A Christmas Wish from Captain Obvious: KEEP THIS AUTOPIA FORUM ALIVE and GOING

[Desertnate]

It’s probably been shot down already by the powers that be, but I always thought it would be an interesting idea to merge Autopia and AG to pump up membership and participation. There’s an awful lot of knowledge over there too.

I`m honestly surprised this hasn`t happened already unless the corporate strategy is for each storefront to have its own supporting forum. Since I can directly link pictures stored in AG to posts here at Autopia, I have a feeling both forums are already running on the same platform/in the same hosting environment already. However, to be really successful and play to the strength of this forum, the future forum would have to retain the freedom found here in being able to freely discuss all products regardless of brand/source.

[Oneheadlite]

I understand. Been talking to several "younger" or "less experienced" detailers (not that I`m a full time pro myself) and I`ve noticed several of these fellows don`t participate in forums. They do Tik Tok, Instagram, some Facebook and YouTube.
Young guys spend a great deal of time on YouTube to learn (as did I, but content was far less back then). It stopped surprising me that these guys DON`T know how to deal with some things. Or know what the intent is for some products. I`ve educated a small handful on some things. Things that I learned from these great forums, or from doing great amount of research! These guys don`t bother researching, reading descriptions, etc.

...

I have a struggle when we have "younger" (early/mid 20s) (automotive) techs at work to get them to engage and actively think about what it is that they`re doing. So often they just want to pull up YouTube and have someone show them how to do what they`re trying to do, not sit and look at the various information available to them and use their brain to work through the problem. I try and help them work through things when they get hung up, starting with offering basic ideas and suggestions. One fellow used the phrase "Huh, I didn`t think about that." so often that I asked him to take it out of his vocabulary.

One of these same guys is big into keeping his car clean, and I`ve tried to show him some basics. Thought I was getting somewhere, then find out he`s still just using whatever parts store car wash he can get and drying with an old beach towel. And using an interior quick detailer for everything in the car (carpet included). I mean, I guess maybe you can, but... I just gave up with him to be honest.

Lonnie - to your thoughts/concerns about where people have gone - I`m still an active reader, but the way "free" time in life works out I`m often viewing the forum on my phone during the in-betweens in life. When it comes to actual posting, I prefer to do it on a real computer/keyboard, which typically means trying to squeeze it in during my lunch break at work. Which is also consumed by all that other stuff you need to do in those moments when you get a chance to stop.

The other challenge has just been that I haven`t been able to do much actual detailing lately, so I often don`t feel qualified to chime in on stuff.

[Setec Astronomy]

I have a struggle when we have "younger" (early/mid 20s) (automotive) techs at work to get them to engage and actively think about what it is that they`re doing. So often they just want to pull up YouTube and have someone show them how to do what they`re trying to do, not sit and look at the various information available to them and use their brain to work through the problem.

This sounds like the preface to one of those apocalypse movies where the world is destroyed and no one knows how to do anything. I had a friend I used to talk to about this stuff, and he would complain about those "younger" workers, and tell me they are idiots. And since we were of a certain age, I would suggest that it was just that we were the old guys now, and he had a case of the "damn kids, get off my lawn!", and isn`t this the same stuff the guys our age used to say about us when we were "younger"? And he countered, rather heatedly with "no, these kids are idiots!" Maybe he was right.

[Saintlysins]

It`s been a long time since I`ve been on here. Mostly because life can spin you around, forcing you to take new directions and adapt to new people, places, things, etc. I was a little hurt not to have made the All Star list ... for many years I held the number one viewed post with the first Acronym List! ! !
(.... I`m kidding! I can see how the place has changed and morphed, that Acronym List was taken over by others as it should`ve been as products come and go. Just happy to have found it in the Archives ;- )

I would pop in occasionally and see the changes, then check out the `other` detailing forums. And here`s where if you knew me from the old days, you`ll remember my perspectives weren`t always mainstream, but I`d defend them and usually get them to see the light.

I hope to do that with this post ... although to be honest, I probably won`t check in for a while to respond accordingly.

All this talk of keeping Autopia alive is meaningful and warranted. There are tips, tricks, reviews, techniques explained with minutiae that isn`t found anywhere else, and they should be preserved as both a testament to the people who provided them as well as for historical value should someone want to go back in time to see what results got the best outcome for a particular automotive paint type, color or metallic flake. However, the world of Autopia will fail if it looks like it`s close to losing money. It was bought as a way to make revenue and profit. That`s it. No one is going to "out of pocket" a site for preserving a waning interest site for the sake of emotional and intrinsic meaning. If you want it to last, you can`t be passively requesting people do things - you need to be proactively doing things to make them want to be here.

In order to do this, one cannot rely on the measures that founded and built this site, they must adapt.
We know the younger generation is swapping information on a level that is beyond belief and light years away from the Postal Service, newspapers or even a fax machine. No one ever asks you for your fax number ... todays youth doesn`t even give out their phone numbers, they give out a Social Media profile so they can see if you`re a creeper and can block you before they give up their personal info. And ... a new person coming back to check out your content makes your appeal higher, which makes others want to see why you`ve accumulated so many followers.

That has to be done for this shrinking violet if it`s got any chance of surviving. It`s time to adopt those platforms into this site. I do this with all my businesses, it keeps the old-timers coming back to the place they call home and gives the younger audiences a portal they prefer to interact and engage with the product. The more views, the more interest - the more interest, the more members.

EMBRACE AND ADOPT AND ADAPT TO THE NEW INFORMATION HIGHWAY.

Here`s a few things I`d do.

Make a YouTube video with your phone of a topic or product you like. Short, between 1 to 3 minutes most. Post it on EVERY SOCIAL MEDIA SITE AT ONCE with links to the post here that explains more detail that the video does. Sure the first few videos will be wonky, awkward and might need your kids or other youth to help you do the first few, but once you do a few (and get over the anal puckering cringe when watching yourself ;- ) ... you`ll become your own director and a lot more creative in a very short period of time. You can do this - how do it know? Because a few mentioned they went back to look at their first few posts and they laughed at themselves. Yet, you still engaged, contributed and provided content. Same thing, but in video. And get used to video being one of thee biggest changes to your world in the near future. You`re already on camera at every toll booth, store and job. Getting in front of the lens can only help you improve your appearance and presentation in everything you do from business to parties to just meeting a friend at the bar.

Continuous, informative content will start to get gravity and pull viewers. Add links to this website and the thread it`s posted in. Today`s youth doesn`t JUST look at videos, they also read and contribute to the Comments. Moderate them and continually guide them back here to where intelligent and constructive posts will help them understand more on the topic. And thank them for their input regardless of how poorly written and/or without grammar and punctuation their post is ... most don`t even type anymore, so unless they know to say; "... blah, blah, blatt and blither period" ... there won`t be a period. Don`t mock it ... consider it a new language with a unique cadence. In time you`ll get it. And you should get to know it, because it`s not going away.

Then Wash, Rinse & Repeat on Fakebook, Instagratis and TicTok ... (sorry I don`t have a snarky name revision for TicTok ... yet!) ... but forget about Twitter for now. Pulling audiences in from these sites with teasers on getting products at discounts for Members (they should be contributing members to get discounts, not just the `Grab, Go & Ghost` crew). You can do it and still be within the rules of the forum.

Many who don`t go on Social Media sites say they want their privacy and anonymity. I respect that ... I have almost zero presence anywhere on the Net ... yet, I can go into every website and forum and see my nieces, nephews and friends ... but I don`t/haven`t every posted a single thing. Do exactly as you`ve done here - use your Forum Name, fill in the bare minimum to get an account and you`re as anonymous there as you are here! Stay on topic, post regularly and you`ll build an audience. Or you can do as I sometimes do, search for someone who`s built a following as an amateur detailer and offer them a few bucks to shoot a video to your specifications (and exclusions). They already have a following, after a few posts, some of those followers will be coming to the Autopia link, which is your post and it increases engagement. This is how you`ll stay alive and relevant.

It doesn`t happen overnight. Neither did your incredible reputation. But this will get new views and participation as it did with your reputation.

You`re not just looking for views - you`re looking for engagement and participation. Speaking of `views` ... did anyone run a metric on when a viewer logged in and if they bought something at the store? - If so, get the bosses to make purchasing a Membership Only process.



I know you think Social Media is a cesspool of negativity ... for the most part, you`re right. But when you picked out your life partners, the odds were the same ... a cesspool of worthless candidates that you had to swim through while defending yourself as well as in search for the right one. That`s the internet! Embrace this technology ... don`t become the old geezer who is mad at the world because they don`t fit or understand it, rather, be the person of your age that is soooo friggin` hip, many will come to you for advice and help with their modern day problems because if you know how to use the same means to communicate with them - then you`d be someone they can identify with and trust to connect.

Connect, Communicate, Content and Engagement is the way of the future.

And as I always say: There Is No Future In The Past.

Hope this helps to start the rebuilding of the site to it former glory.

I believe in you last remaining members. You can do this!

[Setec Astronomy]

SaintlySins` comments notwithstanding, and I may not have been paying attention, but some of you are right, it sure is dead around here--this should be a peak time for new/AWOL members to be here asking/sharing spring cleaning stuff. Of course I haven`t done a darn thing detailing-wise in forever. I was looking at something on another (different topic) forum where they had a bit of the same problem, and someone pointed out that without new members asking questions that the experienced members can enjoy answering, these forums peter out because the old-timers (hopefully Accumulator is ok with that-- ) have everything figured out and don`t ask anything anymore.

Oh, PS: SaintlySins, that certainly is an eclectic collection of vehicles.

[Accumulator]

Setec Astronomy- Heh heh, yeah, I`m OK with that. And with answering the same beginner Qs for the gazillionth time. Well, usually.

[Lonnie]

I have a struggle when we have "younger" (early/mid 20s) (automotive) techs at work to get them to engage and actively think about what it is that they`re doing. So often they just want to pull up YouTube and have someone show them how to do what they`re trying to do, not sit and look at the various information available to them and use their brain to work through the problem. I try and help them work through things when they get hung up, starting with offering basic ideas and suggestions. One fellow used the phrase "Huh, I didn`t think about that." so often that I asked him to take it out of his vocabulary......

One of these same guys is big into keeping his car clean, and I`ve tried to show him some basics. Thought I was getting somewhere, then find out he`s still just using whatever parts store car wash he can get and drying with an old beach towel. And using an interior quick detailer for everything in the car (carpet included). I mean, I guess maybe you can, but... I just gave up with him to be honest.

You`ve hit upon one of the "problems" of Generation Z: they do not want to think about problem-solving. I am NOT saying to think for themselves, they do, and often that is a "problem" because it is ONLY about themselves, or they have not considered or been taught the far-reaching consequences of such decisions. Taking out student loans to go to higher education schools for a degree in some discipline there is no market for or there return-on-investment is limited is a good example. I just think their (Gen Z`s) solution to ANY problem is found SOMEWHERE on the Internet, hence your You Tube video viewing example.
But I digress; lets get back to go back to detailing, Captain Obvious!!!

Successful and great detailing requires:
1) Knowledge of how to use the tools and products associated with detailing. That`s the education part, of which this forum and its members are part of that process.
2) Application of that knowledge of what was learned. That takes work and effort, and if you don`t want to apply those things, there is no success.
(remember, the dictionary is the ONLY place where "success" comes before "work".)
3) A certain amount of skill and aptitude, better known as ability or even natural talent. Not everyone has that. It can be learned and developed to some degree IF there is a drive by the individual to do so, but it is limited to a person`s naturally-inherited physical and cognitive abilities. There IS no overcoming that; it is just the facts of life.
4) Experience or actually the re-applying of all of the first three over-and-over. How often that is done is dependent on the individual. Some call it methodology and you know as well as I do that doing something wrong over-and-over is still wrong, or a bad habit, and trying to learn a new technique or correct a bad habit can be daunting, so say the least!
5) Continuous learning. Things change and if you are not changing with them, you are left behind. That`s another function of this forum. I get to learn about new products, new tools, or new processes as vehicle technology and their materials change over time. Hard or ceramic clear-coats exterior finishes and the ever increasing use of carbon fiber materials are examples of such recent developments. Car-care product manufacturers are in that some mode to meet those developments, ceramic/graphene coatings and long-throw orbitals being recent examples of those.

For those who have been forum members for a while, you know how much detailing has changed for you. But as I stated at the very beginning of this thread topic, this forum and its posting members are my most-important tool to my success and reason I enjoy detailing as a hobby. Without this forum, it would still be detailing; just not as good or enjoyable. YOU make this forum, hence my request to keep it going.

[Silly Rabbit]

Curious as to why there is slightly less movement here vs sister site Autogeek? While all forums are lagging, these 2 sites are very similar, even alot of same members. But the other site has more activity. Wonder the difference?

[Bill D]

I’ve been wondering that for some time. Compared to here, AGO has a lot more activity. That’s where I post most of the time now as a result.

[Silly Rabbit]

I also wonder how many folks have dropped off from the hobby/business/passion they had? I mean, some of the auto forums I`m on members sold their cars and moved on to other models and such.
And even though the detail world is bonkers with the selection of products, the products have also got easier. Example, if wax, sealant, etc crazy folks simply moved to a coating, kinda done. They may not be in the garage every weekend/day like they used to? So have time for other passions??? I`m reaching here...lol
But the other side to that coin, with all the products you would think people have endless conversations about detail products.

[981 Cayman S]

Curious as to why there is slightly less movement here vs sister site Autogeek? While all forums are lagging, these 2 sites are very similar, even alot of same members. But the other site has more activity. Wonder the difference?

I’ve been wondering that for some time. Compared to here, AGO has a lot more activity. That’s where I post most of the time now as a result.

Autogeek always seemed to have more support/active involvement from the `Mother Company`, notably Mike Phillips frequent participation. I`d venture a guess that the Autogeek site sales numbers generally eclipsed those of Autopia site as well. Ya bought something from Autogeek ya found out how to best use it from their forum.

I started there and wandered over to Autopia once I began wondering about/moving into non-Autogeek products as you could mention them/discuss/suggest them here. Once I started using a wider variety of products, Autopia members seemed more well-versed in the wider, overall detailing `world` while Autogeek remained somewhat `ethnocentric`.

I`ve learned far more from Autopia than Autogeek; not just products but theories and practices as well. Autopia always seemed more in-depth due to its members` wider sphere of knowledge & experience.

That`s the view from my little world anyway, strange a world as it is.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[dgage]

That`s the view from my little world anyway, strange a world as it is.

My thoughts mirror yours though your last comment called for reality substitution.

[Silly Rabbit]

Autogeek always seemed to have more support/active involvement from the `Mother Company`, notably Mike Phillips frequent participation. I`d venture a guess that the Autogeek site sales numbers generally eclipsed those of Autopia site as well. Ya bought something from Autogeek ya found out how to best use it from their forum.

I started there and wandered over to Autopia once I began wondering about/moving into non-Autogeek products as you could mention them/discuss/suggest them here. Once I started using a wider variety of products, Autopia members seemed more well-versed in the wider, overall detailing `world` while Autogeek remained somewhat `ethnocentric`.

I`ve learned far more from Autopia than Autogeek; not just products but theories and practices as well. Autopia always seemed more in-depth due to its members` wider sphere of knowledge & experience.

That`s the view from my little world anyway, strange a world as it is.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

So what your saying is Autogeek is the feeder league for Autopia the major leagues. Kidding

I do appreciate that Autopia has talk of every product imaginable. It`s where you get experts and feedback on all the big brands too, PA, Kamikaze, Angelwax, Swissvax, whatever. I think this forum has treasures of old post info and future posts as well, discussions that will not be found anywhere else on the net. I know I have learnt alot just reading threads all over on here. Gold.

[Saintlysins]

SaintlySins` comments notwithstanding, and I may not have been paying attention, but some of you are right, it sure is dead around here- ........
...
...

Oh, PS: SaintlySins, that certainly is an eclectic collection of vehicles.

Thank you! It`s sooo much smaller than it used to be and I`m not really liking the 6-Series BMW - considering a trade in for the Taycan or (more likely as I can get in & out easily) the Panamera GTS.
I`ve since sold:
`70Superbird
`69 E-Type Cab
`72 Riviera
`11 Turbo S Cab
`74 Lotus Europa JPS
Audi A6 Sport
Merc E550
Subaru WRX Sti - modified for Rally yet legal/illegal for road
Datsun B210 - modified/updated
Alfa GTV6 Twin Turbo
Saab 900 SPG (track & rally)

I know I`m forgetting one or two less memorable but utilitarian.

Only regret selling Lotus and Jag.

[Saintlysins]

Setec Astronomy- Heh heh, yeah, I`m OK with that. And with answering the same beginner Qs for the gazillionth time. Well, usually.

Of all the people here - you were one of the friendliest, nicest and helpful people.
... and ... always thankful for a unique tip or an informative post by anyone.

I always felt you would speak like you `sounded` in your posts.

Glad to see you`re still here.

Hope all is well and you`re happy, healthy and smiling often.

---G---