I think car enthusiasts browsing the internet are googling the latest automotive news. That is a way for us to get some new people lured in off the street so they can get to know us. Ted's Chevrolet Orlando scoop is an example, we need to post GM news as soon as it happens so we can be linked from the 'net. A tall order, I realize, unless someone can treat this site as their primary job.
I have to say, although Croc was increasingly bellicose before he left... I do agree with some of the points he was trying to make. I do miss Brian Dreggors' guidance around here, but looking to the past is not going to help us now. His "disappearance" is still a mystery to me. Keeping a level head when moderating is of vital importance, I will say, and that has not been the case consistently in recent times.
I felt censored during the elections, and even personally attacked. I feel that a cardinal rule of effective, enjoyable, even tolerable internet forum administration was broken when politics spread throughout C&G during that time. That is also in the past, thankfully, with the Politics and Social Issues section created for those discussions. I have not asked for entry into that forum once, which is good for my blood pressure, doubtless.
I've largely migrated to The Lounge lately because I am not as optimistic about GM as I used to be. So much of The Promise is gone, it is harder to look forward to the future of the company these days. The 2-year product plan is just not exciting. I hope I am proven wrong. It has become rarer for me to feel passionate enough about a GM news item to join in on the discussions. I hope this changes, as well.
As always, this is my home on the internet, and I will continue to tirelessly come here in the early a.m. and in the evenings when I am home. As for GM news, I don't look here first, I look to Autoblog, but as for discussions on a topic once it IS posted here, that is when I like to get involved. I rarely post on Autoblog, and the Autoweek and Motor Trend forums bore me. This place still has potential and the familiarity and community here is second to none for me. I can only hope that good decisions can be made by the team in charge on a consistent basis to grow the site and keep it relevant to people outside our core, active membership. We need some new, quality members who will ignite the kinds of discussions that will lure us old-timers back into the fray.