it seems to me that we don't have very many members... around 350 or so...


i think it might be a good idea to have a 'write up' for people that are thinking about becoming members.. basically a write up that engourages prospective new members to join and start posting topics... i would like the write up to basically say that we don't have the negative attitude that some -other- forums do, we're here to help...

the atmosphere on this site is really like being in the paddock at an event.. pretty much anybody will help out if they can


a lot of us are pretty much out of questions... some new faces with the same old question will freshen things up around here and keep us on our toes


i mention it becasue after reading the rules for CC.com many moons ago, i know there's no way i'll ever become a member there.. i don't like the attitude of the posting rules.. i don't care what that site has to offer..... you don't talk to people like that in real life, so why do it on a forum?...

I am a CC member and I think I have a whole 7 posts so far (in over a year). That is one of the places that I don't talk much (there has to be one place, I guess that's it).

I think the attitude here is pretty laid back and that is a good thing. I think it shows in the posts and the replies and the fact that you rarely see any real arguements around here. Mostly just friendly ribbing and good answers.

I think member growth is important. I also think that answering the "which is the best lid" question every 2 weeks gets a little old. Not saying that we are not all glad to help, because we, as a group, are willing to lend a hand. I think we are growing steadily and developing a great "core" group to build from. As people refer friends and people from the track to the board, I'm sure that will continue. But I guess an "updated" welcome aboard message couldn't hurt either.

It's not fair to compare this site to CC.com, because the reasons the two sites exist are different. CC.com is a very high-level, tech-oriented discussion. You'd better have your facts together if you're posting there. FRRAX is a more laidback atmosphere, as has already been said, more like a paddock discussion. Don't get me wrong, FRRAX has tech too, but the tech is not its raison d'etre.

FWIW, I am a "regular" on CC.com, friends (face-to-face) with several other "regulars" on there, but I have a very low post count relative to them. I am a strong believer -- on any forum -- in quality over quantity. If I don't feel I have something to contribute to a thread, I just plain don't contribute. It's that simple. <shrug>

Karen
rule #1 for CC.com : do not get involved in political discussions...

Karen,

I agree that they are completely different places. And I think that is a good thing (at least here) and both are useful. I didn't mean to infer that my low post count was due to anything other than your "if you don't have something to contribute, just don't" rule. It is that very rule that keeps me out of trouble there. I don't talk much, I do "lurk" however. And as with any group of racers, I'm sure that they are great folks to see at the track and I may know a few (that I didn't even know I know) from various track events and working pit crew for an AIX car when I have time.

I was just trying to say (and not very well) that we welcome the "new" enthusiast to our membership and we skip the ritual of "trial by fire" to which CC subscribes. I like to think that we have the approachable "paddock" attitude and I'm sure that is here to stay. I hope that any potential new members will pick up on that very quickly.

And, rule #1 is excellent advice.

I wouldn't focus too much on growing the forum. If you think about it, the site is dedicated to a group of people which gets smaller every year - F body owners. Therefore, I think the site should remain laid back, and when people find us, they are welcome.

I think it's entirely too easy to forget your core group if you focus too much on growth. IOW, what we have works, don't start making sacrifices to try to grow the site. Those sacrifices will come when members start seeing too many of the same questions over and over again with very little new info to hold their attention. I have to admit if I start seeing the same questions over and over again it does turn me off a forum. Searches are a good thing when someone is new. That is one philosophy from CC I agree with.

F-Body owners who are dedicated Autocrossers and Road Racers is a pretty small group, that's why this board isn't very big. But also keep in mind we've only been open since December.

There are probably several thousand casual enthusiasts that would spend time here but are too loyal to other sites like LS1tech.com and Camaroz28.com. I think 95% of the serious racers are here already.

I'll be glad to post a new member welcome statement, but I don't think its terribly necessary, so I'm not going to write it. But if this post is you volunteering then by all means, make a try at it and I can spiffy it up if needed.

my line of thought is a little different..

what would happen to your local autocross events if no new members ever came?.. at some point, there would no longer be any autocross events..... which is OK for the rest of YOUR life span, but at some point you were taught the things that you know now...


i also think it's good to get people interested in road racing- if they're going to race or not.. it's still a good thing to have fans..


anyway.. i'm not looking for any in-depth convo about this.. if you guys don't like the idea then that's fine with me...

Its not that I don't like the idea, I just question how necessary it is.

To get new members you have to get them here first. If that is done, I think the site sells itself if they browse a few posts.

But a welcome statement doesn't help if they aren't here to read it.

The easiest thing members can do is put links to this board in their sigs on other boards they visit.

I think what you're suggesting would be a nice touch to add to the site, but I don't think it would accomplish what you were intending, based on what I said above.

Like I said, I'll be happy to post and pin it if you want to write it.

Maybe they wouldn't be like the last autocross I went to--250 or so people (only a very small portion of them were there for any other reason than to show off their mAd sKIlZZ and pHAt RiDE to their friends), was there from morning till dark, got only two runs.... Too bad there was no Wiki to make people read before they could enter the lot.

That's much like what the Autocross & RoadRacing forums on other boards become. More noise, less signal. Growth, quality growth, is great. Growth for the sake of growth is not. I've personally emailed the link to this site to many F-Body racers, both present and future. But a blanket, "Hey everybody, come join this site!" recruitment of anybody who happens to own an F-Body is the last thing we should do IMHO.

When this site becomes the place for F-Body owners to come and ask, "what springs will lower their ride 4" so it looks cool cruising main but won't scrape bottom with their $5000, 2000lb stereo system and cost no money" is when it will loose its value for those who are here now.

hehe.. it couldn't possibly be that bad

the first event or two of the year is a madhouse here too(well over 200 for the first and right at 200 for the second this year)... but i don't seem to notice those types of people


you make it sound like the Fast and the Furious pull up in the paddock

They do here on occasion. But, on occasion a few come back minus 400 lbs of bodywork and the 19" rims. Those are fun to watch. The change is amazing as it happens, it is worth the cost of admission. I really mean that, it is great to see someone get "bitten" and begin to change both car and driver.

Speaking of transforming drivers, I think I've finally decided to try to make it to an Evolution school this year. I'd like to get Sam to drive my car (he knows the setup and is not a fan of it, and I am of the opinion that it, and I, could be faster) and see how bad I get beat in my own car. And then, how bad he beats "him in my car" in his car.


Sam, if you happen to catch this post, when will you be teaching "near" Columbus, Oh or the Martinsburg, WV, Frederick/Hagerstown, MD area (I have family there and will drive)?

I guess I need to find the evolution website (haven't looked yet).

well.. i will admit that one time at a Big-Money-Waste event the Fast/Furious did make an appearence... but BMW events are more geared for the non-competitive type of racers anyway..

I think one of the things that could benefit all of us, both current and future members, is a "Mods/Tips" section. We could post descriptions and pictures of how we have improved our vehicles, providing everyone a chance to see how to make the modification. Another thing to include in these posts would be tools needed, or preferred techniques.

I know it seems like we are already doing this within the various sections of this site, or have already done this somewhere else, but if we locate some of the more common items into a "Mods/Tips" section it may alleviate some of the repeat questions. Maybe if a thread develops enough info, it could be moved to the Mods section as well.

However, the only stupid question is the one that doesn't get asked. I get a little frustrated when I see people post and say, "use the search feature" or potentially appear rude to a new person. What is obvious to some is not always to others. I'm not saying don't use the search feature, but sometimes, the info doesn't always come up. It may not be that person's intent, but sometimes, words may appear more rude to the reader than to the writer (and it may not be the writer's intent, either). Look at it from the parts counter guy's perspective - he has to answer the same darn question every day - EVERY DAY. I would just ask that we all take that into consideration when others ask about something they don't know.

Sorry for the soap box rant - now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

I've been reading corner carvers for a while, registered a few months ago, but still haven't posted. I'm kind of afraid to, seeing that I'm still a beginner. At least here I get a slap on the wrist for making a dumb comment, rather than getting banned like the CC.com crowd might do.

I enjoy this site because it filters out a lot of the posts like: "I HAVE A 1994 CUMERO AND WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK OF THE RKSPORT BIG BLOCK HOOD AND DO YOU THINK IT WILL GO WITH MY 20 INCH SPINNERS THANKS JOE".

Overall I feel that this site is at that sweet spot where I can learn a lot and still be able to add to some of the discussions.

i like that 'Mods/Tips' idea Rob...

there is a lot of documentation on the internet that explains how to do modifications, but that documentation can be hard to find..

bringing it together on a nice site like this would be awesome