Generally, I no longer participate in threads with the above titles, or variations thereof. 90 percent(and I’m being really lax there, should be 99!) , of such threads are bot-generated, and often from offshore sources.
Such is the situation over at Sushko’s “Automotive” forums, where, thanks to “social” media, user participation has decreased, and activity has reached a life-support level. As in, TANKED.
Now you have kooky questions being asked over there, including identifying a car make from a photo of half a headlight bezel, or part of a seat(!). One whopper of a post was someone asking “how much storage space is available under the seats?” I’m not kidding! And the join dates of these new ‘members’ is, hint-hint: the current date.
Oh and should I even bother to mention the situation on UseNet?? Since a few years ago, human activity on UseNet newsgroups has vastly decreased, and bot-generated ads for drugs and user manuals dominate the current activity lists.
Quite depressingly, this is what the proliferation of social media has unleashed. I cannot even refer to such sites by name, but I’m sure you’ll recognize Fakebook, Instascam, and $hitter(or whatever letter of the month that idealogue-owned dog’s breakfast goes by now). I would NEVER ask car- or professional audio(my other obsession!)- related questions there, as it would just lead to threads full of false info, conspiracies, name calling, and other vitriol for which I possess sub-zero tolerance.
Please be advised, and admins: vest all new members thoroughly. The very existence of private, or topic-specific, moderated forums is at stake.