Re the difference between FB Eriba Folk and the Forum, I like both of them and tend to look at the FB one more as I'm on FB quite a lot to keep in contact with people (housebound for past few years due to circumstances beyond my control which is why I'm planning to get an Eriba eventually).
From a personal point of view I would prefer it if the FB Eriba were a private group. Due to it being public I don't post on there or 'like' anything. From a non-personal point of view it probably attracts a lot more people being an open group.

I use both and enjoy both...think some people need to chill open the door on your awning and say hello to the world.

Well, I’m new to Eribas - new to caravanning, actually - and new here, and am happily using both this Forum and the FB group.

The latter is more instant, very chatty and interactive, lots of pictures - all great for me, being so new to it all.

The forum is a great resource, and you can search for things, which means that as a newbie I can often find info without having to post a question. There’s a very different feel here to the FB group. Both good, but different.

Personally I much prefer forums for information-seeking and sharing, mainly because of the search and linking capabilities. FB alongside for (holiday) snaps and more or less silly or superficial chatter - more for fun.

I totally get the frustration regarding people asking for detailed answers on FB. Frustrating for experienced folks who have to keep repeating themselves, or watch as less experienced people try to help and maybe don’t give the best advice (albeit very well-intentioned), but also very frustrating for people like me, who can see useful information being given but knowing how fleeting it is in that medium.

Maybe when such a question is asked on FB, write a response here (or find the one that’s already been written) and send them a link to the thread!

The Smartphone rules the world and stats show less and less activity is completed on PCs or tablets including even the Ipad. Unfortunately this forum is not viewed in an Ap but as a web page and that isn't the best experience when using a smartphone's browser. That's where Facebook wins. Now if we had an Eriba Forum AP for Android and IOS that mirrored the info in this forum we could say goodbye facebook.........However I'm grateful for what we have at present particulalrly as it's all free and relies on the goodwill of someone like Randa who I'm sure has better things to do in life! Bit sad that our wonderful summer is drawing to a close but I've been fixing all those little niggles and we are already looking ahead to next years trips.

Quote: Randa france wrote in post #12

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[quote]I would agree that the demography of Eribafolk facebook is probably half a generation or so younger

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I've set up both Forum and facebook pages for owners of lodges on a holiday park in Devon. The more popular by far is the facebook page - much to my frustration as it is, as pointed out by others, more difficult to find information and previous posts on Facebook - due, I think, to the ease of access on mobiles. However, even more popular is a private Whatsapp group set up by another owner - this gets posts regularly throughout the day, and is much more "chatty".

The numbers are fewer than on the Eribafolk forum, but I think it illustrates peoples' preferences. The immediacy of facebook will always take some beating.

I have had so many messages on FB that I have left that group. I am staying solidly on the forum though !

This is a really interesting thread on lots of different levels and many very good points have been made - often from different perspectives. Lots of what we are talking about is personal preference.

Until I retired 8 years ago the previous 25 years of my working life I totally embraced new technologies (many of which are now long obsolete) and encouraged my teams to do the same. Once I retired and returned all my kit I made the decision, despite the pressure from my wife and family, to go back to an earlier time - no ipads or laptops, only a rudimentary mobile phone that I give few people the number to. Everything online that I do is through my old PC. I am fixtures Secretary of a local table tennis but I only accept calls on my land line that has a large ansaphone memory or people can post things to me.

For me our Forum is perfect and I really enjoy reading all sorts of threads most nights. However I fully accept that others prefer a different approach and that is good.

My family call me a "Luddite" but that is OK, and they seem to get a perverse pleasure from this. Long live the Forum but also the Facebook for those who get their needs met by it. MikeT

I happily embrace both worlds. I realise there are many people who don't like Facebook, but I think much of the time it is due to a lack of understanding about the privacy rules you can apply to your account. However, the Facebook Eriba group, in my opinion, is a perfectly reasonable group and should be left as an open group. Firstly, it embraces and reflects the ethos of social networking, which is where any newcomers will most likely look for information. If the group were to be made private, then it just turns into a replica of the forum, albeit with perhaps different contributors. A public group allows people new to or interested in the world of Eriba to easily acces information. In many ways, the technologies are superior to the forum in that it supports posting of photos and videos etc in a much more user friendly manner. As Randa has said, it is a free vehicle for advertising the Forum. In this day and age, Organisations that dont have a Facebook presence are likely to become a dwindling group. I am a member of one or two groups on Facebook for other interersts and the discussions I see there (for pre-war Rileys for instance) are really useful with people contributing from all over the world and helping people solve problems.

On the other hand, the forum permits another form of communication. As has been said, it permits easier 'searches' for answers to questions already posed but, again in my opinion, it allows a greater spirit of community and friendship to form. It does feel like a group of pals having a chat sometimes. Witness the success of the gatherings that take place.

Admittedly , I was a technologist all my life and I'm not put off by such things - Facebook, for instance, allows me to keep in touch with my friends in the US with ease - but I do absolutely see both styles serving a purpose.

Hugh

Which Facebook page is the one being referred to? This one:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/eribafolkcom...f=page_internal

or this one:

https://www.facebook.com/eriba.folk/?ref=br_rs

Many thanks, Randa. I'll take a look.

I see the grumbling has started again from some new FB members about it being an open group....