It’s Been Six Months Of The Autopian! Let’s Talk.

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You know what’s something time does better than over half the cars in my fleet? Moves. Forward, even, unrelentingly, unstoppably. Since the Autopian started, that time has been chugging along for six months, a hemiyear, even. Holy crap. How does this happen? So, we figured we should maybe take a chance to reach out and see how everyone is doing, how you think we’re doing, and what we can try to do to make it better. I’d say you can call us terrible names, but I don’t really think we need a special call to do that.

Since we’ve started we’ve grown both our regular staff and contributors; sadly, today Mercedes and Thomas are out, with Mercedes getting ready for her wedding (Mazel Tov!) and Thomas probably on one of those ayahuasca retreats or some shit. He’s Canadian, who the hell knows what he’s doing?

Oh, and David is still in Australia, where I assume by now some determined koala has made him their lifelong mate.

But I’m here, Matt’s here, and lots of your favorite contributors are, too! So, please, ask us questions! Suggest things you’d like to see! Want more spammers on the site because you love both sexy pictures of willing ladies and making so much money at home? We’ll see what we can do! I can complain to you that I need to find more time to write things! You love hearing me complain, right?

We have more videos coming, more stories, more everything, but what matters is you our Autopian community, so let’s talk, everyone.

We’re just getting started.

UPDATE: To address some things I’m seeing a lot, we’re working on images in comments, comment editing, and notification. Same goes for site loading speeds. We see it too, and we want it fixed as much as you do! I’ve already maxed out our servers at 128K of RAM but if it has to, I’m willing to move it to an Apple IIgs, which can have at least a meg of RAM. Also, 4,096 colors!

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Mercedes Streeter

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271 thoughts on “It’s Been Six Months Of The Autopian! Let’s Talk.”

  1. The story about the pilot getting his call sign was gold! Don’t forget to mix in some stuff like that.
    Love how Mercedes has teased some RV stories coming up.
    Some stuff with boats or jet skis may be good content too since people wrench on those. Engines are engines at the end of the day, but they sit in compartments a bit different than under the hood. Could be some nuances.

  3. I visit a few times a day, it is good stuff, mostly original or with an original perspective, definitely thicker and with more gravy. Sometimes it makes my head work, some times it distracts me from more productive things, money making things, thanks for the thinks. Don’t fuck it up! Don’t water the gravy.

  4. I’ve been enjoying the site a lot- it’s hard to believe it’s only been around for six months. A few utterly unconnected things come to mind:

    Reading from a desktop PC on Mozilla, most of the pictures are too small to really appreciate the detail with middle-aged eyes , and I’m constantly clicking on them in hopes of a larger image only to be disappointed.

    Any chance of an Autopian meet at the Lane where we can follow Torch around while he geeks out on obscure cars? I would absolutely buy tickets for this.

    Kevin Williams has recently been relieved of duty by another automotive journalism site, and he seems like he would be a great fit with your merry band of shitbox-wrangling scribes.

  5. I love it. The clunky comments system is, well, clunky, but I do like the old school internet vibe mixing with a more modern sensibility Vis a Vis the writing style. So we can’t post pics? Big whoop. The articles have them. We can’t edit comments? Be aware of muphry’s law and spell more betterer (also, your autocorrect is part of skynet, and it’s deliberately trying to make you look stupid).

    I like it. I miss the internet having small communities of like-minded weirdos. This is good. It kinda doesn’t work right; it’s interesting and fun; it doesn’t seem obvious how anyone makes a living out of it. Basically it’s punk as fuck.

    Y’all want to remember these days. You’ll miss them in the future.

  6. The site has a great collection of writers.

    Appreciate the “auto culture” aspect. Without politics or social focus. That makes it inclusive to everyone.

    For a bunch of seemingly young folk, the historical perspective to subjects is a entertaining tomus older folk.

    Any deep dive into a topic is good.

    Would a reader forum type of page be a good idea? Might draw people in routinely. Would need a moderator (reader?). Give us folk a chance to spout off. Maybe good, maybe bad….

    Lastly- wonder how the site is making money. Love Optima, but certainly their pockets have depth limits.

  7. I love the content. I’m concerned about the lack of transparency on the topic of monetization. Way too much is going out for just Optima to cover. Who are you selling us to?

  8. Keep up the good work. I enjoy that this place is a niche little corner of the internet with weird content you’ll never find anywhere else. Please keep it that way.

    1. I imagine it’s because they’re Americans and don’t know what Truth and Reconciliation Day is, very different countries when it comes to First Nations issues, and I don’t know how much Americans know about the origins of the day itself.

  11. Could we get the site using Kinja?

    *ducks under a withering assault of rocks and garbage*

    But seriously, my #1 issue with the site is that I’ll go to an article, try to comment, have to log in, and after logging in it doesn’t go back to the article I was at. So I have to find the article again and find where I was going to comment. It would be nice if clicking “log in” from an article page would remember where you were when you clicked it, and send you back once you’re logged in.

    1. Honestly, I’d kinda prefer Disqus? The nice thing about is that the comments are live, so you don’t have to constantly reload to get notifications or see replies

      1. Honestly I’m almost afraid to admit I like Disqus, since there used to be a lot of hate for it. But it’s been around forever, so by now it’s pretty widespread and I can use my profile on a bunch of different sites. And it actually works fairly well on mobile, or at least better than it ever has before.

        Kinja is like the Voldemort of comment systems, it should just never be spoken of.

  12. I don’t know if this has already been suggested or not because I don’t want to keep loading older comments to try to get through everything. There needs to be a way to sort and collapse comments.

    It would also be nice if people could put their location and what they drive on under their picture. A lot of forums have this. I find it very helpful because I can easily ignore someone’s comment once I know that they’re driving a 2018 Nissan Sentra.

  13. This thing is evolving very nicely. Yeah, the commenting system could have more features. But the content is informative, unusual, and downright fun. I now debate the shitbox choice every morning with my spouse and I’m loving the design stuff, the deeper engineering look, and even the lighting fixation. Seriously, keep going! The 3D printing piece by Emily was awesome, more of that please!

  14. More spon-listicles please. As my kids say, “JAY KAY”.

    Yeah, moar hamsters to turn the wheels that run the scripts that load the pages but otherwise this has been one of my favorite sites to visit and comment on this year. Kudos, please it keep it going.

  16. You’ve covered my UI complaints in your update, so I’ll just say a hearty fuck-yeah to fixing all of those!

    The content of the site is great. Truly, it is. I would love to see motorsports get added to the mix. Stef Schrader would be a genius hire for y’all, now that the drive stupidly let her go.

  18. Any sim racing including wheel and pedal stuff would be appreciated. Seems like a lot of enthusiast sites are missing the beat on that whole movement. I’m currently halfway down that rabbit hole and just recently got VR working in concert with a wheel and pedals and it delivers beyond expectations.

  19. Overall I am very happy this place exists and am really optimistic on where it will go. You all are great and you should feel great!

    Okay, specific feedback:

    I’m certain you already know, but the comments section needs to be fleshed out. Edit button, embedded images, hell even the little formatting buttons for bold and such would be nice.

    I have to log in again each day I make a comment. This is minor but it seems like a technical issue worth mentioning.

    I think inserting editorial comments in brackets the way you guys do is very derailing to the flow of the author’s piece. Maybe some sort of sidebar comment thing next to the article (like print magazines used to have) would be better? You could even have a floating head of whichever editor saying the comment in a speech bubble/box. Who doesn’t like floating heads?

    1. Also, please find a better name for the morning news roundup. This is currently the only reason I feel weird showing friends the site. It’s too crude for a not-great humor payoff.

      And please, please, please let us see likes and replies in our profile comments history. Trying to check them all for replies suuucks.

  20. I am really enjoying the mix of content. You are hitting areas that have been ignored by other sites -design, engineering, not quite car vehicles, RV, tail lights and other esoterica – it’s interesting and stirs good discussion. I really enjoy the comments section and I like that the writers and editors appear there.

    Things I hope you avoid:
    No new model reviews unless they’re something different (.i.e no Camry review unless nuclear powered or something). No mini vans and no SUVs.

    No “LS swaps”. Please God, no more, just no!

    No politics, even if car related – I have other web sites I can avoid for that stuff*
    (* Elon’s antics rise beyond politics)

    —-
    I worry in a strange way about so much content – I am scared to death of burn-out cause I personally know all about it. I like a steady flow of articles but I don’t need stuff just for the sake of stuff. Don’t kill yourselves too fast.

    I love the variety of eclectic writers. When everybody sings together their voices make a weird but wonderful harmony.

    I don’t care about podcasts or videos much. I would worry that adding them to the regular schedule would be more workload overload. Do them when they feel like fun but never go “Jeezus It’s Tuesday and we have podcast tomorrow -anybody got an idea – Bueller? Anybody?”

    Finally – just ignore me and do whatever ya’all feel is right cause it has been an amazing six months!

      1. David: The reactor has just has a few rust holes, no big deal.
        Torch: It was built in the Soviet Union by a single guy working for a company that folded immediately after producing just one.
        Me: It uses a stupidly complex system of tubes and rods for cooling, and Ferdinand Piech sacrificed a child to fund it.

        2. Me: at least it looks cool, in a way that pays homage to Russian deconstructionism and worker solidarity, and yet still maintains a fundamentally archaic feel despite it’s technological prowess, much like s Soyuz capsule.

          Everybody else: what the fuck is he waffling on about?

  21. Comments system is my biggest gripe. Feel like even with checking the “keep me logged in” I need to log in every other day or so. And when I can’t see who’s responded/interacted with my comments it makes me think why bother as its too much work to track them back down later. Thats the one thing the old German Lighting site actually did well.

    Other than that it sounds like there’s a few more good writer out there looking for work, so if you can’t hire them at least get some great freelance pieces in the meantime.

  22. Came for the cars, stayed for the weird!

    Congratulations to all of you. Awesome that the content keeps morphing. As others have said, the eclectic mix of content and creators has been top notch.

    I knew I was semi-interested in trains, but never would’ve guessed I’d spend as much time reading about them! Same with random engineering details in any vehicle, new and old. So cool to get some of the original designers to give input or even write a feature!

    Podcast thing has felt forced to me. I’ve tried a few episodes but there is just a lot of nontent that make it hard to keep my attention, especially for an hour plus.

    The other video content has been right up my lane. Edited to have real content about the vehicles or vehicle details, and also show the personalities of JT, DT, and BB. Fun, a little absurd, a little awkward (aren’t we all), maybe a little forced too, but it seems to be developing just like the site. So thank you for that.

    Spam bots do seem to be down lately, and Mercedes’s edits were great when she had time to do them.

    Thank you!

  23. Big fan of the site so far! The writers you’ve brought in, and their work have been excellent. The content has been interesting and appealing to us nerd-types.

    I would love to see more videos but that seems to sort of already be happening.

    Keep up the great work!

  24. I appreciate everything y’all are doing here, and the perspective you bring to the details of automotive design, culture, illumination and marker lights. Happy 6 months, it has been a great ride so far.

    As someone else said…I no longer am really going to that “other” site. But am grateful for it being a launchpad for all of you to evolve auto journalism into your own space. You have carved out a really good niche here, and are building a solid community.

    One thing that I appreciate and wish there was more of is the specific industry-focused content, like Mercedes’ great story on the RV dealers show. Of course there is lots of existing journalism covering public-facing auto shows, but it is cool to see the other sides of the transportation world, and understand more how the different players in the industry operate. I am sure there is some automotive switch and lighting supplier trade show that you could send Jason to…

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