VBD2 is closed. Please go to https://vbd3.co.uk instead.

kerbside wrote:There you are I have just submitted a post and it has not showed up?
It took me quite a while to do it, owe well such is.
George T.

Well I think thats what happens when every body trys to post a comment at once..3 posts popped up while I was typeing all with nearly the same content............See great minds think alike.

Oh and this time I will make 1000 posts before this thing is over.

I agree with Jason - I think this site is a fantastic resource and there are lots of really knowledgeable, helpful and friendly people here. But it's also clear that there are fewer people posting. I do agree with Fox - new discoveries seem few and far between, and I also think that they're not really creating the level of excitement we'd have seen a few years ago. Mal's prepro Cadillac, for example, must be one of the most exciting discoveries for years if not decades.

Is collecting dying? I'm not so sure. The toy fairs I go to are usually busy, though it's definitely an older demographic. Prices for rare models seem firm on eBay, and large groups of play-worn 1950s and 1960s Matchbox still go for surprising amounts. Our favourite seller from the Netherlands finds a ready market for his "scarce" items. The main reason that's interesting is because it shows that many people are aware of the rare versions and still want them in their collections. It's also interesting that people can suspend their critical faculties and not wonder where he sources so many rarities but that's a discussion we've had before.

I do think that the forum isn't quite as welcoming as it could be. The very first thing you see is the "open letter to non-posters" - perhaps we could retitle this "Welcome to VBD", remove the open letter and the rather random things that have somehow arrived here, and post something a bit more friendly? We also seem to have acquired a proliferation of sticky subjects in the lounge, including 11 pages on how to post pictures and an out-of-date announcement that the 2016 Hall of Fame is on line.

It would also be nice to get a regular series of posts going again. It doesn't really matter if we duplicate previous content, as you do have to be quite dedicated to search this out! For example, what about going through the regular wheels year-by-year rather than model by model? I'd be happy to start this.

Finally, we know that the challenge of resizing pictures has put many people off posting. As this seems unfixable, I suggest that we stop complaining when this happens and those who can resize and repost in a new post underneath. My preference would be to post them directly onto the site rather than through photo sharing sites, but it doesn't really matter.

Lots of good points have been made here. I would like to extrapolate and/or give my $0.02 on a few, in the order in which they were originally posted.

DrJeep wrote:In looking through the members list it's clear that some people joined for reasons other than an interest in small metal vehicles!

I noticed that as well, and hesitated to put it quite that way. But when the highest number of members online was 566, and our number of dedicated posters is smaller, it made me suspicious. My gut reaction would be to give the non-posters 90 days to post, and if they do not do so, deep-six their account.

motorman wrote:It is clear to me that VBD is dying slowly. Let’s face facts, it’s creator Nick Jones hardly visits and shows absolutely no interest in maintaining this site, without Idris (Hugh) this site would have died a long time ago, so in my opinion we are on borrowed time.

My heart would beg to differ, but my head would tend to agree. Generally speaking, I see the role that forums fill gradually shifting to social media (which I feel is evil incarnate and refuse to partake in). The main draws of VBD, as I see it, are the knowledge base and camaraderie. If VBD becomes just one of many abandoned Web sites, I will probably stop collecting die-cast for good.

Fox wrote:Maybe because one have discovered almost what could have been discovered now.

And we, diecast collectors are older and older. Very few younger people are interested in model car.

I have said it before, but I'll say it again: I'm amazed that new variations are still coming to light. Sure, they're neither frequent nor monumental, but they still come to light.

Kids these days don't seem interested in things as "low-tech" and "mundane" as die-cast cars...they want high-tech amusements. (My nephew is perhaps an exception.) But maybe they're onto something, as die-cast cars currently available at major retailers suck.

DrJeep wrote:I do think that the forum isn't quite as welcoming as it could be. It would also be nice to get a regular series of posts going again. For example, what about going through the regular wheels year-by-year rather than model by model? Finally, we know that the challenge of resizing pictures has put many people off posting.

This post from Glenn was so good that I had to condense the quoted portion so as not to seem too long-winded. All of his suggestions for making the forum more welcoming would be good. Going through Regular Wheels year-by-year would be great, especially if anyone is able to scan original catalogs. (Some can be found here, if you're willing to scroll down, but they often truncate.)

Finally, I can understand why mobile device users might struggle with resizing photos. However, that ends up creating additional work for the moderating team, and makes the post awful to read in the interim, especially on a mobile device. I would suggest that the pinned 11 pages of "edit your photos" be replaced with something to the effect of "Resources for photos." That thread could contain just two topics: tutorials and links to helpful resources (online hosting, resizers, editing, and such).

I know this has been a long post. My profuse thanks to everyone who takes the time to read it in its entirety.

This collecter will be staying, more than half of what ive learnt about Reg wheels was/is from you lot.
Year by year im not sure ,as it is easier to look at the BP for number then go to the table.IMHO.
Keep up the good work, keep hunting and most of all keep well.
Gary

Just to make things absolutely clear, I do not hold the Forum access codes. I cannot insert code to sort out the image resizing issue, and I cannot add features as I would wish. Only Nick can do that.

If members want to see the number of 'Sticky' threads reduced in the Lounge then please state which ones.

Ghosthunter.

In other forums they would delete members who do not post anything.

Malibu wrote:In other forums they would delete members who do not post anything.

I agree with you, but pruning the membership list (which is a pre-programmed operation in phpbb) is Nick's call. (VBD is his site.)

Idris wrote:Just to make things absolutely clear, I do not hold the Forum access codes. I cannot insert code to sort out the image resizing issue, and I cannot add features as I would wish. Only Nick can do that.

Sorry - I'm certainly not suggesting that we try to sort out these difficult problems and I definitely don't want to make work for you, Hugh, or for Ghosty! think a few relatively simple changes, working within existing constraints, might make the site more welcoming. We can live with the image sizing problem for new members if we all pitch in and help. From a user perspective there's no need to delete the non-posting members - much better to put the same effort into welcoming people who would contribute! I suggest these:

- rename the open letter folder and remove some of the rather negative content (sorry - I think this is something for Hugh, at least the renaming)
- generate more interesting content (the rest of us!)
- tidy up the stickies in the lounge (Kevin's already offered to do this).

I think it would also be nice to rename "beginners corner" to "diecast questions", just because people often don't like to think of themselves as beginners even if others see them that way!