I'm on the site several times a day......I've thoroughly enjoyed being a member since I joined over a decade ago. Like others, DB gave me a hard time at first, but when he learned I wasn't a picker and was here for the knowledge, history, and was a true collector, we became friends and chatted via email back and forth, even up to the night before he died. I too noticed the changes immediately after DB was gone, but obviously it all can't be attributed to just that. My personal experience has been with the increase in hobbyists and prices, I simply am not much of a player in the hobby anymore. I built a nice Mobil collection most any collector would be proud of, mostly before the market skyrocketed. I couldn't afford to replace half of the items I own at today's prices. I still add items as I can, but I'm not as aggressive as I once was as with time I've lost the "have to have it all" attitude towards collecting. Another will come along......and at the price I'm willing to pay. Besides, I'm darn near out of room, lol!!
In regards to replying to posts on OG, I try to help with questions that I am able. I read most all posts on OG, but I am not an "expert" or knowledgeable about
a lot of aspects of this hobby. I don't collect pumps, as I don't have much room for them. So while I may read your post asking which pump this handle this fits, I wouldn't have a clue! Others are trying to gain more knowledge from reading all the posts as well, they are not there to answer the OP's question. I no longer participate in the value section, as after many answers and not even a simple "thank you" after answering the question, I determined most, not all, but most of the people using that section abuse it. A great many of us on here have gained our knowledge in our specific areas of expertise by years and years of research, or by many years of "doing", as with pump restorations. With today's instant gratification society, people expect answers quickly and thanklessly, as it's expected to get an answer right away with a quick Google search. I don't think it's wrong to expect to be thanked for sharing knowledge that took you years to acquire, and you can get discouraged pretty quickly when you help and get no reply from the original poster. I've spent many hundreds of dollars buying literature, pamphlets, employee magazines, etc. put out by Socony-Vacuum and Mobil Oil Corporation over the years, and have gleaned much knowledge from it. It wasn't free to me.......
A final thought......I also think many of us established members aren't posting due to privacy concerns. This isn't in regards to answering questions, but about general participation. I had mentioned in another thread about theft that I'm not posting in BOTW anymore myself, as you're certainly putting yourself out there when you do. I know folks will say they're personally well protected, but I'm not going to get shot at over a damn Mobiloil can, lol! Just my 2 cents.....
Happy collecting,
Darin
I guess I should add I'm not on Facebook at all....I'm off the grid!
