????DO YOUNGER REEFERS EVEN FOURM????

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Perry

Follow me on IG- perrys_reef
View Badges
Joined
Mar 20, 2016
Messages
4,094
Reaction score
10,887
Location
Lake Helen, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When a real problem exists, and IG and FB cannot provide solutions, better bet old, and young reefers will be right here and the other forum, doing searches. Look at the SPS forum here, 60% is "my corals are dying" Likely, the answers to why, have 5 other threads on 1st page, yet another created, instead of taking the time to read. Why? Likes, thumbs up, Love, and other emojis may be more sought out, than solution to the problem itself. Also, as mentioned above, a need for spoon fed knowledge. Speculating here of course, but something with social media and virtual praise is not only feeding the ego, but fueling an out of control society driven by ego. Reefing to me has always been about humility, something that had helped me to be a better person. More patient, understanding, thought provoked, calm, and centered. It's pulled me out of some brutally rough times. This community WILL outlast reefing as it relates to social media. I know this because reefing is a marathon, not a sprint ;)
 

Reefer Matt

Officially Official Account
View Badges
Joined
May 15, 2021
Messages
5,072
Reaction score
23,838
Location
Michigan, USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
BRS Youtube videos are where every new reefer should start, imo. Days of information on there, in a mostly easy to understand format. Then use R2R and local groups to fill in any misunderstandings and gaps in info.
 

keppy

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2022
Messages
12
Reaction score
83
Location
Seattle
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think the BRS YouTube channel has been 100% the best resource as a new person and it looks like the comments on their videos are from young and old people alike.
 

Mackey

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 1, 2022
Messages
132
Reaction score
263
Location
dawsonville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m 18, and reef to reef is my only form of social media I use . so if you ever see me post completely non-reef related comments you will know why.
 

Dcal

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 17, 2019
Messages
1,494
Reaction score
3,126
Location
CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What do you (younger generation) do for specific reef questions? If you use Google then most of the results lead to R2R or RC forums. Or do you DM your favorite Twitter or TikTok reef influencer?
ive dmed a few about like specific questions about their tank or experience with a fish or piece of equipment (melevsreef in particular) and have always enjoyed his experience.

I would say most reefers my age while maybe not r2r members have definitely been on the forums from a google search
 

BranchingHammer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2018
Messages
1,696
Reaction score
4,364
Location
PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Learned most of what I know about reefing on ReefCentral and reef2reef. I'm now in college, and still check reef2reef as often as other social media haha!
 

GlassMunky

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
2,680
Reaction score
3,412
Location
Philly
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
While it has nothing to do with the internet or forums I wonder how many young people are even getting in the hobby at all. With how expensive everything has gotten over the past 5 years I dunno if I ever would have started reefing if it cost then, as much as it does now to start out.
a lot of younger people (and even middle aged and older people these days) don’t have a lot of expendable income and reefs are crazy expensive, especially the up front costs.
 

cdw79

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 6, 2021
Messages
633
Reaction score
396
Location
Houston, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This feels like it could be an interesting poll question! Curious how many fellow 20 somethings are here lurking on the forums. I only made this account after graduating and starting a proper reef tank after a few years away from the hobby (and wow have things changed) but I used to lurk on RC, R2R, a few others. A few months back I even found an old post from an account I didn't even know I had, I must have been all of 13 haha
 

Oregon Grown Reef

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 6, 2019
Messages
1,154
Reaction score
1,784
Location
Salem
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I was 25 when I first start doing research on Reef2Reef. It took me a couple of years to make an account. I'm 30 now. I would have considered myself young at the time, but apparently I was already an old fart then according to your post.

My real question, is how many of these new members are young, say 16-22
 

Habachi_Grill

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Messages
81
Reaction score
51
Location
Bay Area
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
With all the fantastic modern forms of digital socialization and the explicit gravitation to these forms over more traditional forms, say things like Internet forums such as this one. And having kids of my own that epitomize this notion a bit too well, I really have to wonder if newer younger reefers have any interest in forums as a means of resource for pertinent information. And by that I mean answers to questions they may have directly related to the hobby. The kinds of questions people may ask on a public forum and get direct, debatably, wisdom and experience based answers to. Or at least enough info to sift and sort through to make their own decisions on what to really take in and by contrast choose to ignore.

Or, do they really rely more on, forgive me “influencers” to kind of spoon feed them every thing they think they need to know?

Screen Shot 2022-09-12 at 9.47.26 AM.png



As I sit here I can't help but think about all the potential customers I may have never know existed, or better yet definitely haven’t yet and may never hear of me because of the channels through with they get their information. Now, am I pigeonholed a little in the all to comfy world of forums, that I’ve really seemed to thrive in then last decade? I'd say yes. But more importantly, are forums a fleeting resource? I honestly don’t know. But I do believe that as of today this forum in particular is still going strong and growing in users and members. At least for now.

My real question, is how many of these new members are young, say 16-22, and how does that compare to the growing number hobbyists that rely entirely on social media for there information and wouldn’t be caught dead lurking among the dinosaurs that rule our "bygone" internet forums?

And that begs the question, what kind of information is being shared and passed around by some these essential newbies themselves, as they learn and post what they learn, literally as they learn it? And, where are these influencers getting their information from? Couldn't be forums could it? If not, what it the quality of the information being passed around out there, versus what can be found in a forum like this?

Screen Shot 2022-09-12 at 9.45.43 AM.png




Truth is, no matter how I word this it will make me sound like a relic, but these are just some of the questions I am pondering. They may be the rambling of aging miser, but what I do know for sure, is that the younger hobbyists spend way more time on social media than forums to seek the answers to the questions they are looking for. And the truth is, the miser in me doesn't really know quite what to think of that. And, how this may change the landscape of the information that gets passed around in the future. If one day forums actually go away for good.

Again, I don't know the answers to these questions. But I really am curious about whether younger reefers look to forums as a viable resource for information anymore. We may never know, because frankly, I'm speaking to a demographic that won't be chiming in here, because they'll never see this...
Younger Reefer check in,

Happy to be apart of this forum. I've learned so much over the years and the community helps me stay centered and not have that itch to always micromanage my tank. Social media is great because we see highlights but my tank did go through its ups and downs so its always good to relate to others here.
 

jabberwock

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 14, 2018
Messages
3,382
Reaction score
4,004
Location
in front of my computer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I started keeping freshwater aquariums in 1981. The internet did not exist. We had books. I do not participate in any other social media sites. I set up my first saltwater aquarium in 2018.

Surfing the internet is NOT research. I don't know why I have responded to this social media thread.

I have turned into my father...
 

Airforceaquariu

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 25, 2022
Messages
17
Reaction score
4
Location
Colorado Springs
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I was a younger reefer more recently then some of the ... more 'distinguished' folks here. Joined Reef2Reef this year as I get back in to the hobby.

I enjoy some of the Instagram presences for the pictures and variety, but forums are the place to have a presence for community and information.
 
OP
OP
Battlecorals

Battlecorals

Aquaculturist
View Badges
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
6,884
Reaction score
15,962
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I was a younger reefer more recently then some of the ... more 'distinguished' folks here. Joined Reef2Reef this year as I get back in to the hobby.

I enjoy some of the Instagram presences for the pictures and variety, but forums are the place to have a presence for community and information.
Lots of great input and perspectives. I think you touched on the one thing that really distinguishes a forum other short attention span type social media and that’s community. In a sense that we all participate and contribute to the growth of the site.

I just don’t see that kind of collective development on say tic toc
 

jabberwock

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 14, 2018
Messages
3,382
Reaction score
4,004
Location
in front of my computer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Lots of great input and perspectives. I think you touched on the one thing that really distinguishes a forum other short attention span type social media and that’s community. In a sense that we all participate and contribute to the growth of the site.

I just don’t see that kind of collective development on say tic toc
Indeed! I recognize names and patterns on this forum that help me decide on the quality of advice given.
 

zbryant91

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 4, 2019
Messages
484
Reaction score
685
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm 31. And didn't realize I just joined in 2019. Started my 1st reef tank in 2012. I joined around the time I started diving a lot deeper into the hobby past just simple tanks and LFS advice.

I've used forums in general to look for more detailed information on projects and maintenance on vehicles/ around the house/ and other hobbies.

But r2r specifically has more of my time than any other forums that I use combined because there seems to be a revolving door of ways to run a tank. And I keep trying to take in as much info as I can to make informed decisions. When you've got thousands of dollars invested in livestock, I feel a need to be more prepared to deal with potential problems.

Many of the vehicle forums have a lot of redundant threads about "what size tires can I fit" whereas on here there's so much more variety, sure there's redundancy here too, but everyone's tank is different.

Luckily there are a lot of active members here that have dealt with so many different things and are really good at documenting successes and failures.

Also, I have a desk job and find reading relevant forums in my down time to be a nice break.
 

ectoaesthetics

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Messages
378
Reaction score
431
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Wow, I am finding myself attempting to hold two simultaneous truths in my mind right now. On one hand I feel like you are totally right Adam and that so much of the info these days is passed on via super short snippets/videos online. On the other hand I also see forums with more members that I could have ever imagined in the past thanks to the growth of the hobby. So part of me feels like MORE people are on forums than ever before. Are they younger? I have no clue. But I hope folks are smart enough to know that you can jump on a forum and ask questions like "hey how much does the silicone chip on these seams in this tank" or "what solutions have you come up with for solving the noise from "x"?" Just not something you can do with a tiktok and I think people of all ages are smart enough to know that.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 76 51.4%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 76 51.4%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 37 25.0%
  • None.

    Votes: 32 21.6%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.1%

New Posts

Back
Top