IA Members!!! Please step into my office!

[RL...]

my .02:

I dont think that its necessarily the decline of IA or has much to do with its moderators. Its a combination of things that fell into place over the past few years and a slower IA is the byproduct. Facebook is becomming the best way to stay in touch with friends online, where 10 years ago enthusiast forums served this purpose. The "tuner scene" has been declining for 5 years now. The economy has been declining for a few years now. The target audience is growing older. As we get older, we gain other things to occupy our time (work, girlfriends, wifes, kids, and bills). The market in general is a short window for most. Sure, we all still lover cars of all kinds, but as you get older, you have less time to deal with them. When you do have a problem with something, most head to the forums for THEIR specific vehicle, its more direct and detailed. IE: when I have DSM, M3, or STi issues that need sorted, I make a pass through the dedicated forums, not here. When I want to see local pics of cars or shows, I come here.

Grant it, there are exceptions to the scenarios above, but I think for the most part, many will agree.

pretty accurate, but I think its cool that this is the melting pot, its a local general car forum for enthusiasts of all makes so we can all come together and talk and argue and sell crap and arrange meets.

[tnomud]

pretty accurate, but I think its cool that this is the melting pot, its a local general car forum for enthusiasts of all makes so we can all come together and talk and argue and sell crap and arrange meets.

agreed 100% That being said, model specific forums also have their drawbacks as well. Model specific forums are all about versy specific stuff and the blinders are on. It gets irritating at times. Some forums (EX: BMW forums) have members that have the personality of treestumps. This forum is filled with some fun folks at times.