SOLTRA

Hey there everyone,

like other people have mentioned, there has not been much activity on our site latley...  So in order to try and bring back a bit of the activity i have decided to add a videos page to our web site.

feel free to post videos of your tractors, races, even your other weekend toys/hobbies, or even interesting videos.

Just remember to keep it PG.

Lets try and make this site worth looking at.

If anyone has any other ideas how we can bring some traffic to the site then feel free to post your ideas or give me a call and let me know at 519-694-3272 

While I am new to this forum, I am not new to forums. So- if the "new guy" may humbly make a suggestion or two?

Activity breeds activity. Encourage the membership to post their butts off. I understand that some of the crowd may be older and disinclined to do so, but every little bit helps. Whether it's a simple question posted, a tech tip, "hey, look at my tractor", whatever.  Put it out there.

If someone does have a question, encourage them to post it in a thread, rather than PM'ing. This way, not only is it more activity- it also will generate more answers/thoughts, AND here's an added bonus- someone searching for answers may happen upon it after the fact. Often a Google search result will generate membership and more activity.

Despite the knowledgeable membership here, there's not a lot of knowledge. If possible, I would suggest that some of the more technically-minded /experienced members do some write-ups. Tech tips, tricks, troubleshooting and repairs, how-to's, etc. Maybe some primers on what a new builder is up against, when undertaking a build in the various classes. Using myself as an example- I have dowloaded and read the rules- repeatedly. But I am constantly questioning what I am doing. What's the average speed I need to gear for? I am allowed to widen my track width to 42", but can I add structural members to move the bearings further outboard to support an axle that wide, or am I really stuck hoping that axle doesn't bend (and I'm convinced it will)? Can I cut my deck into "halves" and attach them, using them as side bars or structurally reinforcing them to act as side bars?

Videos are a good idea. But instead of simply posting them here, take advantage of Youtube. Include a link to this forum in the video's description or details so that anybody searching the vids will see a reference to the site! Do videos of project builds, walk arounds/"show and tell", footage from races and test and tune days.

My final suggestion (for now) is that if any of you are in tight with another related forum, ask the gods at the other forum if it's okay to make mention or post links to this one for the purpose of drawing local interest. I know that some forums don't like references to "competing" forums, but this doesn't have to be competition. There is a BIG mow racing forum out there- you all know the one I mean- which was the FIRST place I looked when I started my project. Problem being, it's American and their class technical rules are much different. If I built to their specs, I wouldn't be able to race locally. If, on that unnamed site, I had seen a reference to THIS forum, I'd have saved myself some time. I have said that I am a moderator on a forum dedicated to home built go karts- but I hesitate to properly identify myself and the forum. I'm sure it would buy me a ton of credibility over here, but I don't want to risk offending anyone.

Sorry I'm so long-winded, but another thought hit me. When I signed up here, I sat in limbo for a good week and a half or so (I can check dates if need be). Every time I logged in, it said I was awaiting approval. I was really starting to believe the forum was abandoned. I sent an email to the administrator. To his credit, he switched me on pretty quickly after that, but the huge delay is likely to turn some people off. I have to kill a lot of spam on a regular basis, and sift through members to determine legitimacy, so I understand what a battle it can be. But I would suggest that it's better to open the doors more and have to exile a few more schmucks, rather than ,make it too difficult or daunting to sign up. Many people sign on to forums because they want to participate without much delay.

I apologize for writing a novel here, but I hope some of these ideas are helpful. Cheers!

Hey Chris, If we had a "like" button, I'ld be pressing it!

Susie 48

and Andrew...good idea with the video page!