Unfriendly Board

[MikeMc]

I've been visiting the BB for a few years now, skimming over it to hopefully find a tip or two. With me having Jim's CD and my project (McMobile) being totally customized I really don't need any help from this BB. Since it's at my disposal I try to contribute by posting some pics of my W's progress. Once again I find the senior BB members to be unfriendly.

Listed are some MY thoughts as to why such little response,
1. "dare to be different"
2. it's not original
3. you all don't like yellow
4. tight group of guys that don't welcome outsiders
5. maybe it's just me

I realize my W is unique and it's a pretty bad @#% Sweptline. I've been documenting my 2nd rebuild (not happy with 1rst) and have tons of pics to share. I'm not looking for praise when I post pics just trying to create conversation with no such luck.

Are you guys wanting the BB to grow or just keep it a small tight group?

I politely spoke my 2 cents and interest in hearing your point of view. Mike

[HellBelly]

Mike,

I've reviewed a few of your posts and can't for the life of me find anything unfriendly directed at you or your truck. I'm not sure what post prompted you to post this.

The "Dare to be Different" motto. That originated from Driving Dodge Sweptline Trucks instead of Chevy and Fords which EVERYONE seems to own.

We get new members on this board almost daily, some are young guys with their first taste of the Sweptline trucks and yes we have some die hard, old school Sweptliners here as well and plenty that are in the middle. I know for a fact MANY help out new members and i see responses all over the place helping the new members sort out issues and sending them parts, sometimes for free.

I've seen pictures of your truck and i see no issue with the color?? Did someone bag on you because of the color? If they did that person is RUDE, but not the whole board.

Scott

[Hobcobble]

Mike,
Speaking solely on my own behalf.... [others may agree...]
1)I dig your truck.... Hands down..... it is probably THE most rugged Sweptline I know of.
2)I dug your complete [pictorial] synopsis while it was coming together.
3)I envy your skills ..... without question.
4)I like Yellow..... I owned [and loved] a '90 D250 that was NY State DOT Yellow
5)Many other fellow enthusiasts are "Different" in their tastes and their Sweptline builds.
I enjoy reading about all build ups as well as seeing pics..... mild to wild.... its all good.
6)There is a very large population on this site. Some members have been here since the
beginning. I would assume them to be both welcoming and accommodating. As with any
site.... there are hundreds of "personalities". You state that you find "the Senior Members"
to be unfriendly. Do you mean all of the senior members? [no need to name names].
7)The board is growing every day.
8)Thank you for speaking your mind. The administrators & moderators go out of their way to
provide as good a site as possible. Any input on how to improve is appreciated.
9)To provide an answer to "Maybe its just me?".... I'd have to know you personally and also
know more about the events/posts/comments that precipitated your "observations".....

I will follow up with you ASAP.

I'm sure other members will add their comments for you as well.
John

[hampstead38]

I've been visiting the BB for a few years now, skimming over it to hopefully find a tip or two. With me having Jim's CD and my project (McMobile) being totally customized I really don't need any help from this BB. Since it's at my disposal I try to contribute by posting some pics of my W's progress. Once again I find the senior BB members to be unfriendly.

Listed are some MY thoughts as to why such little response,
1. "dare to be different"
2. it's not original
3. you all don't like yellow
4. tight group of guys that don't welcome outsiders
5. maybe it's just me

I realize my W is unique and it's a pretty bad @#% Sweptline. I've been documenting my 2nd rebuild (not happy with 1rst) and have tons of pics to share. I'm not looking for praise when I post pics just trying to create conversation with no such luck.

Are you guys wanting the BB to grow or just keep it a small tight group?

I politely spoke my 2 cents and interest in hearing your point of view. Mike

I've found the group helpful... and I've tried to be helpful in return though my mechanical skills and Mopar knowledge pale in comparison to the forum members.

While I'm a shadetree mechanic (at best), I do know a little something about writing. I very respectfully offer a few observations on your post. One, saying "I really don't need any help from this BB" is probably not the best way to solicit feedback. I imagine that the "senior guys" here like feeling helpful... and useful. Telling someone you don't need them is not exactly the fast track to a mutually beneficial conversation.

Two, maybe it's just a rural Montana cultural thing, but generally I think trucks guys like it when someone appreciates their rig but they are hesistant to toot their own horn. I can't really imagine anyone here saying, "Yeah, I can't talk to that guy because his truck is just too 'badass.'" My rule of thumb... be a little too critical of my truck and a little too generous of the other guy's.

Three, it's better to ask a question than to speculate. This board seems to have a number of members, but sometimes responses come slowly or not at all. A better way approach might be simply to say, "I don't seem to get a lot of responses to my threads. Is there anything I can do to get more feedback." An open-ended question is more inviting than asking and immediately providing the reasons you suspect people might not be responding... reasons, I might add, that may not put the "nonresponding" folks in the most favorable light.

Finally, I think any forum depends on what people bring rather than what people take away. I'm not a great mechanic, but I can write reasonably well. I've thought about trying to collect information on something like the D200 brake system, putting useful information in one general location. Rather than focusing on what you aren't getting out of the forum, why not try focusing on what you can add. I also think the guys here are "problem solvers." I'm not sure they're deeply committed to one shade of yellow over the other... but they do seem pretty canny when it comes to chasing down a tough problem.

Please don't take offense, Mike. I'm just trying to offer a different perspective. Be well.

[nfury8]

Mike,

Kind of surprised by your post. I think your truck is awesome! My philosophy is you can do
what ever you want to your truck, you own it. As the admin of another Mopar board, I take
special interest in new members and always try to help them whenever I can. I think it is
very important to look out for the new members, specially those that are new to Swepty's.
Sweptlines are a little different story compared to Brand X and new comers to the trucks
can get discouraged, since there aren't catalogs to just order what you need. That is where
sites like this become so valuable.

As a moderator, I welcome any member to contact me directly if they have an issue or question
they feel I might be able to help with. I know the Admins (Scott & Ben) feel the same way, as
I would expect most the other Mods do too.

Keep the updates coming! Even if there aren't the amount of comments you expect, that
doesn't mean others aren't finding them useful.

- The other Scott

[MikeMc]

hampstead, I'm an oil field hand not a writer but I see what your saying about my wording. In my eyes senior members keep the board flowing and exciting with there knowledge and communication skills.

Hob, Compliments are appreciate but thats not what I'm after, just enjoy chatting on the BB's. I understand you've seen the pics during my 1st rebuild but what about the new guys? Some things have changed during the 2nd rebuild, engine. I would be happy to share the info if there is interest. My last post did not receive one comment about the speakers. To me a waist of time.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20912

I was expecting some replies like,
a. Joe Blow already thought about that.
b. thats not a very good spot....
c. you should have at least used matching screws.
d. hope it sounds good report back when you get it hooked up.
e. good idea thanks for posting.
f. your an idiot

Hopefully this is a good example and you guys can see were I'm coming from.

[BrowneBlue]

Mike,
As for me, I usually don't have enough time to look at everything on the board. I am researching things like , brakes, clutches, and how to keep this truck running. So, I would tend to skip over the speaker placement as it would not be a need to keep this truck on the road. Also, I don't always comment on somethings. Now that I see it I can see you did a very good job and they are cleverly placed! I also took a look at your shifting video. WOW! I've never gotten past 5 speeds....did I see you shift 'back' to a lower gear for a bit?
Just my . Take care! BrowneBlue

[Hobcobble]

Hob, Compliments are appreciate but thats not what I'm after, just enjoy chatting on the BB's. I understand you've seen the pics during my 1st rebuild but what about the new guys? Some things have changed during the 2nd rebuild, engine. I would be happy to share the info if there is interest. My last post did not receive one comment about the speakers. To me a waist of time.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20912

I was expecting some replies like,
a. Joe Blow already thought about that.
b. thats not a very good spot....
c. you should have at least used matching screws.
d. hope it sounds good report back when you get it hooked up.
e. good idea thanks for posting.
f. your an idiot

Hopefully this is a good example and you guys can see were I'm coming from.

Mike,
If I had a nickel for every time I posted something that solicited little or nor response....

Don't take it as an affront. You may have noticed, while reading some posts, that there is a large time
gap between their origin date and the date someone last responded. Folks [both recent members
and long-timers] continually search old posts for information. What might not be responded to
immediately might be read and added to some time from now. Although you didn't receive a reply
RELATED to your speaker placement, you did at least get some response. I can assure you that Russ
was poking fun. I just met him while traveling in Oregon & Washington a couple of weeks ago and
have known him on this and Norm's site. for the better part of a decade. As he drives a tractor
trailer for a living, he noticed your shifter set up immediately. He has a gear splitter in his '67
W200 so I'm sure he watched your video a couple of hundred times already! He's probably
figuring out the best way to put a 10spd gear box behind his 440 right now.....

Hang around Mike! You input is appreciated.
John

[Jims68]

Hi Mike, just reading this... and I did see and read your post about the speakers in the kick panels. I even made a comment over on that same post as well, only it was about the shifters in the cab. I didn't comment about the speakers because I didn't really have anything constructive to say. I still only have my original AM radio, and the speaker in the dash. So, it isn't because I don't like your setup, it is just I don't say the obvious; which is, Nice Job on the speakers. Please don't take the "lack of comments" from the folks here as a negative on your speaker setup. I like your examples... They are funny!

Jim

[motomatt383]

Hey Mike, sorry to hear your original post. i guess i fall into the silent guy, i post a bunch, but i don't expect multiple responses. as for your speakers, i read it, luv'd the install. but haven't thought about tunes in my own truck, so i didn't post anything. hope you continue to post, i've seen your previous posts your trucks cool!

matt

[712edf]

Mike,

Personally I like yellow trucks. I was once in the market for a 2003-05 quad cab ram3500 long bed 4x4 solar yellow. Other than one in Iowa, they don't exist!

I recently spouted off about the popularity of those wanting power steering and disc brake conversions for their trucks, but it never was intended to step on anyone's toes. That's the problem with non-verbal communication sometimes, I come across harsher than I mean too. My not responding to some threads is usually due to me not having an opinion or anything informative to add, not a lack of appreciation or me being unfriendly. But then again some of my smart-*ss comments don't add anything, yet I do make them anyways.

I find this board informative, funny & the members here helpful & respectful. Else I wouldn't come here on a daily basis.

Bucky

[PatS]

I read and enjoy almost every post, but as in real life, I don't comment on every single thing. It should not be taken as an affront or lack of interest in a post if each and every person who reads it doesn't comment, heck we would be on the board for hours!!!

This is the "internets", and the one thing missing from person to person interaction is the hmm's and ah's and the body language that communicates that what you said was acknowledged, understood and appreciated.
So, on here those cues are missing so there is a blank instead. We still look and read and go ah and hmm, you just don't hear it.

[digdoug]

Mike,
I saw your post about the speakers,and was seriously let down!

f.You're an idiot!
You have this super cool truck with great mods.What I want to see is the missing Cummins posts!
Last time we saw this truck it had a dozer engine in it? Who cares about speakers!

Doug

[digdoug]

Ok, I went back and looked at your speaker post...It was't a total waste of time,as it has a cool vidio of you going through the gears It sounded soo good...who needs music?

[fosh69]

hmmm.... this is quite amusing.

[Floorguy]

Hey there Mike,

Don't take any offense, but it's you.

Very cool truck, good posts, but not an unfriendly board in my opinion. I've been here too long to say otherwise.

These guys that run this site are the very best. How would I know? Because they've helped me out several times, especially Scott. Not to mention the numerous "regulars" that have helped me with many questions I've had over the years.

There are a bunch of different people and opinions here, I love it.

Keep on Truckin Mike!

Take care.

[tallstack]

Hi MikeMc,

I am pretty sure I am the youngest guy in this forum and my opinion on anything really don't pack any weight. But anyway, I think your truck rules! I would saw a foot off with a butter knife to have something so fine. My problem is that I am so monetarily challenged, I had to save for months for a set of spark plugs .

Personally, I have yet to meet an unfriendly person or even receive a smart @#% response. I love these guys! I beat them to death over a timing issue and they just kept coming back at me until I understood . They are more patient with me than my own family! Except for Mom. She puts up with crap from me that these guys would kick my @#% over .

I sometimes want answers right away because that's when I'm working on something. Then of course I realize I'm dealing with people that are working and have families or get their minds elsewhere. I don't claim to know anything, I'm actually a very long way from a full six pack. But maybe you are just taking them wrong? I hope you don't go away. You seem to have a lot to offer.

[wideblock]

i have been on this board since its birth in various positions and i got to say, this is the most rediculas post i have seen. to me your post was very lack luster to say the least, and didnt require any type of responce. any regular members have seen speakers put in kick panels over and over and over and over and over.....im sure you get my point. coming on hear all peeved because no one gave you the proverbial pat on the back is just rediculas and uncalled for. instead of paying attention to your responces, look at the number of views you get. you may not get a response post, but if you have 50 views, then that means the masses find what you post worth looking at. it may not be worthy of a response, it may be that noone has anything to ad, or in this case it may be just another way to do what we have all seen time and time again...but if they took the time to look, then you know you got thier attention. i too looked over your past posts and have yet to see anything that can be considered rude, or unfriendly. where are you coming from on this?? we dont like yellow??? WTF....dude, get a grip. i can understand being frustrated when you put a lot of work into something and no one has anything to say about it, but you claim your not in it for complements??? then why complain?? your post shows you are looking for some type of gratification of your work.

so, just to satisfy your needs......its been done, and it sounds like crap. you should have asked around before you cut your kick panels so you would have known this ahead of time. if you want speakers in your kick panels, contact our member hot rod john who makes custom fiberglass enclosures that fit the kick panel perfectly AND sound great.... now, normally i would have said nothing since i didnt have anything nice to say, but if you need the comments, there is at least one for you.

your truck is cool, your build and skills are worth reading about and following, but this attitude is worth walking away from. just my unmoderated 2cents

[sweptliner]

I have been going over your posts and I haven't seen any negative comments. I think the yellow is cool because it stands out and not a lot of people have it on their trucks. I also noticed that you are in Bakersfield, as am I so I will keep an eye out for your yellow truck. Also, everyone here in my experience has been more than accommodating, with inexperienced people like me, even when I don't get what they are saying they keep putting up with it because we are all like a family, because we all own, have owned, know some one who owns or owned, or are looking to own one of these works of steel art. Also, it doesn't matter much what someone else thinks of your truck, what matters is that you are proud of your truck. You are also posting pictures of your Sweptline on a Web page dedicated to these trucks, so I doubt that anyone is going to hate it. If they hate it why are they a fan of these trucks?
What Im trying to say is, be proud of what you have, and don't let the interenet, or others say differently. When you build one of these you put a lot of love, time, sweat, in my case blood (dropped a few sharp objects ), and money into it, so in a way it becomes part of you. So go out there, get in your truck and drive it.

If you want some face to face praise go to (if you have time) the Sonic on Olive Drive by the train tracks, on Friday nights, there is a cruisers show there. I took my truck there twice during the build, I got a lot of positive feedback, and lots of advice oh how to complete it. Give me a month or two and Ill be there with my Midnight Blue D100 and it would be nice if there were more sweptlines there with me (Im the only one). Also if you ever need tires (during the summer months, Im up north for the rest of the year) just come to Oildale Tire @ 400 N.Chester Ave.

[quickd100]

Speaking for the oddball fringe element, (my junk pile doesn't even fit into the '61-'71 cat.), all the members here have been extremely nice to me. Personally, I love ALL Dodge trucks, doesn't make a difference to me if it's powered by a 170 /6 or a Hemi. Dave