Bad Behavior

[Drew Dowdell]

I clearly have been away too long and the inmates have been running the asylum. 

I have absolutely had it with the bickering on this site about political crap and bigotry. My tolerance for such bull crap is down to 2% and the battery light is flashing. I am -->this close<-- to pulling the plug on the whole site because of all of the people who bring non-car dramatic crap onto my car website and can't even show an ounce of human decency towards each other and other human beings.

Talk about cars.... that's it!

I am watching.

To anyone who would bring political or bigoted crap to my website, I have a message from the Romulans for you...

 

[oldshurst442]

@Drew Dowdell @William Maley

I too have a message. In musical form

Thank-you

 

 

6 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

To anyone who would bring political or bigoted crap to my website

 

6 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I am -->this close<-- to pulling the plug on the whole site because...

 

Its like that and that's the way it is!     

 

(you know...COVID...) 

 

6 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I am watching.

 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Thanks for moderating the site. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Well, a second person got themselves put into a 5 day timeout.  This is not Reddit or 4chan.  This is a place for respectful discussion about cars.  I don't care if I have to ban everyone except Balth, Horse, Robert, and Dave.  After the year we just had the very least we can do is just be nice to each other.

But if you want to keep acting up.....

 

[oldshurst442]

Just to make it clear, Im laughing at the choice of the video. Nice choice! Fits in perfectly. 

But Im taking this very seriously, though!   

 

Just to make it clear. I wasnt trolling with the songs. Im in a very musical mood these past few days. It was a way to ignore.  It was a way to say all Im hearing is music.  Hence with the first choice of song.  

But message is understood. Has been for awhile. 

Bad boys with their bad behaviours...  

Boys will be boys. (gettin' into trouble) Baaad boys. Baaad boys. Boys will be boys...

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

I's a good boy. ?

[ykX]

So if I become premium subscriber I will not be banned?

[Drew Dowdell]

24 minutes ago, ykX said:

So if I become premium subscriber I will not be banned?

No. I’ve had to suspend premium members in the past.

[ykX]

@Drew Dowdell  If you don't mind me asking, why do you host this website and forum?  

Judging by the few premium subscribers and pretty low traffic on this website you still have to pay probably substantial amount out of your pocket (maybe I am wrong).

[Drew Dowdell]

1 minute ago, ykX said:

@Drew Dowdell  If you don't mind me asking, why do you host this website and forum?  

Judging by the few premium subscribers and pretty low traffic on this website you still have to pay probably substantial amount out of your pocket (maybe I am wrong).

We get enough traffic that the ads pay about 90% of the costs. If I have to throw $10 - $20 a month at it, it's no big deal, however, I haven't had to add money to the site checking account for a while now, so if I went and looked at the reports, it is probably self-sustaining since at least September.  It was not at all profitable when I was still traveling to all 4 of the car shows and 4 ride-and-drive media events each year.  I did those because I enjoyed them and yes that money came from my own pocket.

What I'm struggling with lately is not financial. In the past 4 years every. single. discussion. turns into a fight.... not just here... but Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, whatever.   I don't want this site to become a place where it's just flame wars all the time.  I want to come here to discuss cars.  Unfortunately, a number of people have done their part to kill my passion for this site with their near constant negativity about cars and/or people they don't like.  

This site will be 20 years old in August.  I'd like to see it continue into its 20s, but damn if some people aren't doing their best to kill it before then.  I'm just not sure how much fight I have left.  Where will my passion to write reviews come from if every article comment section turns into yet another flame war?  Is a flame war site some place you'd want to visit? (not just you, everyone)

If you guys just want to flame each other over stupid shit, I'll just leave the site running as long as it is financially self-sustaining, turn off notifications,  and go ride my motorcycle and you won't hear from me again... when something breaks, oh well.

Give me a reason to want to write again and run this place again...

[ykX]

Not too many reviews are being posted lately and only few people come here regularly, I think substantially less than it used to be (I have been "lurking" here for a long time before I started posting).  And by now everyone pretty much knows what everyone will say.   At the moment mostly we only get bombarded with David postings about EVs.  Almost no one  posts their experience with other vehicles except occasional review from William and balthasar occasional post on his progress with his project car.  

I come here because at the moment I am pretty slow at work.  However, before there were quite a few pretty knowledgeable people, and it was interesting to see their perspective.  Lately not so much.

Just my personal perspective.

Edited April 1, 2021 by ykX

[Drew Dowdell]

5 minutes ago, ykX said:

Not too many reviews are being posted lately and only few people come here regularly, I think substantially less than it used to be (I have been "lurking" here for a long time before I started posting).  And by now everyone pretty much knows what everyone will say.   At the moment mostly we only get bombarded with David postings about EVs.  Almost no one  posts their experience with other vehicles except occasional review from William and balthasar occasional post on his progress with his project car.  

I come here because at the moment I am pretty slow at work.  However, before there were quite a few pretty knowledgeable people, and it was interesting to see their perspective.  Lately not so much.

Just my personal perspective.

You're absolutely correct.  I pretty much stopped writing after Jan 2020 because I lost all my heart for it because of the flame wars.  Before that I was writing 4 - 6 news clips a day during the week and one or two vehicle reviews a month.  Plus William was writing regularly too.  William got a new job and could no longer devote time to the site, so that's why he doesn't post much anymore. 

The thing is, I want to get back into it. I keep telling myself I'm going to start writing again.... but every time I log in here there is some flame war going on.  Don't get me wrong, I love to debate stuff and I encourage it. But having a spirited debate and having a flame war are two very different things.... one person got himself suspended for 5 days because he was losing the debate and turned it into a flame war and added bigotry to the mix as well. And after I pulled the trigger on his suspension, I just logged off and left the site for a while out of frustration until I started getting e-mail notices that another flame war was going on.  Can you see why it would get exhausting?

[A Horse With No Name]

22 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

You're absolutely correct.  I pretty much stopped writing after Jan 2020 because I lost all my heart for it because of the flame wars.  Before that I was writing 4 - 6 news clips a day during the week and one or two vehicle reviews a month.  Plus William was writing regularly too.  William got a new job and could no longer devote time to the site, so that's why he doesn't post much anymore. 

The thing is, I want to get back into it. I keep telling myself I'm going to start writing again.... but every time I log in here there is some flame war going on.  Don't get me wrong, I love to debate stuff and I encourage it. But having a spirited debate and having a flame war are two very different things.... one person got himself suspended for 5 days because he was losing the debate and turned it into a flame war and added bigotry to the mix as well. And after I pulled the trigger on his suspension, I just logged off and left the site for a while out of frustration until I started getting e-mail notices that another flame war was going on.  Can you see why it would get exhausting?

Yeah. Maybe we could archive most of the automotive stuff and have just an intimate chat about our lives. I would love to hear about YKX's new Mustang, your adeventures on your bike, Balthazars Buick, etc.

It's almost like everyone here has lost interest in cars. Very little being built now interests me, hence my interest in motorcycles. But I ahve been so bosy woodworking, I don't know how much I can add to my life. Add Hiking and reading into the mix, and my days are very full. 

I need a reason to like cars again to get passionate about the place. Not seeing one. 

Maybe C and G can be reborn as a motorcycle and travel forum-TC Bob likes travel, few guys here like bikes, I don't know what to do. 

15 hours ago, balthazar said:

I's a good boy. ?

Actually I am hoping you will become a bad boy when the Buick gets done and give it the thrashing of its life. 

Regards from Ohio, 

Your friend.....!

Christopher

40 minutes ago, ykX said:

Not too many reviews are being posted lately and only few people come here regularly, I think substantially less than it used to be (I have been "lurking" here for a long time before I started posting).  And by now everyone pretty much knows what everyone will say.   At the moment mostly we only get bombarded with David postings about EVs.  Almost no one  posts their experience with other vehicles except occasional review from William and balthasar occasional post on his progress with his project car.  

I come here because at the moment I am pretty slow at work.  However, before there were quite a few pretty knowledgeable people, and it was interesting to see their perspective.  Lately not so much.

Just my personal perspective.

Why I have switched to loving trains, woodworking machinery, aviation, maritime history, etc. for my machine fix. VERY little rational or interesting discussion left on the internet anywhere of an automotive origin. 

Some 4WD sites are the exception. But I can only afford one expensive hobby. That's woodworking. I can't dump 40K into a Wrangler and dump 40K into building it. 

Buying a used DR650 Suzuki or KLR 650 Kawasaki for 4 grand and hitting the trails though....hmmmmm.....

[balthazar]

Obviously, 2020 saw everyone focus elsewhere primarily, dampening discretionary outlets like this. That’ll turn around.

I thought I saw a snippet somewhere here that visitor volume was quite respectable (near 200 at that moment, IIFC), would be cool to have some of them post... anything.

I certainly can review my new truck when(ever) it gets here. Getting spot-welded & bolted together this week!

[Drew Dowdell]

6 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Obviously, 2020 saw everyone focus elsewhere primarily, dampening discretionary outlets like this. That’ll turn around.

I thought I saw a snippet somewhere here that visitor volume was quite respectable (near 200 at that moment, IIFC), would be cool to have some of them post... anything.

I certainly can review my new truck when(ever) it gets here. Getting spot-welded & bolted together this week!

Yes, those visitors are what is keeping the site alive via their ad revenue. We do fairly well on search results for niche automotive things.  We get a huge number of hits for the 4.3 V8 Baby LT1 and for some reason no one knows how to pronounce Impala as those two threads still get a huge number of hits.  

[G. David Felt]

Lots of cool stuff coming with all the various changes due to the EV world growing. Technology is going to change the Auto world big time, we have to look at things even if we do not like it and discuss those changes as the Auto Industry is not going to change the move away from ICE to EV's. As such, hopefully by the end of this year we will have more exciting stuff to discuss.

GMC Hummer SUV comes out on 4-3-21. That should be interesting to at least some of us that see the EV future.

[A Horse With No Name]

2 hours ago, David said:

Lots of cool stuff coming with all the various changes due to the EV world growing. Technology is going to change the Auto world big time, we have to look at things even if we do not like it and discuss those changes as the Auto Industry is not going to change the move away from ICE to EV's. As such, hopefully by the end of this year we will have more exciting stuff to discuss.

GMC Hummer SUV comes out on 4-3-21. That should be interesting to at least some of us that see the EV future.

I really want to see that come out. 

[oldshurst442]

6 hours ago, David said:

As such, hopefully by the end of this year we will have more exciting stuff to discuss.

I know this is very sad and perhaps crappy news to some...but Chevy seems to be giving Corvette not 1, but 2 siblings.  Both EVs.  One is an SUV and the other seems to be a 4 door sports sedan.  

It may be crappy news to some, nobody can deny that it aint exciting news... 

 

[oldshurst442]

10 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

and go ride my motorcycle and you won't hear from me again... when something breaks, oh well.

Riding your bike does seem like fun. And I have realized that its exhausting to be daycare worker and mommy and daddy for stupid shyte.   I do understand your pleas to me to just phoquing stop with the stupid shyte.  

Like I said. I understood this awhile ago.   I wont be partaking in crap no more.