E-MAIL FORUM versus BULLETIN BOARD FORMAT:

Some who join our group are accustomed to the common Bulletin Board format that is used on many other forums. Contrary to popular belief, email distribution lists are not "old technology" and Bulletin Boards have been around for as long as email has over the decades. Only until recently has email distribution lists become as full featured and versatile as they are, while bulletin boards have remained largely the same. Our membership has overwhelmingly preferred the email distribution format with incredible success, and here are some of the reasons why...

Over the years we have debated and revisited these options numerous times since SCOF's conception in 2000. Over a quarter million messages containing information have been archived in SCOF's email system which would be lost is changed now. On the most recent poll of the membership, the owners voted overwhelmingly with well over 90% in favor of the email list. Below are just some of the more popular reasons given.

1)  Email arrives on our computers, phones or tablets (whatever our choice of communication) in real time. Many of the questions that pop up are technical questions that occur when someone is working on their car. With emails, most questions are answered by a handful of qualified members within moments of being asked. With a Bulletin Board it may take hours, sometimes even days, before the person with the needed information happens to go out of their way to enter the website and looks for someone needing assistance, and even then they may not come across every plea for assistance. While a casual user may stop in only to ask a question when they need it for themselves, the handful of qualified members that would answer it would need to take time out of their day to check into a Bulletin Board numerous times a day to provide the same near instantaneous service as the email list provides. The email list format makes the process easier for the answer givers who do much of the work as well as provide immediate answers to those seeking them.

2)  Email is far more personal and this forum is about the owners more so than the cars. It fosters a closeness that email naturally tends to do in our normal daily lives as opposed to bulletin boards which is more of a public display. Email lists are more like sitting at a dinner table with friends, whereas bulletin board could be best described much like standing in the center of a mall. 

3)  When using a smart phone, an email just pops open to read and reply. With a bulletin board the user must go to a website, read the comment and then try to type into a tiny little comment box on a tiny little screen.

4)  No annoying banner ads and ad-click tracking like many bulletin boards use that slow down your computer. With a bulletin board many times the user has to scroll down through banner ads and splash ads just to see the messages. Email lists are just like normal emails with nothing to slow down your computer and lightning fast to read and reply to.

5)  No spam like many bulletin boards have. Spam is checked at the door and carefully monitored and easily eradicated.  No spam here.

6)  Email is easily sorted chronologically, by sender or subject making it easier to read in a manner of your own choosing. Bulletin boards are fine for the chronology or even subject once you get to them but getting there is a little more taxing and they are not readily sorted by author.

7)  One of the things that really sets SCOF apart is the "community" of the members. It is highly interactive and keeps everyone in the loop at all times. For those who don't want to read regularly and choose to remain out of the loop, they do have the ability to delete messages, create filters for various different key words forcing emails out of their inbox and into folders instantaneously upon receipt to get back to if and when they choose.

8)  There is a feature on SCOF that removes owners from the email delivery list but they can still go to the SCOF site and read posts in much the same manner as a bulletin board and research old topics using key words. So for those in the less than 10% of membership who strongly prefer a bulletin board, that feature is activated for them. Obviously, we encourage people to try the emails for a while before opting out. Once they get plugged into the group, only a very few end up choosing the other options. That speaks volumes to us.

9)  Spell check is virtually automatic on an email. This helps keep messaging intelligible and easier to read and understand with no real extra effort.

10)  Virtually everyone is used to email today. So there is no learning curve for our new members to manage in order to participate.

11)  Members who are invested in the group want to stay up to date and not miss anything important. Email promotes involvement and makes it difficult to accidentally miss something.

12)  There are no hidden or mutiple categories and then sub-categories to search just to land on the topic of interest as one finds on a bulletin board.

13)  Posts are far easier to keep on topic with the email format. Whether one uses a bulletin board or email, it is common for the discussion to morph into something else. With email, there is no reason to jump through the posting hoops to create a new thread. Just create a new subject line in your reply that accurately represents the new conversation point. It creates a new topic that reflects the morphed conversation while leaving the original topic and subject line intact. There really is no special process to follow to make it happen.

14)  Email allows a user to archive those emails that are important to him or her for future reference. Subjects like oil specs, tire choices or certain maintenance items etc, come up in discussions that people KNOW they will use eventually but not now. Retaining those emails makes future decisions easier without having to go back over it again on line or searching the SCOF archives.

15)  Subjects on email run their course and then go away. Bulletin boards retain them forever. While that may be good for certain routine maintenance items, it is horrible for emotionally charged conversations that can drag up difficult interactions in the future. Keep in mind that due to the nature of the forum and the fact that the SPF is a pretty bulletproof car, many of the discussions have little to do with the car and everything to do with the car owners. For example, having a topic about the death of a loved one "hanging around" serves little purpose. The use of a bulletin board discourages members from engaging in personal discussions that are important today but would be counterproductive if revisited later.