Baha: Welcome everyone, to Ask the Admins?
aj: now that is a great name
Baha: This is our first installment so it is just AJ, and myself. In the future it will be more interactive
aj: i can see us on national television one day right after 60 minutes
Baha: haha
aj: we have been through a lot of changes this past year, I really cant believe its 2009
Baha: me neither it’s been an eventful year
Baha: we had some server issues in June/July that brought down the network temporarily and a total redesign of all the sites before the end of the year
aj: yeah, i remember last year talking about the site upgrades, its crazy that we are actually here
Baha: me neither, I’m so glad I left my previous job, other wise I don’t think it would have happened
aj: hah, not many people can say that
Baha: haha very true
Baha: we don’t make any money, but I think I will always keep this as my job, it is what I enjoy
Baha: We also did our first Ride of the Year Contest and that went really well!
aj: yeah it was a pleasure to chat with Justin and get to know him better
Baha: yeah that was a great interview
aj: and in the future we will be having more featured members and the treasured 2009 Ride of the Year to come
aj: as all the sites grow, we hope to do this same format for all sites for the YourScene network
Baha: if you haven’t had the chance to read it and are reading this please go to this link http://mazdabscene.com/features/2008-ride-of-the-year.html
Baha: I can’t wait to show you the award! They were pretty busy with the holidays but I should have it in a week
aj: yeah, im pretty pumped about that, can i have one too?
Baha: next year I would like to see the sites grow with content, all the useful information to help with member projects
Baha: sure you get the AJ award
aj: ha, i feel special
Baha: haha
aj: before we get into more, just to recap, what all sites do we have updated and online now?
Baha: I’ll go in order of their release date
Baha: we have MazdaBScene.com - RangerScene.com - YotaScene.com - MaxD50Scene.com - DuallyScene.com - S-Scene.com has been changed to S10Scene.com and lastly IsuzuScene.com
Baha: we also added a great Moderator team to help us keep everything running strong!
aj: now were talking!
Baha: in fact one thing we are working on tonight is putting together a list or roles we need for 09! If you would like to join the team email myself of AJ
Baha: we couldn’t run the network without the moderators
aj: so thats 7 websites now back online for the network. What changes do you see now that we have more moderators per site?
Baha: for 2009 I think we will see massive growth, since the moderators help free up time on the forums we can concentrate more on development and expansion
Baha: I would really like to see Your Scene Mag take over as the premier online magazine for truck and car enthusiasts alike!
Baha: It’s amazing how much work you get done when you stop sleeping
aj: I like you man…but you’re crazy! Just to give you guys an idea of the big picture, we are continuing to create a network of truck enthusiast’s sites that will be connecting to one another
Baha: Which models do think we should cover next AJ?
Baha: I think there is more to explore in getting into the Full Size niche
aj: wow, thats a good question. i think we have most of the popular models, but i think there is a lot in the full size niche also
Baha: I really want to make a site for the Nissan hard body guys, they have had a couple sites come and go in the past few years
Baha: It’s hard on the less popular models to keep forums active, but I still would like to get all the information out there and on the network
aj: o yeah, the hard bodies def need a site. But before we grow more, we really want to focus on improving our sites in 2009
Baha: I agree, I think we will have the best infrastructure in our industry
Baha: So when we explode in 2009, no worries, we have the backbone to support it all!
aj: thats right, so lets talk about some features on the sites now that are this back bone
aj: with the upgrade, we really are starting to develop our online magazine feel to the site with the articles you find on MazdaBscene.com
aj: one thing we really want to focus on is trying to highlight the users to our sites. Doing a Featured Member article, or a Ride of the Year allows everyone to see a different side to our members
Baha: Exactly! we do this for you guys, and we have a lot of new additions to help you with your project.
aj: it also gives us a chance to show of what great rides we have on the sites
aj: and what would these new additions be Rob?
Baha: My favorite feature is the interviews; it is interesting to learn the background behind the ride. I would like to go back to the online magazine feel.
Baha: For the longest time, our sites have for the most part only had content that was with in the forums. For the website to grow, this was a big limiting factor, so now if you notice each one in the network resembles an online magazine with rotating content.
Baha: With this format, we can highlight interesting articles that pertain strictly to your make/model, most likely the reason you are visiting the site! We will also be streaming related content from Your Scene Mag such as video/pictorial show coverage and features!
aj: which I am pumped about, this is really going to keep on growing
Baha: I’m excited to, I almost want to talk about the new addition at the end of year 2009 but it has to wait
Baha: If you want a hint find the meaning behind the Slovak word Edecia
Baha: this is a pretty good recap, how do you think this will work with members being involved next year?
aj: well we are going to bringing more opportunities for our members to get involved with the success of the site
Baha: We are going to have a pretty big team!
aj: we will be having more member votes on Featured Members, and we need everyone’s help to contributing to our Techi
aj: this is a great opportunity to really house information about the specific truck that you work on day in and day out on, and will help other members research and learn more
Baha: Yeah the Techi is something we can all contribute to and benefit from. We really need help from the members for it to truly be successful
Baha: I think once we have a dedicated person for each one, we will really see it come together
Baha: The outlines we started are the first step
aj: so you heard it here guys, this could be you
Baha: Let’s see those resumes!
aj: there are threads started for you guys to contribute your articles and ideas for the Techi, please post them there
Baha: Are you ready for the questions?
aj: yeah man, so you guys contributed some questions about what you wanted to ask us. I will post the question and we will answer…
Baha: All right let’s see what we got.
aj: First up…Are we ever going to have the T-Shirt Design Contest, where Members throw out there designs and we vote and get it made?
aj: additionally to that, lets just talk about apparel for the sites in general
Baha: The popular T-shirt contest question lol
Baha: Sure, the answer is yes.
Baha: Some of you may not know but I started the company Ground Smack and the end of this year to make shirts for the Your Scene Network sites
Baha: Also, I’m not a big fan of shirts with catch phrases, and I haven’t seen an alternative clothing supplier so I decided to fill the need. I’m sure I’m not alone in disliking the catch phrase shirts; I just couldn’t wear them anywhere.
aj: got milk?
Baha: The next shirts to be printed will be Yota Scene, we have some designs but they aren’t ready for print yet.
Baha: Worse, more like I Like to get laid…Pssst I have bags
Baha: Reminds me of middle school, No Fear anyone?
aj: hah, yeah. So what are your thoughts on other apparel also? I know guys have asked for hoodies and beanies maybe?
Baha: Definitely! We are getting our own press soon, we will be offering a full line of T-Shirts, Sweat Shirts, Beanies, Hoodies, and hopefully jeans, and pants. We will also provide clothing for the ladies!
Baha: I forgot to mention flex fit hats as well.
aj: now that sounds like a full line of gear if I ever heard of one
Baha: We’ll sponsor your wardrobe.
Baha: I think polos would be popular to.
aj: ew, classy
aj: Next question… What about special features for supporting members? Such as extra sections or something?
Baha: I need ideas from members also on this.
Baha: I can only think of stickers, discounts on parts, and supplies, and supporter only contests.
aj: thats a good thought, I know we have talked about more features in the online garage
aj: which by the way is soon to be updated…right?
Baha: I suppose that is more then most sites offer, because they just allow you to upload more pictures or see their technical information
Baha: Right, the amount of work that went into the garage is a lot.
Baha: It was rebuilt from the ground up, using open source software as a base.
Baha: The garage is the next section to be upgraded!
Baha: There won’t be a limit to how many vehicles you can include now.
Baha: I don’t want anyone to have to donate money to get the features they need out of the site, I would rather the member WANT to contribute to the site because they appreciate it.
aj: so as Rob said, we have some ideas for benefits for Supporting Members, but please let us know your ideas also, we would love to make this better for those who really want to see the site offer new features
aj: The next questions are specific to the forums for the most part…
Baha: Shoot!
aj: Is there a way to get a “New Post” button or a “Last Post Read” for threads….?
Baha: That question I honestly didn’t understand.
Baha: Did you understand it? There is already a post reply button.
aj: hah, I think they may be asking to jump to the latest post. that is upgraded in the new layout
Baha: Oh, that makes sense.
Baha: AJ is correct when you click on a thread that is listed in the Hot Topics section of the forum; it automatically takes you to the last post in the thread!
Baha: There are so many added features with the upgrade I can’t remember them all.
aj: Also, when you are looking at the Forum Index, the right column displays the most recent post. There is a little icon next to the username. Click that to go to the most recent post
Baha: Wow thanks AJ I never even knew that one!
aj: Next… Can you add a view all button to threads to see all posts on one page?
Baha: I think we need to make a users guide to the site
Baha: I think that would be a useful addition, just if you do that to a thread that has a lot of pictures it will take awhile to load.
Baha: What do you think AJ?
aj: Yeah i think it could take a long time to load, but some one knows full well when they click on “View all Posts” that it will take a while to load
Baha: Good point, or at least I hope they do haha
aj: i think it would be a good feature to add
Baha: Okay, I’ll add it to the development list.
Baha: I can’t wait until I can devote all of my time to development
aj: Which brings us to our last question… Is there a reason why Dually Scene is the slowest website since the creation of the interweb?
Baha: Haha the interweb.
aj: is that a real word? ha
Baha: That is a good question.
Baha: I think so, this answer will sound as if it’s in geek terms.
Baha: Currently the sites are using shared hosting, this allows us to keep costs down, but the sites have gone beyond the capacity of that service.
Baha: So what I’m working on now is a real network infrastructure, I can’t say when it will be up but I want to do extensive testing to ensure the sites will never go down.
Baha: I have two servers already, and will be adding more.
Baha: So short answer, yes there is, but it won’t be slow for long!
aj: so thats the extent of the questions, was there anything else you want to chat about?
Baha: I think we covered everything!
Baha: That was too easy, I’m sure next year will be harder.
aj: haha, yeah I think a lot will change in 2009 and I cant wait!
Baha: Me neither! So do you want to do the closing?
aj: to everyone reading this, we continue to do improve these sites because we really want to bring you a network of websites that are unlike anything else you will find on the “interweb”
Baha: You like that word don’t you!
aj: so as we continue to improve, please email or PM us with ideas or feedback
Baha: Take care all, Happy New Year
aj: oh i love that word, it will be my word for the week. haha!
aj: Happy New Years everyone!!!