Changes...

[Hippo-Drones]

Hi all,

It is with a bit of sadness, but the time has come for me to hand the reigns of the forum back to @dandoolittle who has entrusted it with me for quite a few years now.
I don't feel I am able to kick start the forum back to life, I have tried and I have often wondered if it is me that is holding it back from being a great thing. This place has always been more about the interactions rather than sharing videos and grabbing subscribers, but a lot of the people who join, do so just to gain subs and spam their content (I've deleted and blocked so many accounts who are just scammers or spammers), I just don't know what to do to make the forum a lively place anymore.
So from the end of the month, please direct any issues etc to @dandoolittle and I apologise if it has been my moderating or admin actions that has had any negative impact on the forum.
This was entirely my decision, I contacted Dan at the start of the month and gave him my notice.
I hope the place flourishes, or transforms into something great. I am not sure yet if I will continue being a member on here after I hand it over, but to the good friends I have made on here over the years, I'll still be on the old socials and following you on the YouTubes.
All the best to you all, and thanks for putting up with me for so long.

 

[throttleup]

I've not been here long enough to express a direct opinion, but I appreciate that this responsibility is a great deal of work.

It is a sad commentary on humanity that the nature of this work is as you describe.

All I can say is that, from my perspective of a couple of months' membership, you've been nothing but a credit to the site.

 

[Theodor]

I hope you keep popping in here, with your wise words.

 

[L. Bilious]

It's a shame, but I understand.
I think you have been a major driving force for this forum and you have put a lot of time and effort into running it.
It is not your fault the forum hasn't expanded. People nowadays think the world owes them and they don't want to give back to any community- spam and runners.

I'll see you on the socials and no doubt in person.

 

[Slorida]

A sad day indeed, but I very much understand the position you are in and the reason for your decision. I think you have done a fine job of running the forum during my time here and I hope you remain a part of this fine community. It would be a poorer place without you.

 

[LoneWolfer]

End of an era. Cheers to all you focus your attention on in the future!

 

[TMackie]

Personally, when i joined the forum I joined to learn. I appreciate all of the knowledge many of you have. We all have something unique that we do or use that gives each of our Motovlogs it's own personality, but there are many little tricks of the trade that can be passed on to make a beginner's experience better. I don't believe that i have even posted one of my own videos on this site, but I have learned a few tricks. With that said, I appreciate every one of our interactions and it would be considered a loss by me to not have that perspective when I come in for some insight.

Cheers
Tim

 

[R-Rated]

I am sure it was not an easy decision. Whatever you decide and whatever comes next I hope it brings good luck.

Reminds me of the helicopter departure scene in that famous show where people are parting ways at the end of a memorable journey -

 

[scooterwuf]

Very understandable choice. Admining anything is hard and demanding, especially when done on your own free time. I admin a few Groups on Facebook and it’s 85-90% deleting scammers and people who have no idea what rules are, and that sales are not allowed.

Your presence here has always been the best, and a positive voice and a guide for those seeking directions on what a successful motovlog looks like - I’m talking about yours - and how one conducts themselves while on the forum. I’ll always enjoy our MotoDistancing group Zoom talk during the Pandemic (strange to think of that in the past tense), and watching your energy and passion for riding while acting as a 2-wheel ambassador for both this forum, and out in the real world.

Your presence has always been appreciated, and one that changed the nature of this site.

Ride safe!

- Wolf

 

[Drakhen99]

I get it. I really do. I really got to enjoy receiving an email from the forum that "a moderator has deleted/edited your post" - knowing I ran afoul of the rules. I didn't realize I was the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were.

I hope you still participate in the forum, because you have many years of motovlogging knowledge to share.

-John

PS: I know I'm not the straw, but was trying to add levity. Did I succeed?

PPS: Are you doing this of your own volition? Blink one thumbs up emoji for yes, blink two for no.

PPPS: I get that that made no sense. Rarely do I make sense. More levity? SQUIRREL!

 

[CalmBiker]

Hope you stay as a member HD

 

[Hippo-Drones]

Thank you all for your kind words, and for your understanding/support of the forum over the last 6 ish years. I have made some amazing and hopefully lifelong friends through this forum and through motovlogging as a whole, all of whom I am very grateful of.
Like I say, I am currently not sure if I will stay a member on here, I don't want to be a blot on the landscape so to speak, but I will very much still be creating content and am interested in motovlogging tech as it comes out, so I know if I stay, that I will continue to learn from all your experiences.
I wish the forum all the best of luck. I don't officially hand it back till tomorrow, but am not sure if I will be able to pop on tomorrow to say the above.

It's all yours once again @dandoolittle thanks mate, been a pleasure.

 

[Motoguy]

As a new member, and one who has yet to post his first YT video, I came here looking for "how to", or "make your vids better" info. NOT "let's all subscribe to each other to increase our subs count".

I came here hoping to find a useful tool, not necessarily just another place to share the same videos I can find on YT. They "my new vid just dropped!" postings don't interest me unless there's a utility to the video.

FYI, from the perspective of a noob who hasn't proven himself yet.

 

[Drakhen99]

As a new member, and one who has yet to post his first YT video, I came here looking for "how to", or "make your vids better" info. NOT "let's all subscribe to each other to increase our subs count".

I came here hoping to find a useful tool, not necessarily just another place to share the same videos I can find on YT. They "my new vid just dropped!" postings don't interest me unless there's a utility to the video.

FYI, from the perspective of a noob who hasn't proven himself yet.

That's the type of perspective that the forum & its long-standing members WANT around here, so welcome!

FYI, from the perspective of someone who has only been here 4 years, and doesn't share all my videos here.



-John

 

[Motoguy]

That's the type of perspective that the forum & its long-standing members WANT around here, so welcome!

That's great to hear! I've got all my equipment but I've not had time to install it. I've got 2 bikes I'm trying to get sorted out and then I'll start with videos. Although I suppose I could set up some cameras and make use of this wrenching time as well! I can definitely see how cameras can make wrenching much slower!

I was hoping that YT would be a place to view finished product, and this place would be more of a "working" site with behind-the-scenes information on the construction of the finished product. I admit, I was completely shocked to see how long the site has been around. I suppose it's a pretty niche need though.

 

[Drakhen99]

That's great to hear! I've got all my equipment but I've not had time to install it. I've got 2 bikes I'm trying to get sorted out and then I'll start with videos. Although I suppose I could set up some cameras and make use of this wrenching time as well! I can definitely see how cameras can make wrenching much slower!

I was hoping that YT would be a place to view finished product, and this place would be more of a "working" site with behind-the-scenes information on the construction of the finished product. I admit, I was completely shocked to see how long the site has been around. I suppose it's a pretty niche need though.

Yep, wrenching & recording takes longer... but as you practice, it'll get faster.

As for the purposes... a lot of us discuss how-tos and setups here, sure, but we also publish a fair number of videos showing testing. I know I do it a lot, as a way to streamline other peoples' testing of their setups, and since I'm a half helmet rider and vlogger, I'm a niche within a niche, so I do a LOT of test/setup videos, to show people how it can be done

-John

 

[Motoguy]

As for the purposes... a lot of us discuss how-tos and setups here, sure, but we also publish a fair number of videos showing testing. I know I do it a lot, as a way to streamline other peoples' testing of their setups, and since I'm a half helmet rider and vlogger, I'm a niche within a niche, so I do a LOT of test/setup videos, to show people how it can be done

-John

Absolutely. At this point I find I'm watching the "big vloggers" how-to videos more than their regular content. Heck, I recreated ChaseOnTwoWheels helmet setup based on his video. Definitely helpful.

 

[Drakhen99]

Absolutely. At this point I find I'm watching the "big vloggers" how-to videos more than their regular content. Heck, I recreated ChaseOnTwoWheels helmet setup based on his video. Definitely helpful.

While I'm not gonna 100% knock that strategy... I find that a lot of the bigger vloggers don't go into much of the detail or testing. They just show their final setup, or their latest setup. They leave out the "how I got here" part, which is what someone like ME needs.

When I first started vlogging, I tried out what the other half helmet vloggers were doing, but their setups didn't work for me - and they didn't have a "How I set it up A-Z" video to look at, so I was left scratching my chin, as it were.

Now, when I do a video like that - I make sure I go through EVERY step to show how and why I did stuff.

Long-winded response, I know, but that's just how I roll

-John

 

[Motoguy]

Long-winded response, I know, but that's just how I roll

-John

Not at all! As mentioned above I've not even mounted all my gear yet, much less produced a video. So I completely admit that "I don't know what I don't know" at this point!

 

[Drakhen99]

Not at all! As mentioned above I've not even mounted all my gear yet, much less produced a video. So I completely admit that "I don't know what I don't know" at this point!

Well then, I'll add... just try a bunch of different things until you get to the setup and sound you are striving for, and then record how you did it for posterity... and realize that no 2 people are going to have the same setup, and they're both good for their own reasons. And also, the second you change one thing in your setup, be prepared to re-do the whole thing. It's a never-ending battle between voice, wind, and bike noises.

-John