As we enter our ninth month of existence, your friendly Autopian staff continues to work hard to improve the site to make it the ultimate car-enthusiast publication on the internet. How are we doing? Come join us in the comments and give us some feedback, ask us some questions, and maybe answer a couple of our questions.
To Answer Some Pressing Questions:
- Project Cactus is coming next week with a whopper of an update. Thank you for your patience, it will be rewarded.
- Yes, the podcast is coming back next Wednesday! We were off for Thanksgiving Day.
- Shirts will start shipping soon, you can still order them here.
A Big Question!
Our goal is to share more stories with you by more writers, to buy more terrible cars for more wacky adventures, to host more events so we can meet you, and to ultimately be a place built on enthusiasm for automobiles — something that that can feel like it’s missing from publications that purport to be for auto enthusiasts. We’d like your help.
On Thursday, December 8th, we’re going to launch Autopian membership! This comes after an outpouring from you all asking how you can support this site. The membership will allow you, dear readers, to be a bigger part of this crazy operation. Something similar worked for our comrades at Defector and we’ve been encouraged by the community response they’ve gotten, though our membership will not be mandatory — you’ll still be able to read the site without paying a dime, because The Autopian is for everyone. But only members will get certain perks, like the ability to hang out with the writers on Zoom regularly, and exclusive merch, and custom artwork from Jason and vials of rust from DT (depending upon which tier of membership you choose). We’ll get to the details when we launch, and we’d love your suggestions in the comments; we’re excited!
We’re working on making this not just the best car website out there, but the most long-term sustainable one. And that’s tricky in the tough auto journalism industry. The best way to make sure we can create what everyone wants without compromise is to essentially bring you, our readers, in as partners/customers rather than to rely solely on advertisers. We don’t want popup ads and slideshows if we can avoid them. Heck, getting away from those is part of the reason we exist in the first place!
We’re extremely fortunate to have Beau as a founder and partner who has believed in us enough to help us build what we have today, but we can do so much more.
A key part of our Thursday membership launch is that we want to give extra value above and beyond what’s on the page. We don’t want to restrict our posts only to members, and we don’t want to make you pay for having to comment. We want to keep all that stuff free. We also want to hire more people and do bigger projects. If every person who has a commenter account on this site signed up for a membership we’d probably have enough to hire two or three more folks immediately.
[Editor’s Note: If you like Project Cactus, and want more of that, and faster turnaround, become a member! I’ll wrench 24/7 around the world on some of the weirdest cars you’ve never heard of, producing a blog a day (with video!) if we get enough signups. My next trip is Brazil whether y’all join or not, it’s just a matter of whether I’m sleeping in a car or in a bed. I don’t care either way, but my mom tells me I need to take better care of myself. So sign up for her sake? Also, I plan to hire many more engineers and get more technical content on these here pages; that’s a huge goal of mine. -DT].
[Editor’s Note: Hey, I want to go to Brazil, too! Have you seen the weird air-cooled VWs there? – JT]
Since we started this site, many of you have asked us to provide a way for you to support our operation so that we can stick around for the long haul; but we will do better than just that. We want to give a lot of value to our members beyond the warm fuzzy feeling you get from being a part of this community. What would appeal to you? What is valuable to you? This is a community, more than anything, and we’ve never done this before so we can use all the help we can get.
Go nuts! Open thread. Oh, and thank you!
Y’all are doing great.Just need more of the good stuff you’re doing, for the most part.
One suggestion is don’t over rely on the engineering nerd deep dives. While I love an arcane taillight discussion or a suspension geometry deep dive as much as anyone, a decent percent of your audience isn’t going to get it at all.
Cars and culture, Holy Grail vehicles, maybe a weekly car advice column, car reviews, both new and classic, reader’s rides, etc. would flesh things out. You could even shamelessly copy NP/ND.
And yes, your comment section isn’t where we’d want it yet. The secret sauce at Jalopnik (before it went to shit) was always the comment section. For me, the comments and collective knowledge of the viewers is always the gift that keeps on giving.
Also, you might reach out to Rootwrym and have him do a story occasionally. Some of his comments are absolute nerd gold.
Better yet, solicit some stories from your audience. We collectively have some funny and interesting perspectives that would add a lot to what you’re doing.
I could even tell you what its like to spend 9 days camping while driving around Iceland’s ring road in a Ram 1500 4X4.
Thank you! I def want to get Rootwrym on the podcast.
Im so proud of you guys! like, seriously. You’ve hired some great folks (lookin’ at you Mercedes, im so happy you’re here) and you’re churning out some wonderful content. In a perfect world, the site would load quickly, but its always worth the wait. Also, you should really try to poach Corey Lewis from TTAC. The DEEP dives he does are just incredible, and would fit in really well with the “we need more technical articles” goal.
I’m enjoying the site very much. Just cars with no-shall we say-“outside garbage”? Please keep the unique auto content coming!
As for another source of funds for the site? I think David should approach a safety glasses manufacturer about being their spokesman. Think of the advertising possibilities. “If Schmengyfir-brand safety goggles can keep rust out of David Tracy’s eyes, what can Schmengyfir do for you??” 🙂
I would love to see some motorsports added to the site. Please hire Stef Schrader when the budget allows. Back in the day at the old lighting site, she was really killing it there. She has such a unique voice and perspective on racing.
It might have been you who once suggested motorsports would be an awesome weekend beat, and I have to say it’s such a great idea.
I’d love to be able to spend the otherwise dead time on Sunday evening discussing the mainline (Indycar/F1/V8 Supercars/etc. results) or the tangent (why exactly Denny Hamlin is so unlikeable for so many people?) stuff with this crowd here.
I agree that Stef is amazing at what she does and her weird would mesh well with torch’s.
I have no interest in f1 or nascar myself but follow rallying, drifting and off-road a bit.
Historical coverage about iconic races, matchups/rivalries and cool stories from behind the scenes would be interesting imo.
As I need to log in to comment… but first!
Love the site! Happy almost Babyversary!
Second- fix the login issue! That is all for complaining.
I like what was said above about memberships- I’ll be down. Top tier is a rustventure with DT, right?
But also, a weekly readers rides thing could be cool. I am sure there’s a lot of interesting cars here- be it a submission where ‘guests’ try to be journalists, or you guys pick one and ask a few Qs.
Loving the way the site is progressing, I check in at least once a day. The content is great, the lack of ads and slideshows is amazing and the community that’s building here is awesome too.
I love the idea of memberships instead of advertising, a site by the people for the people basically. I’d love to contribute somehow, maybe some shirt or merch designs?
I’d also like to suggest, again, a readers rides column. I’m sure the people that come to this site have some weird stuff in their garages, and probably some interesting cars too. (I’m going to run that joke into the ground until I don’t find it funny anymore.)
I love what you’re doing here – it’s content I don’t see anywhere else. For every bit of news, there’s some random take which makes my day. DT’s struggles are required reading.. and JT’s obsessions are fascinating.
The site is pretty awesome as is. I don’t even mind the slow loading page.
How about a what’s in your garage/back yard/driveway featuring reader’s projects? My garage is filled but not with anything auto related but I do have WaAaAaY too many cars in my yard.
The contributors adding content are superb. Mercedes, David, Hardibro et.al.
Happy 8th month, Autopian!
Not a zoom guy myself, but I would gladly take some sort of newsletter just for members. It can be content that could not make it into a full blogpost, things that are too out there (I know, they would really have to be out there) or follow ups to old articles.
Also, something that I forgot to mention for the last feedback round… I am perfectly fine with little to no motorsports content. That I love old NSUs doesn’t mean that I care about any drama at Taladega or Nürburgring. More content yes, more sports… please no?
Remember, some people (female people) love the site and review every article but never use a wrench on a car. I love all of the articles. Some of them above my head but I appreciate that there are some who comment so approvingly. Some of us just enjoy all of the banter. I agree with the above comments about the comment section. I rarely add to them but I love that others do. AND, I will join an Autopian membership. PS- I love the Beauberry color on the GT. Go Galpin!
I’m gonna steal me a tin of it.
Our statistics show that a ton of our readers are women, which is awesome!!! So it’s nice to hear that you love the content. 🙂
I think you guys are doing great, for so early. I like the human stories about the cars, and how personal it brings us into the experience. I miss the old days of ROAD AND TRACK, when they had such great writers with real knowledge and passion for everything automotive. I think you are heading down that path, and it’s looking very promising.
Old R&T…dude! Right???
I wonder what the top-tier membership perks will be….. Incriminating photos!!! But I am in like Flint.
One perk being mooted is I send you a personalised British insult in an email every morning.
You convoluted nome de plume’d gibbering cockwomble.
That’s more like it…keep ’em coming.
Yes, I bet you like it, don’t you, you simpering shitgibbon. Do you want me to call matron?
If they get enough top-tier members, maybe they’ll hire a French designer to fight with Adrian??
What are we talking? Glove slaps? Duelling pistols? Stripped to the waist in a swimming pool of TorchOil?
Just kidding. You couldn’t get an Englishman and a Frenchman to be in the same zip code.
Maybe it’s the early hour, but I instantly pictured you and a caricatured French designer trading accented insults across a swimming pool full of mature ladies doing water aerobics. Blue heads swiveling…
Is that coffee ready yet?
There were buckles swashing.
Is it happening in black and white with some strange camera angles? Because it feels like it should be.
More sepia—with way too many artsy reflection-ripples playing on the walls. Blue puffballs silently swiveling in eerie unison. Dramatic gesturing with each insult.
“It’s called cinema verite, you barbarian. And more Daft Punk, less Sex Pistols!” would our French Designer say.
If it’s “someone else perfectly install and tension Stef’s 944 timing and balance belts in a way that won’t blow up the car, boy howdy, I will pay you NOW.
(I…I may be to the terrifying part of my 944 engine refresh help help oh no send help.)
*installs
*tensions
(also, add the ” after “car,”)
…an edit button in these here comments would be nice, too.
The comments system! Dear god can we please improve the comments system? Ability to add photos, videos, gifs, etc. Ability to track responses and the like. Please? It would make the site so much more super duper.
Thank you!
Ok I see I wasn’t the only one to say this.. if only there was a way to edit my comment! Great job y’all! Interested to see how much blood you want out of this turnip 😀
For sure. The commenting system is next on our list. We already have a replacement, but we need to do membership first.
Thanks Matt!
More than happy to kick in to keep the quality content rolling! Although losing your only Motor City-area correspondent is wrenching (in a bad way).
It’s for the good of the site!
I bet I’ll be back!
I volunteer as tribute to be a highly infrequent, part-time reader correspondent. I’m in Detroit often enough for the Henry Ford and the Pistons and accept payment in full-synthetic generic brand oil.
If anyone has been missing me (unlikely), I was in the US for three weeks and since I got back I’ve been teaching at University almost full time for the last three weeks to cover medical leave. That’s all done now so your regular pompous haughty British designer programming will return.
I missed you, but I also miss my former MG Metro 1300, so you should probably discount my opinions accordingly.
I missed my psycho ex. So I backed up the car and tried again.
I have certainly missed the comment-arguments about design!
And I have missed telling you all how wrong you are and how right I am.
Oh hey! There you are. Been looking for you. Just wanted to say big wheels are wrong. Thanks!
Hey DT, put Last Pants down for a member’s exclusive ‘I Love Big Wheels and I Cannot Lie’ tees on me. What size? Oooh I’d say 68, extra fat.
If you can talk Lane into letting me drive the Clio or the 6R4, I’ll pre-pay for 10 years of membership!
I’ve loved what you guys have been doing so far and that this website really celebrates all things automotive. Really like how Monday, you guys spotlight a car from Automotive history that most people don’t think about. I would like to see articles on car companies history from other countries besides the US. I know those would take a little more time, money, and research to do. For the Podcasts on Youtube I don’t mind watching with ADS on, but could you do a front loaded AD from an advertiser that is automotive related? Having ADS break throughout the PODCAST is rough. I know I can listen but I like to see you guys as you talk.
Content creators aren’t allowed to choose which ads play on Youtube. Sucks.. but yeah.
I’ll gladly pay only if your plan is to make the site just like Twitter.
You want $8 verification?
I’m not on Twitter, so I have no clue. Any rough ideas on pricing and tiers, or is it too early?
I’m liking the weird on this place and more of it would be great. You’ll be getting my money. I’d like to see more of the same.
We have big plans for more weird, so I’m glad you like it.
I am gonna go ahead and ask what our safeword is now. Not saying I can’t handle whatever torch thinks is more weird but I want to be prepared.
Loving the site. Especially as more editors have migrated. I love you all, especially David and his crazy projects, but Mercedes…your joining made my car nerd VERY happy to see when your first article popped up.
New site complaints like everyone else, the comments kinda suck and it’s slow to load pretty often. However since you guys are self financed…I don’t worry about it. I’m pragmatic. Or maybe I’m just getting old lol
I’ll look at membership because you guys make my days a bit brighter.
Danke! I’m happy that my friend-bosses have allowed my vehicular interests flourish!
Bitte! It’s great to see all the oddities you find. Historical references included. So truly, thank YOU!
Congrats on eight months! One minor suggestion I have is featuring some reader cars. I’m sure that there are some weird interesting cars out there!
A Reader Rides feature is a must. Good point!
Yes, Reader’s Wives was always a popular feature in the periodicals at my gentlemen’s club.
Ooooohhhhhhh you said Reader’s Rides. Well, it’s crazy but it might work…..
I’ve made this suggestion a few times too, I think it would be awesome to see what some other readers have at home!
Heck, reader garages, a bunch of us have more than one interesting rig laying around..
Matt, first off, thanks for being so responsive to my occasional e-mails. That alone shows that you care about us and that means something. I’d like to provide you a well thought out response in kind.
First off, I would happily pay a membership (one time, annual, whatever) to help support The Autopian. With that said, I have some suggestions for perks.
1.) Access to The Autopian forum. There’s all kinds of sub-forums you could do, those could be sponsored as well, thereby generating more revenue and sustainability.
2.) The ability to provide submissions for a weekly or monthly guest article.
3.) Something like Oppo that’s more community-ish or blog-ish or reddit-ish. This might tie into perk #1.
That’s about it, if you ask me. That’s a lot of added value for a membership in my opinion. I’m sure other members here have their own inclinations, but I just love stories about shit boxes, wrenching, ill-advised journeys in said shit boxes. Those are probably more interesting to me than current auto industry news. That’s probably why I love DT’s and Mercedes’ stuff so much, as well as Shitbox Showdown. Also, along that vein, more Stephen Walter Gossin, please.
You guys are doing great, I love it here, and I’m grateful that you are. I’ve probably burned up an obscene amount of time while at work visiting your site. Good thing it’s a family business. 😉
P.S. I’ll pay a membership+ for the ability to edit my posts and keep my login session from lapsing frequently.
Appreciate it! We’ll hopefully have those features available for everyone with the next update, which is in the works.
I’m all in on the Oppo/forum idea (“the dysautopian”?) too.
I have a ton of stupid car questions I’d love to pose to the collected wisdom of the commentariat, like my current one “what’s a good substitute for a proper automotive dolly as I try to pound out a dent on my Focus’ door?”
There have been talks about joining forces with Oppo in some way! Most of us are current or former Opponauts so it would make sense to give back to our home.
OPPO 4 LYFE
Hear, hear! Cheers, my good sir.
No offense, but why do comments suck so bad? Kinja was far from great, but even WordPress has a better commenting system than this, with Imgur integration and notifications. I know the latter is in development, but I think image integration would go a long way toward fostering discussion. Also, I hate the ‘Older Comments’ button, but I guess that’s just how things are handled on a lot of sites these days. That said, the content is great, so I’d love to support the site somehow; membership is a really cool idea!
We’re doing this in stages. We actually have been testing a new commenter system and we plan to roll it out after membership. It’s important everyone gets to keep their comments and commenting history, so it’s easier to migrate it this way (per our tech partners) than try to do both at once, which was our initial idea. I feel your pain, though!
oh, and as mentioned elsewhere, a Kinja-style fifteen-minute ‘edit’ feature would be great for fixing typos and such, too.
You’re right, we got some issues on the commenting front. (They bother us, too, for what it’s worth).
To be completely transparent, this whole website was built by a company that primarily builds sites for car dealerships (I appreciate them, especially since one developer owns an old slant-six Dodge Dart). Literally, Jason gave them a sketch of his vision for the site and said “Please build this,” and I actually applaud what they managed, all things considered. That said, this first iteration of our site will not be the last! There are much-needed improvements coming in the next couple of months.
I’d love to have the comments appear in chronological order!
And an edit please. …
paying my community autopian.com site, not the worst idea, I love and support my local community radio station (not npr)
Autopian.com Really is worth it!
“My next trip is Brazil whether y’all join or not, it’s just a matter of whether I’m sleeping in a car or in a bed.”
I’m happy to throw some money at this if it’s the bed of a Gurgel G-15L.
You enjoy my pain, don’t you?
You’ve seen at least one of my cars; I enjoy automotive pain in general, it doesn’t have to be yours.
Autopain.
But to answer your original question, yes.
Your pain is well written and entertaining, even as we wince. When are you getting the laser rust remover endorsement?
David, we prefer to think of it more as living vicariously through you.
I really enjoy the site. So much great writing and commenting – that’s pretty internet-rare, so thank you!
After years of being on marque enthusiast websites where people would spend hours angrily arguing questions like “which are better – 3.73 or 4.10 gears?” (guess the car I’m talking about…), it’s so cool to have a place where everyone just likes cars and wants to talk about them.
To that end, hope one day we maybe get say a notification digest email once a day that lets one know when someone has replied to your comment, to help keep the conversation going. I try to circle back, but I sometimes lose track.
Notifications are actually in the works. Like, actually actually! I’m not sure about emails, but definitely a notification if someone has responded to you. I myself want that, badly!
Cool. Old internet was often a once a day email with links, but notifications would be awesome. Thanks!
““which are better – 3.73 or 4.10 gears?” (guess the car I’m talking about…)”
Oh oh, I know this one! I’ve seen this exact debate in GM RTS forums regarding how to get a 70 mph cruising speed. lol
Score!
BTW Mercedes, if I may, can I say how cool I think it is that your wife is such a good sport about all the crazy?
Her occasional appearances as the sane yet up for it one in your pieces is always a highlight, and makes me feel better about the automotive things to which I’ve subjected women to over the years (“Seriously, they climb the hill on these bikes with insane rear wheels. No, really, it’ll be fun!”).
Mercedes, I am sure you know this but you married an absolute gem.
I want to have a drink with Sheryl and hear her tell Mercy stories. not sure why but in my head it would be funnier that way.
Sounds like an old Dodge forum to me
That gearing plus “angrily” made me think 3rd gen f-body.
Agree with the above.