Future direction of the forum

[Bobby]

This forum has been an amazing resource for me. I must admit, though, as an owner and fan of the car, I am getting tired of the “here’s why I’m not buying…” and “how do I get my deposit back” posts. I’m starting to hope for a bifurcated site with owners in one branch and non-owners elsewhere, with some sort of gatekeeping logic. Am I the only one with these thoughts?

 

[TakeDuo]

I agree. Since I own the car (as the site’s name implies), I have no idea how you get a deposit back nor can I provide constructive feedback on why you shouldn’t buy this car.

I often wonder if some are just trolls stirring up some FUD in the community and aren’t even reservation holders.

 

[Fischman]

I agree. It’s an OWNERS Forum. NOT a IDont want to be an owners forum.

 

[Overcharged]

This is the world of car forums
Winds change or in the case the Fed is doing what it can to F up the economy
More options in the market for the consumer
Dealerships are not wrong when they focus on selling what they have on the lot, we are impatient, some folks will tire of waiting for their car and move on
The White House owes favors to the Unions and rigged the EV tax credit against participants like Lucid, and that loss of the credit will take some more customers out
Then you have some of the issues with folks having problems with their cars or delivery or something else and that tears some more folks away from the brand
We are early in the Lucid story board, I would say just have fun with your car, read what you care about here and skip the other stuff
I feel everyone is able to make good points (if they want to), some will bash and pile on, that is pretty much the way it goes on most forums

 

[hydbob]

This forum has been an amazing resource for me. I must admit, though, as an owner and fan of the car, I am getting tired of the “here’s why I’m not buying…” and “how do I get my deposit back” posts. I’m starting to hope for a bifurcated site with owners in one branch and non-owners elsewhere, with some sort of gatekeeping logic. Am I the only one with these thoughts?

Meet me outside

 

[HariK]

This forum has been an amazing resource for me. I must admit, though, as an owner and fan of the car, I am getting tired of the “here’s why I’m not buying…” and “how do I get my deposit back” posts. I’m starting to hope for a bifurcated site with owners in one branch and non-owners elsewhere, with some sort of gatekeeping logic. Am I the only one with these thoughts?

I even went to the extent of suggesting that we require some proof of actual reservation as a minimum. We can ask enough questions to make it harder to be a member and not just an honor system like we have now.

 

[izNos]

This forum has been an amazing resource for me. I must admit, though, as an owner and fan of the car, I am getting tired of the “here’s why I’m not buying…” and “how do I get my deposit back” posts. I’m starting to hope for a bifurcated site with owners in one branch and non-owners elsewhere, with some sort of gatekeeping logic. Am I the only one with these thoughts?

spot on.

 

[Joe]

The staff and myself are all ears and welcome suggestions. In the end, this is still a forum and will be majorly public. We understand those types of topics can be mood killers, and if a forum member would like to avoid seeing those types of topics, we want to work on a solution to make the experience better. Negative comments are also helpful for Lucid to see and improve upon if appropriate.

Regarding gatekeeping, we are not sure how that is sustainable. Sure we can request proof of ownership, but how do we continually monitor that they still own the car? Also, there are many non-owners who have provided tremendous feedback and value to the forum.

We are brainstorming on the backend. Please post any suggestions you may have.

 

[Impatient7536]

probably some combination of

1) basic verification (reservation, confirmation, owning car, etc)- shows having skin in the game. if they dont want to do that, then they can stay a lurker and just use the search function
2) tags- rn, the tags we have aren't that useful. like im a "well-known" member, even though i really shouldn't be. i just read a lot and asked a lot of questions in the beginning. # of messages shouldn't be the main factor in giving these tags. additional tags such as ownership duration, etc should be added. personally, i'd like to add occupation and age (i know that's in the user profile page), but having it shown on the side probably is more useful.
3) small questionnaire/quiz- some fb groups do this before admins approve request to join
4) some sort of wiki FAQ sidebar- directs a lot of common questions and info to the mega-threads that we have.
5) more active moderation- sorry mods , but if certain basic low effort question/threads keep popping up, lock the thread, direct them to the mega-thread (like how some mods have been doing with the EV tax credit discussions derailing other threads), and give them a warning. we're all grown ups here. using the search function should not be that hard.

as for a lot of the FUD, that's a lot more subjective. personally, i enjoy reading certain people's posts about the shortcomings, because they tackle it in an objective and systematic way. unfortunately, they are in the minority. most are emotionally charged "woe is me" rants.

 

[Neurio]

The increasing negativity and the topics that get posted 50 different times are annoying, that's for sure. But I have to say that many of us joined this forum before we were owners. I first started looking here years ago after Hawk posted the Gravity prototype leaks. Back then, posts were few and far between and no one was an 'owner.' This forum has grown leaps and bounds and there are many non-owners who have provided a ton of insightful comments (see @joec and his essay responses to almost every inquiry, among many others).

I fear this forum will lose its way if we turn it into a Haves and Have Nots divided forum. I don't have a great solution for the issues mentioned, but have enjoyed my years here and don't want the forum to get lost down a rabbit hole.

 

[Drendino]

This forum has been an amazing resource for me. I must admit, though, as an owner and fan of the car, I am getting tired of the “here’s why I’m not buying…” and “how do I get my deposit back” posts. I’m starting to hope for a bifurcated site with owners in one branch and non-owners elsewhere, with some sort of gatekeeping logic. Am I the only one with these thoughts?

I couldn’t agree more. I miss the good old days when everyone bitched and moaned about software issues in the car that they owned instead of software that is not included in a car that they will never own.

 

[stevelitchfieldpark]

The staff and myself are all ears and welcome suggestions. In the end, this is still a forum and will be majorly public. We understand those types of topics can be mood killers, and if a forum member would like to avoid seeing those types of topics, we want to work on a solution to make the experience better. Negative comments are also helpful for Lucid to see and improve upon if appropriate.

Regarding gatekeeping, we are not sure how that is sustainable. Sure we can request proof of ownership, but how do we continually monitor that they still own the car? Also, there are many non-owners who have provided tremendous feedback and value to the forum.

We are brainstorming on the backend. Please post any suggestions you may have.

But negative comments from Trolls can't be very helpful to us or Lucid

 

[SaratogaLefty]

This forum has been an amazing resource for me. I must admit, though, as an owner and fan of the car, I am getting tired of the “here’s why I’m not buying…” and “how do I get my deposit back” posts. I’m starting to hope for a bifurcated site with owners in one branch and non-owners elsewhere, with some sort of gatekeeping logic. Am I the only one with these thoughts?

There are alternatives that you will become aware of soon.

 

[Joe]

I have setup a new forum (Reservations / Cancellations / Feedback) located under the Lucid Motors section. We will move these type of topics to this forum. I have also set it up so threads are not shown in the sidebar latest posts. Hopefully this should help and we will continue to tweak as needed.

Feedback and suggestions are always welcome and we will continue to listen.

 

[hellolucid]

I don't agree with OP here. this will lead to fanboyism (cough cough r/teslamotors). IMO we should encourage all kinds of discussions. if you don't like a thread, you can always move on to the next thread. maybe forum can have a separate section for pre-purchase questions and people who don't like questions from non-owners can ignore that section?

 

[Joe]

probably some combination of

1) basic verification (reservation, confirmation, owning car, etc)- shows having skin in the game. if they dont want to do that, then they can stay a lurker and just use the search function
2) tags- rn, the tags we have aren't that useful. like im a "well-known" member, even though i really shouldn't be. i just read a lot and asked a lot of questions in the beginning. # of messages shouldn't be the main factor in giving these tags. additional tags such as ownership duration, etc should be added. personally, i'd like to add occupation and age (i know that's in the user profile page), but having it shown on the side probably is more useful.
3) small questionnaire/quiz- some fb groups do this before admins approve request to join
4) some sort of wiki FAQ sidebar- directs a lot of common questions and info to the mega-threads that we have.
5) more active moderation- sorry mods , but if certain basic low effort question/threads keep popping up, lock the thread, direct them to the mega-thread (like how some mods have been doing with the EV tax credit discussions derailing other threads), and give them a warning. we're all grown ups here. using the search function should not be that hard.

as for a lot of the FUD, that's a lot more subjective. personally, i enjoy reading certain people's posts about the shortcomings, because they tackle it in an objective and systematic way. unfortunately, they are in the minority. most are emotionally charged "woe is me" rants.

1. I think it's important to allow potential future owners a platform to interact with actual owners. Lucid is a new brand, and I can see potential buyers wanting a community to be apart of before making their purchase decision. A lively community forum definitely helps with that.
2. This is a generic ladder system by the forum system. I do agree with your suggestion here and will get to work on something better and catered to our community.
3. This is mainly for bot/spam prevention.
4. Good idea. Will look into a way to educate new members.
5. The staff and I will discuss.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Joe]

But negative comments from Trolls can't be very helpful to us or Lucid

Agree. Please report any trolling comments and the staff will review it.

 

[Drendino]

I have setup a new forum (Reservations - Questions / Cancellations / Feedback) located under the Lucid Motors section. We will move these type of topics to this forum. I have also set it up so threads are not shown in the sidebar latest posts. Hopefully this should help and we will continue to tweak as needed.

Feedback and suggestions are always welcome and we will continue to listen.

Most excellent!

 

[DRWHO42]

I found this forum to be very helpful. In some cases all I have to do is search and there is someone who had a similar experience, question, or issue. Most recent was an odd question I had when looking over the contract — found the answer here. Or tips on cleaning —- plenty of suggestions here which I am exploring.

I do tend to avoid the rabbit holes of negativity or pointless debate since they do not add value. I do pay attention to odd occurrences and tips provided so when I get my car (which is soon) I will have an idea where to start (thanks to everyone for that).

There are some good ideas here to consider to reduce trolls from overtaking things. Construction feedback is great and it should be encouraged - yes Lucid is not perfect but who is.

Just my two cents.

 

[hmp10]

Everyone on this forum was a non-owner for its first months of existence, as no cars had yet been delivered.

During that time I visited two Lucid Design Studios a total of three times, and on those visits I got some questions answered but also found new ones arising. I found this forum a very helpful place to see whether other potential buyers had gotten different answers (which was often the case), developed different questions, or had formed a different opinion from mine on a matter of interest and why.

I have also been a Rivian reservation holder for almost four years and used the Rivian forum the same way. I have now owned a Lucid for almost a year but will probably forgo delivery of the Rivian (if I ever actually get a contact regarding my Launch Edition order from February 2019). Both forums played key roles in these decisions to buy and not to buy. I was lucky to have two Lucid Design Studios within reasonable driving distance of my home. Unfortunately, no Rivian showrooms are within hundreds of miles of my home. Many potential buyers of Lucid will not have a Design Studio within convenient reach. They need to have access to this forum to aid in their decisions.

The Lucid Air is a phenomenal car -- the best of the many, many I have owned over the decades. But Lucid has been no more immune to the early delivery issues every other car manufacturer, whether new or long-established, encounters. And these unusual times of pandemic and prolonged supply chain disruptions have increased those issues. Whether Lucid's fault or not, there have been production and delivery issues with the car that would be enough to put some potential buyers off.

If they're grappling with such issues, I'd much rather they have access to a forum such as this to help with their decision making than have them rely on the internet and press where so many reports are full of hyperbole aimed at generating clicks and reads rather than conveying a balanced perspective.

Will some trolls make their way into our midst? Yes . . . welcome to the internet age.