Why the real Autopia is the best detailing forum there is....

Mush-Mouth said:
I left my old home of Detail City when AutoGeek stole the Autopia name and tried to steal and trick Autopia.org and DC members into thinking AF was the new Autopia. If I remember correctly they sent out mass e-mails to all the DC and TID members enticing people to rejoin. Heck. they even enticed the long time .org moderator enough to abandon ship promoting this as a diversion to people and even copying the .org look. This obviously failed and most of the long time DC members left too. They've even tried to bring back a token Poorboys guy which I think is rediculous. I refuse to buy anything from an AutoGeek based company. All my business goes to DD and DI. I can only hope that more members will realize how much of a scumbag AutoGeek head honchos are and stop posting on their forums because of it. Why support something so evil? Especially when you know this?



Sorry to hear you left, but a lot of guys have stuck around. Some of them are regulars here as well. When I see someone with a post count in the thousands, and it's not a TID-converted screen name (like mine is), he's obviously old-school DC.



And IMO, a forum is a forum. I visit forums for the people, not the vendor. The annoying legion of AG sycophants is the biggest reason I'm not on AGO. In all honesty, most of my shopping lately has been with Greg@DI, Eric@Autoality, and ADS. No AG purchases in a looooooong time. When I stop by a forum to chat with people I'm familiar with, I'm not exactly supporting or putting money into anyone's pocket.
 
Good Thread -



I read that post on the other forum and laughed as well. I enjoy all the car detailing forums as they all have threads that are worth the read (naturally, some more than others). With that said, Autogeek is a business that makes money on products - They do a fantastic job with their forum marketing as they usually start the interest but it's the posters that build it up and turn it into hype and/or the "flavor of the month". I think everyone will at least begrudgingly admit that the product (not the process) is the sexy part of detailing - whether it's because you saved a boatload of money on a BOGO deal or bragging that you spent a grand on some limited edition tin of wax. It should not be a surprise that 80% (if not more) of the threads on the Autogeek forum is focused on their products.



Bunky brings up a very important comment - “Different Folks for Different Strokes”. I am at the point of my detailing life where I have found what I like and I am using them often (damn good Mike Phillips quote). While most of the threads and reviews at AG are probably helpful to the new guy, they do not do a lot for me – They tell you that the products are pretty damn good but they rarely ever tell you the key qualities that differentiate it from all the other great products out there.



The traffic that AG and AF generate is unmatched but I probably only read 10% of the content - most of which are written by Mike Phillips and Todd Helme. Comparatively, the traffic at Autopia.org, DB, and DW is definitely nowhere as high but I have read close to 80% of the content as they tend to be a lot more thorough and educational. Plus, the people here are not afraid to admit that they spent their hard-earned money on a product that did not live up to their expectations. Overall, I learn about the new stuff from AG/AF but how to perfect usage from Autopia/DB/DW.
 
Autopia has always been my go to detail forum, but to not sample what other forums have to offer and get different thoughts is very limiting. While yes there is some butt kissing going on at other places, different moderation staff ensures a different environment. Here I dont feel like im walking on egg shells everytime i want to post something. Granted I never felt like I was being risky in saying anything to begin with, but this feels like home. I mean yes, AGO sometimes feels a little "cheesy" per say with some of the posts saying to others "oh ya good post," but i have to say some of their giveaways are not bad. I got the equivalent of $180 or so of stuff from their write a review give away which was very nice.



I like many have spread my purchases around alot. When I first started I was a primary geek orderer, then my eyes were opened to looking around and have liked ordering from Autoality (they have treated me well, but partly because i had 3 orders i think in a row that had an item back ordered, and over $50 is always free shipping), detailedimage, Detailersdomain, ADS, and CMA when it was open. I cant bash the geek because they have been good to me as well, never had a problem with any of my orders, and they always got to me with the quickness, but as others have said the antics with renaming detail city AF was pure rivalry to pull away traffic. If you do a search on google and type in say menzerna autopia, both forums will come up.
 
Bunky said:
What evidence is there that "2-3 forums worth of people" are stealing(?) people from finding autopia.org? If someone mentions the other place, is that automatically a crime to you?



??



I am saying that with all the merge of all the forums onto (autopia forums . com) that I am surprised that everyone supports it. I think its pretty clear what they are trying to do. It has nothing to do with mentioning the other place, and therefore no, is not a "crime". Its the fact that its basically poaching traffic before it reaches a decade old internet forum. Its not even my forum, I just try to read between the lines.
 
I really do not think the name autopia means much to newbies so it is not likely fooling anyone who has visited the .org site.



Right now, if you type "autopia" in google, you will see two paid placements by PBMG (Autopia car care and Autogeek) at the top with Autopia.org as the first search result. AF does not make the top 10. The key to winning to the google battle is paid placements and savvy key words management.



This place will do fine as long as it spends more time focusing with a mixture of contributors focusing on content and spending less time whining about PBMG. Forums that focus on negatives (like Autopia haters forum - Detail Club) will not likely grow and attract quality people and their contributions. Detail City was doomed when it was obvious the most popular topic was guns.
 
IMO a good forum should be a place where the members should get honest information. It should not be a platform to hype products. This type of marketing is usually done by the street vendors. I feel autopia.org is the best forum out there.
 
I am pretty new on the forum and I do not post a lot but I can say that this is the best forum because most of my success on my business is because of the great information at Autopia.org. When it comes to products I used different brands and I never felt any pressure from autopia.org to buy 3D, I just gave it a try and they are pretty good products
 
I heard it said in an earlier post that the best form of flattery is when others want to steel your ideas and your hard work in building them. Another great analogy is to know that the best form of revenge is to go be a success. Don't ever let your competitors see you get upset or let them know they are getting the best of you... This is the response all competitors are looking for. They are looking for you to show your weakness and this is exactly how they end up getting their own momentum going. In most cases, the best thing you can do is not respond at all but to continue to support and grow the oldest and most established forum in the industry. I know a lot of my team, including myself, get a lot of great info here on Autopia.org and we will continue to do so in a big way. Good luck to all of you and your business endeavors and keep the post coming in. I love reading them and hearing about them in so many conversations Im involved in. I am, and now will always be, a big part of the Autopia.org team and looking forward to posting a few new articles Im just finishing up now.... Happy New Year to all of you...
 
Total Pro said:
I heard it said in an earlier post that the best form of flattery is when others want to steel your ideas and your hard work in building them. Another great analogy is to know that the best form of revenge is to go be a success. Don't ever let your competitors see you get upset or let them know they are getting the best of you... This is the response all competitors are looking for. They are looking for you to show your weakness and this is exactly how they end up getting their own momentum going. In most cases, the best thing you can do is not respond at all but to continue to support and grow the oldest and most established forum in the industry. I know a lot of my team, including myself, get a lot of great info here on Autopia.org and we will continue to do so in a big way. Good luck to all of you and your business endeavors and keep the post coming in. I love reading them and hearing about them in so many conversations Im involved in. I am, and now will always be, a big part of the Autopia.org team and looking forward to posting a few new articles Im just finishing up now.... Happy New Year to all of you...



Well said, Total Pro... I dont post much but the amount of knowledge I have rec'd from Autopia.org over the last year has been amazing!! Thanks to all of you. Its good to know there is a place that doesn't mis-lead for financial gain. Happy New Year everyone!
 
Total Pro said:
I heard it said in an earlier post that the best form of flattery is when others want to steel your ideas and your hard work in building them. Another great analogy is to know that the best form of revenge is to go be a success. Don't ever let your competitors see you get upset or let them know they are getting the best of you... This is the response all competitors are looking for. They are looking for you to show your weakness and this is exactly how they end up getting their own momentum going. In most cases, the best thing you can do is not respond at all but to continue to support and grow the oldest and most established forum in the industry. I know a lot of my team, including myself, get a lot of great info here on Autopia.org and we will continue to do so in a big way. Good luck to all of you and your business endeavors and keep the post coming in. I love reading them and hearing about them in so many conversations Im involved in. I am, and now will always be, a big part of the Autopia.org team and looking forward to posting a few new articles Im just finishing up now.... Happy New Year to all of you...



it's seasoned and experienced people like yourself that make autopia.org the best. one thing i've noticed is many more educated, and experienced people like yourself still come here, contribute and (many) recognize the history of this place. it has respect, history and information that no other board will ever have...
 
When I was asked if I would consider moderating this forum, after the initial surprise, it took less than a second to accept. I feel honored to be here and try my best to help make this a cut above the rest. I agree its the people that make a forum, but you have say that since the change from the old owner, it has been a much better place. But, we are not resting, we are continuing to look for ways to make it better. Anybody starting detailing could join here and get up to speed much faster than I did back years ago. Detailing is changing and we are leading the way. Thank you for your support!
 
Total Pro said:
I heard it said in an earlier post that the best form of flattery is when others want to steel your ideas and your hard work in building them. Another great analogy is to know that the best form of revenge is to go be a success. Don't ever let your competitors see you get upset or let them know they are getting the best of you... This is the response all competitors are looking for. They are looking for you to show your weakness and this is exactly how they end up getting their own momentum going. In most cases, the best thing you can do is not respond at all but to continue to support and grow the oldest and most established forum in the industry. I know a lot of my team, including myself, get a lot of great info here on Autopia.org and we will continue to do so in a big way. Good luck to all of you and your business endeavors and keep the post coming in. I love reading them and hearing about them in so many conversations Im involved in. I am, and now will always be, a big part of the Autopia.org team and looking forward to posting a few new articles Im just finishing up now.... Happy New Year to all of you...



Well said, Mel! You in particular have a good bit of perspective on all of this mess considering that at one point PBMG tried to bring you on board over on AutopiaForums, and it appears that has fallen through. To me, that is pretty telling in and of itself.
 
This place is where it all began for me in terms of being opened up to a whole new world and learning alot

it's still the best forum even though I was banned some years back then invited back



DW forum is cool too but much more enthusiast based than having tonnes of true pro's in it



And as for Autogeek, I can't stand them except for mike phillips, meghan and a few others

they don't sell anything I'm interested in except the optimum microfibre pads which I'll now buy elsewhere

their products are not cutting edge and customer service for international customers like myself is non existant really



Im not a 3D fan but hey, each to their own



The enthusiasts in other forums keep crapping on about already outdated stuff.

great to be back and having Barry and the other fello pro's here
 
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