Directions For Volvospeed

[mikie]

QUOTE(Plan_B @ Mar 18 2007, 10:21 PM) ←

Nobody likes me?

Good job Grant!

[theForgottenone]

Good job Grant!

+1

:P

[PyROTech]

still think we should expand and put a benz forum, it would grow and then break it off to its own site.

[Spoony]

I may have to change my name and location after this but I'm willing to take the flaming (if there is any). But I digress...

I think some of the responses in here are irrelavent to which direction volvospeed should go. I don't mean to shoot down ideas (well, I do- but not in a nasty way) but I don't think a motorsports section would live long as a thread. So far, all races involving a volvo have been posted in news because that's precisely what it is. There isn't a substantial amount of volvo action in the racing scene. There's already a section for those that drag or race their cars but the ATspeed volvos don't apply there. Creating a section soley for Atspeed would probably be as lively as Scott's project 6 thread. There would be spurts every now and then but nothing significant.

Now that I know a little behind the inner workings of this site, I think it should probably plateau at this point just to make sure everything is stable (the site and the people). I agree with Pras that more attention needs to be payed to the quality of posts and members. There are those that give volvospeed the stereotype that we're a bunch of idiot kids with fwd volvos that are bent on looks rather then performance. Having your car appear appealing to the eye is one thing but when people start calling you stupid just because you're a member on a forum, something went horribly wrong. After all, it's just the internet so why would somebody have anything negative to say about a whole forum? I'm keeping the poster on Tbricks anonymous but he called the members on volvospeed "stupid" for the sole reason that we care more about our headlights rather then the engine.

I enjoy volvospeed and it's a priveledge to be allowed to be a member here but some people take that for granted. Although there are members who post insignifact repetitive threads, it's left to the members to flame them with nothing done by the moderators. I feel that action should be taken to prevent the waste of time even if it's in offtopic. I also agree with Pras about teaser threads. They are a pain in the ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD and a waste of time when people have to make comments about how they hate teaser threads. I also get annoyed when people respond with simple comments similar to "nice" and "I like it" when somebody posts an image of their car or particular part. The same goes for those that post images and become annoyed with members who disagree and state it. Both of these are probably just a problem I need to get over and I can deal with it but they just don't seem sensible to me.

Also, chuck may be funding VS and I'm thankful he is but he didn't make VS into what it is today by himself. It's the members who contributed to the forum with money and knowledge as well.

[drinking940’s]

Well, too ad to my post before. a better chick to dude ratio would be incendiary.

[mikie]

I don't mean to shoot down ideas (well, I do- but not in a nasty way) but I don't think a motorsports section would live long as a thread. So far, all races involving a volvo have been posted in news because that's precisely what it is. There isn't a substantial amount of volvo action in the racing scene. There's already a section for those that drag or race their cars but the ATspeed volvos don't apply there. Creating a section soley for Atspeed would probably be as lively as Scott's project 6 thread. There would be spurts every now and then but nothing significant.

What I'm trying to encourage is support! I completely agree with you but I think it's somewhat sad that a motorsports section "might" not last. Also the section can contain more then just Atspeed, we also have riley racing that just started, some european races and we can throw in F1, and whatever else of interest. Look at other forums such as MWERKS and VWvortex their motorsports section do well, Swedespeed's section is a little slow but VS is at a faster pace and believe it would move a little better.

[Che'_Moderator]

What I'm trying to encourage is support! I completely agree with you but I think it's somewhat sad that a motorsports section "might" not last. Also the section can contain more then just Atspeed, we also have riley racing that just started, some european races and we can throw in F1, and whatever else of interest. Look at other forums such as MWERKS and VWvortex their motorsports section do well, Swedespeed's section is a little slow but VS is at a faster pace and believe it would move a little better.

Atspeed will not be running until later announcements. As for the S40 its not going to do very well. A lot of through no fault of its own but still.

[theForgottenone]

Atspeed will not be running until later announcements. As for the S40 its not going to do very well. A lot of through no fault of its own but still.

Huh? S60 you meant

[Che'_Moderator]

Huh? S60 you meant

No the S40 that finished 10 laps down. I was in Touring and I know those cars. The S40 is not going to do very will under the current guidelines.

[matt b]

If this forum wasnt good, I wouldnt be on it 24/7.

+1

Chuck: I had PM'ed you a while back to tell you how much I appreciated the info on this site. Far more useful and interesting than a lot of other sites I use for my cars. To this day, I still think it is.

My only thing with VS, and it is addressed at users (including myself) is to keep the sorority house drama to a minimum and keep the useful shit to a maximum. I had no idea you wanted us to feed info to n00bs instead of giving them the token "Just Search" response.

I'm going to be on here a LOT less now that stuff at work is picking up like crazy and that I have less time to play with the wagon, but I still think this site beats many others by a mile for useful content and teh funnay.

[mikie]

Atspeed will not be running until later announcements. As for the S40 its not going to do very well. A lot of through no fault of its own but still.

Ya I know I found this out on the speedworldchallenge site, sucks! So okay this year is not a great idea for the motorsport section, understood.

[fromtheshadows]

Really what I think was the best addition is the google bar at the bottom. It is really what turned me into a supporting member and between the two search functions I can always find what I need.

[MrWinkey]

I hope the silent majority will stand up now and speak their minds.

I'm speechless? I'm sure it will all fall into place. Like anything, changes are made over time. V/S has made several changes over the years and I'm sure will continue to change in the future. ;)

[paulr]

Volvospeed has carved a very deep niche for itself. So deep in fact we have almost become a stereo type. With the world changing, new cars coming out, new members coming and going, we too must change and adapt.

Building Interest In The Volvo Brand

For continuing success this is a MUST. This means more active forums, greater turn out at shows and more support for the good vendors who do support us.

Logistical Issues

Before you post something outside of off topic ask yourself is you posts adding anything to the site or only detracting from it. Do not tell new people to search. Help them out. The site is free and paid for. 1 extra post does not cost anything.

We are not going to generate revenue at the cost of being censored. The second reason is the larger companies simply are not stepping up. They are perfectly happy to do group buys where they only take off a token amount for all of your sweat labor and resources all while offering nothing in return. If this is the way you want the site to be run let me know.

The S60 Project Car - This car is critical is bring creditability to both Volvospeed and all other Volvo tuners.

You hit the nail on the head when you said we have 10 or less people on this forum who actually know their stuff. I'm also glad that you've selected people who are willing to answer these questions readily, without too much bull.

I think the biggest, and only improvement you can make (and only YOU can make this), is that you pull out the ban hammer (seriously, no joke). Get rid of people with feeler threads, get rid of the ones with "suck it" and "you're the man". Start deleting feeler threads, teaser threads, etc. Don't move them to off-topic....they dont deserve it. Delete them.

Also, I don't know if you've done the thing where you have to have been a member for a certain time before you can post, or you have to have a minimum of 10 posts in existing threads before you can start a new topic (I think you have because I don't see too many spammers starting new threads).

I don't think a motorsports section would live long as a thread. So far, all races involving a volvo have been posted in news because that's precisely what it is.

I agree with Pras that more attention needs to be payed to the quality of posts and members. There are those that give volvospeed the stereotype that we're a bunch of idiot kids with fwd volvos that are bent on looks rather then performance. Having your car appear appealing to the eye is one thing but when people start calling you stupid just because you're a member on a forum, something went horribly wrong. After all, it's just the internet so why would somebody have anything negative to say about a whole forum? I'm keeping the poster on Tbricks anonymous but he called the members on volvospeed "stupid" for the sole reason that we care more about our headlights rather then the engine.

I also get annoyed when people respond with simple comments similar to "nice" and "I like it" when somebody posts an image of their car or particular part. The same goes for those that post images and become annoyed with members who disagree and state it. Both of these are probably just a problem I need to get over and I can deal with it but they just don't seem sensible to me.

I agree VS is very stuck in two niches – 850 / x 70 (P1?) performance and cosmetic interests in general. I think a big part of that is because of how the forum is organized, and the members this draws. We have one performance section, and it’s all but dominated by people with above cars. If you make a generic post, people just assume you’re talking about these cars. Perhaps keeping a general performance section (for showing off new stuff, etc) isn’t a bad idea, but adding special interest ones (like you have with maintenance) may be good, too. Adding a fourth-tier maintenance section, for even newer cars, may also be a good idea. That way, new members with their brand-new cars don't post one or two threads, get disheartened, and leave.

The appeal of "Cosmetic mods" is they're easy to pull off by many of our members (who have lots of time and energy, but not necessarily much experience or money). And that's the nature of the beast – these people for a variety of reasons, can't/don't get involved in performance – but they're still members, who support the site, show up at meets, and have an interest in Volvos. Many of then have NA's, and there's only so much a highschooler with a NA, hand tools, and $250 can do for "performance". Perhaps we differ from Honda's in this way, and perhaps that's a good thing.

Another thing which I'll let other people thing about might be some sort of "performance electronics" or "electronics modifications" section – or renaming the A/V forum to this – there are a lot of issues like alarms / remote starter problems, LED conversion problems, and similar things that don't necessarily fit one specific section.

I also think some delineation between "standard" performance (chips, MBC, IPD exhaust kits) and custom performance (piggyback / EMS & tuning, custom hardware, etc) might be nice, but I can't say if it's worthy of a new and separate forum. The S60 project car is another interesting thing – every time I go and try to find detailed information on it, IE a detailed write-up, I can't find one after about a minute of looking around, so I move on to other things. It's a nice looking car, and I'm sure will attract interest, but if there's detailed information floating around on it, the average person can't easily find it. I must however disagree with the S60R project being "crucial" – it's definitely interesting, and will probably turn out to be a very promising car, but I think it has about as much bearing on Volvo performance as top-fuelers do on someone with a 15-year old camaro. You kinda lose some of that "bam look what a Volvo is capable of" effect when you start dealing with things like custom-built frames, etc. Perhaps a few more "down-to-earth" projects might also be warranted (such as a project I heard rumors of in my local area – a 1000HP 850)?

Mods and modding posts is a sensitive area. I agree with what Pras and "notyourspoon" have to say on one level (especially with BS posts and threads) – but you delete too many posts / ban too many people, and the site begins to lose members and doesn’t grow or expand at all, or even lose valued members due to the atmosphere this creates. I’m sure some of the hardcore members might want this, but it somewhat undermines one of the purposes of VS – to be a resource to Volvo owners. Posts like "nice" and "I like it" can get annoying, but it also sucks when you post some sort of a mod or upgrade you did, and you're trying to show it off, and there's no response. People need to use judgment when posting, and find the happy medium, but alas, this is the internet. Post counts exacerbate this – while it's a useful system, people get too caught up in it, too. The sad truth is many people out there are idiots, and there’s only so much you can do. You put up too much idiot protection, and you prevent the new user (who's not a 'n00b', but just had his first Volvo problem, googled us, and found the forum) from posting a serious question in A/V or maintenance. Perhaps some level of responsibility / authority between member and mod – for all the decently trustworthy members who are on a lot, but are unworthy/ unwilling to take on the responsibility of moderator? Like "BS post remover", with the ability to flag BS posts / threads, or something…

With all that being said, I don't think there's much need to worry about exciting interest in the Volvo brand, or drumming up new members. We have a great community here, and I like the esoteric nature of it. I don't really want Mercedes people crowding our forums with their problems or showing up at meets – they're probably wonderful people and the cars sure are nice, but it takes something away, too. IMO, that's just one step up from the adds Charles was talking about (which I also think are a bad idea – thanks for not doing them!). I think everything's running just fine, and letting things grow and follow their natural progression isn't a bad thing. I remember in one post I made where I criticized something about this forum someone reminded I compare it to other forums, and that’s true – I really forgot how much better this forum runs compared to other ones. I'd rather see "d00dz can I turbo my 850 N/A" than "d00dz I think she gave me wartz" or "click here free pr0n" (outside of O/T) any day.

Sorry it's long, but, I quote AND babble.

[Che'_Moderator]

IMO, that's just one step up from the adds Charles was talking about (which I also think are a bad idea – thanks for not doing them!). I think everything's running just fine, and letting things grow and follow their natural progression isn't a bad thing. I remember in one post I made where I criticized something about this forum someone reminded I compare it to other forums, and that’s true – I really forgot how much better this forum runs compared to other ones. I'd rather see "d00dz can I turbo my 850 N/A" than "d00dz I think she gave me wartz" or "click here free pr0n" (outside of O/T) any day.

Sorry it's long, but, I quote AND babble.

Long but thought out. Thats what I was looking for. The issue is with "I think everything's running just fine, and letting things grow and follow their natural progression isn't a bad thing."

Back when operational costs for the site were like 100mo or 1200yr I did not mind paying out of pocket to keep it running. Now with costs much higher I am just getting tired of people complaining and not doing anything to help. Help does not have to be money. Organize a meet, write a review we do not have, answer a noob instead of just saying "search". For me personally it comes down to "if you don't care, I don't care. I'll just let the bills get paid or not paid. Whatever at that point.