OK, I’ll admit it, I’m a freak for RVs. All kinds, Class A, Class C, even conversion vans have a soft spot in my heart. Maybe it’s because of the feeling of freedom I get on the open road, or the sheer comfort of some of these beautiful home away from home on wheels.

Today I spent sometime with total strangers, yet they were as friendly as my next door neighbors. A couple of my kids and I went to the Family Motor Coach Association www.FMCA.com convention held in St. Paul, MN at the state fairgrounds. There were thousands of homes, I mean vehicles, er, OK both in the parking lot. As quick as it took us to find a parking spot we also found new friends, a family from Pennsylvania, then another gentleman from Oregon and more and more from all over the country.

It struck me as we walked up and down the rows of motor coaches counting the different license plates, that we were standing in the middle of a very large, very diverse social network.

What are the some of the elements of a successful social network,

1. 1) similar interests
2. 2) some what complex or shall I say comprehensive information topics which stimulate knowledge sharing and interaction
3. 3) individual experiences that provide value to the greater group
4. 4) ample amount of potential user generated content

It’s all here at the FMCA conference. They have workshops from navigation to needlepoint, from microwave cooking to maintenance on generators. Yup, it’s a smorgasbord of information, ideas, people and stories.

Given all these ingredients it is a natural for RV social networks to flourish online. RV.net - the official blog of the open road is a winner, RV Travel.com , and RV There Yet has a great mash up with Google maps and a variety of RV location needs including, campgrounds, RV dumps, and Starbucks, (there will be less of those around).

Yet, I believe there is plenty of room for more RV social networks, perhaps built around the sub networks present in the RV community by either geography or motorcoach brand. There are also so many events, and rallies as the community calls them, that user generated content is a natural.

The beauty of this community is their love of meeting others. I had the pleasure of speaking with John Breisch, President of the Penn Coachmen, a group of motorhome enthusiasts in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. You can hear the joy in his voice of being a part of this “on the go” community that’s also happy spending a few days just sitting still and visiting. A conversation about the RV community with John Breisch One way to find dynamic social networks, look for people that enjoy people.

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