I keep trying to be optimistic but......

[cruiserlarry]

Perhaps you would like to volunteer changing the layout instead of citicizing it?

The board members aren't paid to maintain and help this site grow. Each and every one of them have full time+ jobs, families, and a life in general away from this website. They are doing the best they can. There are a lot of things that need to happen under the hood, sort of speak, before the body work can be done.

I have already made my opinion about the change on A4x4, but I can't do much about it. It's not under my control, so I enjoy what I have and contribute where I can.

If you see a need, rise up to fill it instead of criticizing others.

Sorry, just had to rant.

I appreciate your comments, your patience, and your support, sdnative.

I understand BD is frustrated by certain things on this site, but we have been working very hard on the underpinnings of OAUSA as an organization, not just a website forum. Long range plans are much bigger in scope, and the board has been putting in a lot of time getting the official foundation of OAUSA properly formed for future growth.

Unfortunately, we have not been able in implement some of the suggestions received for technical reasons with the software - and we are still looking into ways to work some requested features into the forum.

We have decided, for good or bad, to work first on completing OAUSA policies for events, safety, liabilty, advertising, membership, donations, funding, etc., in addition to all the legal corporate stuff that goes along with it. And we all realized the importance of getting members together - so we arranged monthly meet and greets, and are working on the SummerFest and BorregoFest, too.

What we can't do is force folks to join and post - we are depending on those who are here, and feel it is a site worth growing, to participate and encourage others to do so, too.

There isn't a site I participate on that I've continued to contribute to because I liked the look of it - it's the topics and the people that keep me coming back. While the look and feel of this site may change, by request or by necessity, it's the people here that keep me involved with OAUSA, and I hope that's the main reason for all who join up and join in...

Thanks, Larry

[DaveK]

Gas prices dont reduce the amount of traffic a website has. People are at home more, online presence is up ten fold on other websites i hang out on. We all know why nobody is here. Everybody knows what my problem originally was. Too bad we couldnt all stay where everything was perfect. Something happened behind the scenes that most of us will never know about. Its a sad fact. Hopefully people will come around and save this site from the bin.

- too many promises that haven't been fulfilled (website modifications, organizing, etc)

- too many decisions being made without considering the opinions of members who make this group tick
(the board should be keeping us updated on everything having to do with the group)

I gave this site a chance after adv4x4 was abandoned. So far ive seen nothing happen except people talk. We need more action, less saying "things are going to happen".

We have assembled a genuinely impressive team in putting OAUSA together. This includes seven board members, all of whom are contributing their time and money to create a home for those who appreciate the outdoors. Literally hundreds of hours have been put into this effort and we have not received one penny in return. But you’re not happy.

This team includes Larry, the owner of Dirty Parts, one of Southern California’s best suppliers of 4WD and off road equipment, TomS, one of the very best off road trainers in the United States, Ken (KI6KUI), a veritable genius in internet and computer technology, Ollie, one of the most active and well known off road travelers in southern California, and others who have helped add their talents. But you’re still not happy.

We have been privileged to have added the Overland Journal, The Keller Peak Repeater Association, Equipped to Survive, The California Rifle and Pistol Association, and Gordon West as outfitters. But you’re still not happy.

We have not even been in existence as an entity (LLC) for TWO months. And you’re still not happy.

I have remained silent from the beginning as a small minority of individuals have taken cheap shots at OAUSA. Unfortunately, I cannot ignore it anymore. I have watched Larry, Ollie, DaveF and others as they have tried to point out that this site, as with any other site, is only as good as the members. I believe that this is a good site. It is difficult to watch us work as hard as we have and then have to suffer from this type of complaining. This is a home for those who appreciate the outdoors and who wish to learn and share their experiences and knowledge with others. If perfection is what you seek, you will be disappointed.

We know that you continue to mourn the demise of A4x4. We share this sentiment. OAUSA, however, was never meant to be a substitute or a replacement for A4x4. Thus we look different and we are organized differently and we will continue to be so. While we appreciate your input, we will accomplish much more when the comments are constructive. We hope that you decide to join and support OAUSA but we also understand that it may not be for everyone.

[BoBoNel]

big dave; i'm glad you are still here and i appreciate folks that arent afraid to speak up and voice their opinions.

i loved A4x4 and miss it alot but i know with time folks will come back around here as well. its a great core group of folks.......i cant wait for summerfest to reconnect! i havent been around alot lately cause we've been so darn busy with house projects/remodels so we can sell this house and move back east. (sometimes i feel like its never going to happen...ughhhh).........

i'd like to see the threads for TRIP PLANNING and TRIP REPORTS not so hidden as well. i always just hit VIEW NEW POSTS when i visit the forum instead of "cruising" threads. there seems to be alot of "sub forums" which i guess are nice/makes it organized.....but i just have to get used to it.

i've never set up a webpage and i have no idea what goes into it but i do appreciate everything that everyone does behind the scenes to build and maintain this site.

as for the FRONT PAGE.......it's format does seem a bit busy but i do like it and read the articles. its easy enough to click on FORUMS to direct off the front page. so i guess for those that dont like that part of it.....just go directly to the FORUMS section.

soo....gas prices and projects are keeping me off the trails and forums lately........but i'm hoping to get back in the swing of things later this summer/early fall. hope to see you all on the trails soon.

[big dave]

Im offended that some of you are offended. The subject of participation was brought forward, and im just telling everyone what i see, and why i believe people arent pitching in here on OAUSA. I mean, DaveK, thanks for that lengthy post about me not being "happy". You couldnt be any more wrong about me, Im very happy. When something important to me is on the line, i wont hesitate to tell it like it is.

Oh, side note. I need to say this in front of everyone so theres no confusion of me being grateful for all the hard work that goes into building and improving OAUSA. THANK YOU board members for doing what you do. Maybe you all can make the board meetings open for anyone who would like to sit in and listen to whats going on. Now thats an idea! The only information we have available on the advancement of OAUSA, is on the forums. The Z club i was in a few years back has been around since the 70's. Their board meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend. Why is it that board meetings arent announced here? How are we supposed to appreciate anything, if we dont see anything going on?

How about treating this like an offroading car club where people make great friends, instead of a business? Whats the purpose of needing sponsors for websites as small as this? I dont see whats up with that. It just seems like certain people want to build a money making enterprise off OAUSA, other than having a site where people can just come CHILL and drive their vehicles in the dirt and go camping and have a few beers.

I have my own site. I know of other sites. I can run away (aka bail-out) and forget OAUSA like some say, but im not going to. Ive made a couple of friends here i care to keep in touch with, and i see potential with OAUSA...if things are done right. Its not my baby though, its Ollies.

[Navy_FJ]

Why am I here?

Well as a FJ Cruiser owner I could go to the blue room and talk about everything under the sun but.........I will never receive the tech support or the professional advise that I can find here period! I look at this forum at the Overland Journal of Forums.... refined, and professional. I love the other forums but I respect whatever one here is trying to do locally and globally for our sport and I can get behind that. Thanks for giving us a home and all things come to the those who wait.

Jeremy

[DaveK]

Why am I here?

Well as a FJ Cruiser owner I could go to the blue room and talk about everything under the sun but.........I will never receive the tech support or the professional advise that I can find here period! I look at this forum at the Overland Journal of Forums.... refined, and professional. I love the other forums but I respect whatever one here is trying to do locally and globally for our sport and I can get behind that. Thanks for giving us a home and all things come to the those who wait.

Jeremy

Jeremy:

Thank you. We won't let you down.

[DaveK]

How about treating this like an offroading car club where people make great friends, instead of a business? Whats the purpose of needing sponsors for websites as small as this? I dont see whats up with that. It just seems like certain people want to build a money making enterprise off OAUSA, other than having a site where people can just come CHILL and drive their vehicles in the dirt and go camping and have a few beers.

Herein may lie your problem. Our vision for OAUSA was to offer much more than a place to chill, play in the dirt, and drink beer. It is the "adventure" part of this organization which you seem to be missing.

Regarding the "money making" part of OAUSA, I trust that you are not willing to step forward and pay all of our bills.

I have my own site. I know of other sites. I can run away (aka bail-out) and forget OAUSA like some say, but im not going to. Ive made a couple of friends here i care to keep in touch with, and i see potential with OAUSA...if things are done right. Its not my baby though, its Ollies.

I'm glad that you are willing to join us and I hope that your energies can be directed toward helping us grow. For the record, this is the "baby" of 7 board members, all of whom share the vision of OAUSA!

[cruiserlarry]

Im offended that some of you are offended. The subject of participation was brought forward, and im just telling everyone what i see, and why i believe people arent pitching in here on OAUSA. I mean, DaveK, thanks for that lengthy post about me not being "happy". You couldnt be any more wrong about me, Im very happy. When something important to me is on the line, i wont hesitate to tell it like it is.

Oh, side note. I need to say this in front of everyone so theres no confusion of me being grateful for all the hard work that goes into building and improving OAUSA. THANK YOU board members for doing what you do. Maybe you all can make the board meetings open for anyone who would like to sit in and listen to whats going on. Now thats an idea! The only information we have available on the advancement of OAUSA, is on the forums. The Z club i was in a few years back has been around since the 70's. Their board meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend. Why is it that board meetings arent announced here? How are we supposed to appreciate anything, if we dont see anything going on?

How about treating this like an offroading car club where people make great friends, instead of a business? Whats the purpose of needing sponsors for websites as small as this? I dont see whats up with that. It just seems like certain people want to build a money making enterprise off OAUSA, other than having a site where people can just come CHILL and drive their vehicles in the dirt and go camping and have a few beers.

I have my own site. I know of other sites. I can run away (aka bail-out) and forget OAUSA like some say, but im not going to. Ive made a couple of friends here i care to keep in touch with, and i see potential with OAUSA...if things are done right. Its not my baby though, its Ollies.

BigDave, you're a great guy, and I understand you quest for improvement here. But you are just way off schedule on a few items here, so I'd like to clarify them for all interested.

1) This is not an off-roading club. This is an outdoor recreation website, with future plans to grow into involvement in more than just get-togethers.

2) The board meetings are not open to all member yet, because we are still working on the details of the corporate support system and legal details for the current and future things OAUSA will be involved with. The site has been here TWO MONTHS - hardly enough time for volunteer, part-time board member to get everything ironed out, let alone try to work through questions and answers of a larger audience. THe Z-forum you mentioned has been around for over 35 YEARS - plenty of time to get the ball rolling, so they are able to utilize the board meetings for less basic functions, and more group participation. I'm sure we will be able to open up meetings once basic structure and policy is worked out.

3)No one on the board is paid. THe site is not set up, at this time, to "make money". And while this is a small site at this time, we are not planning on staying that way for long. If you have your own forum, and if you were doing it in a formal fashion, you should be aware of the cumulative and ongoing expenses involved. Who do you suggest pay for corporate taxes, software, servers, maintenance, legal fees, event support, insurance, and other costs to OAUSA ? That is why we are recruiting sponsors. These expenses will continue to grow as the site grows, and as more events are executed, and unlike what happened to ADV4X4 when it outgrew it's ability to support itself, the board of directors here intends to make sure OAUSA will continue (maybe as long as your Z-forum !!!).

I hope you stick around, and continue to make constructive suggestions that will help improve OAUSA. I hope you do not expect every suggestion will be implemented, as there are many different ideas and opinions floating around here, and OAUSA cannot be all things to all people. More importantly, I hope you can be patient - the interests here will be more diverse than a single-niche website like the Z-forum, so there are more things to consider before any change. And all successful websites were young once, and early members had to endure some delays and inconveniences in order to end up with a better site over the long run...

Looking forward to Summerfest....Who wants to help ???

[aw12345]

It seems that people are not enjoying the outdoors which is a shame. 4wheeling, hiking, camping, mountain biking etc are really not expensive forms of spending a day. A family trip to a movie theater costs more and leave a far less lasting expression on a person than a day in nature. Very little talk about outdoor adventures, work on ones 4wheeler or firearms for that matter. This place has members, would be nice if they started talking to each other or get involved in some group activities, does not necesarily have to be a big group either. When various group members start interacting the group bond will grow and so will the content of this site.
Here are some pics that a friend of mine made while making a trip to Khazakstan, He is one of the lucky few that actually gets paid to make these trips( He works for a Russian 4x4 magazine)

http://picasaweb.google.com/dmitry.lex/ ... 8y_7577xZ8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cruiserlarry]

It seems that people are not enjoying the outdoors which is a shame. 4wheeling, hiking, camping, mountain biking etc are really not expensive forms of spending a day. A family trip to a movie theater costs more and leave a far less lasting expression on a person than a day in nature. Very little talk about outdoor adventures, work on ones 4wheeler or firearms for that matter. This place has members, would be nice if they started talking to each other or get involved in some group activities, does not necessarily have to be a big group either. When various group members start interacting the group bond will grow and so will the content of this site.
Here are some pics that a friend of mine made while making a trip to Khazakstan, He is one of the lucky few that actually gets paid to make these trips( He works for a Russian 4x4 magazine)

http://picasaweb.google.com/dmitry.lex/ ... 8y_7577xZ8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you, aw12345, for succinctly stating what I have been trying to say in my rambling posts:

If everyone here starts posting up stories, pics, info,etc., there will be more interaction, and that "group feeling" will develop and grow.