Are the Elantra Club car stickers still being sold?

Thanks for starting your blog here at EC. Much appreciated.

Now if only more people would start their own.

That EClub is full of surprises? Even though they're subtle and witty, they still catch my attention and make me realize and take notice the little things.

I'm talking about the "Hyundai owners and Enthusiasts and Ghouls" title on the Forum, the Happy Halloween sign, and Stabby McStabberson in the corner over there.

This is pretty off-topic, but I can say that it's nice to see a forum do that. I'm still getting used to this community, but it's a very nice way to celebrate the holiday in a simple and creative way. (: Now I get to watch out for the other holidays!

Before the MD/UD Elantra arrived, I didn't have generation specific forums. Basically this was, at it's heart, an XD based forum. Then along came the HD Elantra and it just didn't seem to warrant it's own forums. The car just wasn't a hit with enthusiasts. When the MD was released, it was so different, so much nicer really, I decided to break from EC traditions and create some MD/UD specific forums. At the time I wasn't sure it was the right move and I really didn't want to separate all the generations and create a mega-board. Afterall we have plenty of forums, do we need separate GT forums and RD/J2 forums and HD forums?

I'm asking members if they feel I should combine the MD forums into the other parts of the board. In other words, MD maintentence in Elantra maintenance, or MD audio into our existing Audio forum, etc.

Let me know what you think.

I'm trying to figure out what to change, what I'm doing wrong etc...

For the past couple days we've literally had barely a dozen posts. Not new topics, posts.

I sent PM's to all our active members about our new Facebook page and only a couple members have posted over there.

What can I do to make EC more interesting to people? I'm kinda at my wits end here because there are two new Elantra models just released and you'd think this place would be hopping but it's comatose. It's mega frustrating.

Hello everybody out there,

You come here often. Maybe you get some entertainment from the posts you see here, perhaps you've gotten some help that might have even saved you a few bucks. No matter what the reason, you see some value in our community. Well, this community could use your help every once in a while. Please take a minute, collect what spare change you have lying around, and send a few bucks our way. This club is run by its members, and we are supported by our members. Lately there hasn't been much support coming in, so if you could drop some change in the hat and pass it along, it would be greatly appreciated.

Please visit the club's Donation page and give what you can. It can be anonymous if you wish. We need you to keep us together.

Thank you,
-Roy

How do I post photos in the garage? When I click on the manage gallery there is no option to add photos. D:

Maybe I missed the link or memo...

Is there a way to quickly go to your Album within the Member Gallery?

I know you can go into the Control Panel, then Your Albums, then you can see the space - but would be nice to have a button right near the "NewAlbum" button on the top right. Saves scrolling through the pages of galleries to find yours.

Thoughts?

Also - what's the size limit for the Gallery? I've reached it...

Milestone 6000 reached! Time for an oil change?

Man this site has taken a bunch from me, and given me soo much more.
Bought the car, went lifetimer right off the bat. It just made sense, I was gonna have the car for a few years at least.

I've spent lots of time, lots of money, a little bit of blood, but I've also saved LOTS by learning and doing work myself. I've also yet to find a shop that I can trust to do work on my car. Going back over some of the posts I made after I first bought the car.. some things have been fixed, and others are still the same. But that's a good thing, as my largest complaint was the clutch; dealership replaced it around 100K and I'm at 250K with no major issue(*knock on wood).

I've transformed my car into something only some would dream of; and in my dream I wish it was finished already!

I was wondering what I would make my 6000th post on, and a little Thank You EC is the best thing I could come up with.


Now I'm making a run for the top 10 poster wall. Though even if I triple my post count I won't be able to catch Bob; that guy can talk!

Just when you think the site is top notch.... you refresh and see some subtle changes happening with the menus.

Yep - looking great Mitch!
(the site that is... though you and that goatee....)

You know who you are...

I PM'ed a number of EC members that I thought would be great people to showcase. All seemed interested but only one, Kate31 < came through.

Folks, just because Kate submitted hers doesn't mean I don't want you to submit yours. Hopefully a few of you will submit your showcases to me.

Thanks.

Nymeria made a comment in a PM to me thanking me for making EC "unique" and it got me to thinking. What makes EC different?

For one, and not saying this to toot my horn, not many owners are as accessible as I am. I try to help members as much as I can. I've always tried to have EC live up to it's name and be a real club and a real community. One thing real communities have is police. Consider the mod team the club police. But unlike other forums, I think the mods here handle things kinder and gentler and aren't the bullies you sometimes see elsewhere.

I'm all about this place being a community. Not many car clubs posts birth announcements or try to do birthday topics for active members. Our member showcases are unique. To me, the most important part of this community is our members. They make it work. They add content and with their dollars they ultimately determine whether EC can stay online. So in that sense all members are VIP's.

For me, the one thing that makes us unique is the vast amount of "stuff" we have here. Sure some see it as fluff but I see it as cool stuff to keep members here. I know it sounds silly to some but I think the fact we have a huge arcade for premium members and a Sudoku system for everyone to play are fun diversions to keep members here. Songs on your profile page is just a cool way to personalize your page.

We have a bunch of members that no longer own an Elantra but still hang out at the club.

These are just a few things that make this place different.

Ultimately what makes us different than most car clubs is the fact that EC isn't just about the car. Just like life there's more to the real world than cars. So we reflect the real world. We're not the site with the most hardcore modding edge to it. Yet if someone is talking performance or handling we have people that know their stuff. This is a site for every Elantra owner from the person popping in for maintenance advice to the members asking if they can stuff a V-6 in their car.

I've seen people belittled on other car sites because they ask a newbie question and for the most part that will never happen here... as long as I can help it anyway. I'm happy to say we have a couple of new female members that have added to the mix here and that's a fantastic thing. Too much testosterone on most car boards!

I don't mean for this to sound like an advertisement for EC. I'm just proud of what we have and hope we can continue to keep things going in a positive direction.

The only area I think we have some probllems with is club enthusiasm/passion... for some reason. When I had the club merchandise store with EC merchandise it was a very hard sell. Even most members featured in our EC car calendar didn't buy one! Group buys here are a struggle. We don't have members that brag on us at other sites. All this means that the ElantraClub name doesn't get out there. In turn, that means less awareness of us. Less vendors joining and offering member discounts, etc.

Anyway, I appreciate everything members do that makes EC better. Whether it's a post in the forum, a review in the Review Zone, an article in the ElantraWiki, a donation or simply letting me know they enjoy the site.

Sorry for the long post, and thanks for making it to the end. To those who didn't or skimmed...

You suck. j/k

Getting members to upgrade to VIP status has gotten to be a real challenge. Back in the day they cost more, but people went VIP to show their support... and the perks were a plus. As an example, at our peak, we probably had 100 six month, one year and two-year VIP's. Now their combined numbers = 17! It's hard to understand. The club now is more built up and chock full of valuable information and yet it's pulling teeth to get VIP's onboard. Saving hundreds or thousands on your car with club info and then buying a VIP membership seems like a fair trade.

I think what's frustrating is that I literally would give my shirt off my back to help a member (I know there are hundreds that would tell you I've gone out of my way to help). Most site owners aren't this hands-on or approachable. We also have many other quality, helpful members that answer questions and give money saving, accurate advice. It's just a mystery why people don't go VIP as a thank you. Believe me, the VIP memberships do help me manage this community. The costs are reasonable and unlike many other forums these membership don't auto-renewal, so you're only locked in for as long as you want.

If you're new here and don't know about the VIP concept, click this link to see what it's all about.

My Assistant is probably the best and most functional board feature we have. Yet, I bet a lot of people never heard of it or use it. In this quick tour I'll tell you a bit about it.

You'll find the link to my assistant below the banner on the right side of the board:

[attachment=4382:assistant1.jpg]

Once you click the link, My Assistant will pop up:

[attachment=4383:assistant2.jpg]

On the first tab, you'll get information about the community. Things like the club staff, featured topics, top posters etc.

The second tab will show you all the new posts you've missed from the forum since your last visit.

The third tab is a convenient search box for the forum.

The last tab shows you recent messages in your PM inbox.


This is probably the best community tool there is. Why not try it out?

I see a lot of people mod their car from mild to wild. Why not post a how-to or a diy. We have a great new platform to work with. All it takes is a few pics and a brief walk through on how-to. Write something up and give Mitch an Email.

http://www.elantragtclub.com/id269.html

Possibly a dumb question, but I haven't seen this mentioned in the membership package descriptions:

Is a certain membership upgrade required to edit your own reviews? When I click on "Edit Review" I get the message "You do not have permission to do that!" I'd like to be able to add/replace photos as I get better with my new camera.

(I found an old topic about this, from 2007, stating that only Mitch can edit reviews, but I'm not sure if the board software is still the same.)

Is there some way to remove my profile? I get the occasional email reminding me to come back here and participate, but I haven't owned an Elantra in about four years...

Thanks!

I'm going to be doing a series of these "tutorials" in an effort to get people more familiarized with all we have in the EC community.

The Calendar is actually an extremely cool and underused feature of the club. Not only do your birthdays get posted (if you put it in your profile) automatically but you can add both private and public events. For example, Ben has put his annual Pig Roast up and it shows up as a reminder on the boards index page. Sadly, Mike did not use the Calendar to advertise the Pittsburgh meet because I'm pretty sure he had no idea he could add the event.

Any member can add a public event, whether it's a meet or a holiday or a car show... anything really. You also can add private events that will only show on the index page for your eyes. Things like appts. and special dates in your life. No one else will see as long as you tag the event "private" when you add it to the Calendar.

Again, this is a very cool little club perk that people simply don't use.

Give it a try.

For a lot of people, ElantraClub is just a place to get help when they have a problem with their car. And we certainly welcome those "hit and run" "members". We pride ourselves on giving out helpful answers. For some, it's a place to hang out and shoot the shit. That's very cool and makes our Off Topic forum one of the best parts of EC. Then we have those true blue members that love the community. They donate, go VIP, add their car to the Garage, use the Affiliates, write product reviews, post regularly etc... Sadly, those members are becoming rare. Those are the members that make me so proud of what I've created here.

For me, ElantraClub is my baby. It's my little island on the net that lets me get my mind off real world troubles. It's a place that makes me feel like I've accomplished something big. And believe me, having a site stay online for almost 10 years is a big accomplishment. Sure there are things that frustrate me at EC... seeing great areas of the site so underused, seeing few new members go VIP or become regular posters, seeing the occasional bickering among members. But, EC is a wonderful community and one that I am proud to have started. I'm also one of the few site owners that has stood firm when corporations have dangled big money in my face. Let's keep this thing going!!

Now, I'd like to hear what this community means to you...

Is there a difference between quick and full topics ? I don't see it ......

I'm so confused. Is this a new feature Mitch is using?

When I click on a topic, it only shows me the main 1st post. After that, it shows me a number of post titles but not the posts. I have to click on each one individually. Is there some setting I mess up? I don't like this at all, I loved being able to see all the posts in order and do a quick read.

This past Friday and Saturday I took two days to go to the races and traveled approx 350 miles to see races at Southside Speedway in Richmond Va., Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, West Virginia and Winchester Speedway in, where else but, Winchester, Va. The point is that the Summit Point race was held on a two mile road course and spectators could camp free. While I was there I got to talk to members of the National Datsun 510 club who drove their 35 plus year old cars hundreds of miles to camp out Friday and Saturday night and partake of the vintage races as well as some liquid refreshments of various types. On Saturday the Pinto club came in with 11 pintos ranging from a completely redone minature version of the Starskey a Hutch Ford (Pinto) to one that looked like it had been used as a dance floor at sometime or other.

Fact is that these guys and girls were of varied age and income and all had driven a distance to get together and enjoy the weekend and a like interest in their favorite brand of auto. I wonder if any of you have considered a like activity for the Hyundai club at a similar type place for a weekend of fun?

You guys know I pride myself on have a professional, chock full of features site with the best speed around. For the past month or two at various times of the day I've noticed that the server was quite slow. I've been dealing with my hosting company and they are getting us on a new high speed server.

During the changeover there will be some down time. Some features of the club may not work (like chat) when we're first back up but rest assured all will be well and smoother than ever.

The reason for donations and VIP memberships and such is to allow us to do things like this to better EC.

My apologies for any inconvenience this causes.

I feel the need to express my admiration and respect for Scott Heiser and his efforts for the club and his great service and honesty. I have been a member of many clubs in my life and understand that in all clubs you have those stand up, go to guys and gals that are the life blood of a club. Scott took it on his own to have the decals produced before any payment was received and (in my case) shipped them off before getting payment. Well, to make a long story short, through the slowness of snail mail and the fact that I did something that any retired cop should know never to do the payment was late getting to Mr. Heiser and there was no way to track it. We exchanged PMs and his always had a positive and understanding tone. Well, as of today (5/17/12) I was getting ready to cut a check for the amount when Scott's last PM came in to say that he received the original payment today.

I can fully recommend Scott for any possible transaction you might do or think of doing with him. He is honest and first class and an all around Class Guy.

There used to be a link somewhere that listed all unanswered topics. Was this removed or have I lost my marbles again? (Rhetorical on the marbles part as I'm sure they're long gone.)

Just a reminder that going VIP is a way to not only get some nice community extras but helps keep us online. We are one of the few online car enthusiast communities not owned by either Verticalscope (AutoGuide) or Internet Brands. That means we're independent and don't answer to anyone. The membership cost isn't outrageous and knowing you're keeping this resource online is the best perk... although... the 1,500 game arcade, garage and post uploads and much more are nice, too. If EC has helped you over the years, consider going VIP. It's a win-win for everybody.

http://www.elantraclub.com/forum/index.php...&CODE=index

Over the years, I've added many features here that I thought were really cool and/or useful. But, due to both lack of interest/activity and monetary/funding difficulties it may be best to just go with a bare bones basic forum. Nothing is 100% set in stone but here are the features that will likely get the boot:

The Arcade
The Review Zone
The ElantraWiki
The Chat Room
The Gallery
The Member Map
The Trader Ratings System
The Community Blogs

I'm also considering shutting down the Archive and "Main site". Sure we'd lose a lot of info and DIY's but costs will be lowered.

I'm pretty sure the Garage and the Affiliate Mall will stay in some reduced form.

Another thing I'll probably do is add a bunch of new forums for all the new models coming in. I'll start fazing out some of the features at some point today and tomorrow.

Just a heads up.

One thing that drives me nuts is when members use the Quote feature to quote the post right above theirs, especially when it contains pictures.

Quoting is a great feature, no doubt, but it just looks kind of silly (repetitive) when you quote the entire previous post (versus a particular snippet).

It's really meant to be used when you're replying to a post further up or on a different page.

Make sense?

We really need to get people adding pictures there. Sure we have pics posted in the forum and that's great. On the other hand, it's so much easier to browse for pics in the Gallery because they're either categorized or in Member albums. And it's not a VIP only thing. Everyone can adds pics. Regular members don't have as large a space and have to post somewhat smaller pics, but they can have their own album.

Let's not forget about this cool part of the club, ok?

Thanks.

Mitch

I was looking at the "More Stats" page and one number jumps out...

I've started 3,860 topics (actually 3,861 now. ) which is over 3,000 more than any other member.
Maybe it's time for some of you guys and gals to get proactive and try to catch up...

Sorry for whoring up the board.