Where do we send rookies now?

[DR1665]

What do they need to be successful?

20 years ago, we sent them to email lists, BBS, maybe some kind of inside-the-web, GeoCities thing. 10 years ago sent them to forums.

We used to say, "Use the search, noob," even if the person asking was a self-proclaimed expert. We used to drop LMGTFY links to lazy questions.

Today, Facebook has all but killed the forum. And they'd rather the same stupid questions are asked over and over again then provide a robust search to surface previously discussed information.

I'm working on an article for rookie gearheads. I want to help as many people "into cars" get started on the right foot. But these are new times. They don't make the Internet like they used to.

So I'm asking you:

1. Where do you send rookies to start their journeys?
2. What advice would you give them to have the best experience?

Note: Some responses will quoted in Gearbox Magazine.

Thank you.

[haolepinoy]

In answer to #1, in a nutshell, I'd say send them wherever the community is. Freely lend a hand, but don't wipe anybody's ass for them.

I was that guy two years ago. Green as could be, and in my over-excited ignorance I asked the typical tax season questions any WTB Montero guy would (he’s got a build thread on here, btw). Here's a link to my first ever forum post. I was a part of a Jeep forum for like seven years and NEVER posted even once because every question had already been asked ad nauseum before and the answers were laying around on the ground like autumn apples. Noob questions resulted in either silence, "google it", or straight-up savagery. And as a result I knew noone. I didn't want my experience with the Montero world to be the same, so at the risk of sounding young and dumb I asked whatever I needed to at the time, knowing full well that there was probably an answer out there somewhere in a search engine. Unbeknownst to me at the time of my first post, but a vast swath of the Mitsu world chimed in, including IncorpoRatedX, PLH, Jeep-N-Montero, MontyPower, Swank Force One, JohnnyBfromPeoria, nwoods, Sabre, ManfromSnowyRiver, Inyo_man, and FullMonte to name a few. I didn’t know it at the time, but they’re all kind of a big deal around these parts. And also unbeknownst to me at the time was how redundant and annoying this kind of question was. Yet they all took a minute to lend a hand to just another noobody.

From a guy that didn't know what kind of shoes to put on his Montero two years ago, I've since learned and done a lot of first time stuff like a timing belt, scanner diagnostics, and a top end engine rebuild...and the thing still runs! And that's not to mention the thousands of miles of adventures that this plucky Montero has taken my family on. Good times. Good memories. Good people. Some kids are probably just looking for the easy answers or some internet fame, and they probably deserve a J-n-M style kick in the ass. But some are looking for a taste of the community they're thinking of becoming a part of. They've been inspired by something, whether a build thread or YouTube video or a trip report, and now want to see what kind of world the Montero (or other car of choice) could open up for them. I think I was kinda that guy. Thanks to all the faceless internet handles out there that I have never met, but who have helped and inspired me along the way these past two years...and still continue to do so. I think there's more fun to come. My Montero still has issues.

In answer to #2 I’d say to learn slow as you go.

If you’re scared you’ll make a mistake you should just quit while you’re ahead. A first time purchasing of a used Montero (insert any other vehicle of choice) IS A MISTAKE-FEST WAITING TO HAPPEN, no matter how much internet homework you do. But therein is the magic of the hobby. Mistakes are what make it challenging and fun, and what grow you as a person. It’s the spiritual side to the hobby, that develops traits that are applicable to any future venture. Nobody is pretending that to be interested in cars means you’ll one day have to be an SAE Mechanic, but it may one day help you meet the girl of your dreams or be the platform from whence you can make epic adventure memories with your kids or give you the “get it done” diligence to be an asset at your full-time desk job or the confidence to know that you can learn and do new things...crazy things that seemed like medieval wizardry before you peeked behind the curtain (like welding or video editing). Be as prepared as possible, but don’t forget to take a shot when it’s standing right in front of you. But just know that once you pull that trigger, you own that decision, for good or for ill. So I’d say point them to other people’s mistake stories (build threads, diy write-ups, diagnostic puzzles, trip reports, etc.), or point them (actively or passively) to make their own. Mistakes are like the fountainheads for many an adventure...caveat - too many successive mistakes make you a dumbass. Don’t be a dumbass. Learn and grow as you go.

I think I heard some guy on Auto Off Topic saying all this...some kind of Work Life Parallel juju.

The tl;dr summary:

1. "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." - Captain Long John Silver
2. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink." - John mother-freakin’ Wayne
3. "That which has been (asked) is that which will be (asked), and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun (or on this forum)...especially after being out of production since 2006, so use Google or the FSM." - Ecclesiastes 1:9 (the internet forum version)
4. "Google is a stone-cold, friendless answer pit." - Me

[DR1665]

Nobody is pretending that to be interested in cars means you’ll one day have to be an SAE Mechanic, but it may one day help you meet the girl of your dreams or be the platform from whence you can make epic adventure memories with your kids or give you the “get it done” diligence to be an asset at your full-time desk job or the confidence to know that you can learn and do new things...crazy things that seemed like medieval wizardry before you peeked behind the curtain (like welding or video editing). Be as prepared as possible, but don’t forget to take a shot when it’s standing right in front of you. But just know that once you pull that trigger, you own that decision, for good or for ill.

/thread

Fucking. Epic.

Thank you.

(And I was so excited to quote that bit and say as much I actually missed this part.)

I think I heard some guy on Auto Off Topic saying all this...some kind of Work Life Parallel juju.

[Alan]

I'm a rookie looking into working on a Pajero/Montero. For me the reason is twofold; getting my dream car and learning how a car/4x4 is built, repaired and maintained.
I'm going to have to learn the basics first. For me, Youtube is a big help here. It's much easier to learn if you can see what's going on. I'm also just learning all the names of the more technical parts, so seeing a part on video helps me remember the name.
Next thing is indeed forums. Places like this are invaluable for work and information on specific cars. Not only are you able to ask and answer questions and interact with each other. It also serves as a motivation, at least for me, to try things and to see what all the possibilities are.
I don't mess around with social media, so can't comment on that.

[PajEvo]

Ironically, I found myself at a very similar crossroads in 1997. I had bought my first rig a few years before, and there was literally nothing out there. I built a geocities page, (about the same time Ray Sala did) and then in 1999 was approached by an ambitious little startup called "4x4wire" to do a Mitsubishi Section. I was pretty excited as this developed into a legit source, and over the years we managed to snag some of the giants of the community. As things fizzled and supsequently transitioned to "social" media (a funny term for something that could be argued as anti-social) I found myself back in the same predicament. Where does one go to get tech? It was either adopt/adapt or find yourself back out in the cold.

I'm proud to be part of the MMUSA admin group, and I think we've grown beyond a social gathering but I've adjusted my thinking in terms of what we are. Yes, there is tech there. But it is not the "factory service manual of the internet" that we had going on the wire. It is more like the "offtopic" forum. Or the "break room" where people drop in, share, go back to work. We have the opportunity to embrace the newbies, and then if they stick around, school them with links to real tech.

I still think forums are the most effective way to serve our gear head needs and to be a permanent/searchable repository for tech articles. Ultimately, I think the new "FB-Groups" mentality can enhance forums, once we get more adept at marrying the two together.

After all, that's why we are here, at this ambitious little startup...

[Off-Roader]

LOL... just did a web search for my name and geocities to try and find an old page I created and instead found Phil’s comment from 2 years ago.