Is BARF Dying?

[Chill]

Over the next 10 years, I'm willing to bet that BARF will outlive & outlast Facebook

I like your thinking! it is hard not to root for that behemoth to buckle under its own weight....

There's a simple way for us all to keep BARF alive: by posting good content!

100%, compelling content wins and provides longevity. Highlighting the photobucket disaster, I did not realize how much damage that did to all forums....

 

[budman]

I think a RIP tread is a bit premature...
Says a old guy..
DT

I agree!

I remember when this place was hopping. I don’t think any less people are riding, they just aren’t posting up. I blame social media. A lot of good forums died because of fb....

I agree with this too.

I'm not inclined to blame FB etc... those seem to be mostly look-at-me crap. It's more like actual discussion/interaction with others is losing appeal.

Perhaps Rod. That is an interesting concept.

I don't know if it's dying or not but things are definitely slower here now than in the past. Covid has changed much. I will say I've met a lot of people here and have a host of friends from barf.

We are slower for sure. Hoping the new software launch will help all the mobile folks get more out of barf. And hope that the old guard won't hate it too.

the combined impacts of facebook (no cost to host a group, vs servers and software to run a forum) and vertical scope (ruining once good forums) have done a lot to cut into the popularity of forums. people backing away from riding, passing on, or moving out of the area have also affected the traffic, i'm sure

that said, i'm glad to see BARF continuing, still believe forums are MUCH superior to FB, especially for technical stuff you want to be findable again, and unless i commit a booboo that gets me shown the door before then, will be here till the lights go out.

All good points and I am hoping the lights don't go out when mine does.
I too value having the historical parts of barf stay alive. That photoFuckit thing was a huge hit. So many great pics disappeared.

Not everyone that rides is a lifer. People come and go. The social interaction of the early years did make it quite dynamic and a lot of solid friendships were made. Marriage, kids, new interests etc all affect the community.

Over the next 10 years, I'm willing to bet that BARF will outlive & outlast Facebook

Wouldn't that be something. I am pretty damn sure we will last 10 year, but I would be surprised if FB went away. They have the $$ to morph their platform. As the article and some of the comments noted some forums were just a passion deal and the people that ran them were not very technical. We are lucky to have Valgar and Insyder hanging in because I can do jackshit.

I told Vertical Scope
Because I love the community and so many of you suckers! I also don't want to try to leverage the site for $$ by doing stupid advertising games and hopefully that in itself keeps people engaged.

There's a simple way for us all to keep BARF alive: by posting good content!

THIS!!! and thank you.
Certainly rallies are still rolling, but attendance is down.
A couple of newer folks joined us in Taft and are hooked (coming to Quincy too). Trying to get those that have not come has proven to be a challenge.
Still scratching my head on that.

At Laguna yesterday I went to the Corkscrew with my Grandson and best bud L8Braker. Pointed out the barf bricks to the kid and he was impressed. He does not ride a moto nor does he have a DL yet. The younger generation is a bit different that kids in my day that check marked the calendar until we got to 15-1/2 because driving was the deal.

Like byke said a new software upgrade should help some.
Maybe barf should advertise after that to see if we can't capture some of the younger riders out there? Thinking we should invest in that.

Interesting article for sure. The comments almost more so. I guess it is flattering they featured us.
Thanks for sharing it.

Never say die.

 

[ctwo]

...And hope that the old guard won't hate it too.

I already hate it

Never knew Barf was cast in stone.

 

[moto-rama]

Some kind of Mobile version wouldn't be a giant leap. Too bad my skillset isn't in web dev, or I'd be happy to assist in building an m.bayarearidersforum.com.

I have to think there are a few BARFERs here who are familiar with tools like MobiLoud or something similar. Even a slimmed down version that works in parallel with the existing site.

 

[greenmonster]

As someone else posted earlier, the FB groups seem to trumpet "look at me" more than intellectual content.
I'm on a couple of S1000RR FB groups and the usual postings are "show me your most badass front end" (literally from a few days ago) or "homie took some sick pictures of the bike" along with 9 photos (another post from today), or the latest ad for Brentune. Some of the postings ARE informative and helpful, but the majority is crap like this.

BARF on the other hand, gets into discussions on life and attitudes, and how to handle sensitive topics with family and friends that I find so wonderful. It's like having a big family who is willing to listen to what others say and offer advice based on their own experiences and opinions. We don't always agree with each other (thank God) and sometimes things can get pretty heated but always the discussions are thoughtful and intelligent. Long live BARF!!

 

[tuxumino]

Teh Barfs died a long time ago, tis is teh zombie barfs that can't die cus it's undead.




note this means we're all looking for brains

 

[tuxumino]

sexy zombies is us

[youtube]vh5KJeIL0cI[/youtube]

 

[bikewanker]

I told Vertical Scope
Because I love the community and so many of you suckers! I also don't want to try to leverage the site for $$ by doing stupid advertising games and hopefully that in itself keeps people engaged.

Never say die.

Thank you for that! Surprised the revlesszilla didn’t mention the corporate drain factor.
Did you say chachachanges? I know a kid or two that can help me tech wise so I’m in for the long haul. And the rallies.

 

[NoobCorpse]

Revzilla is clueless and that's likely a clickbait article.

Almost everybody I know who rides - street, dirt, dual sport, sport touring - has an Advrider account. Ducatisti owners seem to all be on ducati.ms. Regional forums might dwindle or "move" to FB groups (which have their own sets of pros and cons) but the large forums still persist because of community knowledge and discussion.

 

[FXCLM5]

still waiting for barf app

 

[berth]

In theory the new board software should be more mobile friendly, but that seems to be stalled or on hiatus.

 

[Blankpage]

Maybe I’m unaware of what I’m missing but I check out barf on my phone no problem. Not sure what a mobile version would improve.

 

[dtrides]

Hmm, other than posting from "Go Advanced" mode being more challenging from the small screen I still keep up with the threads I have subscribed to on my phone.
If I am just browsing I do prefer my lap top.. but that is for anything on the web.
But I still like to look at magazines....so , I must me old and out of date.
DT

 

[xgambit]

As someone whose near vision is degrading, I would appreciate a mobile version of BARF for viewing when on my phone.

 

[chickenfried]

Didn't read anything to get bent out of shape over. But we all have our preferences hell I'm still on a couple of Google groups.

 

[Butch]

 

[littlebeast]

article describes forums as ‘sort of a crude version of social media’.

if taken in that context, maybe - yeah.

what the article misses is the intimate community aspect of forums. there’s a level of connection that goes beyond ‘oh hey we have this in common’. and barf takes it a ginormous step further - to the point of family.

budman and his mod crew have made a safe space for all of us to opine on things moto related, and also personal related. it borders on magical.

IMO - barf is a unicorn. legendary. and only mythic because they are so rare.

 

[ScottRNelson]

People backing away from riding, passing on, or moving out of the area have also affected the traffic, I'm sure.

There are a few of us who have moved out of the area, but not given up on BARF.

I understand that those of you who live only on your phones want it to work better for your particular situation, but please don't mess it up for those of use who still do it on desktop computers. BARF works better than any other forum that I know of on a regular computer.

As for posting new content and discussions, Over the years I feel like I've said everything I want to say and no longer have any questions at all. I'm not trying to become a better rider at this point, I just want to ride when I get a chance (typically once a week) and post photos of it here if I go somewhere interesting.

I still participate in a few other forums, but most of the good ones have died off. I'm thankful that BARF is still here and worth visiting at least daily.

 

[budman]

article describes forums as ‘sort of a crude version of social media’.

if taken in that context, maybe - yeah.

what the article misses is the intimate community aspect of forums. there’s a level of connection that goes beyond ‘oh hey we have this in common’. and barf takes it a ginormous step further - to the point of family.

budman and his mod crew have made a safe space for all of us to opine on things moto related, and also personal related. it borders on magical.

IMO - barf is a unicorn. legendary. and only mythic because they are so rare.

Thanks LB.

We do give the community aspect real effort. From personal Bday PM's to Barfies to our GBNF forum to cataloging good threads in Sports Touring, Adventure etc.. the effort makes this place pretty historical.. at least to some of us.

There are a few of us who have moved out of the area, but not given up on BARF.

I understand that those of you who live only on your phones want it to work better for your particular situation, but please don't mess it up for those of use who still do it on desktop computers. BARF works better than any other forum that I know of on a regular computer.

I'm thankful that BARF is still here and worth visiting at least daily.

You are not the only one who has moved and stays engaged. I am grateful that you do that more than most.

Heck.. I love people and when I get to meet them and strike up a friendship I do get bummed that the vine fades for a few. I have made friends from just interacting here as well. I never met EastBayDave, but I loved the guy and when his BDAY pops up or

We will still be desktop friendly and the move is getting close. It will take some time after to tweak it to get the barf feels, but that will occur over time.

We will announce a weekend when you should just go ride or visit other cool spots or whatever you like, as this will likely be a two day effort.

 

[two wheel tramp]

There are a few of us who have moved out of the area, but not given up on BARF.

I understand that those of you who live only on your phones want it to work better for your particular situation, but please don't mess it up for those of use who still do it on desktop computers. BARF works better than any other forum that I know of on a regular computer.

As for posting new content and discussions, Over the years I feel like I've said everything I want to say and no longer have any questions at all. I'm not trying to become a better rider at this point, I just want to ride when I get a chance (typically once a week) and post photos of it here if I go somewhere interesting.

I still participate in a few other forums, but most of the good ones have died off. I'm thankful that BARF is still here and worth visiting at least daily.

This. BARF is a daily stop. I don't always have anything intelligent to add to conversations. I just like to ride bikes.