[kevin hunter]

Now that Gaugemaster have updated their website to the needs of all Slotracers how about someone getting Aaron back to SF ? I am sure that many of us have missed his input,support and undoubted insight into the thoughts of various slot car manufacturers !!
I'm sure with a little encouragement from the powers that be here he would gladly return and im sure many would agree he was a benefit to both the forum and the many members here.Surely the forum needs this calibre of people among its many and varied contributors ????
And if for no other reason he did bring some light hearted competitions

All those in favour please raise their hand !!

 

[astro]

I too would love to see Aaron back on here. His advice, influence with Fly (which I believe has resulted in modifications to the porsche 917) and general presence are missed.

Although representing Guagemaster Controls, most of the time he put in to Slot Forum was his own time from home. I hope by-gones can be by-gones, and the people running SF can make some kind of gesture of goodwill to show to him he is welcome here.

Cheers

Dave

 

[Mr.M]

Can I put my hand down now, Kevin?

Only it's starting to ache!

 

[kevin hunter]

mr mat
you most certainly cannot !!!

youll keep it up till the blood drains

 

[Mecoprop]

My understanding is that the GMaster representative made his own choice - as do we all. As far as I know, if he wants to post here, he is free to do so, without need for wheedling and cajoling. I hope to see Gauge Master represented again, but it is, quite properly, their own decision.

 

[kevin hunter]

thats quite true mecoprop as i believe the situation
i request as a mere SF member and as i revisited my posting i didnt ask for
wheedling or cajoling i just asked for a little encouragement from the powers that be here just to see if any common ground can be gained.
i just know from various chats among "mere members" that guagemasters involvement and generosity in both time and ability to sort various problems was very well received and appreciated.
With respect
kev an the lil one connor

 

[mtucker666]

I would like to see Aaron post again as his distributors view point was really useful - however the decision to post is down to him.

Matt

 

[gecko]

Have I missed something?

I agree that the Aaron's comments and help were very useful, and if he and Gaugemaster can influence manufacturers like Fly in regards to problems pointed out by SF members that is excellent for all of us.

But, it is totally up to the individual to post on this Forum and we can only offer open arms to everyone who wishes to do so.

Cheers

Mark

 

[Difflock]

I would indeed like to see the return of "our" Gaugemaster contact. About the time he left the Forum, I believe Aaron had made great steps along the road to getting manufacturers (FLY in particular) addressing problems with their cars. No doubt other people in addition to myself would welcome his feedback posted on here. However, at the end of the day, it was Aaron's decision to leave because quite rightly he did not want to endure the grief that he was getting. After all he put plenty of time in on here outside work hours, despite the fact that the issues he was dealing with (faulty cars etc.) could have been classed as work.

Having spoken to Aaron over the phone on several occasions I know he will probably be monitoring SF to pick up on customer feedback. He always seemed to make the time to talk, was helpful and understood the problems. However, if bygones cannot be bygones, it is down to Aaron. No, actually, it's down to the forum membership as well to respect the difficult position he was in:- Trying to draw a manufacuter's attention to a thread about faults in a car is fine until that thread starts to go off topic and is lost in general banter and irrelevancies (yes, I'm no angel in that department either! It's a fair cop!!)

So FWIW I think he would be welcome to come back, but we'll have to wait and see. It isn't as though the guy is completely out of reach though. You may catch him in the chatroom or indeed email him.

Mark.

 

[moped rider]

I could understand the reluctance of any distributer or manufacturer or even stockist to contribute to a public message board.

One has to be very careful with the words one chooses as some of us know from experiance!

Its one thing to publish information but quite another to get into the politics of debate and discussion.

And then you can be accused of spamming if you post too frequently. Much better for the key players to view and take a sneek peek I feel than to be active.

If you have any questions then you can always contact the key players offline as they all have very public email addresses. They no doubt would normally welcome your feedback (I say "normally" because I do recall seeing one or two public examples of "feedback" that were possibly a little bit OTT shall we say!).

Better to permit boards like Slotforum to have freedom for independent discussion than to allow it to be influenced by interested parties.

Moped

 

[kevin hunter]

Some valid points well made moped.
Although i would take isue with just a couple
I would rather the key players as you call them were active rather than just taking sneaky peeks from time to time as most of us welcome their industry insights and <as you have mentioned in another recent post> insider information of various issues.
As regards spamming im sure the moderators that regulate this forum wouldnt tolerate open spamming or blatant over advertising.
On the wider issue we already have "interested parties" making valid and interesting comments which i believe are not influencing the forum and i also believe the forum is in the main independant.
My personal opinion for what its worth is "the more the merrier" and thats inclusive of anyone who has a passing interest to a vested interest in the success of slot car racing.
So in essence i would welcome any distributor/supplier/manufacturers comments and insights into our sport.
regards
kev an the lil one connor

 

[Scott B]

Aaron free to post as himself or in any other guise. Perhaps representing a make or distributor not that easy, especially in the face of such strong brand biases as expressed here from time to time.

I take part in a Toyota forum (www.toyotaownersclub.com) as "Toyota PR". No ambiguity there and so far no problem, perhaps because they are all, by definition, Toyota fans. I do not post on every topic - I couldn't - it is about ten times bigger/busier than SlotForum, but try to help where I think I can.

I have nothing to offer them, no discounts or advice, just info and that seems enough. What I cannot do is overtly promote or defend Toyota, as that would be unwelcome (and boring).

What I get out of it is an insight into why people like our cars and that is very valuable. (and some natty little caricature Toyotas!)

Scott

 

[cheater]

When one represents a company on Internet BBSs and mailing lists, one has to walk a very fine and delicate line.

In the past I repped my employer (a major US-based vendor, rebuilder, and breaker of Jaguar parts) on a large number (20+) of Jag boards and lists. The key to doing it correctly is to focus almost exclusively on being informative and helpful as much as is possible.

It is best to respond to threads, rather than to start them. Strict adherence to list policies is also a requirement, as this keeps one in good standing with the list owners and moderators.

Never, never attempt overtly to sell product. Simply being a good "netizen" will almost always bring business one's way. It certainly has worked that way for my employer.

One also has to understand when to respond to posters off-list, which is more often than not, in my experience.

 

[Tropi]

What a couple of eminently sensible posts precede this of mine, which is really just in full support of what Ec Ec and Cheater have so eloquently stated.

We actually have a surprising amount of commercial representation on the board and I am VERY happy to see it. Ranging from the cool professionalism of Scalextric's Adrian Norman to the ever witty and always educationally entertaining Mr P, Philippe of TSRF, with supporting appearances from other manufacturers and several very well-known retailers - all are very welcome here.

The nature of this business/hobby is that there is always the likelihood of some differences of opinion. So, the ability to keep one's cool in the face of adversity and to retain a good sense of humour are probably the primary qualifications.

 

[peter]

I fully agree with Tropi and Cheater.

Informative and some genuine respect for other peoples opinion is of paramaunt importance - even if some of those alternative opinions might be emotionally loaded. I do however think that representatives for companies are in a way acting as professionals and as such it is never a good idea - as I see it - to express opinions in a patronizing way - especially not infront of an audience that includes ones customers. One cannot afford to be ambivalent in these matters. If things do get out of hand one can ofcourse always start again, but it sometimes does take a lot of effort to rebuild lost confidence.

Personally I would welcome gaugemaster back to actively participate in this forum. Some of his activities were positive - but not everything. In anycase I would like to point out that in my opinion at least he has not openly been mis-treated in this forum. So I personally see no obvious reason for why he has withdrawn. I do not know and I do not understand why. But as I see this - it was after all his choice, his reasons and I respect that.

//peter

 

[jonny s]

Meanwhile Aaron is to be found on the chat facility, so he`s not that far away!

 

[Wankel Ickx]

[Moderator's hat on]

For the avoidance of doubt, the chat facility in question is not related to the operation of Slotforum.

 

[LMP]

I haven't been here for a long time but I felt in the short time I have that Aaron was a real commited guy, someone the cominuty would look up to. It'd be grand if he came back.

 

[Gaugemaster Controls]

Well, what can I say? thank you for your support to those who posted that way here and that have emailed me. I have been keeping an eye on what has been going on, and if I felt I could help any members then I have been contacting them. However, I do feel that members may benefit from answers I can give about products distributed by Gaugemaster, so I have decided to post again. However, this is for the benefit of the members and nothing to do with any attempted pressure by certain moderators to get me to post again. Most of my work on this forum is done in my own time and that, I have no doubt, will continue to be that way, as I am very busy at work at the moment. However, as usual, if you need me you can telephone me 8am to 5pm on 01903 881002 or email (preferred) [email protected]

However, at the advice of a moderator, I shall have two identities. Gaugemaster is me with work hat on. The other id (for those that don't know) is Dandiest Guitarman which is me, personally, as a slot car enthusiast and nothing to do with Gaugemaster, so if I want to moan about something or someone I will and if any members or moderators have an issue with a posting I make under this id then they have an issue with me personally. I am presuming that everyone is able enough to make the difference. As far as my postings are concerned, I think that is the best way to go.

I look forward to hearing from many of you soon.

Aaron

 

[jonny s]

Welcome back mate!

In case anyone is confused I was talking about the chat facility that was created by Slot Forum members and has Slot Forum members signed up to talk about the world of slot racing but not Slot Forum or any other forum as a topic of discussion

You weren`t really confused were you guys? Ahhh come on now!

The rebirth of GC and Dandiest is a cause for celebration, I feel almost inclined to organise a race meeting at phoenix for racing box standard cars with prizes from GC and trophies etc....hang on I did that! It`s June 27th at Phoenix!! Don`t miss it and come and meet Aaron in public, just for the event Aaron will have two outfits and two hats so you know which one is which and can credit his opinion to the correct identity!!