The Blog for Auto Bloggers

Help KMRL raise funds for wounded veterans!

2007-07-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

I know I've been out of the loop for a long time guys. And I hate to put up a shameless plug here, but this isn't for me, it's for wounded veterans. My friends at KMRL MojoRadioLive http://www.mojoradiolive.com/ are taking part in Blogothon 2007 raising money for Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, if you can go ove to http://kmrlblogathon2007.com/ and pledge a couple of bucks?

Highlights from SEMA Show 2006.

2006-11-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

By Brian Vermette, RaceDriven.com.

Wow, for a lot of car enthusiants and beyond, this week marks one of the biggest shows for the aftermarket, the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. I am always amazed with just what some of these manufacturers, designers, and builders can come up with in how to transform a stock vehicle or plain sheet metal into something of a work of art. Some of the vehicles photos that I saw on alot of blogs and websites that covered this huge event were out there and for the most part I was impressed.

The two of these vehicles that most impressed me was Chip Foose's Hemisfear, a hotrod that Chip has been working on for years and what a combination of colors - black and what looks to be gray/carbin fiber look and the other, oldly enough, its the Edelbrock 1932 Ford Roadster, simply put, the TV Show "RIDES" had an episode dedicated to the building and unveiling of this read and if you look really close on the photo, under the hood is an image of the american flag and I believe it says the words "Made in America".

Photo Gallary:
Click on photos for a bigger image.

(Credit: Sportruck.com)
Chip Foose's Hemisfear

(Credit: Sportruck.com)
Edelbrock's 1932 Ford Roadster, this roadster "Made in America" was featured on TLC's show "RIDES".

(Credit: Sportruck.com)
A diesel-powered 2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited

(Credit: RSportscars.com)
2006 Cadillac EcoJet Concept - Jay Leno, GM Advanced Design Studio Create a Bio-Diesel Supercar.

(Credit: Cardomain Blog)
A deep metallic green 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback with a ROUSH 427 IR crate engine putting out 552 horsepower. Previous Post with Press Release.

(Credit: Autoblog)
Inspiration by Dale Earnhardt Jr's own "Big Red", all-new "Big Red Silverado with an off-road package, an #8 in the front grill and Dale Jr. signature on the both sides of the truck.

Here are a couple of blogs and sites that are covering this years SEMA Show with posting photos, check them out.
- Autoblog.com
- Sportruck.com
- CarDomain Blog
- RSportscars.com

See Yeah!

Shifting Gears: Auto Manufacturers Warranties & Commerical Breakdown of Chevy 400

2006-09-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

By Brian from Racedriven.com

Shifting Gears for a monent, if you are a Motorsports and Car Enthusiant like I am, than both of these articles will caught your eye in one way or another.

On CarsCarsCars blog, they have compiled a list of the Current Warranties From Auto Manufacturers for the 2007 models after some recent talk among the big 3 that they might increase there warrenties.

My Take: Interesting numbers, the big 3 are basically the same with 3 yrs each, while Hyundai has the best warranty with basic at 5 yrs/60,000 mi and powertrain 10yrs/100,000 miles. One of the first things that I look in buying a new or pre-owned vehicle besides the price and make/model is a good regular or extended warranty, I will walk from a deal if theres no real warrenty. I have seen warrenties work great and others that don't, but now I will only buy a warrenty from the Auto Manufacturers themselves. Simply put, warrenty is the 3rd most important item in buying a vehicle, Most people I know keep there vehicle at least 5 yrs.

----------------------------------------------
On cawsnjaws.com, they have created a very detailed summary of the Commerical Breakdown of NASCARs Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond last Saturday Night.

Chevy Rock & Roll Race and Commercial Breakdown of 09-09-06:
Total number of commercials: 119
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 78
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 17
Total number of companies or entities advertised in brief promos during the broadcast: 13
Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 2 min., 5 seconds
Restarts missed due to being away at commercial: 2

Start time to record race/commercial periods: 7:36 P.M.
End time to record race/commercial periods: 10:50 P.M.
Total minutes: 194
Minutes of race broadcast: 135
Minutes of commercials: 59

My Take: 30% of the TV Broadcast was commericals, 1 full hour of commericals, wow and that doesn't include during race promos and a company logo on the top ticker.

This brings up the topic more about what Marty Smith's Last Lap column on NASCAR.com entitled, "Making sponsors, fans happy at the same time" Marty brings up the idea of -- a scrolling information ticker that remained atop the screen during commercial breaks.

On the other hand, My father suggested clear commericals -- see throught, fans can watch the race through the commericals,

Nevertheless, fans need something during commericals to keep us informed and tuned to that station of what is going on on track & during the race. Any suggestion? I like either idea, fans need something other than just commericals, theres alway changing the channel to another show or even the NFL. Get the picture, if ABC's side-by-side coverage type is out, then try something different, test it on fans and see what they think, you will hear back...now its the chase thats on.

See Yeah!

Question: What is the future of this blog

2006-08-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hay everyone, this is Brian from racedriven.com, just wanted to know what is the future of this blog (The Blog for Autoblogger), What are we doing?

Read fine print on Chrysler's 30-day guarantee...fees

2006-07-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is straight from Cars!Cars!Cars! blog on Chrysler's 30-day guarantee...this is a must read.

We're glad someone took the time to look into this 30-day guarantee that Chrysler is touting: The Detroit News reports: Chrysler's '30-day, money back guarantee: What's the catch.
Check out this arithmetic: Let's start with a restocking fee of 5 percent of the stickerprice (ouch!), add in the 50-cents per mile usage fee (yikes!), all the sales tax (what!?) plus finance fees, title, tag and registration (grrr!). Total it up on a premium ride like a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, and returning a car you just purchased for about $34,000 could easily cost about 14 percent of the total purchase price -- more than $4,600.

My Opinion: The fact is that most people don't return a new or used car, because everything is fine, but for that person or two who purchased a vehicle and for one reason or another need to return their recent purchased car, they should not have to pay up to 14% of the all in price to return the vehicle. To me, this is more expenive then renting a car for a month - one rental car company is $239 per week, thats $1000 give or take with insurance, compared to $2,300 on a $17,000 vehicle (Dodge Caliber pricing). This includes Chrysler's, Dodge's, and Jeep's...

Read the fine print on any new or pre-owned before you buy that next car including the return policy and onething, extended warrenty - look at that too. Check a buying guide for tips on that.

See Yeah!
Brian from Racedriven.com

Dave Finds a New Home

2006-06-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank a lot of you guys who expressed well wishes after the downfall of MPH. It was nice to know the car blogging community found the magazine so interesting, even if the website never really lived up to its potential. We were working on a redesign when all the stuff went down too. Oh well.

So where am I now? I’m heading up blogging operations at a little site called Cars.com.

I’ll also be contributing reviews to the main page but my main focus will be the blog called KickingTires. This is a non-enthusiast site aimed at car buyers and shoppers. Expect lots of incentive news, recall notices, new model announcements, price changes etc. We’ll also highlight a lot of original content from the editorial staff here. There is actually a pretty large staff and we blogged live from the Chrysler Sebring event last week.

Stylistically I’m going for wide images often and thinning them out while trying to fit the entire car into the shot. It’s a clean look. All the photos are also left justified which I don’t love but its growing on me. Do you guys notice it at all?

If you have suggestions about the blog let me know. Also feel free to comment in the posts on KickingTires.

Also I want to apologize for not posting here as much but as you can imagine the last two months have been crazy busy. Although I somehow managed to launch two other personal sites recently www.firejeffzucker.com and www.orangeandteal.com

Should all major American racing series make the transition to alternative fuels?

2006-06-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

By Brian from Racedriven.com

I have been thinking about this question for a month or so now since a WindTunnel on SPEED question of the week caught my interest, it was put "Should all major American racing series make the transition to ethanol?", because of the IRL Indy Car Series will be running ethanol in 2007, but I think that this question should go alot further then just ethanol.

With Audi's impressive and history making victories at both the 12 hours of Sebring and the historical and one of the toughtest races in the world, the 24 hours of LeMans in there two Audi R10 TDI 5.5L twin-turbo diesels becoming the first diesel car in the world to win a major sports car race, the idea of using alternative fuel in all major American racing series such as Diesel which gets better fuel economy and more horsepower/torque, ethanol which does give basically the same amount of power compared to gasoline and is renewable is a great idea instead of using gasoline, plan and simple.

There is a couple of things to remember, whatever fuel that is used in Motorsports, is trucked or piped in to the speedway a head of time and is held in tanks until needed. Motorsports has the technology to use alternative fuels because everything is there, unlike street use.

Thinking about it, this option is a good idea because it free's up a large amount of gasoline for consumers to use in there cars, face it, for the next 10-20 years or so until a better fuel can be found and developed including hydrogen, gasoline is the main fuel for street use all over the United States and beyond.

One that note, I will say one thing, diesel vehicles are starting to make a come back, but with stricter government standards, automakers still have to continue finding a cleaner way to run these vehicles and in 2007, Jeep will introduce one new cleaner diesel in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but stop making the Jeep Liberty CRD (Diesel), that still leaves gasoline.

That's my thoughts - simply put, alternative fuels (Diesel, ethanol, Hydrogen and etc.) should be used in all major American racing series and gasoline should be used for consumers to drive there cars everyday on the street for now.

What's your thoughts?

See Yeah!

Another SPLOG??

2006-05-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

OK, I may be a little late on this one, but it appears there is another SPLOG car.blogdig.net

Has anyone seen this? Is this another SPLOG like Automobilist and OST Auto?

Joe

Update; Response from site owner ;
"Listen this site is really just my girl friends and my news reader. Weput together some of our favorite feeds and combined them into onepage. Only a few people a day come to the site and those that dousually click through to sites like yours. There is nothing malicioushere. It's really not that different from bloglines or any otheronline rss reader. I made my own because I know how and so it worksthey way I want. If you don't want to be on the site I fullyunderstand and I will remove you. This site was simply aboutconvenience for me not inconvenience for others."

So, I guess it's not a SPLOG?

Quickblog by Godaddy.com?

2006-05-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Has anyone come across a quickblog or is currently using either the free ad-supported quickblog or paid quickblog by godaddy.com.

All of my domain names are registered at godaddy and I see if you register, transfer or renew, you get an free, ad-supported quickblog (giant ad-banner across the top) and I am considering it.

You will know an quickblog, this image is on the bottom of the sidebar. I have found a sample here.

Discuss...
See Yeah!
By Brian from Racedriven

Two Blogging Questions: New Blog Host and Links

2006-04-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

By Brian from Racedriven

Two Questions about Blogging:

1. I am looking to start a second blog or mirror my current blog and I want to use anyother free blog host, I have tried Wordpress.com (At that time, not must custom HTML work could be done) and currently using Blogger, What are my options?

2. For Blog Links: Link Page or Sidebar? Is it ok to build a seperate Links page for your weblog links instead of putting the links down the left or right side of your weblog on the sidebar?

Discuss..
See Yeah!

A manufacturer pulling out of NASCAR? creating a lot of buzz thoughtout..

2006-04-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

By Brian from Racedriven

This article "Thinking The Unthinkable." about one of the big 3 manufacturers pulling out of NASCAR has created a huge buzz and has many interested, rightnow its just a rumor to most. The first two paragraphys of the article is below:

The Autoextremist.com report: It has come to our attention that serious discussions are taking place for the first time in the conference rooms of one domestic manufacturer in particular on a subject heretofore unthinkable in Detroit. The subject? Pulling out of NASCAR. Yes, it has been mentioned before, and I have predicted it for months now - ever since the announcement was made that Toyota would be buying its way into the France family circus - but we have confirmation that not only are the discussions taking place, they're so far down the road that a timetable for a pullout has been created, taking into account the end dates of existing contracts with individual racing teams currently aligned with this particular manufacturer.
The fact that it has finally come to this is no real surprise. Several years ago, we pieced together evidence that each of the Detroit-based car companies were spending in the neighborhood of $140 million each, annually, on their NASCAR endeavors. That figure accounts for engineering and wind-tunnel work, direct payments to the teams, personal services contracts with the drivers, promotional programs, race sponsorships, advertising, etc., etc. In the Big Picture of things, when multinational companies are spending double that amount for the "privilege" of competing in Formula 1, that would seem like no big deal, but taking into account the factors that matter most to the Detroit car companies right now, that dollar figure is a very big deal. (More...)

My comments: The title says it all, it is unthinkable.. Its simply a rumor and I don't believe it. The article said it was the Car of Tomorrow, a manufacturer pulling out over the COT, I don't think so... things don't add up, Chevrolet and Ford are both multi-champions and Dodge is still growing with there Charger and winning.

BTW: I don't like the Car Of Tomorrow.

Round One Complete, what does everyone think?
See Yeah!

New York Auto Show -- Part One

2006-04-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

by Brian from Racedriven

For the past couple of days or so, I have been reading up on the latest autoshow debuts on Autoblog, Leftlane News and other blogs, plus rsportscars.com and automotive websites, the New York Auto Show is a big autoshow for most automakers with NY being a huge market. I just wanted to comment on some these..

The biggest debuts of the New York Auto Show were:

(Credit: rsportscars.com - Borrowed photo)

The Scion Fuse Sports Car Concept: At least its interesting, from anyway you look at this concept, it has a new style to it, it shows Scion all over it and hopefully if Scion/Toyota does build it, it will come with lots more room then the tC, I can fit comfortablily into the xA and the xB. Now, what about All wheel drive and some more power or a hybrid concept from Scion.

The three Ford Mustangs: including a California Special, a Hertz edition and a Saleen Mustang Parnelli Jones Limited Edition.You got to see these high-res photos of the 1966 Shelby 350H over at Autoblog, I love a great Shelby GT350, I put the 1st photo on my desktop that has both the 1966 and the 2007 together.

Along with a Unique Honda Element SC, a Chrysler 300 LWB and a Mitsubishi Evo X that has a killer looks.

To me, there were also two other things, Honda announcing that it is bringing to market a compressed natural gas (CNG) motivated Civic GX to New York buyers this fall and the a large sight outside the autoshow with 85 Fuel-flex vehicles including ten Suburbans and 75 Chevy Tahoes triple-parked in Manhattan (Credit: Autoblog.com)

Finally, so what about Jeep, the Jeeps Patriot and four-door Wrangler, I will cover them in New York Auto Show part two.

See Yeah!

Who Is Media?

2006-04-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

So I finally got the approval for media credentials for the 2006 Auto Show. I spoke with some dude from Sams Crispe Communications and he clearly didn't feel blogs are a form a "real" media. Even though I'm in my fourth year of publication ('03 - '06), I'm still not real?

This got me thinking as to what qualifies as a media or journalist. As more magazines close (just today one of own kind closed, MPH has ceased), more people are going to the web for car information. And ad dollars are following. Does Dave Thomas (MPH mag) still qualify since his magazine is closed? I'm not picking on Dave, it's just an example. :)

Do our sites qualify for as real media? Should they? If not, why not? They can't possibly worried about too many people coming in to view the cars. I certainly understand the need for diligence when reviewing who comes, but to be made to feel like third class media is rough.

What say you?

Rally Racing at X Games

2006-03-28T05:37:00.000-08:00

Am I alone in thinking THIS is huge huge news for the future of Rally in the US?

Is shameless self promotion allowed?

2006-03-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

MyFordDreams2

Non-FordDreams

AlternativeFuelUniverse

MyFordDreams

As you may now, I was having major problems with Blogger, originally I suspected it was my blog, then I learned from otheres they were having problems on Blogger also. I considered changing blog services or even just stopping. But in the end, I decided to split my blog into 3 new blogs. And here are the links above.

Starting Monday, I'll be posting to all 3, but primarilly to MyFordDreams2. If you currently have a link to my blog, would you update it? All of my blogs have links to the others on the side, just like above.

Have a great weekend,

Joe

Looking for a free comment service for my new weblog

2006-03-24T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hay everyone, I am building a new weblog on my server from scratch with no software:

I am looking for a free comment service for it, does anyone have any suggestions?
Also, do I really need RSS feed and does anyone know how to install that or what tools I need?
Is there anything that I have forgotten or any other suggestions?

I am building this new weblog for the simple reason of I had restrictions on these free and paid blogging services and I want a custom design. Hopefully my new weblog will be up in a week or two.

Brian from Racedriven.com

Need a Widget Maker

2006-03-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. I've designed a widget for mph but need someone to code it up.
Anyone design these?

HELP! Major problems with Blogger

2006-03-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

I've been having major problems with Blogger this week. It's taking forever to get even a simple post up and loading pictures is a nightmare. I had assumed it was limited to my main blog www.myforddreams.blogspot.com so I tried starting a new one www.myforddreams2.blogspot.com and see if I had any better luck. But posting on a new blog and posting pictures is still problematic. Can anyone recommend another blog service, that's as easy to use and free??

I'm not very technical, so if you have any advice email me at myforddreams@aol.com

Thanks,
Joe

ALMS has historical event at 12 Hours of Sebring

2006-03-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

(Quote and photo from ALMS website) "The new prototype is the first diesel car in the world to win a major sports car race."

The broadcast crew and the American LeMans Series calls yesterdays 12 hours of Sebring a historical event with the headline reading "Audi diesel-powered R10 TDI of Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello power there way to victory in the 12 hours of Sebring."

What really happened: There were two things going on at the 12 hours of Sebring with one being the historical aspect going on in the P1 class with the two Audi TDI's (diesel-powered) prototypes that showed the entire motorsports world that diesel-powered vehicles can win and win they did, the #2 Audi TDI won overall, they had to start from pitroad after a problem race morning and could not start on the pole along side there team Audi.

The other, the 12 hour endorse race that came out with flying colors with lots of passing and interesting driving on this non-smooth surface, for any team to finish, let along finish upfront is a goal in itself, the surface is very bumpy to say the least, I guess it was an old airbase or something, but it makes for good racing. Having a car that not only handles, but sets fast laps is necessary. Every team had there problems though this 12 hour event, whether it was mechanicals with a gearbox or fuel pump to a simply, overheating problems. The trend thoughout this event was if you had a team car, you or your team car had big problems and were either out of the race or many laps down.

The race also had the #4 Chevy Corvette of Olivier Beretta, Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen winning.

Overall, I love 12 hour and 24 hour endorse races, including those that start in the day and go into the night and for the 12 hours of sebring, I watch the entire speed coverage and enjoyed it, simply a great for an endorse race.

See Yeah!

Brian from Racedriven.com
(Back at http://racedriven.blogspot.com)

TypeBuzz ??

2006-03-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about TypeBuzz. I received an email from them asking me to be a contributor towards their "Content Hub" and I think this is earily similar to a Splog. The difference being they offer to sign up bloggers for a 25% share of proffits.

Anyone familiar with them or this type of "Hub?" comment here or email directly at myforddreams@aol.com I won't create a link to them here, but will send you the URL if you want.

Thanks,
Joe

What makes a blog?

2006-03-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. One of the most popular new automotive blogs (I won’t mention the name or link) runs posts with no links to their referring article. Meaning they post about a news story they read on another site, like Automotive News, yet run no link to the actual article. They do reference the publication by name but do not link to it.

Does this make a blog? Is this legal? I always thought the thing that made you a blog was that link so readers could see for themselves if your own post/opinion was worthy to read.

Obviously thousands of people that read this site don’t care. But I’m wondering if the publications being poached care? At Autoblog we had to have the link for blog and legal reasons. What do you guys think? Isn’t that link essential?

BTW an argument has been made to us that MPH does not link to other sites in our stories. That is because ALL of our posts are original content. That is different than a blog. We pay for wire services (which include the Detroit Free Press and Chicago tribune) and photo services as well as our own content from the magazine. And when we do reference something from another site we do indeed include a link.

Discuss.

Speedweeks at Daytona Part II The Daytona 500 and Aftermath

2006-02-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting a couple of days or so for the Daytona 500 aftermath, you know the penities, the talk and for me, a chance to think about what just happened and he it is:

What happened? Basicly it was the Daytona 500 with its hype and some of its glory, sure it was not the 1979 Daytona 500, but it was interesting and interesting to watch, for the most part, I liked it for restrictor plate racing anyway, I hate restrictor racing, but it was a good race beyond that. Not everyone enjoyed it and that doesn’t surprise me, also what was up with Tony Stewart? Interesting…

The ups: A competive race with lots of passing all over (Not for the lead), Kirt Shelmerdine in his own #27 ride, not only made the race, but after a group of Dale Earnhardt Sr. fans in the infield gave some money to Kirk for the tire bill, Kirk came back to finish in 20th position on the lead lap, great job, $272,008 dollar payday and some strong runs by Casey Mears and the highest rookie Clint Bowyer both finished in the top 10 with Mears in 2nd. My favorite driver, Dale Jr. finished 8th and after leading the most laps 6th in points.

The downs: the #48 team won the 500 in the same car that they altered and that NASCAR didn’t impound, lame penalities for junk driving and missed calls all together. Not much passing for the lead neither.

One big thing, I congrads Jimmie Johnson for winning the Daytona 500…with that said..

The Aftermath: I liked and totally agree with Marty Smith (NASCAR.com)”Message: Delivery Failed” that says it all, Knaus got a total of four race suspendition from NASCAR and $25,000 fine, but no point lost…what?? Even Barrier received got 4 races off, a fine and 25 points off,

Knaus, you got a gift, thats nothing for a penalty, for the advantage and the #48 team keeping there primary car too, delivery failed…

One Question: Windtunnel’s Question of Week was Should Knaus be suspended for Life? If not, what should his penilty be? My answer, not life, but more than 4 races, maybe a 18 races to a year or at least consitent with Barrier’s penalties plus more for not first time offense and that includes points off…

Closing Thoughts on the 2006 Daytona 500: Good American race with lots to talk about, great runs, but NASCAR not impounding the #48 car and then seeing the #48 team win in that primary car, that just wrong, all I can say, I can’t wait for California. Keep in mind of one thing, I am a huge NASCAR Nextel Cup Series fan and never miss a race and that above is my thoughts…think about that tonight.

Brian from Racedriven.com

One more tactic agains Splogs like OstAuto and TheAutoMobilist

2006-02-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

OK, I know, you're probably getting tired of this, but for those of us smaller bloggers, here is another option to fight Splogs like OstAuto and TheAutomobilist, contact Google.

Yep, it's as simple as that, contact google online, and complain about their use of your material. In the AdSense policies and guidlines, it says content of sites using Google AdSense, you are required to use original non-copyrighted materials. There are also rules about how many banners you may have and non-competative ads.

I've contacted Google through their feedback option, maybe if more people did, they would pull the ads from these sites? And if you hit OstAuto and TheAutomobilist where they live, you stop them. Sounds simple right? If they don't have the Google ads, they're not reaping in the dough and have no reason to steal.

If everyone who blogs and uses Google AdSense on their site, were to complain, then maybe they will take notice. I was going to do one of those mass emails, but felt this would reach more people.

Here's something I found that may help Brian and I and possibly others with Splog problems.

2006-02-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

This site; http://www.splogreporter.com/ is a place to report Splogs like theautomobilist and ostauto. I'm also trying to figure out how to copyright my material. If anyone knows how, please email me or leave a comment here.

Thanks,
Joe

The Automobilist breaks silence

2006-02-17T05:53:00.000-08:00

Dave and other contributors to this blog, I wanted to share with you an email I recieved from Andy the owner of the Automobilist site;

Please remove this entry --
http://autobloggers.blogspot.com/2006/01/automobilist.html
from your collective blog.
Otherwise, you will be contacted by my lawyer and sued for libel.

Now, I have responded directly to this email in the negative, that I will not remove the post in question. Simply because it is true and not slander or libelous. I'm sure it's a bluff from a man who would not respond to my emails requesting he remove my materials from his page.

As I see it, I'm just a private citizen, who doesn't own anything worth taking, so I've got nothing to loose. But in fairness, since this is not my primary page, I will let you decide if the post should be removed. If you want, you can contact Andy at ; andreukryliouk@yahoo.com

I will abide by your decision. While I have no further need to contact Andy, I don't want to cause friction for this site or it's members.

My thoughts on Splogs including the two in question.

2006-02-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of weeks or so, content from not only my blog, but other blogs has been copied using RSS feed on to other sites known as “splogs”. Unfortunately, these types of so-called blogs/websites are poping up overnight, but they are also being shutdown just a fast. Recently two splogs have poped up with my content among others on them, theautomobilist.com and Ost Auto Blog (ostauto.com).

Unfortunately in the case of theautomobilist.com, his site is NOT in violation of the Fair Use under copyright law and EFF policy and thats that.

But in the case of Ost Auto Blog (ostauto.com) is the opposite, this site IS in violation of the Fair Use under copyright law and EFF policy. Ost Auto Blog publishes the entire post including images and uses were the images where they are original hosted. This also calls all of use contributors to his site.. This one needs to be shutdown.

Either way you look at this subject and these sites, one thing is clear, they are not blogs or real websites, one might be classified as a directory site, but they are just popup junk with advertisements and people should pay no attention nor visit them. All we can do as real bloggers is not to link to them, encourage others to do the same, and also to discredit them by simply writing about them and making people aware of them, but not linking to them.

This is my last posting on these splogs and it is amazing to see were everyone and everything stands in the letter of the law. Finally to bloggers, just keep blogging, your original content is what people want to read about.

Just Keep It Simple, but Sweet…

What’s Next? I hear V8 engines coming to life,
See Yeah!

Brian from Racedriven.com

Splogs: Ost Auto Blog and The Automobilist

2006-02-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

I have published this article on both this site and at Racedriven.com. comments…

If you are looking for my past posts on Splogs including these two, the Ost Auto Blog and The Automobilist, you will not find them here or at the racedriven.com, I have deleted them..

In a day or so, I will be posting my response to all of the comments that were given not only here, but at Racedriven on this explosive subject, but for right now, I just want some time to think about the entire subject and a day or two off couldn’t hurt.

Also as Marc has pointed out in some comments, The Automobilist have broken no copyright laws nor the fair use act and EEF policy…who knows and…. I would still hope that everyone would still look at The Ost Auto Blog as he has broken copyright laws, the fair use policy and the EEF policy.

See Yeah!

Chicago Auto Show/MPH Party

2006-02-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

Speaking of auto show meetups...
mph is having a party in celebration of the March issue's release this Friday (Feb. 10) at the Liars Club in Chicago. If anyone is in town and wants to come please do.

New York Auto Show, Metro area bloggers, do you want to meet?

2006-02-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

Bob from CarsCarsCars! had a great idea, and I know it's early but better than waiting until the last minute. Do any of you plan on going to the New York Auto Show? If so, this would be an opportunity for "Local" bloggers to meet. I've missed only 2 or 3 shows since 1977 when I attended for the first time, at the age of 12.

Just an idea, and credit goes to Bob for this one. Email Bob or myself, or just comment here. Suggest a day and time, and decide where to meet in the show. It should be familiar territory for anyone who's been there before.

One Of Those Days

2006-01-31T13:14:00.000-08:00

You guys have all had one right? I woke up this morning to find out my revised "Spin" for the next issue of mph on the Dodge Caliber had vanished off my laptop. That sucks because my rewrite was really good. And if you're a writer you know that third rewrite won't be nearly as brilliant.

Wait it gets better. Then my photoshop won't work. It keeps crashing on start-up. Freezing on one screen. Don't know what to do with this and if you've looked at our site photoshop is kind of important. I had to download freeware to keep the site running today. Luckily I'm liking the new version of Gimp which I used to hate.

Then there was lots of news to run today, spy photos etc.

Shameless promotion:

We have a new column called mph Rumors. Check it out.

And mphblog has been slightly revised and is now updated much more regularly.

Two more hours until the work day ends and counting.

The Automobilist ??

2006-01-31T11:58:00.000-08:00

I received a request for link exchange from a fellow named Andy who said he had a blog called the Automobilist, have any of you? I checked his page, actually tracked it for several days, to see what kind of posts he has and if it was interesting or compatible with my blog. I have links to primarilly automotive blogs on my sidebar, many of the guys who cooperate here are listed there. And I noticed that this page, doesn't have any "Original Content."

Now don't misunderstand me, we all refer to other blogs in our posts, and give Hat Tips to our sources. But nobody that I'm aware of, just function like this fellow. He has your headline and the begining of the post, with a link to the original source site. I for my part, always link and hat tip, and usually give my own spin and comments on the subject. That I had thought was the purpose of a blog like mine.

I have a problem with this and have emailed Andy. While I'm waiting for his response, I was wondering if any of you were aware of his site and that he is reposting your material.
His page is; theautomobilist dot com

Check his page, and let me know what you think. I've seen material from most of your pages, including CarPundit, MPH, Jalopnik and AutoBlog.

Further question, if I ultimately don't want Andy linking or reposting material from my site, how should I handle that? Do I have any avenue for grievance? I know he has a Yahoo e-mail address, but that's all.

Joe
BigFordFan
http://myforddreams.blogspot.com

What was your First Car and your best car?

2006-01-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

We have all heard the question on Speed Channel to famous people, racecar drivers and speed fans, What was your first car? That first car when you were 16 to 20 years old mostly that you had to pay about $900 for to get you to your first job and school. Also What was your favorite or best car and why?

First Car: For me, I have gone through four cars in my short lifetime and three of them were from family. My first car, I had two, I payed $900 for a 1986 Ford Mustang White, V-6 couple and it was classified as a lemon and drove it once, so my first car was a 1989 Chevrolet beretta 2 door couple, 4cyl, silver with over 150,000 miles and I bought it at Rent-a-wreck for $900. I know a rental car, but by the time I was done with it, I ended up replacing the gastank, air scoop and transmission, by far it was a great car for a high school student.

Best Car: My favorite or bestcar was my second car, a 1994 Suzuki Sidekick, 2 door, 4 cyl with about 85 horsepower, hardtop and 4×4. I could get out of just about any snow, ice or mud problem I was in, It got 25 miles per gallon and took me to college and back everyday, it was just about perfect, that tight turning radius was great and it was fun to drive, If I didn’t get into that car accident, I would still have it today and enjoyed driving it. I wish this was my first car..

How about you?

Brian
Racedriven.com

NAIAS Thoughts?

2006-01-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Any thoughts from days 1 & 2?
Best cars,best blogs, best coverage overall?

Biggest thing here on the scene hands down was the camaro. Most reporters here probabably forgot there was even a new Sentra or Camry here.

Anyway you know where to read our reports. Just an awesome show this year.

Who else besides the big boys blogged it by the way?

Cobo Time

2006-01-08T05:01:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. I'm here. It's early and the first press conference is stil 45 minutes away.

comment below on what you want to see, specifically, and I'll try to do my best to accommodate. If you want to reuse any of our images for your blog just let me know. Don't expect immediate response but I'll try my best.

The Muscle Car Retro Look

2006-01-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have published this article on both this site and at The Blog for Auto Bloggers. comments…

What does everyone think of The Muscle Car Retro Look and bringing back old name plates? There a touch of an old classic muscle look with modern technology under the skin.

Examples: The Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO, Dodge Charger, 2008 Dodge Challenger and a possible 2007 Chevrolet Camaro.

“My Take” First off, the idea of bringing back a Muscle Car retro look with an old name plate is interesting and it all depends on the vehicle’s look itself and whats under the skin that counts.

With that said, here they are….

The Ford Mustang: The Mustang doesn’t fit under this article, but I wanted to comment on it anyway. I love the new look, the style and what ford has done with it, most of the mustangs have looked great over the years including the Shelby’s and a 1968 Mustang Fastback GT as in the movie Bullitt, but the lastest model is perfect. Enough said.

The Pontiac GTO & Dodge Charger: Looking at the GTO from the outside doesn’t do it for me as a 1969 Pontiac GTO The Judge does, under the skin is great, but the outside look, looks like a Grand Prix or Grand-am, its a great sleeper car, but something I would buy. The same goes with the Dodge Charger, I have nothing against it, but the only thing I don’t like is the name plate, the name Charger doesn’t fit, plain and simple. Its a four-door sedan, not a two-door muscle car, next..

Check out this 1969 Pontiac GTO “The Judge”, damn… looks incredible or would you prefer a stock look…

The Dodge Challenger Concept: This is only a concept, but the look inside and out great, now that’s a muscle car look period.

The Chevrolet Camaro: I don’t know if this sketch is what they might produce or not, but Chevrolet should bring back the camaro to compete with both Dodge and Ford & for Chevrolet lovers everywhere.

I hope I touch on this topic a little, it is something that is going on right now.

But One Thing: As a NASCAR Nextel Cup fan, I would like to see the Chevy Camaro, the Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger complete, the term drive on Sunday and Sell on Monday… plus I like to see something on the track that I can buy in the showrooms, they also look more like racecars.

See Yeah!
Brian
racedriven.com

(Note: I have moved my weblog to http://racedriven.wordpress.com or just go to http://www.racedriven.com)

It's Here

2005-12-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

Auto Show Season is here. Nissan Urge…sorry, URGE and Mercedes S65 photos have been released today (both a bit of a surprise) on top of the Hummer trim levels that were released at midnight. And CCC says this is a slow Car News week. Bah!

What do you drive and why?

2005-12-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

OK, here's a question that I'm actually surprised that nobody has asked so far. What do you drive and why? What kind of vehicle is your primary transportation, and what factors shaped the decision?

I drive a Ford Ranger 4x4 standard cab pickup with a 4.0 V6 and 5 speed manual transmission.
Biggest factors were the need for 4 wheel drive, and ground clearance for the ocassional trip off pavement. I needed a pickup as opposed to an SUV or other vehicle, because of work, needing to carry tools and equipment. I'm "On-Call" 24/7/365 for my job, and can't wait for the roads to be plowwed. I also wanted something that could fit into an average parking space, and couldn't be too tall, I had an underground parking space in my appartment building's garage at the time. Price and value were also major factors. While it's assumed by many that I bought Ford because of my love of the brand, this truck replaced a Chevy S-10 and was the first Ford truck I ever owned. The Ranger was available with the options I needed at the best price. I even checked Toyota and Nissan at the time, as well as Dodge and Chevy. So believe it or not, brand loyalty was not a major factor in this purchase.

What made you choose your current ride?

The reason I'm curious, is that people read your work and probably respect your opinions. Many of you are probably the go to person among your family and freinds when they need car buying advice.

What are you looking forward to at the car shows?

2005-12-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to Everyone.

Like you, I'm a bit bored with a slow news day. So what are you guys most looking forward to in the next 3 weeks of new model unveilings?

Also what are you looking for in online coverage? floor reports, image galleries etc?

New blogger at MPH

2005-12-20T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. It's not like we're going to send out a press release or anything but there's a new person over at MPH, Andrew Wendler.
www.mph-online.com/blogs

He'll be blogging this week and the print staff overall is taking on a new project on the blog showing off the "board." It's kind of cool. Who's driving what in the fleet and what they think.

Otherwise gearing up for car show season. This is going to be the craziest year ever.

Where Are We?

2005-12-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

So I'm looking at this: Weblog Awards

And I don't see any car blogs. Any ideas why? I thought we rocked!

bob.

Bill Disher's research paper on Auto Blogging completed

2005-12-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

Bill Disher the grad student researching Auto Blogging has finished his research paper. I know that some of you participated in his survey, and thought you may want to read his paper. It's posted on his blog here; http://student-iat.ubalt.edu/classes/discher/

Interesting read, and apparently we Auto Bloggers are a unique bunch in the Blogsphere.
I'm hoping that Bill recieved high grades, it was a pleasure for me to deal with him and help in the small ways we did.

Between Bill's research blog and this blog started by Dave, I have really felt that we have come together as a real community and it feels good. Sure I'm just some guy with a blog, but here I am rubbing elbows (even if only electronically) with some really inteligent guys who I may not have had the opportunity to otherwise.

Joe

Web vs print

2005-12-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

A post over on Jalopnik spurs the conversation of web vs. print media. As far as how outdated car magazines are. As someone employed by a print magazine I can't weigh in much more than I did on the Jalopnik comment I left.
But what do you guys think?
Is there worth in car magazines? I picked up a copy of Evo which everyone always says is so great. I thought it was the worst rehashed PR releases I've seen. Boring. I'll stick to Top Gear which interjects so much attitude. But both don't hesitate to bash cars, much more so than I read in American mags.

How do you handle hostile comments?

2005-12-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a question for you, how do you handle comments sections and hostile exchanges between commentors? Recently I've posted on a couple of issues that I expected some comments on, surprisingly, my posts on the UAW got fewere comments than I expected and my posts on Ford and the AFA got much more attention than I expected.

I enabled Blogger's Comment Moderation and deleted some of the more hostile comments. I don't like the idea of censoring a comment, but these had gone way off topic, and degraded to personal jabs between two commentors, one of which is a frequent commentor and the other a very rare visitor.

Oh, and just a quick note to Croak, I removed the photo that you had commented on. It was just the first relevant photo I found on Google and not intended to be insensative to Veterans. I don't make a habit of changing things like that, but you were a gentleman in your comment and I was able to figure out how to edit the photo.

Sometimes I regret posting on a subject, but then I feel that it's important to post, even if it's not a popular subject.

Any advice, comments?

The Chevy HHR

2005-12-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

What does everyone think of the new Chevrolet HHR, including the unveiling of 4 custom HHR designed and built in a 6 week build-off covered on TLC's RIDES, 4 shops were giving a stock HHR, Unique Performance, Darkside, YearOne and PTeaser Design. If completed on time, they each get a new Chevrolet SSR. Each one did something different including the adding a V8 engine or the ultimate tailgater.

Credit:from teaser design website

I watched the TLC's Rides episode on these four shops building and liked the Darkside, for the simple reason of they kept the 4 cyl and supercharged, plus added a custom sunroof and a custom sound system. Its something just about anyone can get installed on there HHR.

Final thought: the HHR looks just like the pt cruiser, but if it is designed like the first Chevy SUBURBAN, they should have added AWD or 4wd and not front wheel drive. Interesting, but I would buy one of the customized ones.

See Yeah!

Brian
Racedriven.com

What the hell is going on?

2005-12-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

When did people start getting so "rude?"
I asked the person that runs emercedesbenz.com to take down the full spy image they had copied from our site and run the snippet as shown below. So all of you know, spy photographers only allow YOUR site to run these images for the fee you pay. Other sites can't run the full image unless they want to pay also. This is how you pay photographers.
I'm just sitting here kind of stunned at what's going on these days. Guess autoblogging isn't as fun as it used to be.

So this is the email exhange:

Dave,

I don't link my readers to other sites based on cropped pictures that
look like garbage. I will, however, be more than happy to remove the
story.

Ashley
eMercedesBenz

On Dec 5, 2005, at 12:31 PM, Thomas, David wrote:

> Ashley,
> I think we've gone over this before, but you can't run full images
> of the spy photos on your site. The photographers do not allow
> reprints. I sized a blog ready snippet and thought I pointed you to
> the site where you could lift it but I guess that didn't come
> through in my message. it's attached.
> Thanks,
> Dave

BTW most forums these days don't even allow the photos to be pasted on the forums, they just allow links to avoid any legal hassles.

Thoughts on new blog

2005-12-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

What is the general consensus of Leftlanenews? I've had some odd exchanges with Nick over there. He doesn't seem to think linking to sources where he got the story idea is worth it to his readers. To me that's what a blog is all about.
I know autoblog has had problems with them. But they're getting a lot of traffic.

Discuss.

Oh and we have new Mercedes c class spy photos. Use this image if you want to link over.

Take my little poll please

2005-12-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, indulge me if you will. I have a little poll on Auto vs Manual transmissions on my blog. I'd like to see if you would participate.

http://myforddreams.blogspot.com/2005/12/reader-poll-do-you-like-to-shift-for.html

Thanks,
Joe

Domestic vs. Foreign/Imports

2005-12-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

Autoblog.com has a posted the latest numbers on November Auto sales for the major automakers. The report showed:
GM: -11.3 percent
Ford: -18 percent
DaimlerChrysler: -6.6 percent
Toyota: +5.5 percent
Honda: +6.4 percent
Nissan: -7.7 percent
Subaru: +.5 percent
Suzuki: +13.5 percent
BMW: +7 percent
Isuzu: -53.2 percent (Ouch!)

Domestics are down with Toyota, Honda, BMW and surprising Suzuki up.

So why?

“My Take” Simple put, the product and price, people are looking for QUALITY, RELIABILITY, and VALUE, including the RESALE VALUE. The differents between the two is price, domestics for the most part are a little higher sticker, but maintenance is lower with the parts being cheaper and more available, And the opposite for Foreign/Imports.

For my personal experience including looking at my family and friends, the domestics are cheaper in maintenance, (GM) Chevy’s are big in this family with 60% plus, so are Honda’s, plus a Suzuki, and others. The Foreign/Imports are more appealing in look and price, but the maintenance is a little higher.

I still prefer a domestic with lower maintance cost, but I also like a Scion xB, that’s Toyota.

One thing, Toyota and Honda are very popular in the U.S. and they are building more vehicles in the US too, more jobs. That’s a thought…

What does everyone think?

Brian Vermette
Racedriven.com

Like we were saying, fleet cars are really great

2005-12-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

Ok guys now just so you know I already like Mazdas. Like the Mazda 6, like the Mazda 3, love the RX-8 (since I don’t have to own it). So now that they dropped off a new Mazdaspeed6 I’m really psyched.

I just had my wisdom teeth taken out yesterday so I’m still taking codeine and can’t drive today. So, I will have to wait for good seat time tomorrow. Oh the agony.

I’ll be running the car through the Video Q&A treatment. Do you guys like how that’s going? Any suggestions on it? Any questions for the Mazdaspeed 6?

http://www.mph-online.com/blogs

Check out the trick key card. No key needed. This is credit card size, but I wouldn’t put it in my wallet and sit on it. It’s like Christmas come early, minus the aching teeth.

thanks for not posting leaked cover

2005-12-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you guys even saw it but let me thank you in advance for not posting the leaked cover of Feb's MPH. it had a certain muscle car on it and i've had most forums remove it. if you do come across it anywhere I'd appreciate it if you let me know where you see it.
Thanks,
Dave - recovering from wisdom teeth removal yesterday...not so bad.

I turned on comment confirmation

2005-11-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry but I hear it is the only way to go.

Also there is a reason not every blogger is joining the group. I wanted it to be a select few that were interested and had experience on the topic to be able to post. and other/any auto bloggers could come visit, comment etc. It's not really slighting the other blogs that aren't members it just keeps things cleaner and more manageable for me.

Hope it doesn't offend.

BTW does anyone find it odd that bloggers spell checker picks up the words "blog" "blogger" to be corrected? how dumb is that?

Media Vehicles

2005-11-30T07:20:00.000-08:00

Cars! Cars! Cars! offered up an interesting perspective on media vehicles, and I thought it was an excellent opportunity to bring up the subject.

First of all, if you don't work for one of the big 4 print mags (or any print publication in general) good luck getting access to media vehicles. For those who don't know, manufacturers in the transportation industries in North America (car, trucks, motorcycles, etc) have a section of the PR and marketing departments that deals with loaning product to journalists. Sounds great doesn't it? Honestly, it's a privilege, but once you see this sort of thing, it makes you wonder how much posturing must be done to ensure a steady supply of these vehicles. For the MSM print magazines, what would they do if they could no longer get access to these vehicles? Of course, for manufacturers, having Car and Driver bash around in your vehicle and put it in print is a relatively cheap form of advertising, but for arguments sake does this privilege lend to subtle pandering?

When I look at the autojournos over seas (ever read EVO, Drive, or what a UK version of Top Gear?) I can see a lot more frank commentary on what manufacturers offer. Do you see that here? Not so much, and it makes me wonder who's being honest. One interesting example comes to mind when I read a review of one of Hyundai's new products (can't remember whether it was the new Sonata or the Elantra) and the reviewer openly complained about the different colors of the dash lighting. And I kept asking myself, has this guy actually been in a new Toyota Camry (which also has it's unique mish mash of dash light colors)? Could it be that Hyundai has less clout and influence than Toyota? In the editing process, do editors tone down complaints about products from the Toyota Leviathan to keep the beast happy?

How does this affect us autobloggers? Well, if the manufacturers get a clue and make it easier for autobloggers to gain access to media vehicles (or even press events), would we see more of the same pandering? At least the large print publications have more leverage (but chose not to use it?), where a solo or small team of bloggers are truly at the mercy of the Media Fleet Manager and his favor.

How Do You Get The News?

2005-11-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

Right now, I read the main car sites (not the magazine sites, tho) then about 15-18 blogs and grab what is interesting and put it up on my site.

But I assume Autoblog and Jalopnik use some sort of wire services/PR stuff. Where does one sign up for that stuff if one was interested? Is it free?

I try to compete with the other blogs (in a fun way and to keep myself motivated) but I can't keep up with constant posts, a _staff_ of contributors and just endless news that I don't read elsewhere. They rock!

How do you find the news to post? (News = what ever interests you...)

Auto blogging "rules"

2005-11-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

With the recent "explosion" of automotive bloggers I've noticed a few aren't following the rules of the road so to speak with regards to giving credit. It could be due to pure ignorance, but regardless there are a few rules to live by. If the group doesn't agree or have more to add, let's hear it.

Always give linkage (this is for blogs, not online magazines). If you took a photo or story idea from a site a simple hat tip is needed. "[from Jalopnik]" as an example. If covering simple press announcements it is not necessary to give a hat tip even if you discovered the release on another blog. But if anything is even slightly original there should be credit given.

If snagging photos watch out for anything that says "AP" "Getty" and of course spy photos. For most spy photos only a snippet is allowed. Like this one.

And yes, our blog gives lots of link love.

Great Concept and my pitch

2005-11-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

I think this is a great concept, and thanks to Dave for inviting me to join in the fun.

Anyway, I blog on Autoblog, and had previously run my own site (nextgenautoweb.com). A lot of the time, the raw opinion of what is going on doesn't surface in my own writing and I hope to bring some of that to this discussion forum.

So, what does it mean to be an automotive blogger (or even an online editor for a print mag)? Will blogs replace print? What do automotive blogs need to be, news filters or outlets of opinion? I believe these are all valid questions.

I began thinking about this after I checked out a snippet in the latest Wired. Wired asked a handful of 'experts' their opinions on blogs and their relationship with mainstream media (MSM). I think one 'expert' got really close to the truth of the matter. Right now, blogging is a relatively hot phenomenon. But what will happen in 2-4 years? Will people get bored with bloggers? Will their crave something more? We cater to a fickle audience, do we not? So this 'expert' predicted that the cream of the crop bloggers would become more like mainstream media and that mainstream media will become more like bloggers and that the two will move closer to the center of the spectrum. You can already see this happening with the latest acquisitions of Gawker and Weblogs, Inc. I just wonder in the struggle to make a buck that the spirit of blogging will be crushed.

So, how does this affect the automotive blogger world?

What do you guys think?

is AdSense a good idea?

2005-11-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

Now this question is primarily for the guys that publish via Blogger or similar services.
I've resisted adding the AdSense to my blog, not wanting to "sell out." But recently signed up, figuring that if it does actually earn a few bucks, I could buy a new digital camera in time for the New York Auto Show, and I would have nicer original photos to post.

Do any of you have this on your blog? Is it worth it?
Does it increase traffic?

Thanks,
Joe

Holidays, Does anyone care if we post or not?

2005-11-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

Do you guys think it is vital to post over the holidays? Traffic boosts from posting new stories seems minimal compared to the work and effort. Especially if you’re a full timer. I’ve always tried to post as much stuff in advance as I can but I also focus on the big traffic days which are usually Monday through Thursday.

Jalopnik doesn’t post much over weekends/holidays but Autoblog does. Do you guys notice?

Looking for some advice/help

2005-11-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

Ok Dave and the rest of you guys, I'm not sure this is the appropriate forum, but I figured it couldn't hurt. I'm just a regular guy blogging for the fun of it, I have no delusions of competing with real Auto Journalists or Bloggers. But recently a story hit many blogs about a new Ford Ranger concept from Thailand. Everyone listed Ford as the sourcce, the press release. Is there anyway that I can get on some mailing list for these press releases??

Second stupid question, I'm not really very computer literate, but my nephew is using a new browser call FireFox, he says it's better than Internet Explorer. Does anyone have an opinion on this? I'm also embarassed to ask, how the RSS readers work, I've resisted them, because I actually like to go to each site and check everything out. But FireFox has some sort of RSS reader feature according to my nephew.

I appreciate any response and advice, I look forward to interacting with other bloggers and hope to see more on here.

Joe O'C
MyFordDreams
http://myforddreams.blogspot.com

Hybrids, Diesels, and etc

2005-11-23T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hybrids - The one of the biggest sellers in the US markets with people spending a little more on the sticker price to save money at the pumps. Even with high gas prices, americans are using more gasoline then ever, I could have told you that, Gas prices hit $3.00 plus for Regular gas after Katrina hit the gulf coast and now they are at $1.95-$2.30+ a gallon, depending on the day. What about a diesel hybrid? 2005 Mercury Meta One Concept..... and the Honda Civics best friend Phill?, and Hydrogen......

Hydrogen: with an Article Called The Politics of Fuel, the article published on Autoblog has a picture of George W. Bush pumping hydrogen at a station. read it. (Autoblog.com)

Plus Natural Gas vehicle: Something different, how about filling up your Honda Civic GX Natural-Gas Vehicle at home with a compact home refueling station called Phill, Motorweek.org did a story on it.

Or Mercury answer, The 2005 Mercury Meta One Concept, the world's first PZEV-capable diesel hybrid. Perfect. Other Diesels are coming out including the 2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel and a couple others.

Others: Bio diesel fuel, Ethanol (E85) that uses only 15% Gasoline, there are a couple more too….

But hybrids are what we have available now.. the 2006 Ford Excape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid, the Toyota Camry hybrid, the first hybrid vehicle to be assembled in the U.S. , 2006 Highland Hybrid, Nissan Altima, and the most popular Toyota Prius Hybrid, and with more coming soon…

"My Take" This is just a couple of hybrids above, but car makers are using what we have, thats gasoline and diesel, Mercury should make a diesel hybrid, what about E85 (Ethonel) with only 15% gasoline and selling for a little less at pumps for Fuel Flex Vehicles. The future is going to have to be renewable sources, Natural-Gas with home refueling if you have a natural-gas line going into your home is available now with Phill (I like phill, that's not a bad idea), but its going to hydrogen, GM has the right idea in that market to start with and some stations have hydrogen already in stock and selling to consumers for $4.75 a kilogram, which is equal to a gallon of gas, but can travel a car twice as far, thats better than you think. Basicly, get hydrogen made & selling, along with hydrogen vehicles. Gasoline with never go away, not atleast for the next 100 years.

What does everybody think?

Brian Vermette
Racedriven.com

Sample of a post for this site.

2005-11-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

So what are we going to talk about here? Well each member has their own blog and can explain the philosophy behind it and where it fits in the blogosphere. Later on I hope to talk about topics of the day etc.

For mph we have two sites. The “main” site is actually www.mph-online.com
Then there’s the blog itself called mph blog at www.mph-online.com/blogs

The blog is a place for the magazine staff to talk shop and explain what those at the buff books really think of the cars they test. Since the magazine is in your face and unapologetic, a blog seemed to make sense.

The main site is where I actually spend most of my time updating the news that you’d see on other blogs like Jalopnik or Autoblog. I basically only add snappy subheads and let our wire services, photographers and the auto companies speak for themselves. I didn’t want to recreate Autoblog. On mph-online there is one less filter to go through to get the information. We instead focus on images and photography. Big honking images, that’s what we’re about.

Plus we have rights to all the material we use. So we don’t have to redirect to anyone else. We’re a content provider in that sense. A Jalopnik would link to us as a source for example. There’s also a ton of content from the print magazine itself. Daily updates help bring people in, but there is a ton of content on the site once you dig around. So our depth of session is really high. One of our main goals is to convert online readers into fans of the magazine and click the “subscribe” links and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, I hope that explains the philosophy behind the new site. I’d love to hear feedback from you guys on it and to hear why you created your own blogs/sites.

Why a blog for bloggers

2005-11-23T08:33:00.000-08:00

The concept for this site was to create a space where automotive bloggers, or even traditional online editors, can come and discuss the issues they come across in covering or commenting on the automotive industry.

Some bloggers are strictly fans of a brand. Some are trying to relay real news items. Some try to entertain. And others combine a number of different tactics.

All are welcome here. We’re looking for “real” discourse over the issues that dictate our coverage and how to improve it. This isn’t a place to bash others or the competition, but to see how each takes on the same subject.

Dave
www.mph-online.com

First Post

2005-11-23T05:51:00.000-08:00

This is the first post on the blog for automotive bloggers. If you want to be added as a member to post here just leave a comment below.

Dave
www.mph-online.com