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  1. #76
    Rasky's Auto Detailing RaskyR1's Avatar
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    Great thread David! I have noticed the decline in views/posts as well. Personally if people don`t want to view my work that`s fine by me since most of my work tends to be daily drivers with basic details, and lets be honest, there are tons of those threads posted daily! IMO most readers could care less if it`s not an exotic or special interest car. My threads with the most views are jobs with cool cars or jobs where I went above and beyond standard detailing duties, and I`m fine with that. I`m not out to be the next Paul Dalton, I simply do what I love and want nothing more than to be acknowledged as a reputable pro.



    I do agree with a lot of what`s been said so I`ll try not an repeat it all. Instead I`ll list why I post C&B threads myself.



    • Obviously it`s a great advertisement! Why not take advantage of it?
    • As Eric stated, there is nothing wrong with adding them to multiple forums as not everyone visits Autopia, the more exposure the better!
    • Helping others! A lot of knowledge has been gained from forums and I try and do my part to give back to the community. I`ve always responded to everyone of my threads! Most of the time it`s simply a thank you, but if there is a question posted I always answer them.
    • Having my work on-line has also been helpful many times when someone asks a question about a certain car that I`ve already worked on.






    I will say that I dislike the threads were the OP does not answer questions or simply doesn`t contribute to the forum at all other than to post their work.





    Rasky

  2. #77

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    Quote Originally Posted by RaskyR1
    ...most of my work tends to be daily drivers with basic details, and lets be honest, there are tons of those threads posted daily! IMO most readers could care less if it`s not an exotic or special interest car...


    Ya know..I`m actually more likely to check out C&Bs about daily drivers as opposed to exotics. I`m a *huge* fan of beater-car details!

  3. #78

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    Quote Originally Posted by RaskyR1
    I will say that I dislike the threads were the OP does not answer questions or simply doesn`t contribute to the forum at all other than to post their work.





    Rasky


    I agree. Your C&B`s are great because you answer questions and help out in other areas. I also like that you do `regular` cars where the owner has a budget or a time constraint and you demonstrate how to work within that boundary.



    Randy

  4. #79
    DetailingGurus.com danponjican's Avatar
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    I agree with the general sentiment that the C&B have lost most of their steam (not just this site... most of them). Not sure how appropriate it will be to reference a competing site but I think when you figure out what the guys are doing in the "The Studio" section of DetailingWorld, you`ll have it figured out. Just a quick glance down the first page and almost all the threads have multiple thousands of views and multi-pages of responses. Is it me, or have the Europeans always been one step ahead in this industry?

  5. #80
    Rasky's Auto Detailing RaskyR1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by danponjican
    I agree with the general sentiment that the C&B have lost most of their steam (not just this site... most of them). Not sure how appropriate it will be to reference a competing site but I think when you figure out what the guys are doing in the "The Studio" section of DetailingWorld, you`ll have it figured out. Just a quick glance down the first page and almost all the threads have multiple thousands of views and multi-pages of responses. Is it me, or have the Europeans always been one step ahead in this industry?


    DetailingWorld has always had a lot more traffic IMO, so that could be part of it. As far as the "Studio" section goes, the only difference I see is that it`s a "pay to post" section. the content doesn`t seem any different to me. They have their key players who are always pushing the envelope just like some of the guys we have here.



    In general I`d say they may be ahead of the game in some areas, but they are behind in some too (MF D/A polishing).

  6. #81

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    One of the reasons I quit looking/posting on this forum was that all the C&B`s was that it seems to be all about the high end cars. there was nothing said about the procedure and it was all about "Ooohh....look what high end cars I am doing" and it got very boring. Eye candy is one thing but there are a lot of people here that want to learn. This is the forum that I used to become a detailer and I could not have done it without the help of people on here. That feeling seems to have gone away. It seem sot be all about showing off the high end cars and not so much about the learning. My business is geared more towards the DD end of vehicles and I absolutely love it. Every once in a while I get a higher end car and it`s fun but that`s not what you learn on. Detailers that are learning need to see what DD`s look like and what procedures are used. Just my two cents worth.

  7. #82

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    +1



    I`ve started to feel the Autopia has become snobbish.



    - Antti -

  8. #83
    Mobile Detailing Services justin30513's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anzafin
    +1



    I`ve started to feel the Autopia has become snobbish.



    - Antti -
    It`s a billion times better than 2 years ago.

  9. #84
    MarcHarris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MachNU
    With circular logic, it still boils down to perception of people. The people with the bigger names will always get more traffic, which in turns elevates their name more. When this happens it takes traffic from the little guys threads, who like you said, may have hit a home run. Then eventually it falls off the page, going unnoticed. It will never change.



    Hell, I will use you and myself as an example. If we both did a high end car to a close to same detailing package(granted I do not know your packages, but just say usual basic 95% correction package), then made threads, yours hands down would be much more traffic. Because your track record is amazing. You have much more information out there and your camera skills are much better than mine. People have seen more of your threads and have an idea to what they can expect in your thread. We both may have done the exact same quality of work, but mine might not be as flashy or crisp high quality pictures as yours. Meaning if they do go into mine, they will breeze right threw it.



    I have said this many times before, I use an old D50, which is a start DSLR, with the start basic lens. I am not the most camera savvy. I do not know fancy angels or ways to pose cars after. I just know to get 4 corner shots, few interior and some sun shots. I try to stay straight to the point on what I did and what the outcome is. Which, it does affect the traffic my threads get and they tend to fall off onto the mass amount of pages, unless I respond to someones comment I might have missed.



    Its the nature of the beast, those with less rapport, experience and years in the business, will always be held to a higher level.


    The only flaw in your logic and thinking is not realizing that this is on purpose. People automatically associate my name with a potential quality post that is an entertaining read which is informative, and has great pics? Mission successful.



    I`ve worked harder than many might realize to try to make my posts stand out. It`s not enough to just have a working camera anymore. You have a D50? I have a Sony A200: an entry level D-SLR camera that has a spot on the sensor I can`t seem to clear-up. I can promise your stock lens is better than mine as well.



    I have a photography class, 2 photography books, one-on-one consultation with 4 different photographers, and the drive to make my pictures as good as possible under my belt as well. Additionally, I`ve taken college classes on automotive paint technology and application as well as a class on Color & Lighting and a Small Business class. All of these were done on purpose to better myself and image.



    I release my write-ups strategically based on timing of events and other pro`s posts. I`ve delayed posting a write-up for several days on multiple occasions because of what other posts may currently be popular (I remember Barry Theal posting a Ferrari that made me wait 3 days...).



    Each write-up I post has been proof read, edited, altered, fixed, and smoothed out by at least 2 or three other people before it is posted. I want the words to come natural; my syntax to flow from the page into your mind with little to no effort. The 20 minutes you spend reading my work should fly by as you`re entertained an enveloped into the transformation the car before you is making.





    You don`t feel you can easily compete with that? Good. I was hoping not.
    Marc Harris from AutoLavish Fine Automobile Care of Michigan

  10. #85
    Forza Auto Salon David Fermani's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anzafin
    +1



    I`ve started to feel the Autopia has become snobbish.



    - Antti -


    Really? Care to explain? I will say with certainly that the detailers on this site are much more experienced(cumulatively speaking) then any other on the net. Hands down. I wouldn`t call that snobbish, but rather enlightening to our audience and in turn is what makes Autopia what it is. This forum is the only one that has a true purpose of spreading useful, non-decriminated and unbiased information to the masses. We aren`t a sales machine with a rah, rah pitch-a-thon undertone.



    There were eras on this forum that would certainly mimmick your perception, but 99.9999% of the posters here (especially the regulars) are here to help. I hope you take what I say at face value and continue to post.
    Metro Detroit`s leader in cleaning, preserving & perfecting fine automobiles!

  11. #86

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    I try to post comments whenever possible. Unfortunately, I do feel like the C&B section has become a little less interesting than it used to be.



    When I first came here it was just to ogle over the awesome cars you guys detail. Ferraris, Lambos, Rolls Royce, etc... some real car porn here. It was awesome to look at those cars all cleaned up. I still love seeing how amazing you guys can make supercars that I will never even get to drive look.



    Seeing all of those cars looking so clean motivated me to give it a shot. I started reading about products and techniques and seeing what was possible. Then I looked at the amateur section and LOVED it.. I loved seeing how a car like mine could be transformed by a little elbow grease. I`m never going to own a Ferrari and I doubt I`ll ever be able to afford however much those kinds of details cost, but I love seeing what an amateur or a pro can do on a car like mine. I loved learning about what products or methods I could be using to improve the appearance of my car.



    Then it became less about teaching and more about drumming up business, it seems. Tons of pictures of barely scuffed Bugattis without any description of product or method used. While it`s fun to look at, as someone who`s trying to get in to detailing as a hobby, you can only look at so many perfect supercars before you get a little bored with it. I`d rather look at an 80% correction on a 10 year old Toyota with a description of how to try to get similar results so I can both be entertained and learn something. This is why I love seeing Scottwax`s posts (even though he can be a little slim on pictures sometimes) -- I know this is a professional that won`t scoff when I ask if he`ll clean up my Focus for me. And he`ll take the time to answer my question about what he did, what he used, or why he did it.



    I think of note for you professionals, teaching the amateurs a trick or two is also good for business, in my opinion. I`ve tried to polish my car and I`ve tried to clean under the hood, but my results are nowhere near the average pro`s results. I overlook the little thing. I miss spots. I`m thrilled to be able to "maintain" my car, but I now know my limitations and why I should pay one of you guys to really take care of it.



    I know I just rambled all over the place, but I`d like to encourage you guys to keep up the great work. If you wouldn`t mind answering questions about products and techniques, that would be awesome.

  12. #87

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    Quote Originally Posted by Grimm
    Really, that was a weak beef. The lack of any/good after shots was more what I was thinking of. I think I see that a lot more than lack of before shots. Like you said, they take nice shots before, but then take shady pictures after. Those are the ones that bug me a lot more than lack of before shots. it`s more being picky than anything, but if you don`t take before shots, it doesn`t prove us that you actually did anything to the paint. It could have looked that good before you touched it (though I`m sure that`s never the case), but we wouldn`t know.


    If I am just doing a basic 1 DA polishing step on the paint, then there probably isn`t much to see. The added depth and gloss may or may not show up in the pictures.
    www.scottwax.com

    Certified Opti-Coat Pro/Pro 3 installer

  13. #88
    I'm Greg :) Greg Gellas's Avatar
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    Unfortunatly, I do see a lot less traffic on some pretty amazing corrections unless you have a "name". I mean full write ups with full description of what was done and truly amazing tranformations that are just looked over. Other than that the big names still get big views for the most part no?

  14. #89
    Detailing Gnosis Bunky's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mikenap
    Although this is true to some degree, take Bob Willis` (AutoConcierge) most recent post about the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Always produces stellar work, takes great pics, has a HUGE name, client base and following. The post is of a 500hp, very exclusive SUV, yet at this point it has over 200 views and only 6 replies, one of which is his. I think this points to what David says about C&B`s losing some of their effectiveness, regardless of whether its a big fish, smaller guy or enthusiast posting his own cars. .


    Why should it stand out above others? It is an expensive vehicle by a well respected detailer but from the comments posted just seemed a basic detail on a vehicle in pretty good condition. It has comments about "Tough dirt build up on the lower rockers" but minimal process/product discussion, etc.



    When you see Gary Dean using 3 polishes side by side on the same paint and showing the results in a real time video, that is interesting. I still miss Bryan`s streaming work on TID.

    Al
    The Need to Bead


  15. #90
    Mobile Detailing Services justin30513's Avatar
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    To me, paint is paint. Give me a interior turnaround any day for a click and brag.

 

 
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