By Paul Sweeney and Emily-Fleur Peake.

Our group started as purely a Facebook group way back in early 2014 - since then it has grown massively and our online presence has spread across several different platforms. This article summarises where we currently are with them all and shows that each platform appeals to some extent to a different audience.

The early days of rapid exponential growth are behind us and we are now in a period of organic growth which we expect to continue with no dramatic rises or falls in membership numbers.

Our membership is loyal and mature with very few issues arising - the troublesome 'Wild West Days' are well behind us and the group has become 'low maintenance', allowing Admin to increasingly focus energies on the emerging platforms mentioned below as well as the group's real-world activities - driving tours, major shows and the like.

Our group Instagram account was launched last year and under Emily-Fleur's management it has flourished and is bringing us to the attention of a whole new audience - much as we hope YouTube will do in time. As well as reaching new audiences, Instagram is a great way to engage with other car clubs and some bigger names and companies in the classic car world that wouldn't necessarily interact with the Facebook group.

​It's interesting to see the high response levels on Instagram - probably reflecting a younger, more computer-savvy demographic who tend to favour Instagram over the longer-established Facebook platform that appeals more to an older demographic.

YouTube is our newest online platform. Although the channel was created in May 2021, the first video made specifically for YouTube was filmed during the Fat Lamb tour and published late in October. We are still on a learning curve in terms of video topics, photography/setup and editing & production but feel we are on the right track and hope to make major strides forward during 2022.

Our official website is several years old now and continues to function well as the home for news, blogs, photo galleries and our online shop (which is now also available on the Facebook and Instagram platforms). The design and content continues to evolve but as with Facebook our audience is mature and relatively stable.

The shop continues to provide a revenue stream which is fully reinvested in the group's activities, allowing us to fund - without any member subscriptions - ever-better large show stands and the purchase of more professional display equipment and other items such as a Go Pro camera to support our YouTube development plans.

Here are the activity stats for the last 4 weeks in our group; activity levels were up, suggesting we are providing some entertainment during lockdown.

From Admin

Here are the latest official stats for our group provided by Facebook. The "Top Contributors" category has been replaced with a Summary category but the Top Posts category has been retained to emphasise quality over quantity.

This month has seen a significant increase in all types of activity with a remarkable 679 new membership requests, over 137,000 posts, comments and reactions (likes etc) and our highest-ever total membership of over 24,000 - of whom a remarkable 18,300 are reported as "active".

From Admin

Here are the official Facebook stats for the period ending 20 August 2018. Activity levels in the group have picked up from the low point that coincided with the spell of hot weather in the UK. Membership numbers continue to rise but slowly as is usual at this time of year. Pleasingly, the numbers of active members is remarkably high at over 17,000.

Here are the latest monthly stats provided by Facebook. General activity levels and membership numbers were up as expected at this time of year. The number of active members remains impressive at an all-time high of 17,700+

by Admin 

Here are the official Facebook stats covering the last 28 days.

After a fairly prolonged period of reduced activity in the group recently, it's pleasing to see general activity levels increasing once more. USA membership numbers are continuing to grow steadily and it remains our second largest territory.

Here are the latest statistics for our Facebook group covering the 28 days to 18 March, 2018.

Here are the official Facebook stats for our group covering the 28 days to 17 February 2018.

As is normal at this time of year, activity and new member requests are a little down - however we hit a real highlight with the United States becoming the first country outside the UK to achieve 1,000 members - hence the joint flag graphic; welcome to you all! We are delighted that so many of you across the Pond appreciate British motoring heritage. 

Not only that, but we still have a remarkable 16,500+ members regularly posting, commenting or actively reacting to posts - we reckon that's a fantastic number!

Christmas and New Year are traditionally quieter times in the group, and the start to 2018 has proved no exception. Overall membership continues to increase - the USA in particular continues steady growth and remains on track to become the first country outside the UK with 1,000+ members during 2018.

We are very encouraged by the number of active members - we wonder how many other classic car clubs can claim they have more than 16k members actively contributing to group discussions?

Merry Christmas to you all - as I live in the future (OK then - New Zealand) its no longer Christmas Day for me, so I took time out to gather ye olde merry Facebook stats for those who wish to enjoy such things at Yuletide. Enjoy and see you next year!

Its monthly stats time and a major milestone for the group as we pass the 20,000 members mark. Increasingly, membership is becoming global with the USA reinforcing its position at #2. Hopefully this globalisation will continue as members from different countries, cultures and backgrounds definitely add interest to group discussions.

We have come a long way since the early days when every name posting in the group was very familiar, and there were frequent times when it seemed nobody was home.

Big thanks to my colleagues and friends in the Admin team Mike, Zebidee, Gar, Steve, Edwin and Andrew without whom it would all quickly dissolve into standard social media anarchy.

Also of course a big thanks to all of you, the members - in particular the loyal sorts who have supported us through thick and thin, helping us grow from the minnow we were not so long ago. We hope you will all stay with us and help us develop the group into an even more enjoyable place to visit in the future.

Here are the latest group stats provided by Facebook.

Overall activity levels have continued to be lower than in the months of Summer in the UK. This is also the first month I can remember where red/blue pill posts did not feature in the Top 10 most popular. 

Overall membership is almost 19500  - the next major milestone of 20,000 is now clearly in sight. The very encouraging rise of the USA as a significant source of new members continues - now numbering more than 700 and increasing faster than any other non-UK territory.
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Here are the latest group stats provided by Facebook.

As we have come to expect, the month of August being peak UK school holiday time has seen a slight drop in activity in the group. Its very pleasing to see that the top post was Gar Cole's message about poor Ian Cross and his accident. It says a great deal about the caring nature of our members that this thread attracted more comment and reaction than any other.

Here are the latest stats provided by Facebook for our group. This data is for the last 28 days to 19 July 2017