Are you satisfied with CR:U?

[ZacFields]

I just basically want to know what everyone thinks of this website. There are mixed feelings. I know there are some of you out there that think CR:U is the best thing since sliced bread.

However, I talked anonymously with someone on the CR:U chatroom that doesn't post here anymore, yet views the site a lot. Apparantly he's not too fond of me or the way I run CR:U. Krustin was there with me.

Here's your chance to sound off. First I want to know what your overall opinion of the site is.

Next...and don't be pussies...I want you all to tell me what YOU would change about CR:U if YOU were the owner. I don't care if it's completely off the wall or if it's just a small change. Just sound off. I can't promise anything, but I aim to please. I realize you can't please everyone, but I at least want to know how many people are pleased right now and if they're not, I want to know what the problem is.

My last comment goes out to the person whom I was chatting with anonymously in the chatroom. This person claimed he was "boycotting" CR:U. I actually thought this guy was pretty cool on the old forums when he was around. He claims he's boycotting because he didn't agree with wiping out the forums (aka...he was pissed that his huge post count got erased and didnt' want to make it up like everyone else.) My comment is this: Are you really going to be that stubborn that you'll "boycott" a website?

Let me see if I can explain this to you. If you "boycott" something because it has changed in a way you dislike, it normally means a couple things:
1. You want to participate in what your'e boycotting...otherwise you wouldn't care.
2. You have no voice in helping to make the changes you'de like to take place.

He also claims CR:U has too many moderators. Does anyone think this is true? We have 13 total moderators. By my calculations, that is one moderator for every 31 CR:U members. Is that really that odd of a ratio? I think having a lot of moderators is essential for a forum such as ours. I can make anything happen by sending out an e-mail to my moderators and letting them know what's up.

Not to mention, this guy claims our moderators "are not actually moderating." Does anyone think this is true? Firstly....moderating does not mean jumping into random topics and saying "get the fuck back on topic or I will ban your asses." To me, moderating means that posts get moved to the appropriate categories in a timely fashion, posts are altered or (possibly) deleted that are deemed innapropriate, and someone is there to step in *politely* if a post gets really out of hand.

Also, this person claims that there is almost nobody on this site with any sort of car knowledge. In addition to that, he claims that all the techies are walked over and stepped on...therefore being scared away. Okay, I believe that we don't have a ton of car techies on this site. However, how many super knowledgable car guys are there out there that like to post on online forums all the time? I can't really name many. And when the hell was the last time Krustin, DJ, RysBrnr, 4banger, or any of those other car buffs EVER not had the last word in an argument. Do you guys really think the forementioned guys get walked on? IDK...I'm not too sure about that.

The guy also claims that (and he didnt' know he was talking to me) the direction I've taken the site does not follow what the majority of CR:U members really want. Basically he's saying that the majority of the members of this site want it to be a 100% Car Technicians website where only really intelligent car buffs can go to share information. Basically inferring that 75% of the website members should be deleted.

I'm not trying to say I"m not open for suggestions. But I personally believe a lot of things this guy said is untrue. I really wish he would stop hiding and get on here and speak his mind. Once I told him that he was speaking with the owner...he left the chatroom and I haven't heard from him since.

So please...let me know what you think. Vote, and then get on here and tell me what you would make better. Feel free to respond to any of this guy's rants as well if you'de like.

Zac

[April]

I personally believe that we all joined this site for one reason at first: we all have a love for cars. I LOVE cars, true i dont have a cool fast car...but I love them and thats the reason I joined it wasn't until later than i enjoyed coming because of the people here.

As far as moderators....we only have about .....30 people who post regulary right? maybe the moderators should be only the people who are doing stuff....idk if you can check that...but i doubt all moderators do their job.

CR:U is great because you can come here for stuff about cars but also you can meet many other people who love cars and many who like racing. Its a way to meet people who share the same lov eas you do. MAYBE there are a few things that can be fixed but nothing major.

I think CR:U is a pretty awesome website....and there is my opinon on that

[ZacFields]

Well as far as the moderators go...I really don't look much into how many people are posting as much as I look into how many posts we have.

Any moderators who are not active (Which only means that you view the site at least once a day) will definitely be removed. But in taking a quick glance at our moderators, it looks to me as if most of them are pretty active.

Thank you for the compliments Amanda. I realize that not everybody is going to be satisfied with the way things are run, but when you hear a negative comment, from an owner's prospective, you want to know how many others feel the same way.

Zac

[DustinsDuster]

i think i know who youre talking about Zac. i wouldnt let it bother you. people are going to have problems with things we do no matter what. you cant please everyone, you know that. with how many people we have on here regularly posting, you have to know youre doing something right. it takes a pretty condescending person to claim that no one here has any knowledge of cars.i say fuck 'em. dont let one person let you feel like the site is no good.

Dustin

[melhoneybee]

I personally like the site... I mean obvisouly look at the difference I am now compared to what I was 3 months ago..

Like amanda said... its peopel who love cars... and yeah i have kinda become a social site also... but I dont see anything wrong with that... just because people are getting more comfortable with each other.. and every becoming friends from the site... I think thats a good thing... and it supports the "family" ties we try to relate too.

then like dustin said... "fuck 'em" you really are not going to make everyone happy. I myself am not a car buff... and I'm sure everyone who knows me would agree... so I just stay outta the car tech forums... I read em... to keep an eye on things.. but I try not to pist like i know shit.. cause I don't..

So I say keep up the good work buddy... most people are not going to come on to YOUR website and tell you that your wrong.. so I think maybe the survey idea would be a good one... or something to keep things alittle more anynomous to get a better honest opinion from most...

[ZacFields]

Thanks gus. I must say I am pleased with the voting results so far. 5 yes answers to 1 no.

Honestly though guys, if there is anything you would change, dont' think it's going to start a huge problem or something. I am totally open to suggestion.

I'm not angry at the person who said all the bad things about CR:U. I just think he was a little misinformed. I am very interested in hearing if anyone would like to see changes

Zac

[Regeneration X]

I think the mods should be able to be a little more strict on some stuff. Like being able to edit peoples posts, if they arent necessary, to make it sound really funny :).
I have some other ideas, but I have to go now. I will post them when im back.

but zac, you are doing one hell of a job with this site. the one thing i dont like about it is that there arent enough posters and arent enough topics when im bored :(.

[melhoneybee]

only prob with that... is one mods opinion of necessary and someone elses might be different.

[ZacFields]

It just bugs me because the guy I was talking to....he was really cool on the old forums. Him and I actually talked a little bit on the old forums. Now he turns around and bashes on me and the way I do things.

Sometimes you'll never know who your friends are.

Zac

[94TSI]

i like all the people on the site dont get me wrong. but when i heard about the site i was informed it was a good source for tech forums. and yes there are tech. forums but there is no talk on them. clubhouse, newbies intro, trash...ect. are worthless threads... there are hardly any topics started in trash, clubhouse is just a bunch of ppl talkin about stuff that they could talk about on msn or something like that.

so i guess what i am saying is either i was misslead when i was hearing about the site, or the site has changed from tech forums to a highschool hang out.

[ZacFields]

I can understand feeling mislead. My problem with your complaint is that you're complaining about the people on CR:U, not really CR:U itself.

We've provided all the necessary tech forums. Now whether or not they get used is beyond our control.

If you go to a forum that actually has really good tech forums. Do a member search, and see how many of them are from Cedar Rapids. Hell, see how many of them are from Iowa.

IDK, I guess I haven't really noticed that problem. If I have a problem, or I want to talk about something involving cars, I'll go into one of our tech forums and post it. I always get the response I wanted and then some. I think the problem is the lack of people actually starting topics in those forums. I've made a consious effort to increase it, but my solution (which would be to abolish the car specific forums, which would cause all the tech stuff to be discussed in "general auto discussion" and "tech questions and info" and therefore more of the topics will be seen and responded to.) nobody seems to want to do that.

Zac

[Paseo5647]

Somewhat.. I say that mostly because I have just noticed all the threads in the trash have been locked. That is supposed to be Trash, with no moderation. I can't say anyone was really being harmed in any of those threads, or so it appears. It kinda just took the idea of the trash and cleaned it. Now it's not even what it originally was for. As far as moderators as well, there are a lot, or at least for what I'm used to, since I come from a forum with around 2300 users, not saying thats a lot or anything really, but it has only 3 adminestrators and 1 moderator, and it's a good forum, easy to use, so and so. As far as everything else on the site, it's all good, and quite entertaining and such to use. So very good job so far, but I guess there are a few things that I personally feel could be improved, but overall, the forum is good. Congrats.

[ZacFields]

Well there's a good thought there....is unlocking all the topics in the trash something that you guys want to do?

I only started locking them just to ease some of the tension that was being caused there. Personally I never did see the harm in having a forum for people to fight in.

So as long as nobody has a huge problem with that, I'm going to unlock all those topics.

Thank you for the suggestion, Paseo.

Zac

[babygrlkw04]

well Zac, i really don't have much to say, i think that you are doing a good job with things. i think the website is awsome, i didn't know what to expect, the main reason i joined the site is becuase when i was hanging out with dustin a lot he would always tell me something about what was on the site and i just felt like i was out of the loop on a lot of stuff he was talking about.

there have been some topics that really dont interest me, but then there are some that are awsome. i never thought that i would last this long on here so Zac you must be doing something right! but the more i type this i am thinking that some poeple think i just joined just for the hell of it, well you are right, but also i do like cars a lot. i mean i don't know very much about cars but i love going to car shows with my dad.

but yeah anyways right now, Zac, i don't have a problem with the site i think you are doing a really good job. i will let you know if something comes to mind.

[April]

A high school hang out? well.......not that many of us are in high school so that dosent make much sense. And there a lot of people on the site who know their shit about cars, idk.....i like it...its cool. good job.

[ZacFields]

yeah...my opinion is that when some people can't fit in to a certain group of people, their first reaction is to despise them. That's why some people won't come into the clubhouse and talk...and most of those people just so happen to think that the clubhouse is "worthless."

almost every forum has an "off topic" section. And in 99% of them, the off topic section is either the most used section or the second most used section.

Zac

[TbTalon94]

I think the site has really grown. It has come from some tiny site that supplied racing information (where abouts and what not) and now its a huge site with a lot of members and now quite a bit of information. It just seems that we have soo many members but i would say only about 20-30 are really active. You just see the same old people talking.....not that there is anything wrong with that whatsoever! I think have a trash forum and clubhouse forum is a good idea because it raises the post level of the site and there is always somewhere to talk because people jsut throw out all kinds of crap on those forums! This website is growing rapidly and will keep growing if we can keep up the positive things. One thing you could do Zac is invite company's to look over the site and see if they would want to be a part of it. Now that you have a legitamate sponsor (Import Evolution) it probably wouldn't be too hard to get some other company's in on it. You might be able to get some suggestions from them and make a few connections along the way. If we had a few more sponsors we could start a forum about parts from that company. Something like how the customer service is, how parts are, how they fit and the cost. It would give a chance for companys to know how they are doing and how people appreciate them. It is just an idea that could develop over some time. Overall the site is turning out great and keep it up man!!

[94TSI]

i just wanted to clarify. i wasnt bashing anyone on here...i love all the people on the site, and i like the site. i was just trying to say that i thought there would be more specific tech forums and stuff like that...but the site is cool.
sorry for any confusion and i hope nobody took it the wrong way.

[ZacFields]

Yeah I have thought a lot about getting some other sponsors for the site. I agree with you Trevor that having Import Evolution here with us will really help other companies feel more comfortable with sponsoring us.

Not only does sponsorship affect us as a website with the money that we gain from our sponsors, but also it helps our members out in many different ways.

Firstly, I guarantee you will all be the first to know if Import Evolution has a big sale. I told them that if they had a big sale, to let me know and I would put out an e-mail to our 400+ members as part of our advertising agreement.

We can't expect to have 20,000+ members anytime in the immediate future. That's simply because we're mainly trying to get members from cedar rapids or surrounding areas. If you really think about it, that's a pretty small scale to be working with. I haven't really looked much into search engines or paying for advertising on other websites because at this point, I'm really only interested in gaining members from our area of the country.

I personally am very comfortable with how CR:U is run right now. We are big enough to have substantial get-togethers and pretty soon we won't be able to eat out at restuarants anymore because we're pretty much reaching the limit of people that can be brought to a restuarant. I've already looked into renting party rooms at hotels in the future where we would bring our own food, our own entertainment, and make a night of it.

A friend of mine is having a "going-away" party at a party room in a hotel and we're all bringing our xbox's and TV's and we're going to have a huge Halo 2 tournament and probably play some Dance Dance Revolution. They allow kegs in these party rooms so there will be plenty of drunkenness as well. lol.

Anyways...Thanks for the compliments Trevor, and thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to be looking into getting some more sponsors on the way.

Zac

[ZacFields]

It's okay TSI. You're a car-buff. And right now we're not as high on that scale as we'de like to be.

I have thought about your comments a lot....and I had an offer from 4banger a few months ago that I wish to discuss with him some more. I think you'll be better satisfied in the near future.

Zac

[Otakuguy]

I think this site is being run very well by you Zac. I haven't adminned a site before, but I'm quite sure that it's incredibly tough to do with school and work at the same time.
you're doing an excellent job here. The forums are pretty expansive and include about every subject an auto enthusiast could want.(hehe I was surprised to see motorcycles for an option...hehe)
I also love the whole community. I don't feel alieanted like I have at other forums. The help and response to tech posts is incredible as well.
so all in all, CR:U is pretty damn good in my opinion. ^^
keep up the awesome work buddy.

[Snowman]

Personally I think a more appropriate question would be to ask if we're happy with the site. I think it's easy to be satisfied with something. Anyway, there are people on here that know their stuff about cars, but just don't look in those forums. I know I don't. For the most part, If I have a question about something I'm doing, I doubt anyone here could help me. But I'm not doing general maintnance either. Overall I think it's a good site. I wouldn't come here if it was tech only. Keep up the good work.

Wally

[Aphrodite]

I am new here and I have just recently started to post. I would always come and read through the forums but I would never reply- yes I am a sissy- but thats not the point. I like cars but I do not know a whole lot about them ( you can ask Dustin and Jake how I blew up my truck). Even though there is a lot of car talk, there are still other topics that are interesting. It's nice to be able to debate, hear other opinions, and get advice. Like I said, I am just getting into it, but so far I have really enjoyed this site. I think you are doing a good job!

[DustinsDuster]

i think the wandering topics are kind of what makes the site so wonderful. its not so serious, so stonefaced, that we cant have fun with it. we all love cars, but this site doesnt single people out if theyre not into cars much. i like that.

Dustin

[4Banger]

If I have a question about something I'm doing, I doubt anyone here could help me. But I'm not doing general maintnance either.

You'd be surprised at some of technical knowledge these v8 guys have. If they can't help you, I have friends that surely could. Normally when I see somebody with a problem that hasn't been resolved for a while and I have to clue either, then I'll try hard to find somebody who can help them b/c I know others have done the same for me and nobody likes a persistant problem.


I wouldn't come here if it was tech only. Keep up the good work.

Wally

That's why there's places for fun, places for serious tech, and places to talk shit :)

[90 notch]

in response to all this you guys are doing a great job.i'm just saying if some of you guys can't take the heat getout the kitchen.i've payed my dews to the car community as well as my whole club.The reason i started this club was to have the most elite cars around.I think i have assembled just that.For all of you that think i'm an asshole i can be.YOU guys have know idea about my respect level.AS FOr me being a straight domestic lover your wrong.Bring me a 10sec or faster import and i would proudly put a sticker on it.Theres a big differece between rice and an import.Dont hate the player hate the game.4 banger by the way if we ever went to chicago to street race we'd still have fast fuckin cars.I wish you guys had a clue what fast was.steve o MIDWEST STREETCAR ASSOCIATION......

[ZacFields]

I've always respected the MSCA. You guys talk a lot of shit, I'll give you that, but I've verbally (in person) talked enough shit with Widowmaker to know that it's all in good fun.

I personally think the MSCA is the elite group of fast cars around. I think you all are good guys, and are worthy of a certain level of respect.

You guys are going to collide with some of the faster guys on CR:U whom believe that since their cars are also fast (maybe not fast enough for MSCA) that they deserve the same level of respect. CR:U is home to many of the fastest imports and domestics in Cedar Rapids whom are not members of the MSCA.

90notch, trust me when I tell you this: It may seem by the opinion of the faster guys on CR:U that your club is not worthy of respect, but I can guarantee you that the majority of everyone in Cedar Rapids who knows of the MSCA respects you guys as the elite group of fast street cars in the area. It's just that you guys are faster...so it's not like any of us can really talk the same level of "speed" shit talking with you so you'll have some cheap shots thrown your way.

That's just my opinion on the whole thing. I haven't been paying very much attention to the arguments between the MSCA and faster CR:U guys so I'm a little out of the loop.

Zac

[10.5 is the way to be]

well said ZacFields

[DustinsDuster]

i think the amount of respect you get is directly relative to the amount you give. just how i grew up.

Dustin

[Regeneration X]

yea, thats a good way of seeing it dustin.

[ZacFields]

i think the amount of respect you get is directly relative to the amount you give. just how i grew up.

Dustin

But you forget, that is a 2 way street. If you're inferring that the MSCA doesn't give us much respect then it might just be because we don't give them much.

It's a good way of putting it....but in this situation it really doesn't make us look any better.

In fact, I believe it was 90notch (whom I am pretty sure is the owner of the club?) who came to CR:U one day and said:


I am new as well.For you guys that dont me i am the prez of the midwest streetcar assoc.Yes we do talk a lot of shit but its all fun and games.I drive a white 90 notchback mustang

That quote right there is his respect for us. Letting us know that he's going to talk a lot of shit as will the rest of his group, but it's all in fun and games. I think a lot of people get defensive when they run out of things to say.

Zac

Zac

[90 notch]

Thanks zac you hit it right on the head,respect due.steve o midwest's sickest cars around.

[ZacFields]

yeah I mean don't get me wrong, I think automotive arguments between us and MSCA are a good thing. It's just a friendly rivalry of sorts.

I do think, that it is very below the belt for some of our guys to discredit your club like they do.

Zac

[DustinsDuster]

i didnt say he or any of the MSCA didnt respect me or i dont respect them. ive talked to a lot of them and theyve been alright with me, as i try to be with them. what im saying is the same for both me and them. if i dont respect someone, i dont expect them respect me. i dont expect anyone on here to automatically respect me just because my caris faster than a lot of cars on here. the msca has earned respect with me, but i dont think anyone should be expected to respect anyone(myself included) without even knowing the person that much. sorry for the ramble.

Dustin

[April]

I think a lot of people are satisfied with cr:u.....this month we had many new memebers, and the average posts is up and topics are blowing up. its awesome.