E-cigs, vaping trends, ECF membership

[AttyPops]

I've watched membership grow in ECF (yea ECF!) over the last 5-6 months. I was pondering the popularity of e-cigs, and wondering if the number of e-cig users is leveling off, growing slowly, or growing exponentially.

You know... you hear about e-cigs, tell two (or more) friends, they each tell two friends, and so on.... However, the membership counter doesn't seem to be growing as fast as I would have thought.

My guess is that e-cigs are still growing, that the "false information anti vapers" would be defeated, and that vaping will eventually take over for the majority of population. It's just strange, I would have expected ECF's counter to be well over 50,000 members by now! I'm not sure there is a 1:1 correspondence between ECF's counter and the popularity of vaping, but.... it begs the question.

Do you think the early adopter market is getting saturated? That it is leveling off? Did the anti-vaping propaganda scare people off? Or is everything still making good progress toward a healthier population?

Just a curious discussion topic for a slow morning...

 

[axolotly]

Just one thought that comes to mind is that not everyone is the participatory type when it comes to forums. At any point, when you check out how many people are online on the home page, there are as many or more (or about the same) guests than members reading the forums. A great metric would be how many new unique visitors ECF gets on a daily basis, and then look at that data on a trending basis (although I wouldn't ask or expect ECF to release that information). I know that I have been interested in a lot of subjects and lurked related forums for information and never bothered to register.

 

[Automaton]

Well, I do know that the Google Trend for "e-cigarette" has kind of leveled off lately.
Google Trends: e-cigarette

But, I also know that I saw two vapers randomly wind up in the same room together for the first time recently.

Prior to when I started vaping, I only met 2 vapers, over a year apart. One of them I actually knew by proxy of someone else.

But I went to a Halloween party, and there was another woman there who also had an e-cig. Two people at the same small house party? Never seen that before.

So I'd say the word is still getting out. In what capacity, I'm not sure.

 

[mistinthewoods]

I live in a rural (very rural) area in southern Michigan. I was in a resale shop in our small town saturday talking to the proprietor about ecigs and puffing away on my 5 volt GLV when a local farmer asked what I was smoking. When I told him it was an electronic cigarette he said "I bought one o' them from a gas station and it don't work like that"
I'd say word is still getting around. At least around here. This thing is growing faster than ever in my literal neck of the woods.

Oh yeah, Hi Cassie!

 

[Automaton]

He he, hi!

I bet a lot of the folks out where you are would like a rough-and-tough mod. You could really get the word out with something like that. All you gotta do is show them how it vapes, then stomp on it a few times, and then pick it up and take another puff. They'll be sold.

 

[mistinthewoods]

I would do that Mistress but I laminated my GLV with a celtic knot design in burl maple and walnut veneers. Don't really want to stomp on that.

 

[Brego]

I think the PV market has gotten far too large for anyone who takes up vaping now to be thought of as an early adopter. There are so many different brands and models of PV's, and mods that it is past the early adopter stage.

If the number of e-cig users is leveling off due to anything, it is a lack of marketing. I found out about vaping completely by accident ~1 month ago and I am stunned by how large a phenomenon it is with more makers/vendors of PV's and juice than I can count and I knew nothing about it. It is almost like it is being kept quiet on purpose. Where I live I have never seen another vaper or heard anyone talk about it.

Why isn't vaping being marketed? Are television vape commercials prohibited? There should be a vaping industry promotion group doing the marketing. Why isn't there? I would think that cigarette smoking would all but disappear if vaping were being marketed.

 

[NSM925]

Vaping is definitely a specialty market. I have yet to meet another E-cig user out in public and still get tons of strange looks from people and I am constantly out in public at alot of different places. The younger crowd (18-30) hasn't even begun to catch on to this yet either. Most "kids" who smoke analogs are usually eager to try my Ego out when they see me pull it out, but they usually just come away thinking it's some kind of toy. They're too young and ignorant to care about their health and analogs are way too cool to trade in for a colorful little stick that blows out candy flavored smoke lol.

 

[mistinthewoods]

Why isn't vaping being marketed? Are television vape commercials prohibited? There should be a vaping industry promotion group doing the marketing. Why isn't there? I would think that cigarette smoking would all but disappear if vaping were being marketed.

Simple answer: All of the legitimate commercial interests are still too small to be able to afford such a campaign. I've seen ads for American Blue tip on little cable networks like "Ovation" but any honest companies aren't making enough profit at this point to buy air time.
If all the heavy hitters amongst the decent suppliers got together they might be able to buy a spot collectively (maybe). The oldest suppliers have only been in business for a few years still. It takes a while for a company to grow to the level required for this kind of action.

 

[mistinthewoods]

I have yet to meet another E-cig user out in public and still get tons of strange looks from people and I am constantly out in public at alot of different places.

Really???!!! In SF? I live out in the freakin' woods here in Michigan and I ran into a farmer with an ecig in my little town last Saturday. I got two ladies at the local pet supply vaping. One of them is selling 901 Riva kits. I got my boat mechanic turned on to ecigs last spring and he's been buying kits in bulk and selling them around the lake communities. This stuff's starting to boom around here. I was hoping this was a common trend.

 

[kpax]

A lady who works in a cig store told me that she knows of about 10 people who bought e-cigs and used them to successfully quit tobacco. (They also then quit ecigs). She only knows of one who continues to use ecigs after quitting analogs. That may be some of the reason too.

 

[NSM925]

You guys must be pretty lucky then. I haven't even tried to vape inside at a bar or anything yet for fear of being kicked out or shunned by the self righteous non-smoker. Yeah, even in SF, the most "liberal" city in the US.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

I know that there is no way I'm the only vaper in all of the Denver-Metro area! I know of at least two other vapers in my company, but I think I'm the only one who still goes outside at least once a day. Now that the cold weather is here, I probably won't be doing that anymore. Quite a few people have expressed interest in my eGo, especially since I vape exclusively and they see me with it all the time. I need to print off some ECF business cards to give to people.

I see more and more 7-11's carrying the XhaleO2 e-cigs, so I think that the idea is catching on slowly but surely.

 

[mistinthewoods]

You guys must be pretty lucky then. I haven't even tried to vape inside at a bar or anything yet for fear of being kicked out or shunned by the self righteous non-smoker. Yeah, even in SF, the most "liberal" city in the US.

Hmm... Maybe that's part of it. I'm a raging lefty but that's pretty rare where I live and I'm often amazed at how other professing progressives can be as judgmental and self-righteous as many fundamentalists.

 

[FreakyStylie]

Well, I do know that the Google Trend for "e-cigarette" has kind of leveled off lately.
Google Trends: e-cigarette

But, I also know that I saw two vapers randomly wind up in the same room together for the first time recently.

Prior to when I started vaping, I only met 2 vapers, over a year apart. One of them I actually knew by proxy of someone else.

But I went to a Halloween party, and there was another woman there who also had an e-cig. Two people at the same small house party? Never seen that before.

So I'd say the word is still getting out. In what capacity, I'm not sure.

I'm a Google Trend watcher too. It's really interesting to watch the terminology change. Plug electronic cigarette, or e cig in, and you see a respectable climb. Plug in personal vaporizer, and you get nada. Plug in Blu, and you vividly see when they have done intensive marketing campains.

My neck of the woods is pretty barren from any knowledge. Of course I live in a nanny state, so the authorities keep public knowledge politely hidden behind a blindfold.