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

[Hall]

By keeping it focused, and maintaining respectful dialog, it lacks the majority of crap most here don't like about the big social media sites. This is the only type of social media I participate.

Plenty of FB groups are moderated and avoid "crap".

The “General and Off Topic” forum is the social media arm of Bitog, ie…boxers or briefs…how much is a 25 year old washer and dryer worth…is moving a piano fun…how often do you wash your jeans………..?

FB has technical groups/pages, ones that focus on cars (whether it's for car people in a city or region or it's model/brand specific), and so on.

I would say its just shy of "social media" until people start posting pics of their dinner plates.

They already do..... https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/forums/foods-cooking-beverages.50/

 

[Quattro Pete]

They already do..... https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/forums/foods-cooking-beverages.50/

Yup, this thread specifically:

What are you eating right now?

I will start.

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[Vil_Riker]

I still see these online forums as bulleting boards of the 80-s and 90-s. Social media is one branch that has sprung out of bulletin boards but BITOG is not a social media site.

 

[Malo83]

It's my Entertainment for the day.

 

[mbres2000]

I have Twitter and Facebook accounts, but I don't use them very often. In fact, I don't remember the last time I went to Twitter. I'm not much of a Facebook user either, but it's not a bad way to see what friends and families are doing. You just need to be aware that those companies are selling anything and everything they know about you! They call it "sharing" information with partners" to give you a better on-line experience. It's like a pickpocket saying he's simply helping you lighten your load.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

Users enjoy a certain level of anonymity on BITOG and are not forced to disclose personal identifying information. Social Media platforms are the opposite when it comes to privacy.

Searching around yields plenty of results and definition on what Social Media is. Is BITOG a form of social media? Depends which definition you choose to agree with.

According to this one it is:

Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.

As I see BITOG, it's not social media. It is an online community where people participate willingly and are not constantly bombarded with ads, text messages, tracked, spammed, or otherwise have their privacy invaded. It's a simple online messaging board, later known as an Internet forum.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Call it what you want, but of course it's Social Media.

 

[Skippy722]

I’d say it falls under the umbrella of “social media” but it is not and does not try to be like the more traditional social media sites (FB/Instagram/Twitter/etc), though it does have some elements of them such as “tagging” a user so they get a notification or the notification system in general.

For example, I agree with @JeffKeryk

 

[atikovi]

Social media is for bragging about your accomplishments without feeling like a braggart, and for attention seekers to get validation for their activities. BITOG is an internet forum to allow people to search for and dispense knowledge about specific topics (oil) along with related and ancillary items (auto repair, aviation). It’s no more social media than say, Walmart.com. Just because something is on the internet, doesn’t mean it’s social media.

 

[Hall]

Users enjoy a certain level of anonymity on BITOG and are not forced to disclose personal identifying information.

Facebook, for example, allows users to control (hide) what others see. You can lock down your "profile" on FB quite extensively with differing levels of what is shown or visible depending on who is looking, i.e. general public vs friends.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

Facebook, for example, allows users to control (hide) what others see. You can lock down your "profile" on FB quite extensively with differing levels of what is shown or visible depending on who is looking, i.e. general public vs friends.

You can do the same here. Unlike FaceBook, BITOG doesn't track your entire Internet activity after you left the site and ties it to your account and identity.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.

As I see BITOG, it's not social media.

How is BITOG not social media? It fits the above definition perfectly.
Do we not use BITOG to interact with people where we create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas? Isn't BITOG a virtual community?

 

[Deleted member 89374]

How is BITOG not social media? It fits the above definition perfectly.

This will be a fun thread

 

[Hall]

You can do the same here. Unlike FaceBook, BITOG doesn't track your entire Internet activity after you left the site and ties it to your account and identity.

The advertisers / ad networks here do though

 

[Hall]

How is BITOG not social media? It fits the above definition perfectly.
Do we not use BITOG to interact with people where we create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas? Isn't BITOG a virtual community?

It's like some grumpy old men can't proudly proclaim "I don't use any dang-blasted social media" so they just deny this forum is social media.

 

[GON]

BITOG is a master mind group of individuals with some great knowledge, thoughts, etc to share. Shares some likeness with forums like the garage journal.

If BITOG remained exclusively an oil forum, the forum would be dead. Not much goes on in the oil industry that is news for end users of oil. I am a member of other automotive forums, that were awesome- but died because of lack of regular traffic. One example is the Ford Expedition forum, a great database and a lot of knowledge, but ask a question and not likely to get much of a response. I think if I ask a question on BITOG about a Ford Expedition second generation, I will likely get dozens of meaningful responses- something not so likely on the actual Ford Expedition forum.

If one wants BITOG to simply be a database/ knowledge center- it will be a ghost town.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Social media is for bragging about your accomplishments without feeling like a braggart, and for attention seekers to get validation for their activities.

We've had a few members here doing this as well, and there is nothing stopping one from doing so. It is not against forum rules.

It’s no more social media than say, Walmart.com.

Does walmart.com have a forum where members interact with each other? If it does, it must be quite entertaining.

 

[Hall]

One example is the Ford Expedition forum, a great database and a lot of knowledge, but ask a question and not likely to get much of a response.

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.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

Social media is for bragging about your accomplishments without feeling like a braggart, and for attention seekers to get validation for their activities.

Now that memes are in play, we can call this Social Media

 

[GON]

Example of a brag thread....

Hasty review K-Seal ST5501 Multi Purpose One Step Permanent Coolant Leak Repair, Blue

Hasty review of K-Seal ST5501 Multi Purpose One Step Permanent Coolant Leak Repair, Blue Background- discovered I had a very likely heater core leak in my 2004 Lincoln Navigator. All the usual suspects to include windows fogging up and sweet smell in the cabin while the heater was being run. I...

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