I hate the change RFC made. It became visually hard to even look at. The drop off here may be in part due to the older folks passing on and yonger folks being into snap chat and tiktok but not guns.

Assuming that RFC refers to Rimfire Central, I agree completely. The new site is so bad that I have stopped looking at it, and removed it from my browser bookmark index.