30 replies to this topic

[Jim Drago]

After twelve years of Spec Miata.com and Mazdaracers.com, Jim Daniels has decided to pass the torch to me on the websites. I would like to thank Jim for all the time and work on the site(s) and all the help building the class we all enjoy so much. He has too much on his plate at this point with other racing ventures and the real world to devote the time needed to the site, He wanted to insure its long time health, so he decided to pass it to me.

At this point I would like to try to build on the site, get some more participation and make it a place we can all come and talk about the class we all love. No topic will be off limits. I am open to suggestions of how we can make it better. My general philosophy will be hands off. The only thing I wont tolerate is constant flaming and obscene language. Other than that, it is a open forum.


I would like some opinions on how we can make the site better and more popular. Post your ideas below and/or email me.

Ideas for Monthly or weekly web chats?

General suggestions and or ideas.

If anyone is interested in helping out with the site or has suggestions, please email me at Jim@Eaststreet.com

Thanks guys, looking forward to the future of the site.

Jim Drago

[Dave Metz]

Congratulations... I think! Have to do some thinking on it. There are some definite improvements, but just doesn't have feel of old site. If you need any help, let me know.

[Mitch Reading]

JD or JD own the site domain and rights?

[Jim Daniels - FIG]

JD or JD own the site domain and rights?

Why does it matter?

Specmiata.com can be turned back on and is up if you type in the right URL. What to do with non SM racers is the question.....

Given the poor SM racer turn out and technology apprehension, I say turn back on the SM site home page for SM topics and keep MR for all other.

BUT, Mr. Drago can decide that.

For the record, this site was never a SM substitute but a place where all Mazda Racers could be. Sign ups and traffic had grown stagnant, change was and is needed short us (web community) begin Formula Ford all over. There will only ever be one SM site, SpecMiata.com!!

Thanks for the years, see you in my blog once I have time to post......

[dstevens]

The issue with the people coming over has less to do with technology than it does with a perception of a loss of community. The value is in the information, debate and camaraderie. Some leave the community or racing, others might be too busy and the community evolves. The people that are dissatisfied with the new site, whether they realize it or not are more likely not satisfied with the change more than anything else. For example a community we started in 93 as an email list, flipped in 2000 during the first dot com craze, they flipped again in 2003, 2005 and again last year. That particular example several hundred thousand cycled through during that time. Over the last six months a splinter community has sprung up and has taken over the reigns in that vertical market due largely to the decisions made by the current owner, a large trade mag publication house that doesn't understand Internet communities or the nature of the particular business the community is build around. The point is you can't be everything, to everyone.

Things are going to change, people will come and go. If you base the community decisions on what some think about the past rather than looking toward the future it may lumber off into obscurity. Just because you light the other site back up doesn't mean all will be right with the world again. It might even do more damage. Whomever is running the site right now has to decide what the focus is going to be. I think it was great to give a nod to all Mazda racers but to build a community inviting to all Mazda racers the operators have to do more than put the site online. They have to build and promote it with those other Mazda racers. The SM crowd was already a decade long community. It's not likely we'll get very many of the pro teams here on a regular basis. They're busy and frankly if I were in their shoes I'd want a format where I could control the message like Facebook or Twitter. I think this resource is best for Spec Miata club racers and builder as a way to connect both individuals, clubs and SM businesses.

[red986s]

IMHO I was really excited when this site was introduced. Racing a full time ITA Miata, I didn't really fit into the SM "world" on some issues and the IT forum can be some what generic at times. This community was the perfect fit with room for ALL Mazda racers. Hope its around for a long time to come. Thanks for all your hard work!

[forestdweller37]

I like the idea of this site, but it just has way too many sub-forums. I've seen it on other sites where traffic decreases as the number of sub-forums increases. Most of the SM discussion is equally applicable to any Miata being road raced or time trialed or sometimes even autocrossed.

-Chris

[FTodaro]

I like the idea of this site, but it just has way too many sub-forums. I've seen it on other sites where traffic decreases as the number of sub-forums increases. Most of the SM discussion is equally applicable to any Miata being road raced or time trialed or sometimes even autocrossed.

-Chris

JD and Jim, this might be a point, sometimes less is more with so many sub-forums the converstations get broken up into little rooms and unless you are able to scroll through all of them to pick up on what is interesting you just do not participate.

Less is more.

[Qik Nip]

JD and Jim, this might be a point, sometimes less is more with so many sub-forums the converstations get broken up into little rooms and unless you are able to scroll through all of them to pick up on what is interesting you just do not participate.

Less is more.

Indeed. Less is more. I visit this site (at least) daily and to my growing dismay, I find the same topics that were up the day before with few reposts and still fewer new topics. The dillution of the SM community resulting from the broad array of (esentially vacant) forums and the attendant loss of community may not be the result of that broadening, but since there's no other factor to consider, it sure looks like the guilty party.

Coke brought back the origional after the new one stuttered. Maybe we need to resurrect the old site.
Rick

[Jim Drago]

Indeed. Less is more. I visit this site (at least) daily and to my growing dismay, I find the same topics that were up the day before with few reposts and still fewer new topics. The dillution of the SM community resulting from the broad array of (esentially vacant) forums and the attendant loss of community may not be the result of that broadening, but since there's no other factor to consider, it sure looks like the guilty party.

Coke brought back the origional after the new one stuttered. Maybe we need to resurrect the old site.
Rick

Rick
Thanks for the note.. We are going to do something. Working on options.
Jim

[dmathias]

ChickCarRacers.com

[Qik Nip]

Rick
Thanks for the note.. We are going to do something. Working on options.
Jim

Jim:
I know you will and I'll keep coming back.
Rick
P.S. Ignore that smart ass Mathias.

[Dave Metz]

I do also kind of agree on limiting number of forums. I do, however, like the live chats. They have been very helpful whenever I've been on them. Seems like if it continues, maybe some recruiting of additional moderators for them might be needed though as the moderators aren't always available.

[Glenn]

Thanks to BOTH Jims for the hard work. Change it , keep it the same or open up the old site, I'm sure someone will B$T%H in any event. Keep up the free flow of information is all I ask.

[Kevin B]

Jim and Jim,
I joined SM.com just a month before the transition so I can't weigh in on the old days. I do, however, continue to use those archives to search for "Best Practices" information and I visit MR for current items, opinions and rule guidance. The information I've learned from both sites has been hugely helpful as I prep my first SM/ITA car. Thank you for providing a respository of so much good information and for stepping in with great advice when the topic/discussion requires. I'll tune in however/wherever the information is presented.

Thanks for all of your help.

Kevin Bailey

[Steve D]

The only thing I wont tolerate is constant flaming and obscene language.

Well go f*@/< yourself, you sonofa|3!tcH.

Now that's out of my system... Jim, congrats on securing yet another thankless role that will take more of your time and energy than any of us appreciate and will enhance the lives and racing careers of Spec Miata racers more than any of us realize.

The sites are in good hands and I appreciate all you do for us. Any time you need someone with stunted social skills and no technical knowledge of websites, I hope you will call me!

[Johnny D]

I don't drink, smoke or swear.
Oh $h!t, I left my cigarettes in the bar.
J~

[Gatoratty]

As someone who used to post regularly on the old site and now rarely posts on this site I can say that the new format just isn't as user friendly and easy. The old site I could scan all of the forums and actually see the latest topic next to each forum. Easy to decide if I wanted to read it. I also used the new topics ( or whatever it was called) link to read all of the new posts everyday. It all seemed easier and more user friendly. Colors, format, layout all seemed more user friendly.

[Johnny D]

As someone who used to post regularly on the old site and now rarely posts on this site I can say that the new format just isn't as user friendly and easy. The old site I could scan all of the forums and actually see the latest topic next to each forum. Easy to decide if I wanted to read it. I also used the new topics ( or whatever it was called) link to read all of the new posts everyday. It all seemed easier and more user friendly. Colors, format, layout all seemed more user friendly.

FYI, not sure if it will help but.
From the main page you can hit "View New Content" on the right in black letter, you get the latest.
Also if you scroll all the way down, if you hit "Todays active content" and you get the last 24hrs.
Happy hunting,
Hope to see you back,
J~

[Tom Hampton]

FYI, not sure if it will help but.
From the main page you can hit "View New Content" on the right in black letter, you get the latest.
Also if you scroll all the way down, if you hit "Todays active content" and you get the last 24hrs.
Happy hunting,
Hope to see you back,
J~

The 'view new content' function on the new site remembers what YOU have read (and not read) across all browsers on all computers. It lists every thread in every forum that you haven't read, along with the author, date, and time of the most recent post. I think this is mist, if not all, of what you are asking for. You can go away for six months, and this link will list everything that you have missed during that time.

At the bottom of the home page there is a 'mark entire board read' link. You can use this to clear out 'new content' that you don't want to read, and don't want to see the next time you log in.

You can change the color scheme, too. At the very bottom of the page, there is a drop down called "theme". Change that to ip.board. everyone I've talked to likes that better.