Watch forums - yay or nay?

So something I've been debating... is WatchCrunch a forum, technically?

I’d argue that watch forums were a precursor to social media, and it all really depends on who’s in the group and who’s moderating it. I really like discussing with fellow watch enthusiasts, but watch snobs on the internet really take the joy out of it. I really hope that Watch Crunch can make these discussions both fun and informative while minimizing snobbery. 

i like the friendly attitude of #watchfam on IG tbh ..

Funny story:  I swore that I would NEVER participate in any watch forums / social media, as that would be the surest way to kill my passion for this hobby.  

I used to be a car guy, and loved a particular brand, and figured I would find an online forum that shared my passion.  And, at first, it was nice, but over the years, the toxicity of the car forums poisoned my love of cars, and I found myself looking at my car and having this purely Pavlovian reaction of hatred and loathing, because the entire brand became associated with the worst possible Internet d-baggery in my mind.  

So, I stopped being a car guy and became a watch guy!  And I stumbled across one of Max's videos on Youtube, where he said, "Hey, we created this community for nerds, without any of the d-baggery."  Sold!

Thus far, I would say that this is the best Internet forum I've ever had the pleasure of participating in.  People are super nice and respectful and knowledgeable.  I love it here!

For the most part, forums seem to have died off due to snobbery, bullying, personal grudges. Is a shame because they have always been a reservoir of knowledge and experience, well some. 

FB watch groups and IG are 99% watch photos only and seem impersonal. And many FB groups are overrun with spam and  scammers despite moderation. 

There are still a couple of nice forums but they seem to be narrow in focus. MOT for bargains but not much else there. WUS is ok but there is a lot of junk to filter through, not to mention the ads unless you pay for "premium."

Reddit holds a wealth of knowledge on watches but is a bear to navigate. 

Have high hopes for the new WatchCrunch format. 

#watchforumrefugees

I never participated in any forum but so far i haven't seen any toxic answer on watchcrunch and i am very pleased with that. I post regularly and english is a second language for me and nobody "hated" on my mistakes and that is very sweet of y'all! I thinks it's due to the fact this platform is so new and host very few people.

Thus far WatchCrunch has a very nice tone. I had to leave a bunch of facebook groups because they were so toxic

I've been a member of more than a few watch forums for nearly 20 years. Some good but most were short lived.  I'm still active in a couple that have been around for years. I was invited here by a couple other "refugees" and am just learning how to get around the place.

Looks to be a promising source of information and gathering of like-minded (I think that's a good thing) enthusiasts.

Glad to join another interesting forum!!..looking forward to seeing some interesting pieces of wrist wear here..

Yay. Nuff sed,

I agree with what @HotRod said. 

I don't participate in many of the other forums and FB groups, simply because of the toxic nature. So far, I haven't seen that with WatchCrunch. I really hope that this platform can continue to grow, and maintain the current level of civility. 

my opinion.....

usefulness of traditional watch forums - eh, mostly trolls and spam

Watchcrunch - Yes! :) give me more enabling enthusiasts with positive attitudes and genuine interest and kindness!

All it takes is one bad apple

Really good to know - nice, succinct experience recants there! Well done.

Man, you got THAT right!

Good to see you, artman!

I know you. Good to see you here!

Yes! This is a primary impetus behind WatchCrunch. Great to see the positive tone so far but we are by no means taking it for granted because as @biglove said, all it takes is one bad apple. 

Beyond actively adding more features to making WatchCrunch a better experience, we are implementing a myriad of safeguards to keep things positive, while being mindful not to over-police. It's a fine balance so it takes a village. Cheers and send me a message if you see something that needs addressing 😁

Fairly recently I was banned from WUS after having a run in with an overzealous mod. I'd been posting there for years. I know post on the 'manontime' forum, which seems to have a good bunch of guys. They've been very welcoming. 

I'm enjoying being here too. But I do wish that I could use it with TapaTalk, as that's where I have all of my other forum stuff together in one place. It's just easier for notifications, I find.

All of You guys and girls here on WatchCrunch rock ⌚🙌😎💪👍🤝!

Thus far, I must agree!

I am a new member who was previously posting on the WUS forum, where I saw a fair amount of negativity and snark. The final impetus for me to join WatchCrunch was when I read about a long-time member from Australia (he used to spearhead the daily “Watch R U Wearing“ segment) being banned for mysterious reasons, and his supporters getting banned as well — hardly sounds like a “community.”

I look forward to spending more time here and recapturing the joy and positivity that should characterize this hobby!

I’m into watchcrunch. we don’t have to agree on everything, but we can be respectful in our opinions. so far, so good. 😉

New member here, but been active in forums for 15 years or so. I still feel they have their place especially when it comes to sharing knowledge which is very much lacking on facebook. My 2 cents....

Nice to see you here.

BTW-your 2 cents is worth ,at least, a buck three eighty in my book.

Thanks Foggy...good to see you! Hope all is well

I'm a Mod at f72/CMW at WUS, a member at one other forum, post watch stuff on Facebook under my AMCHPR page...and I'm interested in this new place/way of interacting. 

And I see lotsa friends on this thread :-)

Different places for different things.

I’ve been a member various forums for 20 years. They all suffer the same issues. When they start everything is great. But after a while, moderators lose interest, the site becomes a cesspool of know it all’s and purists and the forums fill with the same old content. I drop out after a while due to boredom and sick of drama. I’m always surprised that these forums are full of grown men who can’t conduct themselves like gentlemen. 

I'm gonna go with kinda,sorta.....

Yep, kinda sorta, the forum that isn't.

New ad line, Max? 😉