Like & Share Buttons

[Gary Lewis]

I'm learning some things about how to connect websites and social media, and have just added Facebook "like" and "share" buttons at the top of the forum pages. I suspect that a like or share is for the whole forum and not just that page, but we shall see.

Please let me know your thoughts and experiences.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Please let me know your thoughts and experiences.

I quit Facebook several years ago because I really disliked what it had become, and my perception is that it has only gotten worse since (Due to the hidden tracking, and news bias, etc). I say perception because I only know what I hear now from the outside. I have no current firsthand experience. Sorry to be so negative Gary...lol, but I figured I'd share my thoughts anyway.

I made a move to go back to forums (like this one) as opposed to social media, and I'm glad I did. I can hang out here, read and share info without all of the "fluff" that comes with social media.

Having said that, I did recently start using Instagram. It was done partially out of boredom while waiting at the dealer with my wife's car one day. I joined for two reasons. People like me (who do not use social media) miss out on sales and deals that are not advertised elsewhere. RedHead Steering Gears for example might post a sale on Facebook or Instagram, and I may never hear about it on a forum otherwise. Second reason was because I wanted to follow more of the Roadkill and Roadkill Garage stuff, and they were always mentioning Instagram during their shows.

I haven't been using it much, but what little I have has been entertaining. Somebody is running a "Bullnose Obsession" page on there...is that you Gary? I've been enjoying that. It's not overly active, but there are some neat pictures on there.

[Gary Lewis]

I'm on Facebook mainly for two reasons - our kids/grandkids, and church.  But I'm also on several Ford truck pages because people ask questions for which there's an answer in/on the Bullnose Bible, so I give them a link back to that page.  Plus, it is an easy and cheap way to advertise the show/swap meet.

As for the news bias, I don't read the news from there, with the exception of news about Nicaragua as some people I know are connected to people there and get far better news about the terrible happenings than what I can get elsewhere.  But I've also learned how to un-follow people that are negative, crude, etc.  And, I've learned how to turn certain sources off, so when people post or share those sources I never have to see it.

But, for the vast majority of things to do with trucks, I strongly prefer a forum - and this one specifically.  On social media there's no continuity.  Someone will ask a question and a zillion people will offer advice, and then everyone moves on to another post.  And there's essentially no way to find information or the answers to past questions.  It is simply a "now" resource with effectively no history.

As for Instagram, I've not signed up even though my daughter says I should. So, maybe I will.  But, the Bullnose Obsession thing isn't me.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

But, for the vast majority of things to do with trucks, I strongly prefer a forum - and this one specifically.  

As for Instagram, I've not signed up even though my daughter says I should. So, maybe I will.  But, the Bullnose Obsession thing isn't me.

You're doing a great thing here Gary. It will only get better from here;).

Instagram is OK. The Bullnose Obsession thing is just pictures, and people can like or comment on them. That's about it. There is a place to comment, but it's rarely used.

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks!  We are almost one year old as a forum and have 162 members, having added three yesterday.  But part of that growth is due to connecting the website to Facebook as there are lots of people out there that don't know the website nor forum exist, but could benefit from either or both.

So, if anyone wants to "like" us please do so as it may bring some awareness that will help others.

[grumpin]

I like it.

I'm like Rembrant and have stayed away from Facebook since my boys graduated and aren't in sports, which FB was a great help.

My family (mom's side cousins) have a page, and our kids do a lot of communicating on FB so I am begrudgingly getting back on more.

I won't comment or even go to forums anymore if I have or see problems. That's why I really like this forum. Good people, good help, just good stuff. It's easy to not know what someone is saying or meaning behind a keyboard. I have had people react wrong and then (my own fault) have reacted wrong also. So, I have told myself to be careful, and be clear.

And use my wife's 24 hour rule. If you're going to comment or reply on something that's not going well, wait 24 hours before you push send. It works!

Again, thank you! And it is great how you keep striving to improve this website!

[Gary Lewis]

I'm having fun hanging out with a great bunch of people.  And, I like to tweak things to make them better, so the name change/addition seemed to fit right in.

But I'm not sure how the Facebook like/share icons are going to work out.  My thinking was that people would "like" or "share" the place and their friends would see it and check it out and perhaps stay to join in.  We shall see what happens.

[Ford F834]

Without getting too deep into the social media debate... I would encourage anyone who ~is on Facebook to use the buttons as well as link Garagemahal pages to any relevant discussions you may be having on Facebook groups. Regardless of your social media use, this is a way to get the word out. Facebook groups are spreading like wildfire and have enormous readership. Love it or hate it, these groups are a great way to reach a LOT of people. Gary has already demonstrated this by tracking web page hits after posting links on Facebook. Many are probably just casual lookers, but some will join and contribute and add to our community here.

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks, Jonathan.

To give you some numbers, as I type we have 224 "likes".  But there are only 168 members, so it is obvious that people who are not members "liked" the forum and/or website.  And that gets the word out to their friends, who may "like" it, and things multiply.

You might wonder how effective this is.  Here's a chart showing the number of people who have viewed the forum or website daily since the first day of the website in late 2015.  As you can see, it is growing significantly, and quite a bit of that growth is due to exactly what Jonathan mentioned - posting links to the site on Facebook.  In fact, that big spike toward the end is when the owner of a 20K+ member Facebook page shared a link to our site on his page.

So, please both like the page and provide links to the site in order to help others.

[FuzzFace2]

Gary, I would "like n share" but I am not a member of either FB or IG and no plans to become a member of them.
When talking to people I do bring up this site, my way to "like n share".
Dave ----

ps: thanks for all the work you do Gary for this site.

[85lebaront2]

I have linked portions of this site or the whole thing as needed on FB when people are asking for information that can be found here. It saves me from trying to dig it up, post it then read all the BS from "experts" as they try to confuse the issue.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, the "experts" are about to make me quit the truck pages on Facebook.  Like the guy that asked about the broken check valve in the AIR system.  I can't believe the range of answers he go, most of which were wrong, and some of which were intentionally wrong.

But, like I did for that guy, I usually post a link to the correct information.  And that has got to help people by getting them familiar with the site so they can find their own answers - assuming they will take the time to explore further.