*For newbies, a list of questions/profile type crap that MUST be filled out before posting, so an intro isn't always "neccesary". *No more crap about what 1lowd saw on ebay. Who cares. If we want to look on ebay, we will. We dont need him to "show us the way". *As much as you guys WANT to look at whorish chicks perched on cars, most of the girls on this board DONT want to. We don't say anything, we just shut up and don't look. Maybe some of you should take that advice. Can you imagine if the girls on the board started posting pics of half naked men on anything car related...that would go over swell I'm sure. *Can you make it so all pictures post the same size? For those of us with dialup, sometimes the art show pictures are big enough we have to scroll left to right to see the pics - those take forever to d/l. Enough to the point that some of us just don't even look anymore - even though its one of the best parts of the hamb. Dunno if there's anything you can do about that though...... *being able to search by state, for local hambers near you.
Man....you aren't doing a thing wrong. You can't please everyone. Seems like you please a great majority though. There are so many car sites out there, but there is only one HAMB. I would add something new and see how members like it. If you change a whole bunch at once, people go into shock. Most of us are fragile when it comes to change of something we are used to and comfortable with. Keep up the great work!
I think its all been said before, this place rocks just as it is. You do a fantastic job Ryan. One thing I can think of that I haven't seen mentioned before is having something to automatically resize your photo when you post it. so anyone with a photo, no matter how large it is can post it and it will automatically be resized to save space and it will make it much easier on the less computer savvy folks to post pics. Again, this place rocks, and you rock
Hey Ryan I dont post alot on here..i spend alot of time on here but it seems kind of funny how most of the changes people want are from the guys that have a newer register date..where are all the old timers?? I still see a few post. C9, Roothawg, Killer once in awhile. Axle hasnt been heard from in i dont know how long. I keep in touch with Radshit..But i guess you guys can rip me a new one but when i came to the H.A.M.B. it felt more like a family a disfunctional family sometimes but everyone was pretty tight. Now this thing is going off in 20 different directions it has gone to be more user friendly it doesnt seem to me to have the raw edge it once had it used to be as dangerous as the cars we were working on and no i'm not talking safety wise. I like the board the way it is no sense on making different places for people to accomodate them all. I like to still street race and yeah i caught alot of flac a few years back on the subject..but guess what its still part of Hot Rodding and its still a rush.. The one change you could do is bring back those little animated poke man dudes from the other board..see how many guys remember those.
Ryan, I took a break for about four months on health stuff, but I'm back, so I thought I'd throw in my opinions, since you're asking. 1. Paypal button is a great idea. I think it would be nice to have it in our face a bit that money is involved. 2. Don't separate the board. In fact, the questions category got on my nerves, as some people apparently can't read a simple description, so I wound up giving up on it, even though it may have had some informative posts, I don't know. There's talk of the HAMB being the next great magazine, and it is. So, who wants to read a book by going through the index? I'd suggest making the icons letter of the law, and add one that absolutely says the thread is off-topic. You post an off-topic with anything other than the 'this is useless off-topic ranting' icon, you get absolutely flamed by HAMB-members. This will keep people more in line, and quench the thirst for blood. I'd also suggest a strike list that HAMBers can post to. Enough people do enough antagonizing and BS, there'll eventually be enough strikes to justify a banning. That way, there's incremental monitoring, instead of just getting banned only when you go postal. I didn't see what happened to JimA, I just saw him saying he was headed out, and I hated to see it happen. That guy knew some traditional stuff, to be sure. Thanks, and I look forward to actually contributing something, someday. Steve
I really have no complaints. But if you're gonna twist my arm, Gooch makes a good point. My son lurks here, but he doesn't have a hot rod or custom. Calls me up all the time, did you see what so & so posted. Should be mandatory to complete profile before becoming a member. Have something to contribute or just be a lurker. I like the HAMB like it is, I never really had an interest in customs until I got on here, now that 53 Victoria I hauled home yesterday is looking like a lot of potential. I read about 1/3 of what is posted, everything about 20 HAMBers post, and when I can't sleep at 3 in the moring, like Friday night, I read everything. Twice. Some of the drama is funny. The "my Dad is in the hospital or my Mom died" definitely needs to stay. We are a family. When one of is in pain or needs a hand we need to be able to reach out and find some comfort from our friends. Sometimes it is not available elswhere. Do away with Questions, leave the rest as is. Maybe add an Events section where we could post shows, swap meets, etc. I like the idea of more "user friendly" pic posting. Then I wouldn't have to bother 30Roadster when I want to post a photo. Paypal to send you money for auctions would be great. Thanks for this place. It's a real world. If not for the HAMB, and going to the HAMB drags, I would not know a ton of people, all over the world, that I now know personally, have met FTF, and am proud to call my friend. You included.
Ryan, I try to only post on here when I have something relevent to add. The board is great as is, but if you really have to change something, a paypal address for you would help us as we all can't win the auctions but would like to help out anyway. Newbies filling out their profiles to join would eliminate the intro police. An easier way to post pics, I still can't figure out the resize thing, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. OT posts in the regular forum are ok as I just don't bother with them unless there is nothing of interest to read, although they do make relevant posts disappear faster. Ebay alerts should be restricted to the classifieds. Nutz.
this 6.5,, people are already freaking out about is the whole "FOLDER" thing next to each post ,I am a legacy Threads user, and it is still by far the best system out there. Ok here is the situation. When a user comes to a thread that already had new posts on it, no matter where they may be in the thread itself, either in threaded or flat view, this little icon: newfolder.gif shows up for all new posts. Which is a good thing. Now, when you click on any of those posts to view them, all other messages that were new are now marked as read, leaving you unable to figure out which thread is new and which one isn't. This currently happens in both of my installationsof 6.5b4 as well as on this board. When I came here, there were two new posts. I clicked on your new posts, and the other one is now marked as read. So there you have it. anyhow with this upgrade ,are we gonna have all this going on in here also? changeing the way you lay out the threads and posts , gonna be some angry people, i know the ability to tune it is gonna be there but you will be out here posting again asking ," how should i run this or that."i would just be ready to ave a lot of hambers wondering what happened to the post the were reading and now cant find it? throw us some tech stuff about your servers and i believe alot of us hambers understand ,but the bug list for 6.5 is long,and i thinkyou will be busier manageing it,just my 2 cents. oh yeah my nephew is a microsoft geek,runs his own operation in our area and has dedicated lines coming in his house,
[ QUOTE ] Couple of things. Thanks for all the nice comments. I appreciate them. Adn thanks for the suggestions - they are all going to be taken into consideration. We might even vote on a few. Now, I know there are guys out there that have STRONGER opinions. I really appreciate KIRK! for being blunt and I would like to hear more of that. Don't be afraid to say how you really feel - this is all constructive and no one is going to take it the wrong way. Be fucking mean man. It's cool. In my opinion, I stopped listening to the people that count (you guys) and let things get out of hand. We need to figure out together how to make this place continue to get better. [/ QUOTE ] OK asshole! I'm selfish as hell. I don't want no f'in OT board to tie up all your time trying to put out fires from the REAL assholes that would just be encouraged by such a board. I don't talk the same way in your kitchen as I do in your garage. A fair warning about the language when you sign up should do. Nobody has a right to be here. I know you aren't fishing for compliments. I'm no ass kisser either. If you are having a confidence crisis..get over it! Use your delete key when you feel it in your heart. You've done a great job so far. You will never please everybody. Don't try. Go with your gut. Your gut will tell you when an OT is OT. There have always been great minds with fountains of knowledge that were too timid to speak up in a group. We are limited to peabrains like me that talk too much. It is what it is and I love it. Don't fuck it up! P.S. sorry about the asshole stuff...It is my STRONG oppinion!
Ryan this place is fine as it is. The only thing Ive really had a problem with lately is the Ebay alert bullshit...and car bashing. This should be monitered by the poster them selves, some of them cant take a hint. Maybe an artist forum could be added, where the their work could be showcased and questions answered by our fine panel of artist. As far as the onslaught of newbies goes they should fill out a complete profile. This would also cut down on some of the pranksters signing up under another name just to start some shit with dumbass posts. although some them have been pretty entertaining. Im hear to learn as much and gather information about our hobby as possible. Alot of the guys who had something to really contibute to this are gone, and thats too bad. Oh yeah put in a damn paypal account...people are willing to pay for this place let them.
[ QUOTE ] Use your delete key when you feel it in your heart. You've done a great job so far. You will never please everybody. Don't try. Go with your gut. Your gut will tell you when an OT is OT. [/ QUOTE ] Thats what I think too. If the Post doesn't belong, or is causing major arguments, Delete it. Quit trying to keep everybody happy. They will either get the picture and straighten out, or they will leave. It would be no great loss 90% of the time...
Ryan, First of all, you and this place rock! Gonna add my newbie .02 just because you asked. Maybe add some sort of 3 strikes and your out for a while, ive seen it on other message boards. The offending party gets a check or frown face next to their posting name, I know this would add work to you and the other moderator but it might keep down the OT, rude, or down right porn type posts. Maybe add a few more moderators of the folks you trust. Would adding a members(fee based) small website hosting section be cool? Folks could keep their build photos and completed projects there. A Paypal button for donations would be good. Make the site free to lurk, but monthly fees to post, maybe include the personal web page in that fee. For those that can't afford a fee, have a review board for sponsored memberships. You've being doing it fine for a long time, but sometimes the garden needs to be weeded!
I agree with two previous posters. 1-You should actually be a car owner/builder or previously owned/built a car to post. As in the real world, one can't participate in a car run or drive in nites if one doesn't have a car. The goal being to get more posts about something happenning to an actual car. I.E. like a Tech Week every week. As to how to accomplish this screening process, I don't have any ideas. 2-If you want to have a self moderating board, you probably have to make it a pay site. Years ago, when the board was more like the wild west, anyone who posted OT would have been flamed into oblivion. Now that the board is more civilized, that internal moderating force isn't as strong. 3-If it stays a free site, I'll accept it the way it is even with all the OT stuff. It's still better than most forums.
The pay pal for the auctions and for donations is a cool idea..but if you start charging people to belong and to post that kinda falls into a line where they think they will own some of the space and can post and say what they want right??what are you going to do if that said person gets banned?? are you going to refund their money?? I just went through this nightmare with my old car club. money makes things very nasty..what starts out good turns to evil pretty quick.
I think it's going pretty good as it is, but you asked so here it is: 1. Ditch the questions section, it doesn't get used correctly or at all. 2. Paypal button, seriously do it... 3. Tags for posts i.e Custom, Bike, Traditional, Suspenion, Art... whatever you desire. 4. Delete the way O/T shit right off. There are a few guys here I know you can trust to help moderate. There is a place to for some O/T stuff but I don't f#ckin' care about some ugly shit on eBay... I don't care if I posted it... 5. A pinned FAQ about what is or isn't acceptable. Required reading when you register... 6. You did great with the classifieds, maybe tags for WTB and FS and Freebie... 7. I gotta think the Pic section is going to be a bandwidth hog. Maybe a section with walk-throughs for hosting with ImageShack, PhotoBucket etc.. Also a size limit for photos hosted elswhere. It'll smooth everything out as well... Other than that I can't think of anything else at this time. There is still some self moderation going on, but there are some of the newbies that come on here all tough guy and such, I say let them get what they deserve....
I like some of Steve's ideas and suggestions. I guess I'll throw in my two: I think what you're coming up against is the size of the HAMB. Scaling and getting every feature you want is always a problem with systems and software. Sure, you could keep it simple and perhaps restrict new members to invite only, or restricting any members without a traditional rod or kustom, or something like that, but that's like sticking your head in the sand and ignoring progress. shit, I liked the board a lot when I first signed on. Learned a ton. Then you improved it and I still learned a ton. I guess those who want to stay will stick through with you, and that's the message I'm reading in all these replies. I'm sure bandwidth and the cost of running the site are two big considerations. I'm sure splitting up the topics may help a bit on curbing back the bandwidth some, but the site's always gonna get bigger. Some actual suggestions then: * Search members by location - yes. And let's also search by club membership and by year/make/model interests/specialties * calendar - hell yes * OT category - no. But if somebody makes an OT post and doesn't stick those two letters in the Subject line, a) the moderators need to do that for them, and b) the original poster needs some sort of slap on the wrist. * further categorization - no. I'm with the fellas who said they wouldn't have had the opportunity to see some really cool things if they'd been split off into areas they wouldn't have normally visited. * Paypal button - yes. The minute I'm not broke, I'll actually use it. * Photos in profiles - yes. I sometimes need a scorecard to tell who owns what car/truck. This would go a long way toward filling that need. * merchandising - on a very limited basis. who the hell wants to see the HAMB become the next OCC? Think we're being overrun with newbies now? Wait til every monkey with a credit card is wearing a HAMB shirt. * the folders that indicate new posts since your last visit - please keep these, I'd have even less of an idea what's going on without 'em * stricter moderators - yes, as long as they refrain from becoming bullies * weeding out members who haven't posted in, say, six months - yes. I think somebody figured out the actual number of HAMBsters, and it's something like 500 rather than the 4k everybody seems to think it is. I'm thinking about that slap on the wrist I mentioned above. I know some boards have a kind of karma points system. We seem pretty good at doing that for ourselves, but it may be necessary the bigger we get - who knows. we can give stars to posts, should/could we equally rate members, both positively and negatively? BTW, thanks for building the HAMB into what it is, and thanks for listening to our concerns. dan
I know the E-bay alert pisses a lot of people off but if MP33 hadn' posted "look at this old roadster on e-bay" about a year & a half ago I would not have the remains of this cool old east coast style 30 roadster on a 32 frameback built in the 50s that is # 3 in line for projects that was about 50 miles from my home. If you don't like a post don't look at it, I skip about 50 - 60% of whats posted. Too many varied interests on here to start nit picking. Oh yeah, MP33, I still owe ya man!! Ryan, one other thing. Shut the board down completely for about 6 months, thats the only way I will ever get a car finished!
A photo album would be great!! I think a seperate Art section would also be cool.There are some great artists on here and i hate waiting for fridays to see the new stuff.An events calender with upcoming HAMB and other car events and get togethers would be good, and maybe a mapquest link for each event so you can quick look and see how to get there.
....and I 've just thought of something else. Can we have an 'instant graemlin' that indicates sarcasm please?
I am going to comment without having read the whole thread. Things never stay the same, change is inevitable. A new look is nice but won't cure the ills. No one likes more rules but humans just aren't very good at self governing, someone has to make rules unfortunately. An off topic lounge might segregate the non auto related talk so the guys that just want to talk cars don't have to see threads disappearing off the front page at the speed of light. But eventually you will have more and more asswipes signing up just for a place to talk trash. I saw it happen on another board that got big. And unfortunately sometimes small groups will splinter off and start their own thing because they don't like the growth. You might consider some kind of probationary period for newbys so they know they can't just sign up and talk trash or start yammering about stuff we aren't about. Let them know we don't give a shit about their phutney-creach land yacht. If you want to talk about your jacked up Avalanche pavement pounder take it somewhere else. More people means more rules or more chaos, you can choose how far either way you want to lean. And thanks for valuing our opinions.
An events forum would be good. Perhaps the poster could enter an expiration date so they drop off automatically after the event? I'm no PC genious so I don't know if that's possible or not. I think an O/T forum isn't the best idea. If people want to talk about getting screwed on ebay or something there are probably message board out there for that. A "Lifestyle" type board would be OK though for people to talk about upcoming concerts, art, and other related stuff. Yeah, I know the name is gay I also think the geographical search would be good, so we could look up members in our area. However people would have to stop filling out "location" with stuff like "In bed with your mother". I've learned more in the few months I've been here than I ever knew about hot rods, this place rocks.
Ok guys Ryan didnt ask to be put on a pedastool he has had plenty of those posts already. This is serious for him he wants the HAMB to be here for the long term. As we know there are many other message boards. As many of you know I posted about the Ol Skool Rods forum last week and many HAMBERS singed up over there.It isnt a perfect world and the HAMB will never be either. There are serious problems on here one is that persons think they are unoficial HAMB moderators or the Ryan unknow rule enforcers??? Ryan you need to put a stop to this!!! It breeds hurtful discusting remarks that may have been ok and aceptable during a smaller infantile stage of the HAMB.But this is a grown up known spot now. We had a post not to long ago about the hotrod buildoff. and had the wife of the builder get on the HAMB. The HAMB needs to adapt or the newly inspired will find somewere else. I like to laugh at the humour and ribbing and BS as much as the next guy. But if that the only contribution you have and when you constantly site some untold rule as your excuse and Ryan cosigns it you are not a asset anymore and Ryans credability is sold out as a result. The tech post's dont get half the hits as posts flaming someone do. This is why there are 6000 members and 1000 contributors not everyone is a alpha male. then when i want to find a tech post that i dont have saved that i really need good luck finding it I dont have time to look thru 200 pgs! we need to split up the HAMB to make it user freindly. we need to use the polling feature more often too Ryan I am sure you get contless sugestions about the HAMB make us feel its our HAMB give us a say. This will also help with the Ryan hit sqaud that drives people away. these are a few things off the top of my head i will be thinking of more and will post them if i feel they are important . Thanks you Ryan for asking me peronaly to not hold back. >>>John
The HAMB is the only thing I go to , so I dont know how it compaires to anything else. But what completely blows me away is the fact that somebody that hates comuters as much as I do, will want to spend as much time on the HAMB as I do... So yes... the HAMB is special to me... I like the fact that there seem to be a lot of " unwritten rules " ( once they are written down the Rottweilers amongst us will do everything they can to enforce those rules by the letter.) I think the donations system should stay, but let people know when you need more cash to keep this thing afloat ( if you would charge a fee, some people will feel they have got rights. We have already seen that from guys that have donated in the past ) I like that I can chose my words on the HAMB like I do in real life. I like that we can have lively discussions about cars, the style they were built in and the modifications that were done to them, but I dont like it when people cant control theyr emotions, and a good discussion turns into something petty... I could personally do without the whole " Intro " thing, I just dont think is an effective way of selecting who would be a asset to this board, and who is not... ( maybe you could give newby's some sort of a " learners permit "instead.) If somebody gets out of line enough to be banned, then do it and announce it ( pin it on page one ), to let people know it can and will happen... Ask people to figure out for themselfs, that if there is a problem with the HAMB, are they part of that problem or not... This is just my take on things, and just one way of looking at it. You might get better answers from somebody that doesn't like it here anymore, like the guy that just left... Thanks for creating this thing Ryan. To me, it is a learning tool first, and a place to relax and hang out second. ( but I do go here for both reasons...)
Im a newbie and want to thank you for what you do with the HAMB. I have found so much help in the short time that i have been a member.Change or no change i think you are doing a very good job. than you
The Pay Pal button is a must! Other than thet, this place cranks the way it is. It has a way of self-cleaning in the long run.-MIKE
[ QUOTE ] Can we have an 'instant graemlin' that indicates sarcasm please? [/ QUOTE ] is close & so is Kinda takes the fun out if you telegraph your punches though, don't it? Besides, you know us Yanks aren't any good at sarcasm or irony
[ QUOTE ] I am going to comment without having read the whole thread. Things never stay the same, change is inevitable. A new look is nice but won't cure the ills. No one likes more rules but humans just aren't very good at self governing, someone has to make rules unfortunately. An off topic lounge might segregate the non auto related talk so the guys that just want to talk cars don't have to see threads disappearing off the front page at the speed of light. But eventually you will have more and more asswipes signing up just for a place to talk trash. I saw it happen on another board that got big. And unfortunately sometimes small groups will splinter off and start their own thing because they don't like the growth. You might consider some kind of probationary period for newbys so they know they can't just sign up and talk trash or start yammering about stuff we aren't about. Let them know we don't give a shit about their phutney-creach land yacht. If you want to talk about your jacked up Avalanche pavement pounder take it somewhere else. More people means more rules or more chaos, you can choose how far either way you want to lean. And thanks for valuing our opinions. [/ QUOTE ] i agree.... the hamb IS a great place (you have done well ryan) its just not a garage in west bumperfuck anymore now its in like downtown LA very populated with lots of opinions and differnt walks of life and intrests (some stirring the pot )some are big city people some are not nothing you can do....i actually like a lot of the off topic posts but willow billy might be right anothr forum for them might be better???? DON'T APOLIGISE FOR THE GOOD THING YOU CREATED...sucess is the only villian here
Yeah Ernie, the is almost there. I don't know what sarcasm actually looks like, but that can't be far off.
........Christ Ryan..............do what you want and are able to do and we'll just continue to enjoy and TRY to act civilized and let you know how much we appreciate your efforts!
The Jalopy Journal
