In order to offer a better user experience, “RV Lifestyle” has moved its online Community Forum (RVCommunity.com) to a private, subscribers-only model.
Founded in 2012, RV Lifestyle is a thriving community dedicated to RVing and travel. Its operations, which continue to be operated by Mike and Jennifer Wendland, features an RV travel blog, YouTube channel, RV podcast and RV books and newsletters.
In addition, RV Lifestyle has a Facebook Group with over 482,000 members. Actually, the Facebook Group is the driving reason for the Wendlands to launch a private, members-only forum. Facebook has become overrun with fake user accounts, trolls spewing negativity, and spammers, plus there’s growing concern over Facebook’s AI-fueled algorithms that track its users’ online habits, Mike Wendland told RVBusiness.
“The biggest pushback we have had about Facebook and all social media is the bombarding of ads,” he said. “Facebook is just insane now with AI (artificial intelligence). Literally, if you just think about a product or something, suddenly you’re bombarded with ads about it. I don’t know how that works, but that happens.”
In addition, Wendland said they would prefer to offer a forum without advertising so users can enjoy meaningful discussions and resources without distraction, and RV Lifestyle can avoid any appearance of being biased toward any one particular company.
“Moving to a paid membership model creates a more dedicated and engaged community, filtering out spammers and trolls,” he told RVBusiness. “Members who value the forum will be more likely to contribute positively, enhancing the overall quality of discussions.
“It’s like a gated campground in a digital space,” he said, adding that the new forum is easily searchable – unlike the Facebook Group.
“When you post a question on Facebook, it’s up and it’s gone,” he said. “When you try to find it five minutes later, you never will find it. They’re so big and they have so much to track that they can’t archive all their stuff.”
Starting at a modest $4.99 per month, the new forum offers three subscription levels – think of them as “good-better-best” – each with varying degrees of benefits. The forum features about two dozen different discussion groups centered around a specific topic, such as amateur radio, e-Bikes, land ownership and traveling with pets. That’s another feature not available with a Facebook Group.
Wendland was quick to point out that none of RV Lifestyle’s existing platforms will be going away, and the new members-only online forum is over and above those offerings.
“I’m really excited about it,” he said. “We’re not changing the structure of it – it’s a forum – but it’s much more advanced and it’s totally centered around RVs. And I go live on there. We now do two live streams a week with instant Q&A, with guests every now and then.
“A smaller group allows closer relationships,” Wendland continued, “with members who become true friends, not anonymous posters. It creates a real family feeling. Fun and friendships are our main goals, all set in a caring community of other RV Lifestyle enthusiasts.”