Maxima.org: a little TOO overprotective?

[PBfrEAk]

I was going to post this in the General forum...but I figured I'd get a better response within the Maxima comunity

I join Maxima.org about 6 months ago, around the time I bought my maxima...but I never ended up using it cause Nico filled all of my needs.

I posted on here about a JDM maxima bodykit I found on some japanese import company's site and I figured I would put a post up on max.org too so I could see if I could find ANYONE who knew who made it. (I emailed the company too...but havent gotten anything back yet)

ANYWAY....well I went to start a new thread on max.org...and got a message saying I was locked from this option.

Apparently the "rule" is that you must reply with "sensible posts to 15 other existing threads."

Now does anyone else find this a little excessive?

As far as I know, NICO has never had a problem with spammers to the point that we needed this type of rule. Does anyone else have an opinion on this?

I think its quite uneeded. This is just another reason I prefer NICO to any of the others I guess...

[KA-Te]

It's like that at Honda Tech too... not that I would know or anything...

[PBfrEAk]

Traitor...lol jk...but yea like I don't understand...I can't be THAT bad that they absolutely need to do that...

Oh well...I guess I'll just get my info elsewhere haha...like here!

[sweet3rdgen]

It's a silly rule that they feel they need. But it is their site and their rule. I found it annoying at first but I got over it, everyone does.

There are some really good guys on the org (matt93se for one).

[PBfrEAk]

Oh I'm not bashing the guys on there, I just found the rule to be dumb thats all...I guess just it was just a little vent thats all HAHA

[Beancooker]

They say the rule is to cut down on spammers.

[audtatious]

Usually because they ban those who post-whore their first 15 posts

I guess they added that a couple years ago as it was not a "rule" when I joined.

[sweet3rdgen]

Oh I'm not bashing the guys on there, I just found the rule to be dumb thats all...I guess just it was just a little vent thats all HAHA

Understood. I agree that it is a nonsensical rule but what can you do? (vent I guess)

I don't understand the whole "cut down on spammers" thing. There doesn't seem to be much of a problem here or any other site.

[audtatious]

I don't understand the whole "cut down on spammers" thing. There doesn't seem to be much of a problem here or any other site.

That's because the NICO staff knocks them off pretty quickly

[BadThad]

Hello, just joined this forums to chime in about maxima.org.

First, I'd like to say I've been a forum mod for about 12 years. I'm a mod on a forum so large, I'm not permitted to say which one....as well as some smaller forums.

I am quite surprized at how they go about business at the maxima.org forums....actually, stunned. They ban people for making innocent mistakes, such as posting in the wrong forum. As an experienced moderator myself, this is NO WAY to get and keep visitors to your website. I guess they don't instruct their mods in proper "moderator etiquette" or they just don't give a hoot about expanding their user base. To me, this is complete illogical for a forum that asks for contributions and seeks ad revenue to support their operations. Any experienced webmaster knows those are two major factors in running a forum....along with the love of it.

Here's the clue for the young kids moderating at maxima.org. YOU DON'T BAN PEOPLE FOR INNOCENT MISTAKES! It's called: lock the thread, move the thread, delete the thread and kindly correct the offender via PM or in the post. You don't rush off and ban the poor forum noob.

At the forums I moderate, banning is an exteme measure reserved for only the most serious offenders and only after we've "given them a chance" to correct their behavior. We want people to join the forums and stay around, we want to grow the forums. I realize it's their forum and they will operate it however they see fit, but IMO this is NOT the way to operate if you want to grow your forum.

[AZhitman]

^ Well-said.

http://www.MaximaClub.org FTW.

[jmaxima]

Well. . .

My experience with maxima.org is that the mods are pretty much idiots. Or at least they were a few years ago. To put it simply if you disagree with a 'paying' member or one who has given a mod what he / she believes to be a good deal on a purchase - expect to be banned. Doesn't matter what facts you can submit as proof of your experience, expertise, etc. The paying members essentially get away with anything from scamming, fraud, etc.

I think this mostly started after they began allowing members to pay for adds on the pages of the forum.

This comes from personal experience with a member that sold me a product that appeared to have been thrown down a stair case prior to shipment. When I attempted to return the item the member changed his address without notifying me. Then Fed Ex after being unable to return it inspected the packaging. They flat out told me it was a subtandard packing job - responsibity of the shipper. To this date I am banned from maxima.org for posting these facts. I was even threated by friends of the 'paying' member.

Keep in mind I was extremely professional about this. I attempted to contact the member who sold and shipped the item for 1-2 months and did everything he requested to process a return for a damaged item. But when Fed-Ex sent both of us a letter indicating it was his responsibility, he denied his actions and indicated I was lying. He still has my money, etc., etc. If you want to be a member of an org like that:rolleyes

- James

[metaverse3]

lol...try to do a search on any forums @maxima.org. first site I know of that has no search feature..totally useless..

4dsc.com is the 3rd gen maxima site where a lot of maxima.org members started..or at the least were present at one time..

No respectable 3rd generation owner will want to step on maxima.org including myself and I've been on 4dsc.com for over 8 years, that includes watching the inception of maxima.org. The maturity will never change..too many chiefs, and too little indians..

[Beancooker]

lol...try to do a search on any forums @maxima.org. first site I know of that has no search feature..totally useless..

4dsc.com is the 3rd gen maxima site where a lot of maxima.org members started..or at the least were present at one time..

No respectable 3rd generation owner will want to step on maxima.org including myself and I've been on 4dsc.com for over 8 years, that includes watching the inception of maxima.org. The maturity will never change..too many chiefs, and too little indians..

Oh, the search feature works, it just costs you $20. and if you don't pay up and search (a lot) before you post, prepare to get flamed or locked, or banned. Good revenue stratigy, crush people so badly for asking questions that they pay $20. because they don't know where to find the info they're looking for.

[MinisterofDOOM]

The maturity will never change..too many chiefs, and too little indians..

Bingo.

The pay to search deal is ubelievably lame. Any true community site is there to SERVE the members. Information should never cost money. If anything, they've got it backward: pay to post, free to search makes much more sense. Either way it doesn't matter to me. I have no reason to do either.

[MattB]

lol...try to do a search on any forums @maxima.org. first site I know of that has no search feature..totally useless..

This is one major reason why I will never join that site. I refuse to pay to search...not that there's much useful I30 content there anyway. Plus there's their well-known habit of getting angry at someone who asks a question that just might have been answered in the past.

Think about how stupid that is: we won't let you search unless you pay us, but when you ask a question that was asked before we'll ban you. If they want to cut down on redundant questions they should LET PEOPLE SEARCH.

[AZhitman]

Let's see, huge forum, charges its members for "Premium Content" and the "search" feature, spends nothing on giving BACK to its members via National or local meets...

Gee, where do I sign up?

[SR20Essex]

Ive been kicked out of the Supra forum twice; once because they said my VIN number wasn't authentic, the second time was because I didn't post often enough.

Why even bother with places like that.

[LA02MAX]

Well not to play the devil's advocate or anything here, but I figure I might as well put my .02 in...

I agree with several of you in that sometimes the mods can be a bit harsh, especially on newbs that post new threads. Several of them do deserve to be warned because we see several of the same type of thread on the very same page every day and it does get aggrivating, but you're right in that there is no need to ban them. I also agree that seniority plays a VERY big role on that site, but it's just something you have to deal with, just like in the real world.

However, there are SEVERAL good aspects of that site. I am a donating member there, and to me, that was the best $20 i've ever spent in my entire life. For one, the wealth of information on that site is incredible. This is my first car ever and I admit that I knew almost nothing about them when I first started out, but I had an intense interest in cars since day one. After joining maxima.org, I know much more than the average person about not just maximas, but cars in general. That $20 gave me the ability to search that huge site on any problem I have with my car and 99% of the time I can find a way to fix whatever is wrong by myself without having to pay a mechanic $$ for labor to do the same thing. It also has saved me so much money in buying regular maintenence parts (brakes, MAF, etc.) it's insane. If I didn't spend time on that site, I would have been butt raped 10 times and over by the nissan dealer on parts.

Secondly, yes the people can be a bit harsh sometimes, but if you get past that, they are great. Once you get integrated into the site (yes it takes some time to get used to) you wont want it any other way. I have personally met several of the members and they are some of the most down to earth, intelligent, and fun to be with people and I'm very glad to say that I'm a part of that. I would gladly pay another $20 to that site if I had to

[AZhitman]

^ Good points.

Regardless of the drawbacks, the fact that there are members like you that will say things like that means they're doing something right.

I'm always proud of us when we get comments like that about NICO.

On a side note, we're expanding the Tech Archives for MaximaClub.org - No fees, no flaming...

Anyone who'd like to participate, hit up one of our Maxima moderators.

[audtatious]

I joined the .org in '02 and have never really had issues with the Mod team. The search issue was due to server load. When Doug took it over, it was a bogged down mess. Allowing only donating members the capability to search added additional funds for upgrades while lowering the load. You are correct, there is _tons_ of Maxima information there if you have the patience to look for it.

I still post there, just not on the regular forums. You will usually see me in OT.

[AZhitman]

I *will* say this much, in addition:

That's one of the ONLY forums I'm comfortable co-existing with.

I respect their long history and hard work.

The rest? Meh.

[jmaxima]

If you have to pretend to be a lame idiot to be a member, I'm glad to be banned from that site. Anyone with 1 or less post's may be more knowledgable than those with 50 or 20,000. It's not cool for the high post count members to have their post count reflected as positive. When in fact they just keep providing the same innacurate info time after time.

Maxima.org isn't a community, it's a country club with a requirement for either low IQ or low initiative.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yeah, don't take the complaints about the max.org FORUM operation as me taking a stab at any of the members (or even any of the mods...like Matt I never had any issues with the mod team). I'm all for a bigger Maxima community, be it NICO, maxima.org, 4dsc.net, or all combined and more. For my online community needs, though, NICO has always suited me best. Being a 3rd gen owner, I've always found my info elsewhere, though.

As Greg said, I love that we can coexist with Maxima.org and 4DSC.com and share members among all three sites. We're all Maxima enthusiasts, after all!

[LA02MAX]

Very true to some extent. Like i mentioned before, seniority does play a very big role on that site, and yes sometimes it does get annoying (trust me, I just had an outburst with one of the .org's most prominent member about that) but isn't that the way it is everywhere? I mean, when you have a job, if you've been there for 5 years and there is a person that's been there for less than a year and is performing the same as you, you can pretty much guess who's gonna get the boot first. It's a cruel world and most people do not like how it works, but there's nothing we can do to fix it..

But I completely disagree on what you said about the members with low IQ or initiative. There are some of the smartest people I've ever talked to on that site, and it seems like there's always four or five of them in each topic (motor, suspension, etc.) that can help you with whatever you throw out there. There are a couple people I can think of that are what you said and all they do is flame people, but for the most part, what you said is untrue.

But I do want to say that NICO is a MUCH friendlier environment and even if the question has been asked before, there are members that are eager to help out, which is great.

[BadThad]

Wanted to add that I find the maxima.org forum quite excellent in it's members and content. It's a wealth of information and experience. The site is pretty much like any other..... except with respect to their moderating policy. It's the harshest I've ever encountered. Perhaps they should just make the entire forum a pay site.

Just a shout-out for NICO forums....click on the ad banners everyday people! Let's help these guys out as best we can.

[AZhitman]

..... except with respect to their moderating policy. It's the harshest I've ever encountered. Perhaps they should just make the entire forum a pay site.

Or, maybe they should grow up and quit stroking their E-egos by being jerks to people.

It's not that hard to be nice. Or provide info for free.

[sweet3rdgen]

We're all Maxima enthusiasts, after all!

I wish that were always true. I would prefer we all be automotive enthusiasts and not so polarized sometimes. Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Import, or Domestic, any one of them can start a debate about which is better....and it is never anthing more than personal choice and opinion. Heck even in just 3rd gen Maximas there is sides (VE or VG?) I never have been able to understand that. But then maybe that is part of the enjoyment?

[AZhitman]

"Familiarity breeds contempt."

[Beancooker]

But I completely disagree on what you said about the members with low IQ or initiative. There are some of the smartest people I've ever talked to on that site, and it seems like there's always four or five of them in each topic (motor, suspension, etc.) that can help you with whatever you throw out there. There are a couple people I can think of that are what you said and all they do is flame people, but for the most part, what you said is untrue.

Yes, there are some really knowledgable people there, no question. As far as help, not many are willing to help (excluding irish44j) unless you read a bible of old threads. I understand the "I'm sick of answering"stupid" questions syndrome". When I joined Max.org, I learned a lot. I also was flamed so much, I bought a fire suit to keep from cooking! When I moved over here to NICO, I answered a lot of repeat questions, and it was annoying, but I thought of a few things when answering Q's: 1) this guy needs an answer now, not 2 hours from now, with sore eyes from reading. 2)I didn't know this answer a year or two ago. 3) How did I feel when I asked a question like this and got my a$$ handed to me? Don't repeat the hostility for a lack of knowledge. Remember, knowledge is power, and power of any kind can be abused. Don't abuse it! 4) Maybe I'll make a friend by being nice and helping, and I'm on a forum which is where people go to COMMUNICATE! If I wanted an encyclopedia, I'd go to the library. Interaction is the key element. Who wants to spend a day searching old posts, I'd rather talk to someone and get an answer and a friend.

And to the guys who don't share their knowledge, take it to the grave and see what good it does you there, NONE, because Jesus already knows how to mod a car!