I tend to agree, QQQ. From a democratic point of view, I believe competition is healthy in almost every case, and forces all players to deliver the best features and usability they can.
But from a selfish point of view, I don't want 5, 6, or 7 separate forums to search each time I need knowledge about something Airstream related. I already have to do that with Macintosh related questions whenever I have a problem. iPod battery life? MacCentral, Apple support, iPodlounge, and a million others may have the answer, I'll never know because I don't have a month to scour them all. It's fantastic when there's one or two major resources to look for something, and once you've been there, you don't need to waste your life wondering if you've missed a valuable differing opinion, or alternate conclusion, elsewhere.
But I'm not too concerned that dozens of forums will be able to compete for this particular segment's attention.
Look at the aesthetically pleasing, wonderfully functioning and couldn't-be-simpler-URL forum at Airstream.com that have been up since July '03. Based on the trickle of 3 or 4 new posts a day over there, I don't think airstreamforums.com needs to lose sleep over competition. (I'm sure they wouldn't anyhow, this obviously ain't about making money.) Besides the Patterson archives, the site we're at right now appears to be the greatest assembleage of information regarding silver bullets anywhere in the world, internet or otherwise.
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