History Hot rodding and social media

Step 1: Get an iPhone.

 

Next time I find $1,000 under a sofa cushion it will get spent on better things, Thanks. Bob

 

^THIS, among other reasons like @31Vicky with a hemi said with "We haven't had a tech week since 2015" and frustrations with what I've had described to me (not my words) as "all the fluff posts" to sift through seem to have sapped a lot of enthusiasm from some of the folks I've talked to (guys in their 20's up into their 70's).

As for most of the build threads (at least ones I follow) that are still going and being updated here on the HAMB? I see those pictures on Instagram just about as they are happening daily. Folks say helpful, supportive, and constructive things to each other. When they show up here it's usually a week later and a photo dump with a recap.

These guys aren't on Instagram either

 

I am here... in my lower 40s... don't plan on going anywhere...

 

Like a wiring manual?

 

The HAMB was the closest thing to my interests I had found, back in (When? '03? Can't even remember)
But recall vividly the content, lots of 'retreads' with renewed interest in HOT RODS. And kustoms.
Gradually, the newbies sifted in...some were 'ernest', polite...Most were not.
Yep, we still have occasional 'visits' from guys like P-Wood, Flop, Cyclone Kevin, and other 'voices of reason'...but, as mentioned a ways above, some of the threads become so 'argumentative' and cluttered they are not worth the cyber air they're printed on.

 

Instagram: (only available from a phone)
1. sign up with verison, get a free iPhone or pay for one monthly for 10 bucks if theres no current deal.
2. download an 'ap' called Instagram
3. make up a username
4. find all the serious hot rodders that used to be on here back in the good ol' hamb days. friend them.
5. see all there daily posts of there hot rod builds.
6. post your stuff too if you want.

 

To add to that, you can now follow hashtags also, such as #hamb #trog #jalopyjournal #hopup #roddersjournal #traditionalhotrod #traditionalkustom #newenglandkulture #vintagedragracing #flatheadpowered you name it.

7. follow hashtags that are relevant to your interests to discover new builds, events, and cars.

 

Fluff folks enjoy fluff posts

 

I don't live were you do, nothing that costly is given away around here. Like used pickups you have to pay for them.

 

I'm more partial to PLUSH AND PADDED myself.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/plush-and-padded.1089992/

 

They give those away for free around here too.

 

I sell only on the HAMB it's a great place for old car stuff, my chopped folding 28 29 Ford windshield posts I sell here.

 

No, they don't give them away, they give you it, so that you have to pay them a stupid cost to use them!
My land line is also going out the window, they have raised the cost to the point that I won't use them either, I am going to the VoIP system. I know of several people & businesses using them now. Since I'm going to keep my internet, I'm going to use my phone on it also. Land lines are on their way out, because of the cost to use them. There is not enough people on them anymore.

I have no time for texting (thumbs aren't made for it) so there's no twitter for me, nope, don't even want to know about instagram, or any of it. I make most all my parts, I don't buy frame, or frame parts, motor mount (unless it's for a OT car) I bought my 4 bars (cheaper then making), I made my own frame & rearend mounts, all of it!

Most of you guy's got to cushie buying your parts, a on topic Hot Rodder makes his parts! Maybe we should restrict buying parts made after '65!!! then see what who builds! And not who buy's what premade parts in their build. You'll still be able to buy your high dollar engines, but need to rebuild it & you tranny's yourself. Now wouldn't that change things around here.

I love it when people come over, and try to make a call, they have to walk out to the road to get service. They ask how do we do it. I just pick up my landline and hand it to them. Then the look on they face is priceless........................................................................I don't know the number!

Ok, you can shot me now!

Pat

 

Hey, I remember 'her'...

 

Well holy-kiss my-go to hell. This is a really loaded topic, and if you mull it over for a minute we could call it an oxymoron too, maybe, I think...

Social media, it sucks. It's awesome. It's fast. It's anonymous (sometimes). It's a direct link. It's full of great people. It's full of scam artists. It's likely the most non-chemical abuse in society the world over. What do want to know? Google it. From your phine, laptop, PC, whatever. Is it "the way" for business? Depends upon what you do or want to do. If your gig appeals to a really diverse crowd, you know, 18-80, maybe it works. If you mainly deal with crusty old bastards who have zero knowledge of it, maybe not. All it does for my biz is show others interested that I work on kool shit sometimes. I have never, Ever, EVER closed a job through anything more than email. I doubt seriously that my next 34 Packard restoration will reach out to me on Soc Media. Now someone might see me, see a car, see a process or repair, but again not to reach out for biz. I might have to man up, be honest, reveal that it's possibly some measure of ego that drives me to post something.

So then, why participate in this topic? It's quite possibly the most direct way to deliver the message of a product or single service, and scores of people can find your gig. That opens up another can o worms that's just as real as person-to-person sales and contacts. D E L I V E R Y. Which requires my stand by statement on any of it. Somebody has to do the work. That major need in 'our' world and my niche market is suffering in that regard. Labor, work force, talent, call it what you will but I can't imagine a single candidate right now that I'd feel comfortable working on something that will never have "1-800-get-a-new-one" support. Imagine some millenial handling a genuine Duesenberg mascot. Not one of the few $1,500 repros (also uncommon), but a real one worth $5,000. And he drops it because he's not all in like most here are. And whatever you do don't yell at him! HOLY SHIT! YOU'D BE A MEDIA PARIAH!

So, can it be the answer? Not for me. My best advertising in over 40 years of this shit is the product itself and a simple business card. I ran a nice ad in the main publication for my end of things. $400/yr for 3 years. Not a single call, not even a "...yeah I heard you were still...". Nothing. Where is it going? If I had that answer I'd be so wealthy I WOULD BE looking for someone to do MY shit!

So now that I've pontificated my sextegenarian outlook:

1. Of course it's helped in it's own way.

2. I don't hate it, but don't do enough volume of it to need pro help.

3. Unless I had a crew that was all in I can't even see having a pro advance my Soc Media visibility.

That's me though. I've seen and heard of more than a few success stories and it might be one of the legs under the table for a long time to come.

 

I work with teenagers on a daily basis well at least Mid August through early June. Not being a business owner I am can only really comment on the first question. I personally feel the social media is going to further the hobby/industry. The current young ones seem to be programmed to operate electrical devices and view social media on a regular basis. Unfortunately the lineage of hot rodding and custom car building is not as prevalent as it once was. Meaning that the days of my grandfather taught my father who taught me are not like they once were. The lineage is not as long as once was. One of things that is very important is social media will get an interest but nothing really cements a love for hot rodding and custom car building than a person giving them some face to face time. I would suggest the next time one of us is at a car cruise and the Honda pulls up sounding like it needs a large dose of Beanno, go ask the young person what they did to the car, what kind of modifications did they make, what are their plans for future mods. Even though those cars are not my bag, the young person is at the car cruise hanging around car people. They build what they can afford. Isn't that how we all started? I started off with G-bodies. Mainly because they were cheap and could had very easily. Always had a love for the hot rods and customs, couldn't afford one though. So I built what I could afford. The suggestion I made works. If you talk to them long enough and they get to know you a bit, the young folks will come around and see what you got and then the education can begin.

 

This has been such a great thread. Some of your responses are what I expected and some have been surprising. I would like to keep this going for a little while longer just to see who else might comment.

 

Ahh, social media, it has many outlets ( Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc..) and an uncountable number of users young and old. This forum, made for hot rodders by hot rodders, is a great place to get information, make friends and maybe learn a thing or two. I for one enjoy everything about this place ( hard not to really). The younger generation is, in my opinion, missing the boat because we the older guys aren’t getting any younger ( apologies to the ladies). So we have to encourage the young, guys and gals to carry the hobby into the next century.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I have an FB account as it's required to comment on certain websites. At one time, there were over 100 friend requests and I recognized 3 names! I usually check FB once a month. My wife refuses to get a FB account and over the years has lost track of several friends as they (the friends) no longer respond to emails or phone calls as FB is now their main form of communication. I admit to missing out on some local car events because I do not follow social media. Since it's my choice to ignore social media, I don't have much to say on the subject one way or another. However, I will say that the bashing of companies is the biggest negatives I see on the HAMB.

 

If it was not for the internet I would still be dreaming about building a car. Because of it I have made friends all over the world, many helped me achieve my dream of building my car. My 2 trips to the USA may never have happened had I not talked to various people in the USA. My photo & literature collection I have amassed would not have been achievable had it not been for ebay and again for friends picking up purchased items. Hell I would never have been featured in The Rodder's Journal had it not been for the Internet and the HAMB. So the positives easily outweigh the few negatives. Internet has helped grow rodding internationally which has taken up the slack of losing the concentration of rodders in the US as they age and pass.

Social Media like Instagram and Facebook make it easier to talk to friends and other rodders. Also you can see what is being done in way of builds which is why I think it is a favoured medium these days. If you are a business and not on either you are invisible to a large portion of potential customers. Forums like the HAMB are still a valuable resource as it is more informative and you get advice or other peoples insights and no political bullshit.

 

Just think, if it were not for social media we wouldn't be having this conversation and the only Ham we would enjoy is a on a sandwich! HRP

 

I'm not a business owner so I wouldn't be able to offer much on the original three questions, but since Hot Rod Ron doesn't seem opposed at the direction this thread is moving I will throw in my two cents.

I am turning 40 in less than a year. I have only gotten into old cars in general in the last, let's say 10 years, and HAMB-friendly cars in the last 5 or so. The HAMB has been an invaluable source of information, advice, help, and support for me in trying to build a base of knowledge from the ground up. That said, for every guy who helps out or offers support, there's probably two or three (at least) that can't resist making a smart-ass or demeaning comment, both for the small handful of threads I've started and for the thousands I have read by now. That has led me to do a lot more in the way of private messages/conversations than public threads. It has been great for me, but less great for the HAMB: those pm's and conversations aren't visible to others so it deprives the HAMB of some little slice of the knowledge and know-how that so many people come here for.

I'd guess that this same dynamic is what has driven some people--the ones The37Kid and others mentioned--and other HAMB members to social media. I don't have a FB or Instagram account, although I have been very close to setting up and Instagram account, but from what I know much of its popularity is that it's largely visual. Yes, there are comments, but they tend to be very short. So I can see the appeal of being able to see a lot of pictures and connect with people without having to necessarily wade through the "fluffy" or smart-ass comments to get there.

I know I miss out on a lot of car stuff--notices about cruise-ins, local shows/events, and just the camaraderie and community-building that happens on social media today--by refusing to have a FB or "Insta" account. I make no judgment against those who do; they have their reasons and I have mine. But mostly mine boils down to not wanting to reframe my life through what would make a good post. I want to be able to chance upon a cool rod, custom, even muscle car and appreciate what is in front of me, let it make an impression in my brain, to let a chance encounter leave a real-life impression on me instead of going straight for the phone for pictures. I don't want to be like the friend I travelled across Europe with 20 years ago, who spent the entire trip seeing everything through the lens of his camcorder.

And that is not an insult to those of you who participate, I'm only speaking for myself. There is certainly a lot of good about social media, as some of you who do use it have pointed out, and I wouldn't even think of owning a business without having an active presence on all of the platforms. The bad outweighs the good, though, for me.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. Not sure I've added anything to the discussion but am enjoying following it.

 

Thanks blakejr57 well written.


Bob

 

Any type of hobby related Media gives the false impression that any certain hobby is thriving. Here in the Northeast, the vast majority of rod/custom owners at shows are elderly people. Even things like antique furniture and collectables has been drastically falling out of popularity.

Many Hambers are in their 60s and 70s and we grew up influenced by childhood AMT models and Hotrod magazines. We relate to these old cars, and you cannot expect people born in the 90s and later, to have the same feelings about our prewar cars. I just cannot see enough young people coming up that will fill the huge ranks of us elders as we leave this earth.

One thing often said about modern lifestyles with all the technology and social media, and so many people addicted to smartphones, is that these people seem to be needing instant gratification as a way to escape the cluster-F'k of modern life's demands and pressures. Building a hamb era rod is just not instant.

I started going to "stock"antique car shows 50 years ago and it was mostly 20s to early 30s pre-fat fender cars. I last went to a local AACA antique show 10 years ago thinking that I would get to see a bunch of stock early 30s cars, but was shocked that there were almost none except for a few Model A Club cars. There were just a couple of 40s-50s cars, and it seemed like mostly 60s and 70s cars.

It took some years for fat fender cars to be accepted as "cool" at rod shows back then. We recall the "1948 & older rule" at the rod shows, and now look at how that kept changing in each decade since.

Last thing around here, is that none of owners drive their collector cars unless going to a cruise or a show...none. However I do see some younger owners out there driving their 80s squarebody trucks, as well as a lot of tuner cars.

 

I never really liked our PC so much, that's until I found the HAMB. I don't do other social media. I like buying most stuff from swap meets, or junkyards. I also like reality better than virtual reality. Now that I've shared about everything on the HAMB. I don't need to be on here as much either. lol Except to read your COOL threads!!! Ron....

 

While riding a bicycle home from work today it dawned on me I could drive my 1912 Model T if I put plates on it.

Bob

 

Computers are great tools offering almost instant communication, exchange of ideas, instant information for just about anything. Emails and text messages are typically not a problem because they are sent to people you know and they know you. The problem at least to me is the Internet forums and social media where people can say anything they want from the safety of the keyboard anonymity. People start rumors, question people’s character, berate individuals, criticize and out and out lie with no fear of reprisal. This happens on a regular basis and seems to be increasing. The sad part is that many of these folks seem to enjoy and take pride in their behavior. I guess they are called cyber bullies.

Pre computer/smart phone this behavior would not have been tolerated and would have been met at a minimum with harsh words or sometimes an ass kicking. I guess we could all benefit from thinking about how we respond to others. I’m sure all of our mothers told us at one time or another “If you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all”

 

Not having an iPhone I'll never see the lies and negative shit assholes may post about me. Hope they don't show up on my door step for a discussion either, it won't work out well for them.

 

Need I say anything more!