Talking Trash

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Thanks for the support, fellas, I appreciate it.

I've talked with the party in question in the past about his concerns. It was actually quite the airing of grievances not too long ago. And regardless of acceptance, I thought I had answered those concerns at that time.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinions and tastes. I've always been open to feedback regarding this site and I do read and consider every comment I get...that will never change. But I do design, build and manage this site in a manner that I feel will yield the best results. That might not jive with everyone all the time but that's okay. For the most part, I feel everyone accepts that what I do is done for the greater good, even if they don't agree with the action or change. 

I don't feel I've ever crossed any "line" in regards to any of the content found here...posts, images, whatever...and this post here tells me I'm correct in that feeling. Of course, that's also a credit to each of you because it means we all play nice and I don't have to worry about people putting up inappropriate things.

Bottom line, this isn't reddit or 4chan or YouTube or some other "wild west" web site where anything goes. This is a managed, curated and edited web site, and it will remain that way. The best I can do is to be more upfront with that fact, so I will try to do just that.

Of course, the biggest point to keep in mind.......we're here to talk about racing toy cars.

Just wanted to throw my support up as well. All the effort is greatly appreciated, and the regular crew I've been racing with here is "top shelf."

I appreciate what Brian does for us on this site. I think it the best and the people I've raced with are great too. I'm glad that the site is managed so well. I never worry when I tell some of my cubscouts and their families to visit the site. It's sad but that can't be said about all of them. Thanks to Brian and all of you for keeping this fun and clean.

I'm a member of various other sites as well, but since I was bitten by the racing bug this place has become my home away from home.  I still check the other sites, but this is the place to be.  I like hangin out with you guys (and trying to figure out how the heck to beat you).  Thank you Brian for providing us little car nuts a place to go!

When it was on the site, I think the member in question was trying to do the same thing HOTrainiac is:  stick up for what he thought was right.  Even I agree, though, that he may have taken it too far by posting it on another website.  He should have left it here.

I think that Brian, for the most part, does a very good job of running this site.  He keeps it active and interesting.  In my honest opinion, I think that the beyond-the-last-minute rule changes and occasional snideness of some of the members (probably including myself once or twice, though I'm usually kidding) are larger concerns than topic editing...but then, I don't think I've ever had mine edited, so it's never been a great concern for me.

Since we're pretty much on the topic of how this site is run, this seems like the place to discuss this:  Sometimes, we seem like we get almost too...political about some things.  Namely (that I can think of), stocks vs. mods and topic editing.  Again, I don't have much to say for topic editing; but at times I think we could all handle things better.  For the other thing...

As long as it meets the appointed weight/size/body requirements, I honestly don't see why not let people enter whatever they want.  Now in some cases, obviously one or the other would be necessary--for example, if someone were to have a Gassers series with exclusively FTE wheels.  Or if 5-spoke wheels were required, and a person didn't have any fast stockers with five spokes.  Or if it were an out-of-the-package race, or a race designed to intermingle mail-in racers and local racers at an exclusively-stock club.  I'm not trying to say that someone shouldn't be allowed to not host a series one way or the other; I'm just saying, unless people are for some reason afraid of stockers winning, they just flat-out don't want/like them, or they want to see how creative people can be, I don't see why not--in general--allow them.  The whole point of mods (on this site) is to make them faster; a stock car within the same weight range obviously wouldn't have had as much of an opportunity for that.  Therefore, the mod should have the advantage anyway.  I know that, on some series it has said "stocks or mods allowed--modding makes it more fun!"  Perhaps for some people it does.  I don't care what people do to their cars, as long as it fits the weight/wheel/lube requirements, and they have fun doing it.  For me, the most fun lies in sending in stockers (partly because I've got plenty to ship out, and partly because I've never been all that good or always had that much time to/at mod[ding]).

Also, while I'll take the jabs made at tape in good humor, I don't see the problem with that, either; from what I've seen on here, it works just as well if not better than glue, and it's a form of modification (whether or not it's couth or pretty--unless that's the whole point of a series--should be irrelevant) that easily allows a person to "re-stock" their car.

If a person wants their race to be a certain way, they should--quite obviously--say so from the beginning, rather than wait until someone announces their entry to disallow that given entry.  It's their race, they can do what they want; they should take care not to abuse that privilege, intentionally or unintentionally.

Once again, my main point here is that we should be careful not to be too religious one way or the other.  Sometimes it seems like we get to the point where we can't stand the racer--or their cars--just because the racer's method of racing isn't the same as our own.  I personally like seeing the variety of cars on here--and I think a lot of the mods are awesome!  Racing stockers is just more my thing.  I have a lot of stock cars that I have cultivated for racing over the years and that I race regularly in the local clubs, and I think it's fun to send them off into the rest of the country to see how they fare on other tracks (and usually, against mods).

Oh, and I agree with Bill; I love the competition, along with having a continuous forum for this sort of thing.  I've thought before about how much more "in my own element" I am here than, say, on Facebook.

Thank you for considering my thoughts; I will see you all on the track.  Probably from behind with a jammed JL axle.

Thanks for the feedback. I can only speak about the content editing...I purposely don't try to dictate individual mail-in tournaments being hosted by others. I love that this site is a hub for custom racing but unless otherwise noted, Redline Derby is not involved - like eBay, I'm just a connection point....at least for the time being.

As this site evolves, more features and tools will be added that will (hopefully) make hosting and tournaments easier to manage and participate in. I don't see my job as dictating tournaments but more just making sure they are promoted and communicated well.

And that thought ties directly into the content editing. I don't dictate which topics get started or what gets written, but I feel it is my responsibility to make sure that content is marketed well, and sometimes that means editing a title or adding a link. I see you guys as reporters out in the field creating wonderful things, and I'm the news outlet that organizes it so others can learn about and enjoy.

I know you don't; just keep in mind that it can look almost like it at times (if you have advice to give, by all means give it; I just see advising all-around fairness--and perhaps you have at times--as being more important than advising topic titles).  The other thing I can see to be careful of is to not accidentally change the meaning of the topic in question (and as long as you suggest edits before you make them, that shouldn't be too much of a problem).

Just a side note, that members do have an option to opt-in to being notified about possible edits to their posts, which throws up a notice to me so I try to contact them first. If someone is really protective of their posts then that's fine, I'll happily not edit their posts. In this specific case, I think it was the fact that some people were getting upset on the behalf of others that weren't otherwise getting upset.

Your idea of giving suggestions to people gives me an idea, however, to build an admin tool that I can use to give members alternate title options for their articles. I write 3 and you can choose one...or none...the only danger I feel there is the annoyance factor. What's more annoying, getting asked to change things every other day, or just having someone change it for you? I guess it could still be triggered by the opt-in though...hmmmm...

Anyhoo...appreciate the continued feedback and suggestions. 

That may be true in the first paragraph.  Again, though--while he kept it reasonable, you can't blame him for sticking up for what he believed to be right.

I doubt getting three suggestions would be any more or less annoying than one; though I also doubt anyone would probably need suggestions every other day (that could be pushing it).

You are welcome; see you around.