NickHolt Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 If it rains, we bitch because the promoter called it too soon. Or called it too late If the track is too dry or wet, we bitch. If tech is too lenient or too strict, we bitch. If we get a DQ, that's our cue to bitch long and loud. We rarely blame ourselves for the bad setup, the broken motor, the wreck. It's someone else's fault and some of us can't wait to get on the social media to lodge our complaints. After having been an active participant in the sport for 50 years in a wide variety of roles, I have come to the conclusion that some things need to change if our sport is thrive. 1) We need to stay off the social media when we're pissed, but get on the social media when we have something positive to say about the sport and our role in the sport. 2) We need to realize that our hobby is an expensive hobby and that we, as hobbyists, are responsible for funding our hobby, not the track. 3) We need to actively promote the sport in positive, meaningful way, much like a missionary would promote their beliefs. 4) We need to stop cheating. Putting my head on the pillow realizing that I had to cheat to win is not rewarding and is simply me lying to myself. 5) We need to stop playing the blame game. If it's my fault, we should admit it. If it's not my fault, we should shut up and take it as a learning experience. This stuff has been on my mind lately as I see our beloved short tracks close or struggle to stay afloat. Some will disagree with me and most will simply ignore what I have have to say, but I needed to say it anyway. However, there are tracks in Texas that are not only thriving, but have never paid a dime to a competitor to race there. Many of you know that James and I love to run the road courses, but we have yet to win a penny in prize money. Folks who race at Motorsports Ranch in Houston and other road courses pay a lot of money to become a member of the track and pay a lot of money to race at each event. But the pits are packed in spite of the fact that no one is expecting any sort of financial reward for racing there. Are these folks nuts or are they perhaps on to something? Could it be that they love to race and consider it a privilege to be allowed to race there? Hmmm..... Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 WOW that took a lot of thinking hope you did not fry your mind ........some of that may be a very good reason for not racing here this weekend .if anyone is going to be guilty of any of those things you mentioned count me in somewhere for i have sinned at one time or another .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Nope, HiTech. I didn't fry my mind. And didn't take a lot of thinking either. It's stuff I've been chewing on for several years. The post wasn't intended to finger point at anyone, but I can understand why some might take it that way. It's more like stuff we all - me included - should be doing to help save our super-fun, Adrenalin-inducing hobby in Texas. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyRodriguez Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Good points Nick.. it's tough I never realized how tough until I saw it from the operations side. We need to do all we can to keep it moving forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arob Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Number is the next to impossible thing to fix. Social media can get a lot of good things done. But at the same time, as you say , it has the power to cause people a lot of grief or worse. It is the sign of the times.It is no longer Do onto others as you want them to do onto you it has become Do onto others before they do onto you. It is just too easy to fire off a tweet, post or whatever because you don't have to see a person. Hell we can't even talk to someone anymore we have to send a text.I think 2,3 and 4 most do. And for sure for many it is hard to man-up. This deal with CCS on the 30th all the weather channels called for rain in the wee hours Sunday morning.No one saw that coming. It wasn't like it was 80-90% rain prediction for the weekend.I'm sure he has his reasons for this week. People are gonna talk on social media,especially Facebook and Twitter. It is empowering to many. That makes it tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcrst27 Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Very well stated Nick. The most glaring point of the "Social Media" part of it is that the majority of the comments or posts are from parties that don't even have a dog in the match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Nick we all know you are not pointing fingers not a single soul is not guilty of something negative here ....but I think sometimes it isn't a complaint or an attack problem with words some of the time the true meaning and attitude of the typing person is silent . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radical Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King237 Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Remember the CB Radio and all the anger it produced? Think of the internet and social media as a CB radio only instead of a microphone to speak on, you use a keyboard. "Your thoughts get out" faster and longer than a power module or a "hammer" as we used to call them and people get stepped on and over. A friend of mine who passed away last year used to remind me that the internet and social media was killing tracks in Florida and as time passes, I always know he was right. Momma said that nobody likes a smart aleck and she was right too. I try to remember this advice when something upsets me and let it pass. I almost always see and feel differently 24 hrs later but when you speak out of anger, you'll make the finest speech you'll ever regret. Daddy taught me that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theanimal Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 nick self promoting is the greatest thing a guy or gal can do . my experience in the past the ( and i'll be nice) gold and silver spoon guys ruin each class they enter not the blue collar worker that sweats every race and loves the sport almost as much as his or her family . social media is the way to speak actions on and off the track. a recent post in regard's to bg and treating a person wrong and manipulating that person . thru media was successful in righting a wrong! unfortunately there are some people that change the important message and jack with the post . this is where social media fails . by jack/azzes that have nothing else to do . there is a pro and con to social media this whole site is created by the same media . the way I see it if you have something to say , say it . when it gets diverted off the subject is when the people in charge of the site should step in and follow their own rules . just like you did last week on my add . this was the right thing to do . in topics it should be the same . with proper policing the post will stay on point and civilized . I have vast experience on posting and having discussions of many classes I was involved in. hell the o.c.f.brand was on 9 cars in one season so part of the media was getting into the competitions heads .it was fun and not directed to any one individual until attacked by the mentioned in the beginning of this post . when you don't love the thrill of the race or competition , and loose the motivation it's time to look for another past time . p.s enjoy your site thanks mike the animal orlando Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theanimal Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 reviewing your last post means that monitoring the sites could be a full time job if someone is allowed to butcher a post it creates animosities . just like anything else there is a ban button for azz wipes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted June 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 There is no way to stay on the site 24/7. Today, for instance, I was at Central Texas Speedway from 11 until I just got home a few minutes ago. So whatever was posted today has been up for a while. I will go over the site before I go to bed and do what I have to do to keep things civil. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theanimal Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 it was not meant in a manner of watching every minute but when a post gets a high view count it usually means something is going on . similar to the b.g post 3000+ views in 30 days that's more than most in a year? I have not spent much time here on your site with discussing topics this one was brought up from a link from dirt proboards said it was worth reading . these sights are a great and bad thing at the same time . I have always said that if a real man is to have a definitive comment he should back it up with his name .other wise their post is not worth the time of typing . yes I do use the animal but the majority know who I am . nothing is perfect in life especially people that chime in on a subject that their input has no direction to the actual subject at hand .these are the people that ruin the site activity . . we all have the right to speak , we also have the right to speak back . good monitoring of a site is the key to harmony on the site and at the tracks involved . just my opinion . mike orlando Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted June 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 There are lots of trade-offs one has to make when moderating any discussion forum. The basic issue is in figuring out where the lines are drawn and then making sure the lines aren't crossed as best you can. Free speech is not a right here. All anyone has to do is read the LSSZ guidelines to figure that out. Any anyone who has been a regular here pretty much knows that I don't let those lines get moved very far one way or the other. There are exceptions, of course, and mistakes in judgement that I make on a regular basis. But on the whole, most folks know how far they can go when posting on here. The site draws about 10,000 unique visitors a month and we have 7,800 registered uses, all with a verified email address and a run through a couple of spam filters that I pay for each month. So far - knocking on wood - we have not had a spammer on here in the 14 years this site has been active. Contrast this with the nearly 105,000 registration attempts made over the years and you can see I spend a lot of time screening out bots, spammers and folks who register using bogus email addresses. Of those 10K unique visitors a month, 98% post nothing and only 22% are registered members here. And the live updates draw far more folks than would be expected for a small, regional site like Lone Star Speedzone. What does that tell me? It tells me that most people who come here are interested in what's happening around these parts who read and enjoy most of the content but simply lurk. But we do have a few who post on just about any subject that comes up whether they have any actual interest in that subject or not. And we have a solid core of folks who are using the site for the reasons the site is still up and running - to promote racing in Texas. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theanimal Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 well stated . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.