What Is Going On With FMCA?

[RTinVa]

HELLOOO.....helllooooo.....(echos)!

I frequently visit and log into this site to see what is new. I also log into other sites similar to the FMCA site that I also have memberships. I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed in the small amount of activity on FMCA! Other sites remain very active and there is always new feedback and comments in the forums. What better time than the winter to have a photo contest FMCA!

I like the FMCA site and appreciate the benefits of membership. I recently joined FMCA just a few months ago and thought there would be more activity in the forums and blogs. Although I remain snow bound I look for relief in reading personal happenings and thoughts of members!

Come on all, let's make the FMCA more enjoyable by adding to the forums!

Not a sermon...just a thought!

Take care all and I look forward to reading anything you have to say!

[elkhartjim]

My 2 cents.

I have a pet peeve on this and other forums I monitor. Someone posts a question and they get one to maybe even several responses; yet the poster is never heard from again. I think we're mostly all here to help others with our knowledge and experience so I believe its only polite to acknowledge when a response has solved a problem.

My point, I'm reluctant sometimes to take the time to respond to a post and maybe others are too. Or maybe this is just my pet peeve.

[RTinVa]

I believe without response good feedback and information can not be disseminated among members. I agree with your hesitation but find it strange that other sites people are very happy to comment either in agreement or difference of opinion without taking matters to a personal level. They always are very respectful even if they disagree on a subject given their personal experiences. With this question I am trying to figure out why other sites appear to be more active than this site. I really like this site and noticed it has fewer replies on forums than other sites (JMHO). Puzzling to me.

Thank you for your input on this question. I appreciate it very much. Have a great day and hope your travels are filled with smooth travels.

[wolfe10]

Re the volume difference between the FMCA Forum and "other" RV Forums: The FMCA Forum is one of the newest RV Forums, having "come to life" February 2009. Since then, more than 41,000 people have joined the Forum, with number of members and posts growing at an expanding rate.

As Jim expressed one of the issues with ALL the RV forums (and I suspect other forums as well) is that those seeking help don't always come back and report on the results of troubleshooting. Frustrating to those who spend time researching and posting. I know this came up just yesterday on one of the larger RV forums.

Likewise, on all the forums the vast majority of posters, even if their opinions differ, are respectful. Yup, there are exceptions on ALL of them. Had a "disrespectful" post deleted from another forum just yesterday afternoon. Basic Forum courtesy: It is OK to disagree with another's opinion, It is NEVER OK to attack another person. And I think members of this Forum follow this rule as well or better than participants in other forums. If you ever see a post that you feel goes over the line, please notify the Forum Moderator.

When you speak of post volume, there is a very wide range -- Rich, looking at your profile, since you joined in September of last year, you have averaged 5 posts a month. Do you consider that low, medium or high volume?

Bottom line is that the FMCA Forum is one of the faster growing RV Forums with a cadre of knowledgeable posters willing to help other on technical matters as well as very well discussed general issues such as campgrounds, travel destinations, routes, etc.

[RTinVa]

Brett,

First I would like to thank you for your detailed response to my questions. I agree that FMCA provides more technical advice from an "expert" opinions rather than only from owners' experiences. Being a new first time class A owner I greatly appreciate. I know I would recommend FMCA to others for advice they can rely on.

I would also like to say that 5 or so a month I would consider between small to medium amount of activity on the forums. I do not expect all members to be very active but it just seemed to me given the number of many "views" there are few replies to forums in many cases.

I am not aware of a quick review page for FMCA regarding member numbers or activity for others to view but given the numbers you have stated I think it would be valuable information for our members to know. If there is somewhere on the FMCA site at a glance please direct me in the right direction. I do believe this information would be helpful in members having a better understanding on just how popular FMCA is around the country. I would love to see a quick reference to view this information on the home page. It would help those who are considering becoming a member feel better about the strength of the organization they are thinking of joining. Just a thought.

My question was not to give any impression of FMCA either way but a general perception on my part which as you know is subjective given the amount of knowledge someone has with FMCA. Mine as you know if limited but I do feel people will decide on if the site is strong and worth keeping based on activity as they perceive it.

I would like to say that I feel the FMCA site is very well put together and well run. I would like to see it continue to grow in numbers until it is the most popular on the web and on the road. One of the best ideas if the membership plaque to display on coaches. People love to feel like they have something in common with others in addition to the fact they both drive a coach. I applaud who ever came up with this idea. It would make me happy to see more and more of these on the road. I guess I speak of this I suppose because of the camaraderie I have experienced with other groups such as motorcycle groups. It is just one additional way that can bring strangers together building sometimes lasting friendships.

I would like to thank you as the moderator for not only responding to my question but for your active participation in the FMCA forums. I see you often responding to numerous forums and want you to know it does not go unnoticed. Thank you for your time and efforts.

Take care and hope to meet you on the road someday!

[wolfe10]

Brett,

First I would like to thank you for your detailed response to my questions. I agree that FMCA provides more technical advice from an "expert" opinions rather than only from owners' experiences. Being a new first time class A owner I greatly appreciate. I know I would recommend FMCA to others for advice they can rely on.

I do not expect all members to be very active but it just seemed to me given the number of many "views" there are few replies to forums in many cases.

Rich,

Let me respond to the bolded portion of your post: Lots of views with few replies/posts is really the "good news and the bad news."

The good news first: If a question is asked and answered correctly (factual questions, not opinion questions) there is no need or desire to make multiple "I agree" posts. You will notice that "opinion" topics get lots more posts!

The bad-- you are correct, many view but do not post.

One of the other sites I moderate http://forum.dieselrvclub.org/index.php?action=forum (Diesel RV Club-- an FMCA Chapter) is even more "lots view, but few post". That site started out on Yahoo, where it could not be organized. Hence, you would see the same question and answers-- sometimes several times a week (example: "my engine is overheating what do I need to do" was posted many times a week in the summer). Long time viewers/posters let us know loud and clear that they were sick and tired of having their in-boxes clogged with the same questions and answers week in and week out. So, we spent several man-weeks organizing the posts by topic. Now, though we do get new posts (generally to questions not answered) the number of views has skyrocketed as many have found the site to be a valuable research tool. Few new posts per month, BUT: Average page views per day: 1,822.03. Hard to cast that in a negative light.

Perhaps I am in the minority, but I have never viewed the FMCA Forum as a wannabe chat room or substitute for face book! Our feedback is that it a valuable tool in maintaining their motorhome, planning trips and just generally sharing information on the motorhoming lifestyle.

[RTinVa]

Please do not misunderstand. I would not want the FMCA site become like Facebook (I am not a fan of Facebook). That was not my intention at all. I appreciate the numbers you provided regarding the number of average views per day. I am also very pleased with the amount of valuable advice found on the FMCA site. I was simply saying that I did not see a lot of replies based on the number of views on a number of subjects. I am getting a better feel for the FMCA site as compared to some of the other sites I have logged into given your explanation. Given that the FMCA site posts facts and not opinions on questions it is obviously a reliable source for technical information on problem solutions.

Thanks again for your reply. As far as I am concerned my question has been answered and I now have a new appreciation for the way FMCA operates and how members use this site, obviously very different from other sites. Don't misinterpret this as I am saying this as a negative. Quite the contrary when looking for assistance to problems that I am sure I will someday experience while owning a coach.

I was obviously the only member who was wondering about this subject given the number of views and very few replies and that is ok as well. Just thought it was a good question to ask since it was on my mind each time I logged in.

Take care.

[on.vacation]

Rich,

We are newbies- just received our membership card yesterday but have already used this website as a lifeline- and could not have done that without having joined, which then led to our attending the Perry rally where we attended several sessions- one given by Brett. Learning so much has cemented our opinion that this organization is very professionally run, has true "experts" you can request info from, has an excellent responsive president (Charlie Adcock), and a helpful staff available by phone in Cincinnati. We have used all these services in just a couple of days. I have posted only a few times- but I learn a lot from other posts.

Without getting into too much detail- we had what we considered "an emergency" we needed expert advise while our diesel was being repaired. I emailed Brett thru this website and he responded very quickly. Thank you Brett!!!!

I was able to register for Perry by phone because we did not have our membership materials yet- the ladies at the Cincinnati office were great and all our materials came, complete, correct, and in a timely manner.

I sent an email to Charlie at midnight last night with a request- he responded and filled my request by 6 am this morning!!! Unbelievable!! Thank you Charlie!!!

We can't wait to get together with FMCA members again. It is truly an excellent organization!! We can't offer much expertise- so we usually only "read" items on the forum- I'm sure others do the same. In my opinion, this website is almost as good as a "chat room" but with expert monitors with unbelievable knowledge- willing and able to help other members who have real issues, not just chit-chat, what more could anyone ask for?

And just think- we haven't even figured out how to use all the features on the website yet. I would love to see more pictures- especially of the Perry rally. Maybe they are there somewhere... maybe I can post some when I figure out how to do it. I love the organization of the website- you can go to exactly what you are looking for- a novel idea not found in any other website we have looked on for RVing. I like that once you join, you can participate- unlike "a yahoo site" we joined last year- didn't sign on for a couple months and they deleted us! Won't go back there.

Joe & Cathy

2001 Safari Zanzibar

member #438540

[elkhartjim]

I hope Bubba's banging around worked out okay.

[on.vacation]

Elkhartjim,

Well we are not sure what Bubba was banging on...we don't think he knew either, but having Brett come to the rescue about the motorhome really gave us some confidence that everything should be OK. Time will tell. If ever going thru El Paso Texas, we CAN steer others away from this company unless they are just getting a tire- they do keep 22.5 size in stock with good DOT # (but they don't keep rims on hand- had to get that from Colorado and shipping was $$$)

[gadget]

My 2 cents.

I have a pet peeve on this and other forums I monitor. Someone posts a question and they get one to maybe even several responses; yet the poster is never heard from again. I think we're mostly all here to help others with our knowledge and experience so I believe its only polite to acknowledge when a response has solved a problem.

My point, I'm reluctant sometimes to take the time to respond to a post and maybe others are too. Or maybe this is just my pet peeve.

I just posted and received a reply to my email...I click on the link and i do not see where i can reply to those that gave me suggestions...so....I sign in and it does not take me back to the post and i do not see a section re my personal posts to make it easy for me. The other organizations I belong to....take me from the email link to my post and if I have to sign in it takes me where I was... I am now looking for my post so I can reply.....So this is (maybe) one reason some people do not reply...maybe they try like I am and see it is not smooth flowing. I also do agree some people are not polite enough to say thank you...

I will continue to look for my post so I can reply....take care.

[wolfe10]

There is an easy way to find any of your posts:

Click on your name (left side of any post you have ever made):

http://community.fmca.com/user/11803-gadget/

On the page that comes up, on the right upper corner is a "Find Content." Click on that and it will take you to all your posts:

http://community.fmca.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=user_activity&mid=11803

Of course, if a post has been deleted (i.e. an ad, post with legal content, obscenity, etc) it will not show up.

[gadget]

thank you for your assistance....much appreciated...

[wigginsjsr]

My pet peeve is people replying to posts that are several years, or months, old. This causes some of these outdated posts to show up on the FMCA front page. I wonder what the formula is for which posts show up on the front page? It is not hard to determine the last, or the original, post date. It does not seem to me to add any value by responding to an outdated post.

[hermanmullins]

Mr Wiggins, pardon the pun. I just thought of the character Tim Conway played. I agree to some extent, however I have gone back to some older post for information I remember.

Herman

[aztec7fan]

My pet peeve is people replying to posts that are several years, or months, old. This causes some of these outdated posts to show up on the FMCA front page. I wonder what the formula is for which posts show up on the front page? It is not hard to determine the last, or the original, post date. It does not seem to me to add any value by responding to an outdated post.

I would like to respectfully disagree. I believe it's better to resurrect an old thread, rather than create a new one with the same topic. Much of the technical info will be useful for years to come. These motor homes are not going away as they age, they just change hands.

[tmoning]

I like the FMCA site and appreciate the benefits of membership. I recently joined FMCA just a few months ago and thought there would be more activity in the forums and blogs. Although I remain snow bound I look for relief in reading personal happenings and thoughts of members!

Come on all, lets make the FMCA more enjoyable by adding to the forums!

Plenty of activity here. To give you an idea: Within the past 30 days, the FMCA Motorhome Forums has had more than 80,125 users, more than 100,478 visitor sessions and more than 194,341 page views. Many users have been with us since the Forums' inception, and more join us every day. Everyone is welcome here -- to ask questions, share knowledge, and even dispense a little good-natured ribbing every now and then.

So, thanks, RTinVa, for for your interest in inspiring even more participation. Let's continue to make this one of the best online gathering places for motorhome enthusiasts.

[BillAdams]

This dinosaur organization is just that. If they do not evolve they are destined to die. Compare the FMCA numbers listed above to the numbers you find on a Escapees or Good Sam forum. The numbers are likely at least 10 fold higher. That's not to say that FMCA should not exist as I believe they should, but FMCA is not well named. "Family"? Not so much. Very few families here. Motor Coach? Exactly! Excluding every other type or RVer. Association? OK, they did get that right.

Where does that leave us? No family, a small MC group and a good Association.

If you take a look at the FMCA history, one of the best things they did was setup 2 National rallies per year (called International rallies for no known reason) per year with large turn outs (best was 8000 coaches in Burnswick, ME 2000) and amazing entertainment and vendor participation. That's down to one per year with less than 2000 coaches and "good" vendor turn out but very little diversity (2-6 vendors selling the same products).

I really do hate the fact that I dropped my FMCA membership after so many years. I was member 192XXX and that dates back to 1994. You should have seen the magazine back then. It was an event when the FMCA magazine arrived. When the Jan. issue arrived it was about 2" thick and contained information about all of the members, the coach they drove, where they were from, their member number...so, so much very cool info. I could see a "goose egg" on a coach, look it up and know exactly who that member was.

It's all gone now. The Jan. issue is thinner than my tablet and it's mostly advertising, "only positive" motor home reviews (it appears that there are no motor homes with issues) and a few fluff pieces about some particular hobby or blog or website that you simply must visit.

I think FMCA is a good organization but I don't think the folks running it are young enough to address the issues the current motor home owners are interested in. It's much like our current Congress. There need to be term limits. 8 years and you are done. Exceed the age of 65 and you are done. OK, I know that last one is going to get me in trouble but we can work on that number.

The World is passing FMCA by and FMCA knows this and is doing nothing to address the issue.

FMCA has recently allowed non-motorhome vehicles to attend the International Rallies to try to address at least one of their issues. However, if I have an trailer or 5th wheel, there are no seminars related to my product, there are no new vehicles I would be interested in on display and their are less than 1% of the participants at the rally that have any idea what I am talking about when I say 5er.

[medico]

Bill, I really think you are off the mark here. As far as family, the demographics are that most MH owners are also empty nesters. The association was original set up for motor coaches only. That was a choice the original organizers decided on, and for the most part they have held to that, and it seems to work IMO.

You compare FMCA to Escapees and GS. Fair enough. I am a member of both, a life member at GS. I have not attended an Escapade yet, but I did attend the Syracuse GS Rally. From what I read, the Escapade had quite a few complaints, at least in the forum. The Rally we attended had lots of rain (not the organizers fault) and they had to really scramble to find sites for many of us. We were off site and had to be bused to the Rally. Was not really conducive to attending entertainment venues. I do not see where these organizations were any better prepared for their perspective rallies. 2000 attendees seems like a good attendance. Did you ever think that due to economic and other factors, many people no longer drive the long distances to attend these rallies. This is my take on rally attendance.

The FMCA Magazine is very similar to, with similar content to either of the other 2 organization magazines. I do get all 3. In fact Escapees magazine is NOT published each month, but rather bi-monthly. Both Motorhome (which is a subscription paid magazine) and FMCA Magazine have some advertising, but do have what I consider good topics and info on places I want to visit. Both include fair reviews of coaches, not only positives. The bi-monthly Escapee magazine does have the same content as well.

I appears to me that all of these organizations have similar problems, similar magazines, and similar membership. All 3 run very informative forums that I frequent each day.

IMO FMCA is doing a fine job. The economics in todays environment may not allow the same level of membership interactions, but this is similar for all 3 organizations.

[tmoning]

Come on all, let's make the FMCA more enjoyable by adding to the forums!

Okay ... this topic has branched off from the intent of the original post (quote excerpted above) at the top of this thread. Try to stay on-topic.

Understand, the FMCA Motorhome Forums are geared toward motorized RVs, so there is a smaller group to pool from when compared with forums that cater to all RV types.

[moremiles]

The FMCA has always had an "upscale" or do I dare say "blue nose" feel to it. Not everybody is comfortable spending their time in that atmosphere even if these days membership has been opened up to them. On other forums I can read a subject line and if it's slightly off color I almost know it's going to be a truck camper post. It's a big world out there and not everybody is from "salt of the earth" down home rock solid 1950s stock. The world has changed. Not all RVers are 72 years old - - especially in mental outlook.

[manholt]

Thank you Medico and Tmoning. You're both right. When fuel was less than a dollar a gallon, FMCA had a lot more coaches show up at conventions and area rallies.

As far as age is concerned, I don't see any difference now than 30 or 40 years ago. There are more people now, so maybe some of you see more young RV owners.

I also, belong to SKP and am a charter life member of GS. GS had a large convention in Phoenix, AZ in 2012 that I attended and found it to be about the same as one of ours. Personally I don't need or want 8,000 RV's attending a convention!

As far as INTO is concerned, I have a lot of friends from Norway, Sweden, Germany, Australia and Canada that are members of INTO chapters...where else would you put them? I'm with Swinging Golfers INTO...a great addition to FMCA and anybody that are FMCA members, world wide, can belong.

Carl C.

National Director

[wolfe10]

Carl,

Just a minor correction: INTO is not International in the sense of "over-seas".

INTO is chapters whose compass goes beyond geographic areas of the country. Brand chapters, service chapters, etc.

Here is a list of the 129 International chapters:

http://www.fmca.com/index.php?option=com_fmcachaptersearch&view=list&Itemid=

We are from Texas and belong to two International Chapters.

[elkhartjim]

Carl,

Just a minor correction: INTO is not International in the sense of "over-seas".

INTO is chapters whose compass goes beyond geographic areas of the country. Brand chapters, service chapters, etc.

Here is a list of the 129 International chapters:

http://www.fmca.com/index.php?option=com_fmcachaptersearch&view=list&Itemid=

We are from Texas and belong to two International Chapters.

Dang, Brett, and all this time I was thinking Texas was considered international by some!

[hermanmullins]

No one ever questioned your thought process Jim. It is right on the money.

Herman