This Monthly column that appears
in several auto newsletters monthly. This Monthly column that appears
in several auto newsletters monthly.
February 1996
A hale and hearty hello from the outer fringes of cyberspace. Being on the cutting
edge of computer technology can be both enlightening and frustrating. After
2 months of being on the Internet, I have found myself up to my ears in information.
Information of all types, because as you cruise around on the so-called information
highway, you begin to take the side roads. You, as a member of the rodding society,
know that the most interesting and rewarding cruising is when you get off the
main interstate and cruise the slower pace of the backroads. As we begin to
use the Internet for the gathering of information, we realize that it offers
a whole lot of stuff that we hadn't even thought about.
For instance, if you are going to a rod run like the Back to the Fifties Weekend
put on by the Minnesota Street Rods Association, you begin your search for the
date of the event. If you decide to go, you must then have a place to stay.
How about a bed & breakfast or a location near a lake or golf course? A
directory of bed and breakfast inns is availble on the Internet. The folks at
the Minnesota Street Rods Association have done their homework and have provided
a list of hotels and motels in the area of their rod run. You can find this
information in the coming events section and the car club news section of our
board, Hot Rods Online.
This brings up a good point. If you or your club have news that would be of
interest to the hobby, you should get that info to us and let us put your event
on the appropriate boards on the Internet. When you have a venue like the Internet,
and a site like Hot Rods Online devoted to your hobby, and the cost is free,
you should take advantage and become involved. If you have comments about the
hobby, feel free to submit them to me at E-Mail address: hotrod@gate.net
All of the major online services have forums where people with areas of interest
can communicate back and forth and exchange ideas. As more and more rodders
become involved in computers, this site will provide the venue for this exchange
of information.
For those of you who haven't visited Hot Rods Online, we already have in place
sections for Coming Events, by date and by state; Car Club News, club news from
all over the country; Hall Of Fame, cars that have made thier mark on the hobby
over the years; Garage area, shop and vendors by make and related subjects;
Publications, interesting reading and where to get it; Smokey Alert, a listing
of all the speed traps in the USA by state; Virtual Rod Run, a growing and continuing
report from rod runs around the country and viewers cars; Memory Lane, a return
to yesteryear featuring museums and things from the past.
Soon to come is an Art Kart section for automotive art from beginners and pros
alike; an Auto Mall section so you can shop and review available merchandise,
clothing, T-shirts, automobilia; A General Store to review and purchase antiques,
automobilia, collectables, old time stuff; Hot Rod Heroes. a salute to the Guys
and Gals that made this hobby what it is today, interviews, biographies and
autobiographies of the important contributors to this auto hobby.
Now, as you look over this list, you can see that it all requires input from
you. In each section at the bottom you will have an input button that you can
click to send E-mail to me, or John (The Big Kahuna of the Technobabble) and
we can respond to your suggestions. If you are not yet in the computer mode,
send suggestions by mail and we will appreciate all communications!
In the world of cyberspace, most people are called lurkers because they watch
and read, but do not participate. Please don't just be a lurker, push the feedback
button and let your opinion be known good or bad, and we will try to design
this site for the mutual enjoyment of all.
This is your rodding site, clubhouse, bench racin' place and you need to take
advantage of it. Also, be patient because we're growing!
