Econoline Facebook page

The Facebook page titled EconOline was shut down by its creator on Thursday after he had had enuf of the hassles that go along with running a website or facebook page. It's unfortunate he didn't pass it along to another member so all the info wouldn't be lost but sadly that has happened.
Friday I created a new Facebook page titled 61-67 Econolines which has taken off with a bang and already has over 150 members. I welcome everyone to come check us out if you're a facebook or early Econoline junkie. In no way am I trying to steal traffic from this site or any other as I love this site and a lot of others. I just want to keep people informed of what's going on in the Econoline world. There are those that only do websites and those that only do facebook. While it is time consuming to do both, I have found it very beneficial to keep tabs in both areas. There are a lot of interesting people and vehicles out there I would have missed out on if it weren't for Facebook. I see a lot of members from here are already on facebook. 84 year old Ted Johns just joined which I though was great. Hope to see some of you there also.

Nice!  I'm pending approval!

Just my opinion, but I think Facebook is death to forums like this.  Really, nothing was lost when the group shut down.  You can't search Facebook the way you can search this forum to find detailed information.  

Face book is much easier to use than a forum.  For this reason it is going to give folks their Econoline fix and they just won't take the time to come here.  To stay viable a forum has to have a critical mass of new posts every day to keep people coming back.  

Since there isn't any way to post and keep technical information, the same questions get asked over and over and that kills the interest of the keepers of the tribal knowledge, they get tired of having to post the same stuff over and over.  As it is I bet that Vic has answered the same questions here more times than he can count.  

I can guarantee that there is no way I would ever try to post something like this:  https://vintage-vans.forumotion.com/t45263-installing-the-pertronix-ignitor-ii-and-flamethrower-coil?highlight=pertronix to Facebook.

I have been involved with several special interest cars, and the best measure of the health of any of them is the number of never completed project vehicles up for sale. And there are a ton of Econolines on Craigslist where the ad says "bought it to restore". If you can't find the parts, or can't find the information, then it becomes too much work and people give up. A huge part of success is a forum where people can connect and share knowledge of parts and information. If things work, a community is formed where there is level of trust between the members. I have never seen Facebook develop that sort of group (case in point, the old econoline group)

If Facebook has any value it should be to funnel people to this site.

Rant over...

Bill

You nailed it perfectly, it was like you were posting what I was thinking. If I posted my thoughts about FB here, I would be banished. I suffices to say it is a plaque to society and productivity.

Ever wonder if a medical examiner ever put, cause of death, FB, on a death certificate! How many people daily wander off the curb into traffic and get killed because the are so wrapped up in having the world know their every movement or thought?????

Tough crowd. How do you guys really feel? Usually those with the strongest opinion are those that are set in their ways and refuse to accept change in any form that doesn't go along with their interest or normal set routine. Swimming upstream's a bitch if you aren't a salmon. I can see your point, to a point. If you solely rely on any one site and put all your eggs in one basket, you are truly limiting your resources and make your search for parts and info that much more difficult. There's a wealth of knowledge scattered about and not everyone wants to belong to this site, Old Econolines, Econos-R-Us, Facebook, or any of the many other sites out there. Granted it takes more time to monitor more than one or even several sites but it does have its value. I see things on Facebook a lot of you miss out on. I've scored countless parts off people on facebook that have no interest in other sites. I've also helped out countless people needing parts which in turn helps me pay my half of my kids college tuition bill. It does have its advantages. Take it or leave it, nobody is forcing you. I'll still be here, there, and everywhere, knee deep into the hobby. For the record, I've posted links to this site countless times on Facebook and did just that again today. I do send people here, and a lot of them fact be known. I support any site I feel is a benefit to our hobby, just like I try and support the vendors when possible that supply us parts. It all goes hand in hand.

Bill, you're wrong,you can search Facebook pages for pictures and files so yes a lot was lost. You can also search topics and peoples names that may have commented on something you're interested in. Is it as organized as this page is, no, but there is a ton of info there.

Vern, I believe your scenario is much more because of the cell phone in general. Surely you aren't assuming Facebook itself is the cause no more than guns kill people. People kill people, not guns and not Facebook. Distracted driving in any form is a problem.

EconoUSAparts wrote:Tough crowd. How do you guys really feel? Usually those with the strongest opinion are those that are set in their ways and refuse to accept change in any form that doesn't go along with their interest or normal set routine. Swimming upstream's a bitch if you aren't a salmon. I can see your point, to a point. I see things on Facebook a lot of you miss out on. It does have its advantages. Take it or leave it, nobody is forcing you. I'll still be here, there, and everywhere, knee deep into the hobby. For the record, I've posted links to this site countless times on Facebook and did just that again today. I do send people here, and a lot of them fact be known. I support any site I feel is a benefit to our hobby, just like I try and support the vendors when possible that supply us parts. It all goes hand in hand.

Tim if you see stuff on Facebook why don't you share it with us here ?

I'm not on Facebook just never went there. Seems like a lot of hype? Time?

Tim I was a member of that group so I can say with confidence that nothing was lost. I challenge you, or actually all of you, to do a FACEBOOK search for say "Install Pertronix" or "Econoline engine swap" Then do the same search here and tell me what you find.

My point is that if the folks that use this site migrate to Facebook, this site will struggle to survive. If you use Facebook to send people to this site and other forums like it, and they start to participate, it can be a tool that helps the hobby grow. Tim, I think it is in your best interest to do things that help the hobby grow.

Magic Bus wrote:

EconoUSAparts wrote:Tough crowd. How do you guys really feel? Usually those with the strongest opinion are those that are set in their ways and refuse to accept change in any form that doesn't go along with their interest or normal set routine. Swimming upstream's a bitch if you aren't a salmon. I can see your point, to a point. I see things on Facebook a lot of you miss out on. It does have its advantages. Take it or leave it, nobody is forcing you. I'll still be here, there, and everywhere, knee deep into the hobby. For the record, I've posted links to this site countless times on Facebook and did just that again today. I do send people here, and a lot of them fact be known. I support any site I feel is a benefit to our hobby, just like I try and support the vendors when possible that supply us parts. It all goes hand in hand.

Tim if you see stuff on Facebook why don't you share it with us here ?

I'm not on Facebook just never went there. Seems like a lot of hype? Time?

Terry I've posted several links to facebook in the past. Time is what you make of it and how you organize yourself. Facebook posts come straight to my phone and it doesn't get much easier than that. Posting pics on this site take a lot of time and effort,at least for me so I don't do it that often but I do send links but I'm not gonna concentrate all my time doing it. This site is beyond awesome but the pic posting setup isn't too user friendly for me.

AZ SuperVan wrote:Tim I was a member of that group so I can say with confidence that nothing was lost.  I challenge you, or actually all of you, to do a FACEBOOK search for say "Install Pertronix" or "Econoline engine swap"  Then do the same search here and tell me what you find.  

My point is that if the folks that use this site migrate to Facebook, this site will struggle to survive.  If you use Facebook to send people to this site and other forums like it, and they start to participate, it can be a tool that helps the hobby grow.  Tim, I think it is in your best interest to do things that help the hobby grow.  

Like I said, it's not as efficient to research a topic but it can be done somewhat. When I need specifics I come here or to Old Econolines. Each site has its purpose for me. I'll respectfully disagree with your opinion on what was lost as will many others that have commented on it.

Lastly if you don't think I do things in the interest of the hobby then you seriously have no clue just how involved in the hobby I am on a daily basis, that's all I'm gonna say about that.

EconoUSAparts wrote:Bill, you're wrong,you can search Facebook pages for pictures and files so yes a lot was lost. You can also search topics and peoples names that may have commented on something you're interested in. Is it as organized as this page is, no, but there is a ton of info there.

  Vern, I believe your scenario is much more because of the cell phone in general. Surely you aren't assuming Facebook itself is the cause no more than guns kill people. People kill people, not guns and not Facebook. Distracted driving in any form is a problem.

Your correct, it is more the distraction of the cell phone and the need to be continually connected that is the plaque .And yes a distraction from whats important in life. Lots of family suppers have become just a bunch of strangers sitting around the kitchen table texting.

I guess FB has some usefulness if it is a waypoint or starting place that leads people to their end goal, finding sites like this that allows them to become a resource to the community while enjoying the same. FB just aggrivates me with the constant checkins, recipies and new shoes that some feel they have to share over and over. But if they find enjoyment in that like I find enjoyment in sites like this then good for all of us.

In my shop when the crew is getting the race truck ready for the next event all the cell phones go in a basket on top of the tools box until the evenings work is done, productivity and attention to detail is at a high level and your not having to work around a few guys standing in the way lost in their cell phone

Tim, you are misunderstanding me completely. You are one of the good guys. You are vitally important to the hobby. Your contributions are very important. I don't have any quarrel with you. The problem is that Facebook does real damage to forums like this one, and in return it offers almost nothing. We all have a finite amount of time, spend it wisely.

Let me provide a constructive example. If you created a thread that explained exactly how to install a set of your door seals, and compared them to the competition. It would give people confidence that this is a project they can do. It would stay here pretty much forever, and people would start to link to it every time the question was asked. Eventually it would become a must do project anytime a van restoration was started. This would be a very good investment of your time. If you didn't want to do it, perhaps you could offer to give some one a big discount on a set of seals if they produced it for you, and to your satisfaction.

And here is what happens when you do that. Once the example of how to do a really good How To thread is established, people will start doing their own. Vic has a huge collection of pictures and information regarding engine swaps that really needs to become a thread. The guy has had to repost the same information dozens of times because it was never effectively organized.

[quote  
I guess FB has some usefulness if it is a waypoint or starting place that leads people to their end goal, finding sites like this that allows them to become a resource to the community while enjoying the same. FB just aggrivates me with the constant checkins, recipies and new shoes that some feel they have to share over and over.
[/quote]

Vern, I don't do FB games, shoes, or recipes, lol. I'm pretty focused on why I'm there. To me it's just another valuable resource. I've got my focus on the hobby spread far and wide and I have a bunch of international customers and friends now because of it. I've really found some cool customers over in the Japanese market too. That's what I really like about it is the worldwide contacts there that you don't typically see in the yahoo groups or on this page. Granted it can be a real pain sometimes but it's a trade off.

Ok Bill, maybe I took it wrong, the typed word can be misconstrued. Sometimes I probably care too much I guess. I normally post stuff to FB that's already been covered here or at OldEconolines, in essence sharing it with the new guys. The forum sites are like college where you really learn a lot and FB is more like a bar stool where you chew the fat and rehash stuff. When topics get into detail I normally refer people here or to O.E. to search for the highly detailed comments on a topic. Econos-R-Us is also a highly detailed site with good info available. When you need detailed facts, go to college so to speak and that's where I send people unless its simple stuff. The other huge benefit of FB is I can post a pic almost instantly. The new page is only 6 days old and already almost 200 members and over 300 photos posted. You'll never see that high of a volume of pics posted in that time frame on any of the 3 sites I've mentioned. I capture a lot of those shots and so do others so again, it is valuable to some.
Speaking of Vic, who I just talked with a day ago, I've sent a lot of people to him for parts. I've also sent folks to Sam Carlin and many others. I don't rule out any valuable resource, their too important to me.

Tim I helped put Mercury Cougars on the map and there are so many things about Econolines that remind me of where Cougar was in 2006. There were basically three guys selling used parts and a few things they had reproduced, a forum and a yahoo group.  I would like to see Econolines grow the same way.

Here is something fun I did for the Cougar Community.  It lets you recreate the window sticker for your car.  You can only order things according to what the factory offered.  The end result can be printed out and it is a lot of fun to build your dream car.  This could also be done for Econolines if all of the information can be put together. Cougar Window Sticker Generator

I am not a current FB follower, but my wife is a regular, Funny she just signed up for the econoline site, hmmmm how did that happen!

Jumping in with an opener mind

Ha ha, I just approved her I think.

EconoUSAparts wrote:Ha ha, I just approved her I think.

you sure did

Does anyone have an Econoline window sticker that we could use as a model?

AZ SuperVan wrote:Here is something fun I did for the Cougar Community.  It lets you recreate the window sticker for your car.  You can only order things according to what the factory offered.  The end result can be printed out and it is a lot of fun to build your dream car.  This could also be done for Econolines if all of the information can be put together. Cougar Window Sticker Generator

Barnabas wrote:Does anyone have an Econoline window sticker that we could use as a model?

AZ SuperVan wrote:Here is something fun I did for the Cougar Community.  It lets you recreate the window sticker for your car.  You can only order things according to what the factory offered.  The end result can be printed out and it is a lot of fun to build your dream car.  This could also be done for Econolines if all of the information can be put together. Cougar Window Sticker Generator

Not a bad idea guys, beyond my capabilities but a cool idea. An original window sticker would be really hard to come up with I would think. I'll ask on FB.

Ebay has the reproduction sticker for Falcon for most years.

I will need a list of options and prices for each year. Ideally it would some from the salesmans pocket guide that tells what you can and can't get in combinations.

Chances are that they switched over to the same sticker for all ford somewhere in time.



Here is a '65 sticker that appears to cover more than just Falcons.

I also am not against YOU Tim, I dislike FB.

RodStRace wrote:I also am not against YOU Tim, I dislike FB.

I hear ya John, just giving people options if they so choose.

I don't Facebook-----I'm not LinkedIn---- I still use a Flip phone----I'm off the grid. Something I think gets overlooked is that the guys who dominate the forums I visit/use are usually old timers, Like me. I spent my whole life in advance technology and now that I'm retired, I could give a Rat's Patuddie about any of that stuff, including Facebook. I've been using car/motorcycle forums for over 20 yrs, and they are generally organized and controlled-----definitely better than most modern outlets. Having said that, I recognize that I'm the dinosaur and the exception to the rule. If you want to reach new people(young), and the masses, you have to stay on the grid and with the majority of people. Young people want instant gratification----thus Facebook. They don't care what somebody said yesterday-----that's the problem. It's extremely important what the knowledgeable old timers said yesterday. That information becomes sacred and needs to be preserved and accessible. If these forums are not supported and kept alive, that knowledge disappears, and the old car hobby dies. Oh wait, most young people don't car about the old car hobby-----that's why their on Facebook.

Thanks for letting me rant. Mike