TRS needs direction. Suggestions?

[Jim Oaks]

Hey all,

I'm sitting here at my desk and thinking about TRS. Where it's been and where it's going.

I'm just an enthusiast who wanted to share his hobby with other enthusiasts. I'm not a business genius or marketing expert. I'm no programmer either.

I've met some great people and had some great opportunities because of this site. In April I will be going to Primm Nevada to be in the pit with Rumble Goat Racing.

I see TRS as a site that gets a lot of activity and has a lot of potential. Ford acknowledges that TRS exists, but I don't think they take TRS seriously.

There's nothing wrong with the site as it is now, but is TRS reaching its full potential?

This site gets 20,210,686 hits a month with 3,783,383 pages viewed. That tells me we draw Ranger enthusiasts. Wouldn't you think a site like this with our established presence would do a review on a new Ranger each year? Product review?

I've tried to get sponsorships for the Anniversary, but there isn't much biting.

Maybe I'm just not a marketing person. Maybe we need a marketing person to bring more opportunity to our users.

Many of you see TRS as a great site. Others may not. I see TRS still as a diamond in the rough. We need to assemble the right people here to help us grow. I'm reminded of this as I screen the 75 users who have submitted requests to be a moderator.

I was looking at some TRS Magazine submissions and was wondering if some of these manufacturers would have given these people discounts if they had realized the publicity/advertising that was going to come from it.

I realize there are many sites out there that focus around their forum and site owners don't seem that involved. Many don't organize tech on web pages like we do. You have to screen through the forums to find it. You guys should know I put a lot in to it. From the forums to the tech library to our on-line magazine.

I guess this takes me to the point and topic of this thread....

What direction should TRS be taking? What sugestions do you have for improving the site? Should we be trying to do test drives each year? Product reviews? Is there a feature out there that could be added to this site to improve it? I need some outside suggestions.

 

[74duster318]

We should have a consumer reports like section where we can do reviews on rangers and ranger related parts. A review by TRS itself, and a section where people can post their experiences and reviews also.With many people posting asking if a certain brand of part or accessory is any good, that would be perfect. Test drives would be an excellent idea too.

Otherwise, I think this site is rockin' and rollin'. Would be nice to pick up sponsors though. Ford could benefit from donating a new ranger every year for a testdrive or two...
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[grey ghost]

maybe we should flood the email at the powerblock with some of our builds and see if we could get Featured on trucks with one of our lowriders or on extreme 4x4. that would sertanly be a boost the site..

 

[Beef52751]

im with duster, alot of users are always trying to make their trucks better, modifying, detailing, and what have you. I think it would be a great benefit to the site to have product reviews to see how well a brand compares to the next and users experiences with these products. Take the exhuast forum for example, how many times has "what is the best muffler for my truck?" been asked. Maybe its just me but alot of people recomend the Flowmaster 40, with reveiws it would be easier to find such info. Otherwise, this is the best site ive found on the net, and have wasted many nights just looking at products, other trucks, and things that dont even apply to me.
Keep up the good work Jim.
Beef

 

[4x4fun]

i like the way its set up, up dating FAQ would be good, like the muffler questions, or what size tires can i fit, even tho i know some of that stuff is all ready in there, you still get people to lazy to look. so may be a emoticon That says FAQ or some think. so people will learn how much info is all ready there.

iv seen this on another board but they had expert "badges" that they gave out to experts in there field. kinda like mod's but it helped new people trust some info. i think it helps when you have a large amount of users, to decipher help from some one that has been doing that for a living for 10+ years vs a 16yo talking out of there butt and miss leading people.

i also second the product reviews good idea.

i also second the idea of getting sponsors so we can make showings at different events with some thing to show. like a big dessert race with a members prerunner there, or even TRS's prerunner

my two cents

 

[grey ghost]

maybe someone could make some conections and get magizine coverage of our ten year event. or invite the trucks and extreme 4x4 crew over?
has someone invited anyone from ford down to this?

 

[BigJohn76]

you could try to get some coverage in 4 wheel and off road. they seem to have some good connections with manufacturers and maybe you could get sponsorship through them or something.

 

[brendank]

What direction should TRS be taking? What suggestions do you have for improving the site? Should we be trying to do test drives each year? Product reviews? Is there a feature out there that could be added to this site to improve it? I need some outside suggestions.

One of the great features of TRS that I'm constantly using is the tech library. There has been many times that I've searched for specific information on Google or other forums, only to find a link to our own library. Between our tech library, and the one on Pirate, there is almost nothing else that I would need.

I know that you put a lot of effort into the library, and IMO that's great. That's where it needs to be. In fact, many of the questions asked on a daily basis are directly addressed somewhere in an article. We need to find a way to get new users to look there, first.

I was looking at some TRS Magazine submissions and was wondering if some of these manufacturers would have given these people discounts if they had realized the publicity/advertising that was going to come from it.

I've actually thought about this a lot, but more so on a local scale. With the amount of people that I get cranking their neck to see my truck drive by, it makes me wonder if local businesses that I buy automotive related goods from would be interested in giving discounts in order to have a small decal or something on my tailgate/back window/whatever. Come to think of it, I have vendors decals on the back window and I haven't even been paid for it. From a business perspective, this makes a lot of sense IMO.

Just out of curiosity, do you have anymore usage statistics, Jim? In particular I'd be interested in active users vs. inactive users vs. guest hits.

We need to assemble the right people here to help us grow. I'm reminded of this as I screen the 75 users who have submitted requests to be a moderator.

You're right, this is crucial. I think it takes a certain person to moderate a forum properly. It's not such a big deal in the tech related forums, but in the Off Topic forums, people take things way too seriously. This is the internet -> don't be surprised when other people have a different opinion than you.

It's interesting to think about this kind of stuff. The group of moderators certainly dictates the type of discussion and language used regularly. Look at Pirate vs. TRS for example. You'll get away with stuff there that you never would here. I'm sure there are forums out there that are way more restricted than TRS. Don't get me wrong, because I'm in no way implying anything; I just wonder what effect this has on user turnout.

Hope this helps.

 

[rboyer]

I don't know if anyone thinks the same way that I do but I believe that the strongest point to this site is information. The first thing I do when I look at the forum is breeze over the submissions for the tech library to see if anything new is posted because I like reading about the cool new stuff that people do. Basically any entertaining article which provides knowledge is worth reading to me which is why I think that product reviews might gain some attention. If the site could be used to generate some form of income then that could even be used to purchase products for review. Alot of those products could then be given away to members in contests such as TOTM. Also maybe a section that's split up state-by-state where all members could submit reviews of local auto shops in their area so that people know things such as which shops like to rip you off on an alignment for a lifted truck.

 

[PaleBlue90]

i agree a product review would be a great idea. email these guys too

http://www.offroadadventures.com/

 

[twinky]

from some one that has been doing that for a living for 10+ years vs a 16yo talking out of there butt and miss leading people.

just a little note not all 16/17/18 yr olds talk out there butt
im 17 and have been wotking on cars and trucks since i was 6
im not saying i know everything but i know more than most technicians

 

[4x4junkie]

I think a little more involvement with manufacturers could be very beneficial to RBV owners, as I agree it does seem like many don't take us seriously.

Just some examples...
For quite a good while now we have not been able to get 5.13:1 axle gears anymore due to the apparent demise of Precision Gear & Reider Racing, and now I've been hearing that both D.D. Machine and 4XFab are no longer making a dual t-case kit for our 1350/1354, leaving us with nothing but to make one ourselves.
None of the suspension companies have released anything revolutionary for our trucks in the recent past, and no one seems inclined to address any of the issues that plague the obsolete suspension kits out there currently.
More sturdy body armor bolt-ons would be awesome too (such as rocksliders, and slim-profile winch bumpers), pretty much everything out there now only works for the 'show-truck' crowd.


We probably do need to get the word out to more of the aftermarket companies that we are infact serious about using our trucks offroad, and are looking for many of the same bolt-ons that the Jeep and Toyota guys currently enjoy.

I know I would've bought a lot of the stuff I made for mine if it were available.

 

[PaleBlue90]

i couldnt agree more 4x4junkie

 

[inuyasha2875]

I love this site. I was starting to think there was nothing out there for rangers the tech
library is great. and TRS is a great place to get ideas for my trucks. most of the sites i've been to don't make the tech info eazy to find

 

[inuyasha2875]

4x4junkie is right you can't find hardly any bolt on stuff for a ranger specialy gen1 and gen2 trucks