By Chuck Woodbury
PUBLISHER
I wish RVtravel.com had a million subscribers. Then we could better battle all the misinformation out there created by artificial intelligence robots and content creators who know nothing about RVing, yet pretend they do.
For example, read the article below I found just poking around RVing websites.
It says that travel trailers can be as small as 33 feet. Read that again if you want. As small as 33 feet? So all those 15-footers out there, and those little teardrop-types … they don’t exist? I’m glad you’re not sitting with me right now because I am feeling a little nauseous.
Even the opening sentence is wrong: “Unlike RVs, trailers don’t feature an engine that powers them.” So trailers are not RVs? Oh, and trailers are pulled by hitches. So I don’t even need a motor vehicle? Just a hitch?
And fifth wheel trailers … they have a “mount on their rear!” Yes, that’s what it says — on their rear. Some aspiring RVer out there will believe that. And, notes the article, fifth wheel trailers can be “very long and heavy, which requires a more powerful truck.” More powerful than what?
And popup trailers? Oh, they feature “fold-up parts and you can usually see a canvas top”? Huh? “And since they are very light, you can tow them with a minivan”? But not an SUV, truck, passenger vehicle or even a motorcycle?
Wait, there’s more…
I don’t know where the article above appeared. But it could have been on hundreds of websites that claim to be authoritative sources of RVing information. Among them, they are misleading tens of thousands of RVers every day.
Like I said, I wish RVtravel.com had a million readers to help combat such misinformation, which is getting worse by the day. As a publisher of honest news, information and advice, competing with these bogus websites, blogs and social media sites is like playing whack-a-mole with hundreds of moles. I’m going crazy!
So, please, please, please, tell your friends about RVtravel.com and suggest they sign up for our newsletters. Help them learn what is true, and not get lured to websites and other places that spread lies. They can sign up at https://www.rvtravel.com/subscribe.
And if you haven’t done it already, become a voluntary paid subscriber to RVtravel.com. We’ll pump most of your contribution back to our writers, all RVers, all ethical, and all tempted to throw up at some of the false information purveyed by slimy publishers who only care about making a buck off you, and to hell with telling you the truth.
##RVT1093b
Re the article on the 33 foot trailer. Here is a link to the full article, which is sadly no better than the excerpted portion.
https://travel-mortrailersales.com/trailers-and-rvs/whats-difference-trailer-rv/
There are lots of people out there easily fooled into believing what they have read has some truth to it. They are relying on the author. The author, assuming there is one, is no more than the product of his education, tempered by his experience and his bias. As the educational system draws less and less from the truth, so goes the truth one finds in articles on the internet. AI draws upon what it reads on the internet to complete its articles. Why then suspect the truth to prevail?
With all the newbee who bought there first travel trailer we will see more dumb info. There should be a book soon travel trailers for dummy’s . I started out with a 24 foot travel trailer. bought a second 24 with better setup – A/C added. pulled both with a 3/4 ton pickup. Now I have a 29 foot , 32 foot counting tongue. Slide out rear kitchen and alot more. One thing I pull it with a One ton dually , it claims I could handle it with a 1/2 ton. But I would not want to stop if needed in a emergency. The best advice I can give anybody is not to pull any trailer without an equalizer hitch setup. This has save me more times , stopping fast when deer walk out in front of me. Cross wind let me say this again CROSS WIND! My pickup is load down with two atv , 1100 lbs , weight of 5 gas cans a generator , not to forget what is in trailer. 45 years now and small issue seem to crop up. And now with sale of trailer going nuts look out cost of camp ground will keep going UP!
After reading the original article I am totally confused. The company posting this should be ashamed. Even “our own” Johnny Robot would be embarrassed at how poorly written. The explanation about batteries was not poorly written – It made absolutely no sense. Boy am I glad that I did not do any internet research before I bought my RV.
As long as the general public is dumb enough to read horrible AI/influencer/clickbait articles (and then continue clicking on the links contained within them, generating revenue!) then they will continue to appear. Just like as we continue to watch divisive extremist political shows, they will continue to divide us with hate and present extremist nutmegs to vote for. We need to be smarter and reject stupid stuff.
This is another great example of why journalism, in all its forms, is so important to our society. It shows why journalism in the hands of the techno class, that write algorithms cannot ever become our source for news or editorial pieces.
Misinformation is no different than bad information. Algorithms are not autonomous and are written with outcome built in.
Our first ammendment will be nothing if journalist’s become computers or algorithms. Even if you disagree with a journalist, it is a human opinion that can be debated. If you think left or right tilted media and news is bad now, wait until it is in the hands of purple haired 23 year olds with utopian dreams for our future.
It is imperative that a law be written so every piece of AI journalism will have to be disclosed. Our 1st ammendment and moreover, our Republic is at risk. Journalists are the front line defense now, as they have been so for 250 years. If you think they are unfair…..
I love this idea. AI generated content MUST be labeled as such.
Chuck, Your frustration, and disgust is well founded, but hang onto your hat, it’s about to get a lot worse! It’s bad enough already with all the “digital nomads”, and “social influencers” out there rehashing topics that are as old as camping itself (how many ways are there to poop in the woods)? Come on! And when does one become an “expert” on anything on their first attempt (or 2nd, or 3rd)? It seems like everyone today who throws a sleeping bag, and porta-potty into a van has a blog, youtube channel “selling” their expertise (and their RV hack job).
And don’t forget the click bait! You HAVE to show a pretty girl taking an outdoor shower, or in some other provocative pose to entice viewers to their page, where they shamelessly plagiarize each others’ material.
The propagation of artificial intelligence is going to change the internet, social media, and society (and not for the better). Unfortunately this is not unique to our hobby, it’s everywhere!
100 percent correct Sven. Algorithms are outcome based and have censorship guardrails or parameters built in. Left or right, information or news can never be left in the hands of robots or computer algorithms.
For those on the left, negetive conservative algorithms will be written and those on the right, same. The internet is already changing definitions of words to fit desired perspectives and then will use those definitions to alter our observed realities.
Journalism is where our Republic will once again have to make it’s stand. The first ammendment is first for a reason and giving our ACCEPTABLE or APPROVED speech over to a computer algorithm is a bad idea.
Johnny just left out a few words in regard to fifth wheel
Like ” in the rear of a pickup truck “
I tried to help spread the word about RV Travel at our camp show but you never responded to my request. A little disappointed.
Hi, Steve. I just looked back through several months’ worth of your comments and I don’t see anything like that. Or did you send an email? (In that case I wouldn’t have seen it.) I’m sorry we missed the opportunity. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
My goodness! This makes me very pleased to support RV Travel, especially when such garbage is being published. Yikes, but also thanks for all you at RV Travel do to contradict such tripe! 🙂
Hi, Neal. And we are very pleased to hear your kind words and receive your support. We appreciate them and, as always, we appreciate YOU! Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Truck campers “are extremely affordable”…ha! Take a look at a Lance 1172 complete with two slides and an Onan Generator. Only $80,000.
I’v had 3 1172 now and see that the new price is over 90K plus, insane.
That’s hilarious! She uses the same ai!!
haha! That’s funny 😛
I agree with Steve grow up.
So, what’s the problem? It’s on the internet so it has to be true….. 😉
RV’S are a RV no matter how small
For they bring smiles from the short to the Tall
With a motor or not, a hitch or a 5th wheel
What is so grand is it brings us all zeal!
With apologies to Dr Suess
Well to me an RV is exactly what it says. Recreational Vehicle. It doesn’t matter how it gets there, it’s what it is used for.
So I guess that old adage is still true: Believe nothing you hear and half of what you read. Don’t focus on what they are saying, focus on why they are saying it.
I found the article talked about. Here it is: https://travel-mortrailersales.com/trailers-and-rvs/whats-difference-trailer-rv/
Yep, that looks like the original article: it has the exact wording and the same picture of an RV on the road. It’s a blog post written back in 2019 on the website of an RV sales and service company based in Canada.
So while it’s a terrible article with lots of factual errors, it’s not really an example of a junk news/informational website full of clickbait to drive ad revenue (there aren’t even 3rd-party ads on the site: they’re simple promoting themselves).
Grow up, please.