Living Through a Forum.

Hello BigPimpin360. Thank you for logging into RightFootDown.com to see what I have to say today.

The internet is a massive, massive thing. Consuming and dispensing information (right and wrong) at a speed faster than one can imagine. Countless people access their favorite websites many times a day. The internet is great for sharing ideas, advice, and finding information about insert car name here. Just don’t try to access sites about Elizabeth Hurley, because if you do your computer will be sent into a tailspin of spam pop-ups.

One of the most interesting parts of the internet through the eyes of the car enthusiast is the Forum. Not only can you gather information but often times you can look at other peoples cars, browse classifieds, and find local owners in your area. This is all good until you decide to join the forum and wind up sticking around a while. What you’ll find is a ridiculous mix of people who know nothing about what they’re talking about, egotistical maniacs, butt kissers, bores, and virgins. There are the occasional helpful posts but they might be mixed with other people’s nonsense. It can require a little bit of work to find what you’re looking for. How does it come to be that forums can be such a mess? It all happens very easily. For example…

Joe Smart has important and relevant information he posts on a website forum that benefits many others. Joe has become web famous on a small scale. Bob Kissbutt sees this and brown nosing begins, because he wants to be associated with Joe. Others follow. Dan Jealous notices how many people are sucking-up to Joe and basically re-uses the information but changes some minor things around or finds a not even slightly way of doing something different. Dan eventually gains a following as well. It goes on and on and on. Mike Unsure visits the forum to see what can cause his check engine light to come on and is baffled by the amount of useless rambling. Ultimately his curiosity goes unanswered.

It gets worse. There are people who have nothing better to do than go on a forum and talk poop or pick fights. I say “pick fights” humorously because of the mental image of people battling each other via keyboard and monitor. [caps lock]”NOW YOU’VE DONE IT! THIS IS ME YELLING AT YOU!”[/CAPS LOCK]. Some users will disagree with you or even resort to insults just for the fun of it. People undeserving of attention fight for it through any means. Nobody is safe! There are the jerks who think that they’re better than you because they live off their parents and are flush with cash to spend on their car (and people kiss their butts). Some of these people will stop at nothing to make a fool of you or undeservedly look down on others.

Despite the uselessness of fools, the power of the internet is something to behold. A couple cases in point… A Ford Mustang owner logged on to find video of his car being raced around by the mechanic working on his car (who was also on the site). Legal action was taken. Another instance. A Lamborghini was out being abused by another mechanic who eventually had an accident. The owner (knowing exotics) was not pleased and sought damages from the accident and the cost of lost value of the car. The dealer didn’t want to cover the lost value of the car. After repeated internet bullying and lost business from bad publicity the dealer ultimately caved and paid. Aside from the people who are actually registered on a forum are the large amount of people who actually search for information on it. Web searches have led to it. Your mother could be on a forum right now looking at posts about which dealership is good and which is bad. Bad publicity on the internet can have far reaching consequences because a lot more people are accessing the information than anyone would think.

There is a good side to it though. Despite the jerks and idiots there are genuine enthusiasts and people who love their cars. There are also people who really care for other people and know how to make a difference. I’m sure some of you have heard about Tyler Shipman. The young man who loved his Pontiac Fiero and tragically passed away recently of cancer. He posted on a Pontiac Fiero forum telling people how much he liked to work on his Fiero. He had things planned for it, but because of his terminal illness was unable to complete his work. Forum members took notice and challenged themselves to make things good for Tyler, and did they! Read the full heart-warming story here. It just goes to show what people are capable of instead of wasting time, bickering, being fake, trolling, or flaunting.

So think of this next time you log on. Is the particular forum you use helpful? How is it helpful? Are these people I could associate with? What do I want to snack on? Will this picture of Elizabeth Hurley infect my computer with a virus? Always glance over an auto forum to make sure its worth signing up for. You might be setting yourself up for disappointment. Or, you might become part of a heart warming act of kindness and compassion.