Tesla launches a social platform and closes its forums
Tesla has launched a new social platform across its website that aims to allow brand owners and fans to take action on behalf of Tesla and the movement for cleaner energy.
And the new social platform called Tesla Engagement contains information about how Nebraska residents can help support the company's push to allow direct sales and services in the state.
It also includes information about upcoming events for the owners, and fundraisers for disaster relief in Texas after a recent winter storm.
The first post on the new social platform says: Tesla Engagement is a new platform for both Tesla's public policy team and Tesla owners' clubs.
The goal is to create a digital home base for all of our businesses, making it easier for members of the Tesla community to see what's on top of our interests, to take targeted actions, and to stay close.
Users of the platform can comment on posts and like what others write, and they can also follow individual accounts to stay informed of other users' comments.
Meanwhile, Tesla shut down the old forums section of its website.
While there are many forums related to Tesla at the moment, company forums were one of the first places where interested owners and buyers could gather and discuss the good and bad about the company's products.
Also, the forums were unmoderated, which led to constant problems with spam and trolls.
A notification appeared at the top this week telling users that forums are becoming read-only starting March 15th.
The Tesla Engagement platform appears to be an attempt to harness the strong enthusiasm of the company's supporters by focusing some of the work they were doing on their own.
Silicon Valley's Tesla Owners Club raised $ 10,000 to support the Del Valle, Texas community that surrounds the area where the company's new factory is being built, and Tesla owners have long pressed governments to adopt green energy policies.
The new site makes it easy for people to apply for membership in local owner clubs and watch upcoming events.
It also tracks Tesla's recent efforts to woo fanatical supporters deeper, like when the company began taking questions from retail shareholders about its earnings.
As an interaction platform, there is also a comment system, which a number of users have used to share ideas for improvements.
Some want a better direct line to the company's often criticized customer service department, but one of the most popular suggestions so far is to keep the old forums, or at least replace them with something similar moderated across the new site.