Engagement is absolutely critical if we are to attract and, as importantly, retain new blood in the hobby.  It doesn't have to be young but the younger ones may have many more distractions along the way than those if us perhaps a little more grounded and set in our ways.

I opened a Facebook page for my layout which really only shows some of the better pictures and doesn't go into discussion or detail.  But the reasoning behind it was in large part to use a social media channel as also used by very many younger (and not so young) folk to engage them in what I do and to draw some towards the hobby that way.

It's had some positive effect.  My images are typically seen by upwards of 1000 people and sometimes by far more - one recently reached 13,500 people - and I have almost 1200 actively engaged having "Liked" the page meaning they automatically receive and are notified of every post.

Exhibitions are one thing.  Their place in our hobby is assured for so long as others are willing to pay at the door and come in.  But the displays within must be of a standard worthy of the event and the door fee.  Social media is free to use and anyone can adopt a "take-it-or-leave-it" approach.  

It is one mouse-click to un-follow a page so it takes a fraction of a second to effectively turn ones' back on my posts there.  That's actually more of a challenge to me than keeping up appearances on show because it is so much easier to lose followers and the instant gratification generation - to whom we are trying to appeal - will just as instantly click a mouse and look elsewhere for their next "kick" if the interests cannot be sustained.

I have very recently found some model railway sites on face book and have joined two or three, from what i have seen and read there are quite a lot of younger people on there, some have been modelling for a while some are just starting so I think the hobby as a whole is in better shape than it appears.


Cheers, Pete.

Relevant point, Pete, in a way our saying here that the railway modelling scene is in decline is akin to the Chelsea Pensioners saying that the 'clubbing' scene in the West End is going down the tubes….


Doug

Do not forget that we need to get people through the door to entertain them.
//Start Soapbox
Since 1997 the company that I work for has owned an Internet Service Provider. It maintains a list of Australian Model Railway Exhibitions at Model Railway Exhibitions in Australia hosted TECH 2U Internet Services. This advertising is free. The company even supplies door or raffle prizes for shows when requested. Every year it is a fight just to get the people running these shows to tell us when their events are on. We often wonder how the hobby will fare into the future when free publicity is turned down.
//End Soapbox

Andrew

Its not just model show organisers who need to get their act together, in my other hobby vintage engines the magazine that caters exclusively for them, Stationary Engine, offers free promotion and advertising to show organisers and clubs but it seems like pulling teeth for the editor every year he offers free listing in the events guide but only a few shows take it up.I don,t know what the answer is but something for nothing seems a good deal to me!

Cheers, Pete.