Is BITOG just a version of social media or is it something else?

Your lack of understanding of how to use social media sites doesn't change the definition. Never heard of notifications ? Gee, when someone replies/comments on a post on Facebook OR on this site, you get a notification. Click it and it takes you to the answers or responses. Uh-oh, another example of how forums are social media. 🤣
There was a time here when the notification function was screwed up and it would take a week before you got one. FB is even worse as messages are filled with stupid friend suggestions and scam offers.
 
You're kidding right? Reviews communicate to potential buyers about the product being reviewed. And on some sites there is a reply to a review button so you can comment, question or clarify what was posted. Same as here when someone posts about this or that oil, filter or repair.

We can talk about more than just a product for sale on this forum. We can give in-depth reviews, explanations, anecdotal information and so much more on this site compared to "this tire is quieter and better than my last set of tires." Too often are product reviews on Walmart and other online retailers not much more than "it works" and lack any in-depth reviews.
 
You're kidding right? Reviews communicate to potential buyers about the product being reviewed.
I meant that you are not expecting to receive feedback from other users, like on an internet forum. An online review area on a retail website is not a forum.


And on some sites there is a reply to a review button so you can comment, question or clarify what was posted.
We are not talking about "some sites." We are talking about Walmart.com because that was the specific website that you compared BITOG to. Where on Walmart.com can I reply to another user's review and have a back-and-forth conversation with him/her? The only replies you'll see there are from sellers trying defend their skin when a negative review is posted.

Product reviews and social media are both part of a marketing strategy but are distinctly different:
 
There was a time here when the notification function was screwed up and it would take a week before you got one.
It works just fine. At least come up with better excuses....

FB is even worse as messages are filled with stupid friend suggestions and scam offers.
No, friend requests have their own "spot". I think you're just making up the part about "scam offers". Show an example.
 
Well, as the starter to this madness I have come to the conclusion, based on the comments, that BITOG is friendly social media. I guess I’m now a user of social media since I check this site at least once a day.

The absence of hard core political discussions and nasty people going after one another for their views is what I like. A bit of kidding and friendly disagreement on topics is stimulating. The moderators must be doing a great, albeit a thankless job.
 
I guess I’m now a user of social media since I check this site at least once a day.
Why act like it's a bad thing ?

The absence of hard core political discussions and nasty people going after one another for their views is what I like.
Forums like this either allow topics they decide to allow or they don't. A common thing I've seen some forums do is have a single sub-forum for any topics. Still no personal attacks, threats, porn, etc is allowed, but otherwise, it's "enter at your own risk". They usually make you acknowledge where you're going when you click into it too and if you proceed and get b**t-hurt, too bad. You were given ample warning. You can do the same on places like Facebook. I co-admin a group with 20k members and there's ZERO political discussion, for example. There's minimal personal attacks, if we can help it, but we don't read every comment so some could be missed. All new "posts" or thread topics are approved or disapproved so that nips things in the bud from the start, which helps.
 
Not friend requests, as pathetic as that sounds, people asking, "Will you be my friend, please," but friend suggestions. FB telling me they somehow know this stranger would want to be a friend of mine for some reason.
No, again. Those suggestions are in their own spot as well. Kinda have to question if you use FB or if you're digging up things from a decade ago.
 
This is an internet message forum, not unlike any other out there on the internet. This model predates the platforms and services we now commonly refer to as "social media" but still fits every possible definition of the term.
This forum is the best one out there.. and that's due pretty much entirely to the mix of the users on here, and moderators and team that do what they do to keep the peace.

This board has more technical traffic, as well. As to help with automotive, I'd be willing to bet this forum is more helpful than MOST brand and model-specific boards, some of which are basically dead.. not always but I'd say so.

This is one of the only forums I know of with active discussions of firearms. That is a huge plus.

Again.. a few unique things make this THE forum, in my humble opinion. True, General and Off Topic would be closest thing to "social media".. it is better than social media, no ads, no stupidness (for the most part.)

Your definition of Social Media will vary, this is technically an online forum with a social media-esque subforum.
 
No, again. Those suggestions are in their own spot as well. Kinda have to question if you use FB or if you're digging up things from a decade ago.
Nope, they are in Notifications.

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I've always rolled my eyes at forums that are so narrow-focused like that. Shows a lack of foresight on behalf of whoever created it. Even worse, when someone creates a forum for a specific generation of a single car model, i.e. 9th-generation Honda Civics, 2nd-generation Fusions, etc.
I was (and sorta still am) an active member of two very specific automotive forums, for a very specific generation of vehicle. They were by far the best place to discuss or get help on those vehicles for years. They both eventually died off as those cars aged - one was made from 1996 to 2004 and one from 2005 to 2015, so that latter one is still a bit active but not much. Still in there day they were the absolute best place to get help on those vehicles and both saved me a lot of time and trouble, and I tried to help anyone else I could as well.
You're confusing Facebook with Facebook Marketplace.
You have to be a faceplant member to use facebook marketplace. I tried - they kicked me off for not uploading a facial picture. They said they needed it to "verify" who I am. First off, I don't vpn so they know who I am. Second, if they don't know who I am how does a pic help with that. Oh, and I filled out who I am when I started.

I decided I didn't need faceplant marketplace.
 
Never asked me for that. And if they did, upload a stock photo you find online.
It wasn't like they asked nicely - please upload a picture to improve your experience. It was "you have violated Facebook community use rules" or some such thing - even though I never ever even posted or tried to link with anyone at all yet. Tried to be threatening - upload a picture to verify your identity to get out of purgatory. Threats don't work well on me. Bully's threaten. My tendency is to accept their threat and see what happens.

I guess what happens is I don't faceplant and they can't monetize my use.
 
They were by far the best place to discuss or get help on those vehicles for years. They both eventually died off as those cars aged - one was made from 1996 to 2004 and one from 2005 to 2015, so that latter one is still a bit active but not much. Still in there day they were the absolute best place to get help on those vehicles
No doubt they were but it's still short-sighted thinking on the part of whoever created it. Too often, sites want to be sooooo specific that ^that^ happens or they try and be a little bit of everything and it gets diluted. Or it's a site that started out focused on something and then tries to cover too much, thinking it's the only site people will use.

Back when we had a Honda Odyssey, I frequented OdyForums. Yes, it was only for a specific model (they did have low-traffic sub-forums for other Honda models) but they covered every Odyssey from the late 1990s to current. It was very well run too. I am a member and used to use G35Driver a lot more when I first got that car just so I could learn more about it but now if I have a mechanical question, I can get great answers here. Why ? Because a) it's really just a Nissan underneath and common enough and b) anyone who works on cars enough has probably touched these. I thought I had a wheel-speed sensor issue not too long ago and Trav commented about the sensors themselves and the cost of them .... and he was right. Did he look them up after reading my post ? I doubt it. Has he replaced enough Nissan wheel speed sensors to remember how expensive the OEMs ones are ? That's what I'm guessing.
 
I was (and sorta still am) an active member of two very specific automotive forums, for a very specific generation of vehicle. They were by far the best place to discuss or get help on those vehicles for years. They both eventually died off as those cars aged - one was made from 1996 to 2004 and one from 2005 to 2015, so that latter one is still a bit active but not much. Still in there day they were the absolute best place to get help on those vehicles and both saved me a lot of time and trouble, and I tried to help anyone else I could as well.

You have to be a faceplant member to use facebook marketplace. I tried - they kicked me off for not uploading a facial picture. They said they needed it to "verify" who I am. First off, I don't vpn so they know who I am. Second, if they don't know who I am how does a pic help with that. Oh, and I filled out who I am when I started.

I decided I didn't need faceplant marketplace.
The Nicoclubs forums for a 1993 to 1997 model are similarly dead...
 
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