Reporter on DealershipForum - Feedback Requested

XDCX · 04-09-2009, 04:37 PM

It has come to my attention that a Newspaper Reporter registered as a member of DealershipForum.com and contacted select members requesting comments about Dealer/Factory relations.

To the extent the forum is for Dealership Employees only I've banned the account and sent an e-mail message to the reporter.

Feedback Requested:

I have mixed thoughts as it relates to allowing the media on this site and would welcome feedback from our members.

My primary concern is that information gathered here could be used against the manufacturers resulting in a news story that would generate negative press for the factories and the dealers. We have enough problems already, there's no need to fuel the fire.

On the other side, there are issues where the OEMs are acting with a heavy-hand and news coverage may result in a policy change. I think GMAC's decision to relax their curtailment rules is in response to pressure they received from NADA and other media coverage.

My final thought is that media participation may help the site grow and increase its value to our members. While I'm convinced there's a need for this site, it's value is somewhat limited when it only reaches 1% of the eligible members.

So that poses the question - Should reporters be allowed on DealershipForum.com?

If you have feedback, please respond in this thread or send me a Private Message.

okcarl · 04-09-2009, 04:51 PM

Well here is the dilema. The information that we post on here is not private to the extent that anyone can read everything that we post wether they are members or not. So unless you are going to lock all of the threads from public view unless you are a confirmed member their might not be much point in banning someone from the press. Also knowing that the press might be lurking could stop a member fom posting due to them not wanting their comments out in the general public. Frankly there are things we discuss here that the General public could have no concept of understanding.

Sorry if I have only created more questions

jadog1 · 04-09-2009, 05:33 PM

No X Man you've created a mighty fine forum car people talking to car people sharing ideas and solution.

XDCX · 04-09-2009, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okcarl

Well here is the dilema. The information that we post on here is not private to the extent that anyone can read everything that we post wether they are members or not. So unless you are going to lock all of the threads from public view unless you are a confirmed member their might not be much point in banning someone from the press. Also knowing that the press might be lurking could stop a member fom posting due to them not wanting their comments out in the general public. Frankly there are things we discuss here that the General public could have no concept of understanding.

Sorry if I have only created more questions

You make an excellent point, to the extent this is an open forum the information is accessible to everyone. The advantage to membership, however, is the ability to perform searches and send Private Messages to other members.

My long-term plans are to make portions of the forum "hidden" so they can only be viewed by members. I won't be able to do this until the site grows to a level where it can generate its own traffic based on referrals.

dafuzz1956 · 04-10-2009, 08:40 AM

Xman, you know from my p m that I am not in favor of our free speech forum exposed about what we have to deal with from both the retail and the wholesale side of life, this is really just for us. In the past you have found some spies from the mfgr's and you have eliminated their intrusion. Granted most of what is shared amongst ourselves we may have shared with the foctory anyway but they chose not to pay attention to us (ignorence is bliss & they show it so well). On the other hand if the press were to use any of this information without our consent, do we have a leg to stand on ? I can tell you that I am not afraid of the press and they can put a liplock on my butt for all I care, because they only know how to print negative stuff about everything out here in the world.

The only bad thing is we never have any control over what they print and how far out of context they will spin it.

Long and short of it, I say no, but can we really stop them, because if we were in a bar talking ( and knocking back a few) about this mess some reporter could over hear us and start a story from that.

WE ARE SCREWED

squish · 04-10-2009, 09:45 AM

X, i would have to say NO as well. my biggest fear of the press is that you never know when you're talking to someone who already knows what they are going to right and the either lead you into confirming their story, take what you said out of context, or quote such a small part of what you actually said it comes across differently. man am i rambling.

anyway, it took me quite a while to start posting on this site for fear of press/mfg repercussions, i may be a bit niave but as time goes on i feel more confident that things discussed hear are used for the good of the members!

so to that end....i prefer that we keep it to ourselves as much as we can......

SHACOS · 04-10-2009, 11:05 AM

This brings up a point, maybe the board and it's contents should be locked and read by members only?

XDCX · 04-10-2009, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHACOS

This brings up a point, maybe the board and it's contents should be locked and read by members only?

I've thought about that and it continues to be part of my long term plans.

The problem is attracting new members to a site they cannot "lurk" before joining. The vast majority of people who complete the registration process have visited the site several times before they make the decision to become a member.

Additionally, a fair amount of the traffic the forum receives is a result of Google searches. If most of the forum is "hidden" I need to figure out a way to replace that lost traffic.

CL Pgh · 04-10-2009, 05:06 PM

The only real issue I would have concerning a reporter on aboard… is knowledge of who they are. As far as this is concerned … I can take it or leave it, really doesn’t matter to me.

Blocking or hiding the forum from the public eye’s… I’d rather not see that happen! I really like this place and believe it can be sooooo much better with more “regulars” and their input. The more the merrier!!!
(come on lurkers, post up!

)

XDCX · 04-11-2009, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CL Pgh

The only real issue I would have concerning a reporter on aboard… is knowledge of who they are. As far as this is concerned … I can take it or leave it, really doesn’t matter to me.

Blocking or hiding the forum from the public eye’s… I’d rather not see that happen! I really like this place and believe it can be sooooo much better with more “regulars” and their input. The more the merrier!!!
(come on lurkers, post up!

)

As always, great comments.

Concerning a reporter's identity, if they were allowed on the site I'd create a new User Group so it would be clear they were not Dealership members.

Concerning more input from our members and "lurkers" I couldn't agree more. To the extent that everyone here is friendly and professional I've been surprised that more members don't post their thoughts and questions.

When I first started this site most members just read it like it was a newspaper. Now we've reached a point where the "regulars" can have some great discussions and help one another.

If this site had 100 "regulars" I'm convinced that it would start to generate its own energy and fuel its own growth.

XDCX · 04-14-2009, 11:25 AM

I thought I would "bump" this thread in an effort to get more feedback - especially since we tend to get more traffic on Conference Call days.

While this may be naive, one possible benefit to allowing reporters on the site is it would provide them an opportunity to post questions and clarify their facts before they report a story. We've all read stories where a reporter got the story wrong, allowing them on the site would provide them a chance to verify their information.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to "sway the jury" I just wanted to put that thought out there for consideration.

04-09-2009, 04:37 PM	#1
XDCX Administrator Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14,869	Reporter on DealershipForum - Feedback Requested It has come to my attention that a Newspaper Reporter registered as a member of DealershipForum.com and contacted select members requesting comments about Dealer/Factory relations. To the extent the forum is for Dealership Employees only I've banned the account and sent an e-mail message to the reporter. Feedback Requested: I have mixed thoughts as it relates to allowing the media on this site and would welcome feedback from our members. My primary concern is that information gathered here could be used against the manufacturers resulting in a news story that would generate negative press for the factories and the dealers. We have enough problems already, there's no need to fuel the fire. On the other side, there are issues where the OEMs are acting with a heavy-hand and news coverage may result in a policy change. I think GMAC's decision to relax their curtailment rules is in response to pressure they received from NADA and other media coverage. My final thought is that media participation may help the site grow and increase its value to our members. While I'm convinced there's a need for this site, it's value is somewhat limited when it only reaches 1% of the eligible members. *So that poses the question - Should reporters be allowed on DealershipForum.com?* If you have feedback, please respond in this thread or send me a Private Message.

04-10-2009, 08:40 AM	#5
dafuzz1956 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 691	Xman, you know from my p m that I am not in favor of our free speech forum exposed about what we have to deal with from both the retail and the wholesale side of life, this is really just for us. In the past you have found some spies from the mfgr's and you have eliminated their intrusion. Granted most of what is shared amongst ourselves we may have shared with the foctory anyway but they chose not to pay attention to us (ignorence is bliss & they show it so well). On the other hand if the press were to use any of this information without our consent, do we have a leg to stand on ? I can tell you that I am not afraid of the press and they can put a liplock on my butt for all I care, because they only know how to print negative stuff about everything out here in the world. The only bad thing is we never have any control over what they print and how far out of context they will spin it. Long and short of it, I say no, but can we really stop them, because if we were in a bar talking ( and knocking back a few) about this mess some reporter could over hear us and start a story from that. WE ARE SCREWED Last edited by dafuzz1956; 04-10-2009 at 08:42 AM.

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04-09-2009, 04:51 PM	#2
okcarl Lotus Factory Guy Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 182	Well here is the dilema. The information that we post on here is not private to the extent that anyone can read everything that we post wether they are members or not. So unless you are going to lock all of the threads from public view unless you are a confirmed member their might not be much point in banning someone from the press. Also knowing that the press might be lurking could stop a member fom posting due to them not wanting their comments out in the general public. Frankly there are things we discuss here that the General public could have no concept of understanding. Sorry if I have only created more questions

04-09-2009, 05:33 PM	#3
jadog1 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 31	No X Man you've created a mighty fine forum car people talking to car people sharing ideas and solution.

04-10-2009, 09:45 AM	#6
squish Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 208	X, i would have to say NO as well. my biggest fear of the press is that you never know when you're talking to someone who already knows what they are going to right and the either lead you into confirming their story, take what you said out of context, or quote such a small part of what you actually said it comes across differently. man am i rambling. anyway, it took me quite a while to start posting on this site for fear of press/mfg repercussions, i may be a bit niave but as time goes on i feel more confident that things discussed hear are used for the good of the members! so to that end....i prefer that we keep it to ourselves as much as we can......

04-10-2009, 11:05 AM	#7
SHACOS Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 838	This brings up a point, maybe the board and it's contents should be locked and read by members only?

04-10-2009, 05:06 PM	#9
CL Pgh Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,242	The only real issue I would have concerning a reporter on aboard… is knowledge of who they are. As far as this is concerned … I can take it or leave it, really doesn’t matter to me. Blocking or hiding the forum from the public eye’s… I’d rather not see that happen! I really like this place and believe it can be sooooo much better with more “regulars” and their input. The more the merrier!!! (come on lurkers, post up! )

04-14-2009, 11:25 AM	#11
XDCX Administrator Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14,869	I thought I would "bump" this thread in an effort to get more feedback - especially since we tend to get more traffic on Conference Call days. While this may be naive, one possible benefit to allowing reporters on the site is it would provide them an opportunity to post questions and clarify their facts before they report a story. We've all read stories where a reporter got the story wrong, allowing them on the site would provide them a chance to verify their information. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to "sway the jury" I just wanted to put that thought out there for consideration.