MSExtra & BGsoflex & MSefi Questions

[Blown88GT]

1. What is the relationship and/or association between msextra.com & bgsoflex.com & msefi.com
2. msefi.com. looks like the same as bgsoflex.com. One has "frames", the other doesn't.
3. Does bgsoflex & msefi concentrate on hardware & msextra concentrates on firmware?
4. If the association is really that close between them, then why 2 forums?

http://www.msextra.com/forums/index.php
http://www.bgsoflex.com/megasquirt.html
http://www.msefi.com/index.php

Maybe some historical information would be interesting to others & myself.

[jsmcortina]

Back in 2004, the MSEFI forum was created, effectively replacing the previous yahoo group.

Sometime around the end of 2006 (EDIT: Sept 2006) it was decided split up of the forum. MSEXTRA and the other Megasquirt related forums were created. Since then a number of additional domains have been added.

MSEXTRA.COM is maintained by Ken (muythaibxr) and I.
We also run MS3EFI.COM which originally hosted MS3 specific information. A number of years ago I merged the MS3EFI forum into the MSEXTRA one and effectively closed down MS3EFI.COM.

All of the other sites (MSEFI.COM, MEGAMANUAL.COM, MEGASQUIRT.INFO, MSRUNS.COM, MSGROUPS.COM, MICROSQUIRT.COM, MICROSQUIRT.INFO, MSGPIO.COM, USEASYDOCS.COM and perhaps more) are run by Lance and K. Holman (at least I believe that's still the case.)

B&G own all of the domains and pay for all of the webhosting.

The MSEXTRA.COM forum has six times the traffic of the other forums combined. (Based on the number of publicly viewable active topics in the last 7 days.)
The other forums prohibit the discussion of the MSEXTRA firmware.

For info, I have MEGASQUIRT.CO.UK which currently just redirects to MSEXTRA.COM. There are also some other Megasquirt sounding domains that are not connected to B&G.

I hope this somewhat answers your question.

James

[jsmcortina]

I missed out BGSOFLEX.COM - that's the website of B&G's company. The page there used to just be Megasquirt-1, but looks like it was updated 2-3 years ago to include some additional links.

James

[Blown88GT]

It does help, I'm glad I'm on the "right" forum.
If you can't keep up with it, how is a semi-newb like me supposed to? I guess I don't have to. I think I'm now on the up-slope of the learning curve.
Where do you find time to do all this? Is this your "real job"?

Car stuff from 2003 to 2010 was put on hold due to more pressing matters & I'm just trying to catch up on some things.

It was a Yahoo Group, interesting. I've had my Yahoo account for 15 years. Used to have a Geocities website when it was acquired by Yahoo.

If B&G owns all of the domains and pay for all of the webhosting, you would think they would want to consolidate. If not for the cost, but to reduce the confusion factor.

I know you're in the UK, who would have a Ford Cortina in the US, especially Florida? Except for my friend who has a garage full of 1960's Mini's & Riley's, all RHD, of course. Hope you like this, but you probably see them all the time, without the palm trees in the background.

[jsmcortina]

The MSEXTRA.COM forum has six times the traffic of the other forums combined. (Based on the number of publicly viewable active topics in the last 7 days.)

I did another study over the last 8.5 days, assessing how many new posts had been made per forum. (Method, "View active topics" and then look at the post number in the newest one.)

msefi 31
microsquirt 35
msgpio 20
msruns 3
msgroups 0
msextra 1174

I didn't expect those numbers. MSEXTRA has 93% of traffic.

James

[Blown88GT]

The MSEXTRA.COM forum has six times the traffic of the other forums combined. (Based on the number of publicly viewable active topics in the last 7 days.)

I did another study over the last 8.5 days, assessing how many new posts had been made per forum. (Method, "View active topics" and then look at the post number in the newest one.)

msefi 31
microsquirt 35
msgpio 20
msruns 3
msgroups 0
msextra 1174

I didn't expect those numbers. MSEXTRA has 93% of traffic.

James

This has more traffic that some of those: http://forums.corral.net/forums/megasquirt/

[racingmini_mtl]

This has more traffic that some of those: http://forums.corral.net/forums/megasquirt/

But this is not a Megasquirt forum but a Mustang forum. And the developers are not present there either which makes a big difference (even with presence of vendors).

Jean

[Blown88GT]

This has more traffic that some of those: http://forums.corral.net/forums/megasquirt/

But this is not a Megasquirt forum but a Mustang forum. And the developers are not present there either which makes a big difference (even with presence of vendors).

Jean

Don't get excited, just pointing it out. It does show how popular a 25 year old car still is. They could be the single biggest group of MS users. Most of them are unaware of this (MSExtra) forum, which is unfortunate.

[racingmini_mtl]

Don't get excited, just pointing it out.

Right back at you.

[jsmcortina]

Calm down guys !

So, how to spread the word and ensure that new users can visit the most active Megasquirt forum for support ?

James

[Marek]

Dear James,

That's very simple.

You join their forum and post that if they have trouble with finding an answer then they can always post their question here.

If they ask "Who the hell are you?", then you say, "I'm the guy who wrote the software."

kind regards
Marek

[DaveEFI]

Don't get excited, just pointing it out. It does show how popular a 25 year old car still is. They could be the single biggest group of MS users. Most of them are unaware of this (MSExtra) forum, which is unfortunate.

Surely most if considering an MS for the first time would Google it - and the forums are listed on the first page here.

[jsmcortina]

Surely most if considering an MS for the first time would Google it - and the forums are listed on the first page here.

Yes, that is likely what most prospective users will do. The results have a lot of other less up to date, less busy or less relevant stuff mixed in too. That might not help the user get the best experience.

James

[slow_hemi6]

Don't get excited, just pointing it out. It does show how popular a 25 year old car still is. They could be the single biggest group of MS users. Most of them are unaware of this (MSExtra) forum, which is unfortunate.

Surely most if considering an MS for the first time would Google it - and the forums are listed on the first page here.

Nope A lot of car guys are very cliquey. They stay at their home base car forums. They take the attitude that if Joe Blogs on our forum has done it and put up a how to, then all I have to do is copy that and bother Joe.

[jsmcortina]

Interesting note about the clique, yes that does happen. That might also explain why some groups still seem to want to use MS1, because their local "expert" hasn't heard of the newer stuff that's been released in the last 10 years. Any thoughts on how to help educate these guys? With so many forums out there, it seems like a near impossible task to reach them all?

James

[Raymond_B]

The best way to spread the word is through advocates (or, as some software companies call it "product evangelists") which I would think almost every person here is in one way or another with our projects. As an example, I have an old 1st Gen Ford Lightning truck that is soon to be up and running with MS3/MS3X. Believe me when I get done I'll post a nice build thread with pictures and links to this board, Diyautotune.com, etc. from the NLOC (National Lightning Owner's Club) forum.

But I also agree that if you can, and are inclined to do so, post in some of those other forums and link here. Slowly folks will say "yeah I saw how to do that on the msextra.com forum" or something similar. When I first started my Google journey I have found *tons* of Megasquirt info on RX8, Taurus, Miata, Mustang, etc, etc, forums.

Also I wonder if you could either add or maybe replace an older non-active sub forum with a "projects" sub-forum? I would love to see people posting their completed or in progress projects. A paint and body forum I go to all the time has a spot where professionals and amateurs alike post their projects and you learn so much from the posts. I know success stories is sort of like that, but really there's no place for the in progress stuff, 'cause really, are any of us ever done?

[subwoofer]

IMHO the best way to clear the confusion would be for B&G to call it quits in terms of firmware and point all their sites to msextra.com. But I know this is unlikely to happen. The number of domains with different content combined with the Soup Nazi moderation of said forums only adds to the cliqueing tendency, info is fragmented and thus people flock to their "local" gurus, however outdated they are.

What will help, is to add links to msextra.com in all relevant threads on car/brand specific forums, since this will increase the relevance weighting of msextra.com on all search engines, effectively pushing the forums and sites with less traffic off the first few pages of search results.

Just my two bits in the bucket, no accusations implied.

[racingmini_mtl]

... the Soup Nazi moderation of said forums ...

You made my day!

Jean

[Marek]

Another suggestion for the future might be that when you get to "MS4", you don't call it Megasquirt any more, but you rebrand it. So long as you carry the name "Megasquirt", you'll carry the past with you and that that entails.

kind regards
Marek

[jsmcortina]

MS3-Pro kind of does that already?

James