I am curious about the various social media platforms folks like to use and why?
When I start riding bicycles back in 2013, there were no group rides in my area. A buddy and I started a FB bicycle club for the town and today it has 579 members with multiple group rides a week. Using FB to rally people together essentially made my town a cycling town. I've made a lot of new local friendships based on that FB group.
I noticed when I started riding motorcycles last year, that there just aren't that many (non-Harley) motorcycle riders in my town. So, I tried the same thing and started an ADV/DS FB group for the area to try and promote more rides. Today, it has 51 members. Several of them are also on TWT. I did a pickup ride last weekend from it that was a blast. Conversely, there aren't that many people in my local area that are on TWT.
When I meet riders in my area, I tell them about the FB group and TWT. I think in every instance so far where that has happened, they only join the FB group if anything.
My thought is most people don't "do" online discussion forums, but most are comfortable with Facebook. Since that seems to be the case in my area, I typically have a better chance of doing a ride in my area with people from FB. TWT is a good resource for me to find rides in other areas though.
For instance, are you a member of a FB motorcycle group? If so what do you like about it versus using a forum (not just TWT, but any forums)? Is it the ability to have all local content in one place versus looking through a list of threads on a forum? Is it the ability to have non forum members see your content?
I'm a member of several FB motorcycle groups. The first thing I like about Facebook over forums are the names. Real names.
I've been to a bunch of TWT events and I still don't know who I've met. When I meet someone at pie run or something and they say their name is Dave, I have no idea who they are in relation to the forum. I usually then ask what their forum name is and get something like, "Oh, I'm BatmanNinjaRider5000, but I don't post much." And then after I leave I can't remember if Dave is BatmanNinja5000 or if Tom is SomeBikeIUsedtoRidein1972butNotToday or was that Fred. So, I basically can't remember who is who.
The other thing I like about FB is its more region based. There are several DFW and North Texas ride groups that post rides and events that I would have never known about. There is a bit more diversity there. I occasionally go jump in on a Harley ride or other non-ADV ride after asking if others are welcome.
I also get notifications when things are scheduled on FB. If someone posts a ride to a group, I don't have to go find it at some point, its there from the get go. And if I click that I'm interested in the event, it reminds me that the event is coming up soon.
Do you use Instagram? WhatsApp? Something else?
I use Instagram, but not really much for motorcycle stuff. I have to follow Twitter a bit for work as well.
I originally started TWT to help riders find other riders, to help create communities of riders, to help folks organizes rides, etc,... One thing I have noticed over the years though is that sometimes a group might start forming on TWT, but then they will sometimes move off to some other platform. It might even be something as simple as a texting list on their phones, not just sites like FB. Some just stop posting about their rides completely once they have a small group of folks. I guess they don't want any new comers?
I saw that with bicycles as well. I get it. You find people that you get along with, ride the same speeds, similar abilities, same area, etc. and then its easier just to group text them and set something up. In a bicycle group, if everyone is capable of and enjoys doing a 60 mile ride at 18 mph and someone shows up that can only go 28 miles at 13 mph, it kind of messes up everyone else's ride. People only have so much free time to get out and do their hobby and they like to do it with those that can match what they want to do most times.
Having led group rides and trips for cyclists for so many years, I've become a bit more understanding of people with different skill levels. I don't mind going out on a slower ride with other riders that may not have the skills to ride at the same speeds I like to go, but I understand why there are many that might not feel that way and would rather have a tight knit group of riders that match up well.
Stuff I Do Like about TWT over FB:
They may be declining as a medium, but I still like online discussion forums. As many others said, TWT is one of the more civil discussion forums I frequent. At this phase of life, I don't have much time or interest in drama/negativity, so I avoid online discussions where people are ripping into each other. I don't see any reason to get into that kind of stuff anymore. It serves no purpose that I can see. Of course, that happens on FB, but it's pretty easy to block that stuff out of your feed there. So finding a discussion forum like that these days is gold.
There is also a wealth of knowledge here and people that genuinely like to share it. That's pretty cool. I've learned a ton here and try to reciprocate where I can, although being one of the newer riders, I don't have that much info worth sharing typically. I also appreciate the folks that try and setup rides and events here. Dave's Arkansas Dirt ride last year was a perfect example of that. Kevin's Ft. Parker camping trip we did recently was another. Rod setting up Strom-A-Thon is awesome.
In general, I find TWT to be a great place to hang out. A recent work change for me is going to likely limit my time on TWT going forward, so my participation levels are about to drop to some degree. I plan on trying to stay active on here as much as possible though.
Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!
