You might have noticed something new today. We have added Facebook "like" and Google +1 buttons! This is cool because now if you see something you like on RCGroups you can share it with your friends on other social networks.

They are located next to the post reply button on threads, underneath the map on the maps page and on member blog pages underneath the username and title. They are super simple to use. If you like something and want to share it on Facebook just click the FB "like" button. If you want to share it on Google click the +1 button.

If you just can't stand the sight of these two buttons we have a solution for you too! They can be disabled by going to myrcgroups -> edit options, then go to the forum display options in the thread display options section and click the disable social media buttons check box. It's just that easy!

Now click that like button up there...you know you want to!

Terry o-[ : ) ]

Then you have people like me that don't use peoplebook, facespace or whatever the latest social media BS trend is and could care less. I don't even own a cell phone and could care less. You want to talk to me, call the house, drop over or send me an email. Maybe I'll get back to you in a couple of days or maybe I won't. Depends on how I feel and what I'm doing. Instant this-n-that, I'll pass. A 'like' button, you gotta be shi**ing me. Just cause you (read someone) likes it doesn't mean diddly to me. I like chocolate ice cream & you like vanilla, so what!

I REALLY appreciate all the work RCG staff puts into trying to make the RCG site better and more user friendly but I can't help but wonder to what end? I've tried out the classic, adaptive width and whatever the 3rd weird thing was but I just don't see anything that makes one better then the other with respect to a user of the site. Being an old guy, I like function and basically give a hoot on 'pretty'. Pretty doesn't translate into function, just that simple. But then again, I'm old and pretty much set in my ways.

I sure didn't ask McDonalds to put that stupid whipped junk on my shake. They should of asked before they gave it to me so they wouldn't have had to make me a new one. I don't want things 'shoved' at me. I'll be the deciding factor of what I want. Pretty much like 'forced registration' to buy from an online vendor. Their $$$ loss because I don't do 'forced' registration just to buy from anyone. My vendors allow for a PP check out or via a toll free phone call. I hope RCG continues in a user friendly atmosphere. Choices that are available to the end user.

Dan

Honestly, I agree with deckert. To what end is this change. RCG needing money so badly that they are adopting all the new gee whiz marketing ideas .... that next year will be different when the next generation of high school kids graduate?

Why would I want to use the Like button? Would it really prove the post was worthwhile? Maybe I am too old, I just don't see the need. Then again, I am not a needy person and having the entire internet 'Like' me is not really important to me.

I have tried the new look and it still is too bright, still not enough contrast and I still don't see any improvement over the original style. Why not just add colour depth to the blue bars, rounded corners instead of right angles, try rounded edges for straight lines. Use contrast between colors, not between white/gray. Hire a real graphic artist that knows how to use CSS. Try some simple visual things instead of visual overload that really does not improve the site in the least.

Did you see that you can disable these new buttons? Instructions are in the first post.

Jim

Well there is old and there is crotchety old. Which are u 2 guys. Maybe this will help->

How Not to Become a Crotchety Old Man (2 min 26 sec)

Sounds like a good feature.

What i'd like to see is the ability to either "like" or "thank you" for a post or blog in rcgroups. I don't want to necessarily publish my thoughts about a post to facebook, or google plus, even though I'm active in them, but I do like to show appreciation to some posts.

This is a feature I have on other rc forums.

Originally Posted by tobermei

Sounds like a good feature.

What i'd like to see is the ability to either "like" or "thank you" for a post or blog in rcgroups. I don't want to necessarily publish my thoughts about a post to facebook, or google plus, even though I'm active in them, but I do like to show appreciation to some posts.

This is a feature I have on other rc forums.

Yes, a "thank you" button for a post that someone found helpful would be nice. Now that I think about it, I did enjoy that feature on another site. Lets the person know the post helped someone.

HEY! Who moved my cheese?

Seriosuly, expanding your reach is a great idea. I use RCgroups instead of RCUniverse for one MAJOR reason. RCG uses Tapatalk and I can access it in one touch on my iPhone. Now they add facebook and twitter as additional ways to reach out to their readers and interact with their community. I'm all for it.

Before too many people go off the deep end dismissing social media as "high school" or the place where 'kids' dominate, it might interest you all to know that only 21% of all Facebook users (that's all 500 MILLION of them worldwide) are High school aged and a paltry 7% of all Twitter users (106 MIllion of those).

Some food for thought...

There are more than twice as many people over age 55 using twitter as there are under 17.

60% of Facebook users are over the age of 25. Almost 40% are over 35.

More fun facts: http://digitalbuzz.s3.amazonaws.com/...010-hi-res.jpg

It's a connected world. If other sites had the level of connectedness and reach that RCG is trying to achieve I'd probably use them more. They don't, so I rarely use them.

And for the record, I'm in my 40s.

jbourke,
Jim, for me it's not about being able to turn something on or off. I'm just wondering on the 'why' it's needed. Desired maybe, needed is another question. I quit coding websites 10 years ago because I got tired of the 'I want/need this' BS from customers that added nothing to their sites and dragged the upload speeds to a crawl. Granted, a LOT of users now have at least DSL or better dn/up speeds. But I still see and experience the added 'fluff' to a website that doesn't add anything substantial to the use of the site. I'm not implying RCG is in that category.

But as I said, to what end are the changes better for the end user. Square corners, round corners, lighter/darker borders, different colors etc etc. Now, if you tell me it reduces the loads on the servers, reduces the bandwidth needed, I can relate to that. Respective of the 'like-dislike', I could care less what ANYONE I don't know or even KNOW chooses. That's their opinion. And as we all know, opinions differ so where's the value? (or need)

Z06 Tony,
I fit perfectly into the womans descrition of old guys. I'm old and set in my ways and those ways have worked for a LOT of years. Not everything has been or was perfect. But at least I don't HAVE TO HAVE instant gratification nor be tied to something that will give me instant gratification. I relate it to building a kit vs. buying an ARF. Both give me pleasure but one gives a LOT more satisfaction then the other.

I'm NOT opposed to changes that better a site. I am opposed to changes for the sake of change. Bear in mind I don't do any of the latest-greatest-gotta-have-it-now bs things. Hmm, I guess those old cuddgers that build from scratch must need to go by the wayside.. Just being sarcastic!

RickSide,
The statistics are interesting but I would ask, would those stats you quote translate into more usage with respect to the RCG community? How or where would it benefit RCG members? Per you, "RCG uses Tapatalk and I can access it in one touch on my iPhone." In the club I belong to, 70% of our members are over 60. Some have cell phones but they sure don't use them for doing anything web related. I'm pretty sure younger members will help evolve RCG into something else other then what's active today with respect to social media and I'm sure it will be for the better.

99.5% of my online RC time is spent here @ RCG. If it goes into something stupid, I'll drop away. Until then, keep looking up and progressing into the future. I still appreciate this site over the others.

Dan

Being able to post likes to facebook absolutely will increase traffic to rcgroups. So it makes sense to do. I'm in my 50s and have been using facebook for a number of years. Seems to me the way this has been done doesn't interfere with you in any way if you don't want to link your posting to facebook.

If you don't like it, ignore it, but sites do need to make changes and try things, as well as listen to feedback from people who use the site. Facebook gets a lot of crap for the changes it introduces, some of it warranted but much of it just people liking to complain. After all, facebook, like rcgroups, is free. So, if I get to use something for free, I certainly don't jump in and complain just because it changes a bit. It's the cost of progress.

Good deal guys!! Others can hate the social media all they want I mean what in the past 10years it has changed from MySpace to Facebook and Twitter (which a lot are on both) so "trend" is not the word to go with on this one. Facebook does a good job on improvements and has more people then Myspace ever dreamed of, I really like that all my parents and friends (yes they are old farts on facebook) can just open their Facebook page and see what I'm up to in daily life. Sure I could call my family up everyday and spend hours talking to each of them or they can simply pop on facebook and see whats up. Post pics and so on.
To each his own I guess, I embrace change and try to look for all the positives in its change without ignorance to it.

Great job RCG!!

Originally Posted by flyinghigh

Facebook does a good job on improvements and has more people then Myspace ever dreamed of, I really like that all my parents and friends (yes they are old farts on facebook) can just open their Facebook page and see what I'm up to in daily life. Sure I could call my family up everyday and spend hours talking to each of them or they can simply pop on facebook and see whats up. Post pics and so on.

That is the difference between your generation and mine. We still value actually speaking with our family members and friends. Especially the ones that are still alive.

Originally Posted by flyinghigh

To each his own I guess, I embrace change and try to look for all the positives in its change without ignorance to it.
Great job RCG!!

Ignorance? Sounds close to being an attack to me. But at my age, it does not bother me.

Terry/Jim Bourke/Whomever ....

I have watched for a number of years, numerous web sites that jumped onto the 'we gotta be on FB' or whatever social media. I never saw any benefit to those sites and in fact, in some cases the increased traffic from individuals whom had no interest in the subject matter of the site, actully caused problems. In short, the major trolls begin to show up and folks who in general have no interest to be there other than to cause some form of turmoil.

What does being on the social media sites really provide for RCG in the end? Frankly, I would ask why there are over 382,138 members and on a daily basis it seems to me less than %1 are logging in. Generally I see about a ~60/40 split of users/visitors when I visit RCG. I am sure Mike K. or others will shoot down my observation with server statistics (I have no problems with that) but still, I would find a way to retain membership that wants to be here and to bring the old members back.

edit: presently .27 percent of membership is logged in. There are 2666 folks logged in, 1022 are members and 1644 are guests.

Originally Posted by deckert

RickSide,
The statistics are interesting but I would ask, would those stats you quote translate into more usage with respect to the RCG community? How or where would it benefit RCG members? Per you, "RCG uses Tapatalk and I can access it in one touch on my iPhone." In the club I belong to, 70% of our members are over 60. Some have cell phones but they sure don't use them for doing anything web related. I'm pretty sure younger members will help evolve RCG into something else other then what's active today with respect to social media and I'm sure it will be for the better.

Dan

Dan,

It's a good question and while I don't have access to RCG's demographics or direct member behavior I can extrapolate a lot of things based on personal and professional ( I work in social media and community management for a living) experience.

Forums are by definition "social media". If you go back about 30 odd years you had the BBS. it was pretty much a forum that only one person could log ito at a time. A little clunky, definitely well named (it literally functioned like putting up notes aon a bulletin board) and functional. Over time, those BBSes added portals until one day in the early 90s a new portal came along that allowed you to tie into OTHER BBSes via something called the internet. This effectively killed BBSes and they transitioned to become Forums. Same function,new medium.

If you look at forums today they have blogs, profiles, and other features they're adding to try to match social sites like Facebook and Twitter. Smart developers are simply tying directly to those sites (500 million people remember, that's nearly twice the size of the entire US popularion). Saves work, reaches more people, and allows members to reach out to their own social networks.

Say I'm a member at a field, and RCG and I have a facebook page. Maybe a couple guys in my club are on facebook, my club certainly is, and I happen to 'like' a post on RCG. It shows up on my club's facebook timeline, it might show up in my firends. Now assume not everyone in my club didn't know aobut RCG (it happens!) and they see my like. They like me, they trust me, they hit the link and suddenly discover a whole new RC community. Win. Win.

As for the age of RC hobbists. That's an issue to be sure, but as you point out most guys in your club are over 60. Same in mine. I can use mine as an example. In 3 years the membership has gone off a cliff. it's still active, but the membership decreased by probably 70%. Is RC dying? Of course not, but my club is very much rooted in place and those 'over 60' guys have a 'not broke don't fix it' attitude that has the clubs feet planted firmly in cemenet. New members come in, don't feel the club is progressing and closed to new ideas and leave to find a more foward thinking club. A few more years of this and a long standing club is going to be looking at disolving. They have facebook, they don't use it effectively. They have a website, they don't use it effectively, they have a great field, they don't improve it. Why? Because it's all 'working'. What they're missing is it's NOT working, it's stale and fails to attract new members which will assure the future of the club.

Eventually those over 60 guys will be 80, 90, or pass on. Then what? If you aren't appealing to 'what comes next', then you're not attracting the 'next generation'. It's true for the local club, a social center like RC groups, and the hobby in general. The next generation communicate via social media, if you aren't then you're percieved as "old and going away". Very few of those old BBses survived to become forums because they delayed or tried to keep a 'closed system' that 'worked'. AOL tried the same thing and learned the same lesson.

All of this must, of course, be couched in the "what's in it for RCG and what does it bring to them". Only the owners are going to know because they're the ones looking at the data and looking at new sign ups, activity trends, and other metrics. Used correctly, Facebook and Twitter will absolutely increase those numbers (and revenue as a result).

Personally I can say at least 2 work friends now ask me about RC and costs and where to fly and what shops to frequent and what forums to read to learn more, BECAUSE I posted to facebook and twitter about my hobby. One has come to the field and is hoping santa brings him an Apprentice.
I also have NEW 'friends' because someone mentioned to someone who knew a guy who live 5000 miles away that I had the plane or radio or whatever he was investigating and had made a comment about it via twitter. A quick message via twitter and I replied with a link to a shop and one here on RCG.

It's a social hobby in a social world.

i like it. i remember my dad saying what the heck is e-mail? what is wrong with writing a letter, and using the post office to delivery it. lol he has a e-mail address now, and has changed his tune. i think it is a great idea keep up the great work