The Office > Announcements & Events

The future of SaabTechTalk - Do we continue?

(1/3) > >>

sgould:
Costs have risen hugely this year. Donations have not matched to outgoings.  Also posts have diminished.

There are things to consider...

1. I have been financing STT since 2015.  It was manageable with the help of donations, which were greatly appreciated.  But, in the last year, the fees have doubled, and the hosting company has been taken over.  I don't think that the current costs are viable.

2. We could move to a cheaper hosting site, which would keep the costs more in line with the donations received, but the fewer active members and post make this less likely to cover costs.

3.  I am old, and I have  not been well recently.  We need to have someone prepared to take the whole thing over, either to run it or to act in an emergency, if I can no longer continue.

4. Or, in few of the scarcity of recent posts, we decide to call it a day and close the site after 11 years.

What do you all think?  Any volunteers?

Steve McF:
Hi Will, this is of course sad news, but probably inevitable. I'm not sure whether the decreasing number of Saab owners is now starting to bite, or that a lot of members have gone on to replace their Saabs with something else and hence no longer visit the site.

I have noticed that a lot of the more recent posts seem to be from me, and there aren't the responses there once might have been.

Would allowing some advertising help with costs? I'm thinking of specifically allowing Saab specialists and parts suppliers, rather than a general free-for-all.

sgould:
We've always been open to sponsors, but there's  been no interest.  There's a "Trade Support Offers" section on the board with no posts.  It's been there all the time. :(

Geoff1951:
Hi Will, and those still checking in,

"There is a time in the affairs of men.."  One of many quotes that, on deeper reading, don't quite fit where STT now finds itself.  I haven't owned a Saab since October 2014 (but even now still look in once or twice a week).  During the preceding 9 years I found STT a source of encyclopaedic information and help and friendship during the ownership of my Hirsched 9-5 2.3 Vector.  It has also been, by and large, a respectful forum and while sometimes there has been occasional disagreement it never rose to the levels seen on other motoring forums (fora?). 

Although I suspect most of us have never met in the real world nevertheless I have had enjoyable online conversations with other members - hello Norfolk Jim, CitTone, collywobble, and many others.  There've been times when I've been talking out of my exhaust pipe, and always been willing to acknowledge my failings - I remember being corrected by phoenix on STT's predecessor site (whose name sadly escapes me, as does phoenix's previous forum name) about the climate control compressor.  Will, your own postings have been invaluable - the highly detailed instructions and photographs of the Parrot Bluetooth handsfree phone equipment particularly stand out.  For those of us who've passed our alloted three score and ten, we'll have different priorities now rather than worrying about throttle bodies, DI cassettes, or crank position sensors.  I certainly do.

I think what I'm coming to is that maybe it's time to say goodbye to an old and dear friend, and let STT die gracefully.  I haven't contributed financially for a few years so in a small way have contributed to the position it's now in.  Will, whatever you decide to do with STT, I'll just repeat my thanks for all the work over the years, and wish you well for the future.

Cheers

Geoff1951

sgould:
Thank you for you comments, and the support over the years.  The cost is not a major issue, we could go to a cheaper host.  The two main issues are the lack of new content, and succession planning.  Most of us are also members of UKSaabs, which is also finding new content scarce at times.  Facebook has taken over for now, but it's almost impossible to look up historical stuff there.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page