Paging Cory Drake and the Hoopty

He's been posting regularly on the Facebook group.

He's home, safe and sound but not posting much here on this damnable new site. But as Lane notes, he's over there on Facebook quite a bit. Kelly Frazer, C'MON DOWN!

Facebook??!!!  Arrrrghhhhh . . .  I swore I'd nerver . . .

You know you want to.......

 

We're waiting for you.

FaceBook site:

 

http://www.facebook.com/groups/252843904750388/

 

More fun than a funeral!

The one thing that FB has over the new SOC site is mobile photo uploads.  I take most of my photos with my phone and, with FB, it's so easy to upload.  The SOC requires that I email the photo to myself, copy it to my computer and then upload.  This should be fixed with the dedicated iPhone app, but that app is majorly broken with no known fixes coming anytime soon inspite of Theron's requests.

With real names over there, and monikers over here, hard to tell who is who.

I'm staying here........

I actually sent another request today for the iPhone app problems.  You can upload a photo but only on the initial post to a new topic and not the replies.

 

The big problem in facebook comes with more members to a group.  There is only one thread of conversation and things cant be categorized.  Not to mention the fact that there is little anonymity.

 

-=theron

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not advocating FB, just pointing out the current gap.  Cory likes to post a lot of photos, many, lately, while traveling.  This is simple using a smart phone & FB today.  I'm a little pissed at the Hoopla folks for releasing an app that isn't even ready to be called beta.  This too shall pass.

Cory won't be back until the phone app is fixed.

That is his only computer-like device and since the app doesn't work...

Kelly, et al, I have to be perfectly honest with you about this new site, about my lack of presence and my frustrations with the whole 'new look of the SOC.'

 

I understand that Theron is in the middle of trying to fix a bunch of things, and I certainly agree there was enough hue and cry to warrant having done something new. Truth is, I think this answer was a way over-the-top, radical change which continues to overwhelm me. I don't want to have to spend 15 minutes looking for one post -- which I may or may not ever find.

 

Terry's right. My phone is my only gadget right now, and I wouldn't be leaving this message had Gordon not dropped me a line saying Kelly was trying to find me. The iPhone will do the internet very well in the format most other websites follow, but has a really hard time with this one. This format makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me, and I actually get angry at it whenever I try. It's not worth it.  

 

I'm also put off a bit by not knowing who the hell anyone is here. In some cases, there's a face in the avitar or a clue in the nickname, but in most cases I'm absolutely guessing. I'm not going to contend with that, either. It all adds up to my give-a-damn meter for this format being at an even zero.

 

I can't see this site going back to the old format without those of you who've embraced it wondering wtf, so I'll just back away. I'm more than a little pissed that my entire photo archive is gone (since many of the captions contained build information which I had thought would be there for posterity), but I'll get over it.

 

I wish this site had not become what it is, and I wish to hell there was a viable alternative that was simpler to use -- and which followed a bulletin-board style -- like the old SOC. There's a reason that board worked for so many years, and that missing element, that simplicity, has gone away.

 

I'm pretty sure this'll be my last post here, but I'll be continuing to check in daily on Facebook. If you need to reach me, my phone is always on and hooptypilot AT gmail DOT com will work for the forseeable future.

 

Take care, guys. Keep the rubber side down, and I'll see you out there on the road sometime.

WELL THIS IS UNFORTUNATE I REALLY LIKED CORY

 

I firmly agree with all Cory has said. Cory was one of the Keystones for this group, the time and efforts he put into SOC will be sorely missed. I don't blame him for leaving, and applaud his decision. Sadly there are no alternatives for 356 and Spyder enthusiasts and if there were then SOC would no longer be. I guess there will no longer be the Cory artwork we all cherish on shirts, toolbags and awards. Between the new format, idiotic use of nicknames and handles and no way of knowing who they are, loss of photos among other issues has driven Cory and others (?) away.

We didn't just lose Cory,  He just echoed the feelings of many valuable

members, who were important to the SOC.....it still pisses me off.....

What's the question mark for? No need to act like he's the only one gone.

ColinColinColin, the question mark was in lieu of the missing members. Since we no longer have access to a "members list" which included nicknames and which 356 they have, there's way to know anymore. This "?" is for not knowing who you are. Do I know you?

U WERE BORN PISSED OFF

Better than pissed on. 

Cory's main beef seems to be that he can't identify who is who.  Is that so hard to fix?????  Surely we can have Theron make it so that a person's real name appears both under their avitar---automatically from when they first join.  "Mango Smoothie" doesn't work for me because I believe in the simple courtesy courtesy of addressing someone by name..

 

What about an alphabetical members list?  Or a list by state or some other damned way to see who is in the group and where they are located..

 

I used to enjoy sending off-site emails to members but lacking any knowledge to do that now I am unable to do so.  The old way of showing email addresses using the word "AT" instead of the symbol fot it was a simple, effective way to stop the spammers looking to harvest email addresses but still contact members off site.  Why can't we still easily get each others email addresses.  I do not like the dialog deal at all.

 

Theron---can you please address these issues or say why not??

 

 

Posted by Jack Crosby  hsbroker at  aol.com  Located in Hot Springs Arkansas

3.5 million people, 10 last names!

 

 

 

 

I can't force people to use their real name. It sure would be nice, but this is no different than the old site.

 

I don't know what to say about the mobile version of this site. I use it daily (not the iPhone app) and it works great for me.  I've tested it on Android and it's much better than using the old site which never had a mobile version.

 

You can send email to anyone on this site using their username and the Dialog messaging.  The message is relayed to their email immediately and privately.

 

 

 

I'm really between a rock and a hard place.

Here are the comments:

 

The old site was slow, outdated and doesn't have the modern conveniences like email notifications, event calendar, mobile view, video hosting, etc...

vs

I don't understand the new site, the new conveniences, it's different than the old site.

 

We need a simple bulletin board.

vs

We need a knowledge base, library, sightings, makers listing, user registry.

 

I don't want to use my real name on the internet.

vs

Everyone should use their real name.

 

I don't want to list my email because it can be harvested by spammers.

vs

Everyone should list their emails in case I want to contact them. (Even though you can contact anyone via a dialog message)

 

What am I to do. 

 

-=theron

Oh BTW, the old server started making major fan noises today and I had to shut it down completely.  Not sure if anyone cares, but that would possibly been the complete death of the old site as it's not possible to reinstall the decade old site and OS. I still have the database so I can continue moving off all the old knowledge base articles.

-=theron

Theron,

No worries. Things change for all different reasons. As you just mentioned, the old site would have crashed for good and members would have been bitching because you didn't do something earlier. Hell, members were bitching every time the old site went down before.

As you stated in another thread in an answer to my question, you're registering 50 new members a week. The character of this site might change with the new members as it did when Vince and the Dickhead came on the scene, as it did when George Brown, John Leader and Jim Ward became members.

Members run this site and as they move on, others take their place.

Who knows? Maybe a disgruntled member will start up another site and we'll have another option. It's happened before.

 

I have my issues with parts of the new format but you are making changes on a regular basis and I'm getting comfortable with it. I'm sticking around.

 

Thank you.

THERON, ALL OLD HARD DRIVES EVENTUALLY CRASH. WHEN AT VINCES PARTY LAST WEEK HIS WIFE TOLD US HIS HARD DRIVE CRASHED YEARS AGO. AND SHE WAS HAPPY ABOUT IT.

I completely agree with Terry, but I do understand Cory's concerns.

We all know and appreciate Cory and he would be missed if he really leaves for good, but he said "I'm pretty sure this will be my last post...not this is my last post, so I will hold out hope that he sticks around.

Can anyone out there picture Cory as a guy who would be defeated by anything that he really put his mind to?  I sure can't!  He's an extremely smart guy and once he has a chance to access the site consistently from a computer rather than a phone, I know he will have it figured out in no time at all.  I would bet that he will even begin to appreciate the improvements that the new site brings.

I also want to say that I feel sorry for Theron who got stuck in the middle of all this.  In my opinion, the new site is not that bad, it's just a little different and we are all getting used to it, but for Christ sake, give it more of a chance than just a couple of months!

The SOC has always been about helping each other out, so if you have questions about how to do something, just ask for some help rather than complaining.  If there is something that you think can be done differently or better, suggest it and Theron will do his best to make it happen if it can be done.

We are very lucky to have someone like him doing all of this for us.

Troy

 

 

 

He'll be back. The "madness" is strong with this one...

Cory and I have become good friends, and I will miss him on this site, although I expect he'll remain quite active on Facebook.  I actually like the new format (I am a computer geek, after all) and many of the new features are vast improvements.  As for the issue of knowing who folks are, that doesn't require Theron to change anything.  Those folks who are using nicknames can either change their profiles like I did (and Jack too), or add a signature.  The tools are there.

Lane tell Cory that as much as much as we all have a learning curve with this site's that he of all people should know that you don't ditch your friends. 

THAT's a bit harsh, don't you think?  The guy is having frustrating technological troubles with the interface between his mobile device and this site.  That says nothing about his attitude to people on here (although that may be changing).  Besides, he's still very active on the FB site and that seems fine with him (me, too).

 

I haven't seen the big hullabaloo about this site.  It has a LOT of spiffy new features, most of which I haven't used or learned yet, but I treat it just like the old site:  Log in, go to forums tab and click to get the pull-down, click on speedsters and it gives me a menu just like the old days BUT when I click on the topic I get it from the top, while if I click on the "new" button it starts from the bottom.  If nothing's new, the "new" button isn't highlit.  I love it.  I'm sure others have found this pretty useful, too, but the rest of the site operation is so similar to the old site (except for minor look and feel issues) that I picked it up really fast (a couple of days) AND it works far better with my iPad, too, which makes me wonder what's going on with Cory's iPhone - we use the same OS.  Anyone else out there logging in with their iPhone and having troubles but overcoming them?  Maybe you could offer Cory some help.

 

Anyway, yes, there are some things that I miss from the "old days", and I'm slowly building a database of Speedster info for my own use (and it's somewhat harder without some of the old posts) but I'm dealing with it and moving on.  

 

Hopefully Jack and others will understand this and see that I AM trying to help by setting my display name back.

 

One step at a time.

 

The techno-geek

Cory, if your out there? I did not have my coffee yet.  Maybe that was a bit harsh.

BTW:  Just in support of Theron:  I ran the Speedstershop forum using phpbb software for, what?.....Five years?  It was a great, helpful, mostly technical site but the attendance was low and towards the end the SPAM management took up way to much of my time to make it worthwhile (many hours per week).  There were several members on there who preferred that site, not because of the "ease of use", but for several other reasons.  When I had to shut the site down they just sort of drifted off.  They show up at Carlisle, but that's the only time I see/hear from them and there we're like long-lost cousins.

 

I mention this because I know, as well as Theron, how much time it takes to maintain a bulletin board web site.  Trust me, it's a LOT, and far more when the site software is "home-grown" without other people to help maintain it and when the server environment is home grown as well.  It can easily take over all of your time, free or otherwise, not to mention support money.  

 

This new site software is pretty good, as far as I can tell, and hopefully it will relieve Theron of some of the drudge work of maintaining the site and it will survive for a long time to come, thereby maintaining our 'investment' in technical know-how and 'tips and tricks' we've all learned.  The old site was a treasure-trove of info that I sometimes miss because I can't easily get back to it, so I want to make sure that THIS site stays so we all have that resource in the future.  Jack would be lost without all that past info, and so would the rest of us.

 

Perhaps promoting a few, level-headed people as moderators will help even more (for God's sake, don't make the Dickhead a moderator), and I'll point to the Speedsterclub or the Samba as examples of where good moderators seem to work - maybe even people assigned to specific headings like Technical, General, etc., to spread out the load.  I think that would help a lot - maybe they could even provide site navigation help!

 

This new site is OK.  A few people are having transition anxiety because it's a bit different, but I think the rest of us can help them to get up to speed.  

Gordon,

I use my iPad as well but I don't use the mobile app. I think that's the problem.

When I use my android to access the site I find it quite cumbersome to negotiate through the forum as it doesn't highlight the new posts and there's no way to go straight to the bottom of a thread.

Theron, you use an android. Is there something I'm missing?

Gordon may be right but let's not forget that it's the people not the site. Regardless how old or antiquated the old site was it was people like Cory, George Brown, John Leader and Jim Ward that made SOC. The site was only a listening post for chat and technical advice. Without members this site wouldn't exist, but there still will be people like Cory, et al cruising somewhere. As far as technology advantages, I don't own an Iphone, Ipad or Igivea$hit so all the bells and whistles are as useless to me as tits on a boar hog. Now that being said, I appreciate the efforts Theron has made in correcting issues, I don't know if he has as many issues with the old site when starting up but my guess he didn't.

Terry

I found it easier to use https://www.speedsterowners.com/displayForum on my PC, because it takes me to all of the recent posts with the most recent first.  So I know if I was on 8 hours ago, I already saw posts older than that.  You can get to the link above by selecting "All Topics" from the "Forums" drop down at the top of the page.

I was also able to get to it on my Droid by manually entering it and then saving it as a favorite.  You can't go straight to the last post, but you can see how recently something new was posted and maybe that will help. 

Re Jack Crosby's post: "Cory's main beef seems to be that he can't identify who is who.  Is that so hard to fix?????  Surely we can have Theron make it so that a person's real name appears both under their avitar---automatically from when they first join.  "Mango Smoothie" doesn't work for me because I believe in the simple courtesy courtesy of addressing someone by name.."

 

Good thought, Jack. I should have done it a long time ago. My avatar, however, will continue to change from time to time, depending on the mood I'm in. I may enter my movie-star handsome face, but am concerned about making the other members jealous (Vinny and Nolan excluded).

 

 

Barry

When I first saw the new site I threw my arms up and said "that's it ... I'm out" .

I'm not much of a computer geek but fortunately, my wife is. She calmed me down a bit and I figured out most of the stuff that I needed to do to get around.

  Without this forum I would feel somewhat isolated, as there are no other speedsters around for about 100 miles and few people to work on them if needed.

The information I've received here and the new friends I've met are worth more than money. I'm sure that without the help and generosity of the SOC folks I would have sold my car years ago and moved on. It's still about the people here.

I hope Cory comes back when he can.

I'll stop before I get weepy like Vince...

Thanks, Troy.
I'll try it.


Wow...how smart am I?
There's an option right on the sign in/out page for standard or mobile version.
Thanks, Dad.

I too would like to know what android app Theron uses.

 

I am wondering if it is Tapatalk.

Terry.

I just tried using "Standard View" and then going to the "All Topics" drop down under Forums on my Droid and it works just like on the PC.  You can go to the last page of a multi page thread.

Troy,

I know! It's like...magic!