We all know Google is not a free search engine, but really a huge source of advertising revenue.

Again, everybody out there is a customer of yours. You need to stop portraying us as simply "freeloaders looking for freebies" in order to justify and/or promote your site as a service. We are being provided a service (information) and you are gaining exposure (hits and subscriptions) for future ad revenue. That's the model. Nothing wrong with it. Maybe just be up front with all that. You could have a gold mine if executed well.

So, yeah, you need us. Just like Google or Bing needs us to use their search engines.

In the meantime you have to make True Delta a pleasurable experience for all your customers. Something that's quick and easy to use, looks nice, and provides the info that each visitor is desiring. A key to advertising is developing want, need, and desire.

And when people complain (as frivolous or ignorant as it may sound to you) you should listen, respond positively, and not take it too personally. You need them to be part of your project. Again, they're your customers.

Cheers. Now stop working and have a good weekend

 

I did not intend to portray anyone here as a freeloader. My point was only that people expect content on the web to be free.

This survey is far more work intensive than many other ways of attracting eyeballs. If this was my primary goal, I'd have done something else with the past five years of my life. As it is, I see Adsense and such as enabling me to provide the information I want to provide. They're the means, not the end.

It should be clear at this point that I don't lightly disregard complaints. Could I handle them better? Certainly. It's on the long list of things I need to work on

Your advice on making the site fun and easy is as good and appreciated as the first time you offered it. At night I dream of finding a good web designer who truly understands what needs to be done and how to do it. The problem isn't that I haven't looked.

 

The 2006 is now 3/4 of the way to the minimum needed to get started, and a few others years are now about halfway.

To help get your year included in the survey:

Car reliability research

 

Signed up my '06.

 

Thank you, Kevin, I certainly appreciate it.

The 2006 is now only five short of the minimum. Among the 996s, the 2002 is also only five short, and the 1999 is six. Which of these years will make it in first?

Help get your year included in the survey, so we can start providing some reliability stats for the 911:

Car reliability research

 

Oh no mr. Bill!

Not again.

 

Interesting idea. I'd be a lot more apt to join up if I had an idea of the sample size(even if not a random sampling) and what kind of data the site tracks. Have you ever thought of publishing your sample size per model year on the home page? Even Baskin Robbins allows you to taste a spoonfull of any flavor before you commit to the whole cone.

 

Thank you for asking.

Sample sizes are posted in the right column whenever results are posted, like here for the Boxster and Cayman:

Porsche Boxster / Cayman reliability comparisons

I like to have at least 25 responses, though 50+ is better.

For some models--but no Porsches--the sample size is over 100.

Sample size is the one thing I cannot fix on my own, other than doing what I can to get more people to participate.

Currently we track all repairs, even minor ones, but not routine maintenance to minimize the time requirement.

 

They are using you for market research and giving nothing in return.
Nothing wrong with that, but be aware that you are giving them something valuable for free that they will turn around and sell.

 

"They" is pretty much just me. I contract out some work, but do most of it myself.

The only thing I've been doing with the resulting information is post it to the site, for use by the people who provide the data.

Which is what people get in return--free access to the information I work about 70 hours a week to provide.

No one else provides free access to such information in return for spending a few minutes a year on the surveys needed to provide it.

I'm able to do this because I get enough revenue from site visitors clicking on ads. Pretty much the same model as this forum.

 

I wonder why IB doesn't require you to be a vendor/sponsor here if you are, in effect, selling your product on these forums?

Just curious how these "models" work. I notice that the NY Times and Forbes utilize reliability data from other sources in their overviews and car rankings. They include paid sources such as Consumer Reports. Are you going to allow access to your data (give it, or sell it, or whatever) to include in their rankings and reviews?

 

I contacted the owner of this forum before posting here, and received permission to do so.

In exchange, I am referring visitors to my site to this forum from my pages for Porsche cars.

I've talked with other sites in the past about using my site's information in exchange for getting more people involved. These discussions often didn't go anywhere--these sites are parts of large organizations that move very slowly. I have no idea what might happen in the future, but I'm not counting on ever having a relationship with them.

 

The 2007 and 2009 are now over 2/3 of the way to the minimum, and the 2006 is only four cars short.

To help get your year started:

Car reliability research

 

Mr. Karesh is a welcome guest here since reliability data on our cars is hard to come by. Results are free if you contribute to his survey which seems like a fair deal for Rennlist folk.

Best,

 

I am extremely glad to see this response posted by someone that actually has some genuine authority to speak on behalf of Rennlist. I have been lurking on this site for years (sadly my dream of 911 ownership hasn't come to fruition yet... but I'm closer than ever before!) and have usually found these forums to be fairly well mannered. The posters that have questioned Mr. Karesh's integrity (or at minimum the integrity of his data though most were far more then former than the latter) certainly didn't meet that standard.

As one who is (desperately) considering purchasing a '05 to '07 997, any information I can get on reliability is a real help, even if it is slightly skewed.

My humble suggestion to those statistics junkies and legal eagles that have concerns? Stop being part of the problem and be part of the solution. The more guys like you (actual Porsche owners) jump in and provide good data, the better the results and the more guys like me (scheming like mad to live the dream) can convince their wives owning a Porsche isn't really all that expensive... (of course, cost of mods not included).