Inliners International Forums General Discussion Bench racing Inliners Website and Bulletin Board

No one is going to come here get no information and want to pay dues to possibly find what they can for sure find on another site way faster. Many of our members use the HAMB, Stovebolt, etc. In fact this site in its present form has little to offer someone trying to build any thing other than a 250 or 292. Once a thread falls off the first page it may as well be deleted. Those who have been around here a while can find some stuff but a visiter could not. I would hope that being the greatest source of Inline information would make people want to join the club. Hiding information doesn't seem to be working. This is exactly what I was talking about when I was referring to selling information.Members only treatment needs to be something more than access to something we already have in a pile in the closet. Put all the tech info in all the old TPNs in a book and sell it on eBay. Use the money to update the search engine.

Why not start an Ebook.....

One thing the largest sites/clubs have in common is they are sanctioning organizations, (NHRA,NSRA,Goodguys,SCTA,HAMB,etc) where they sponsor multiple events around the country to participate and socialize in, most have a printed publication, a website and some form of member identification like decals ,hats and shirts and rewards for excellence or participating. It seems that a few Inliners meet at these events, usually in small numbers, the only national event we have is the Convention and locally a monthly meeting in a carport or café. I believe to garner more members and grow we need to change the way we publicly present and organize ourselves.

Plus the convention is too far away to be any benefit to more than 90% of the members, and they are too far between them. The picture that is painted of Inliners on other sites and in public in general, is its a bunch of old geezers. So what young person is going to be attracted to that. A change in public image is going to have to also be in the mix. Your also right Jalopy, Inliners needs to make a bigger presence in the eye of motorsports, it is barely a grain of sand on a beach compared to what other sites and groups do.

What is the average age on most Inliners in the club anyway?
Who is capable in the club to carry the torch and has the physical energy to do it?
Whats the average age of people on the forum?
A Chat Room was mentioned...who's going to do that for more than a month before they get tired of it and try to pass it off?
Is the desire really in the club to do this.
Why wasn't this done 5-6 years ago when the club leaders weren't "geezers".

Ok, I'm a geezer and I'll go down with my geezer friends and our geezer club. Better that than change what we have just to attract a bunch of young guys that don't want to be around us anyway. What good is young blood if have to spill it? All I ask is that the rest of you write your memoirs (Be sure to include all of your speed secrets) soon so I can use them to build a couple more engines before I croak. We are what we are and that is a pretty damn good bunch of folks. No need to put a lot of effort into becoming less just to attract others who would already be here if this was what they wanted. I intend to blow up every engine I've got anyway so there will be nothing to pass on to them anyway.

And by the way I finally figured out how to find every post on this site that was ever responded to.

Wow , Beater, remember as you get older you need more fiber in your diet, , and how much do we have to pay you to utilize your better search discovery?
Just remember, fiber is your friend,

OK, I'm a geezer to at 71 years old. Since I was 14 years old I have had a love and fascination with Inline engines. Throughout the years I have had a few great V8. 20 some years a go a guy gave me a copy of a 12PortNews and an application.

Over the years my wife and I have meet some really great people in the Inliners. And have yet to find one who won't go out of their way to help you. This is a great organization and it can get better. But, it will take the effort of it's members to do so.

I know that Tim and the committee are working hard to improve the web-site. And that there are many differant ideas on how to do that. It's going to take some differant opinions and some constructive arguments to make these positive changes.

We will not get all the young-bloods, or even some of the old geezers. But to grown we need ALL of the members to hand out a copy of the 12PortNews with an application, as a figure of speech, and to become active in the club. Yes, it is a long ways to travel for a convention. But it is a way to meet more people with like interest, to exchange ideas and to have a great time supporting the club. As the club grows there will be more money to improve our web-site.

It's time for everybody to step up and help grow the club by being active. I know it is hard to find time and even the money for some. But, if everyone does a little a lot can be accomplished.

Thanks for the opportunity to ramble on and put my feeling out there. Now you can take your pot shots at me.

Luke

Jalopy, Fiber makes me sad. As for the search I'll reveal my method on a dedicated thread.)

53, Some of the best thoughts yet. Yes, The members are a great group, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Passing out membership forms with a copy of TPN is an easy and inexpensive way to get the word to exactly those who might join. It has a nice personal aspect that might help someone decide to join us. We have done this on a small scale but if each chapter had lots of old copies to pass out and members did this at every event we attend I think we would get a good response. I know that I have talked to a lot of people but had nothing to hand them. I know they forget what the geezer said but if they read through a TPN after they got home they might check us out. Maybe a prize for the chapter that grows the most each month/year.
As for the convention: what a great opportunity to drive our cars and be seen and spread the word along the way. It's fun to travel in groups and meet up with others along the way.
PS: Send be a couple of boxes of old TPNs.

For Inliners to grow, it needs to do so on a Chapter level, since they are the ones that actually have a better potential for face to face events with the public. All these get together's in the 12 Port News look cool and seem like fun, but they also seem to be exclusive to Inliner guys and gals only, instead of inclusive to draw in non-Inliner people.
I think each Chapter should have at least 3-4 events a year where they actually host events and try to market Inliners to the public with some sort of drive to hand out the 12 Port news(current ones, not 5 years old either)and membership apps as well as sell Inliner merchandise. It could be something as simple as going to local Goodguys events of NSRA type stuff that's local to those Chapters or create their own event.
There is also going to have to be members within these Chapters that have the energy to do this, this is the only way to grow the club is to meet the public face to face.
Each time one of these Chapters has a planned meeting or gathering of their own, they also need to run an ad in the local paper advertising that fact and invite out the public to join in as well. These are all perfect opportunities to meet and greet new people and show them what its all about.

Another good idea for the forum is to have a vault. Or archived.

Where good info on any topic could go into a vault where it could be easily retrieved.
Hope this link works.
Example: http://www.syty.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=28

MBHD

Me and my brother hand out old issues of the 12 Port News at the swap meets where we set up to anyone who shows an interest and offer a discount to any current members on purchases. Over the last 2 years we have gone through close to 100 copies and handed out as many membership apps.
I think CNC-Dude hit on another great idea with the local participation. I know some chapters use a local café or drive-in for meetings and some use members shops or garages, but if it's not advertised, prospective new members won't know about it and join in. The idea of 2 or 3 advertised car shows or cruises in every chapters area could generate interest or aligning with a local charity.
And even Hanks' idea of a vault would be a welcome addition, even if he wouldn't come to the Hot August Nights show.

Come on man, HAN is a long way for Hank. We'll get him out to something closer like El Mirage. That turboed 250 screaming across the dry lakes would be a sight.

I think a group showing/presence at regular events would be an easy way to contact "prospects". It surprises me how far some people get into our RAPPIN' show before they notice that not one car is V8 powered. If we could show up and park together at events and draw attention to how much we are like "real" car people. It would also show how diverse we are. Inlines are competitive in motor sports from rock crawling to LSR. We do it all while embracing the earliest of automotive history. We are not the odd man, V-Things are.

I would love to go to H.A.N.
El Mirage sounds cool also.

I just need the time & $ to do these things.

One of these days.

MBHD

I think every inliner should be out there doing their thing! I hope to be at hot august nights next year:0

Me too.

Make sure you plan what events you want to see, without a plan, you see much less.

It's taken two cups of coffee to read all this and I was glad it took so long. Inliners is a club with members who know one another and meet new friends all the time. This club has given me the opportunity to make life long friends. That said, this bulletin Board gives almost real time interactions with like minded people from all over the world, something the 12PNs simply can't. Through the years I have backed off giving input, not from lack of interest but because I feel new ideas and energy are needed, everyone needs a voice in how this club is run. Tim has done a great job of riding herd on this wild west forum and my hats off to him for all the years he's given us. Be involved, ask and answer questions and maybe Tim will make it easier to post pictures.

Again every one has to have input and every thing will always be a little different from one person to another like pete him and his gramps knocked out an almost unpresidented feet against time but together they succeeded and beater well he does't do much besides collect parts but we still love him! Just kiddig beater! Heck even me i don't see any other low riders in here but ee are all out there wth one comin interest and its great that even without meeting eachother face to face there always seems to be a bond

Happy inlining

Armond and Josh X2. When I turn this thing on in the morning this is the first place I check out.

After a night of :

Nice, that looks like my dreams too.

I guess the Feds are not the only ones spying on us. That's the most exciting thing they'll see in my bedroom.

How can we attract members when we can't even publish a location, date and schedule of events for our national convention that is only 8 months away. If we are going to drive a couple of thousand miles to a convention we need time to plan and come up with the coin to make the trip. Those of us with spouses and/or families need to know things that will make the family want to build there vacation around the convention. How many people would be on the salt if they didn't have time to plan for it? Also those of us with jobs may have to get their vacation approved early if it is on a Holiday week end. Another club I belong to requires their nationals to be planed 18 months in advance and they prefer two years. I have done it it is no harder to plan ahead than to wait until the last minute.

Actually, the location and date are linked on the main page of our website, the events schedule will be posted as soon as it is finalized.

Tim

I received an informative email from our membership chairperson,
Linda Henry. It included a link to the hotel/convention center for reservations, so I think the info is ready.

Should enhance the readability of the content to attract others

Is any body else having trouble getting the new board to load?

yes I am

I get this message:
UBB Error We encountered a problem. The reason reported was
Database error only visible to forum administrators

Please click back to return to the previous page.

Me too, sent a message to Titen about it. Happened all week long.

You too huh ?
I thought it was just me all the way down here in Australia. I feel better now. Suppose it will be fixed soon.

regards,Rod

Yep, Me too. Titen knows. After logging and getting that same message, I found if I click again on the "Bulletin Board" in the blue column I'm on the active BB. Very weird.

I thought it was the server from the jail here. It's probably just an internet overload from NSA and Democare.

I called one of the board members and they are changing the software to a faster system and we aren't supposed to be noticing it. But I think we are.

They assured me we will be very happy when it is finished.

Me also.

MBHD

Wow, If it will make us all happy I'm for it.

I didn't know there was a problem with the old software.

I don't care about the software. I just want us to be happy!

Happy, happy, happy, happy .................

Hi All,

There is a glitch in one of the database fields, just refresh the screen and it will work 'till I get it sorted out with the provider.

Tim

Hi All,

There is a glitch in one of the database fields, just refresh the screen and it will work 'till I get it sorted out with the provider.

Tim