A little critique appreciated

[dlcwent]

Guys, I thought that I would start a thread about a tool that I purchased this summer. So I did. What did I do that seemed to spark no interest in what I was trying to share about this lift? Did it come on that I was bragging? Did it come on that the title didn't grab any ones attention??Or just not interested that I was trying to share my experience with you fellow GJ members as to what I thought about this lift. I would really like to know why there seems to be no interest in talking or asking questions about this lift. I thought that we were trying to share our opinions about tools that we've bought and help others that might be looking to buy certain tools.

I really would like to hear what you guys have to say about this. Good or bad. It might help me and others in the future to share our experiences here on the GJ.

Come on. Let me know what you think. And not about my lift, About what would spark more interest. So we all might benefit from sharing.

 

[firworks]

What is the thread in question? It might help to know that. I did have a slightly puzzling experience as well though yesterday with a thread just falling off after getting 100 views and no replies.

 

[royesses]

I think he is referring to this thread:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=307579

Sorry, I have no information about the Atlas lift to add.

 

[Tellingthem]

Some things raise an interest some things don't. Im not sure what you are looking for? Did you expect your post to get tons of interest and comments? Its one of numerous threads on the board. They all can't be winners. Maybe the next one you post will gain more interest. But this one for whatever reason didn't. At the end of the day just chalk it up to the mysteries of life and let it go.

 

[firworks]

It looks like that thread did get some interest. That's kind of a specialized sort of thread though. There's nothing I can add to a post about a big lift. I don't have one, and have never used a lift.

 

[dlcwent]

Some things raise an interest some things dont. Im not sure what you are looking for? Did you expect your post to get tons of interest and comments? Its one of numerous threads in the board. They all cant be winners. Maybe the next one you post will gain more interest. But this one for whatever reason didn't. At the end if the day just chalk it up to the mysteries of life and let it go.

No problem with that. It seems that some members were saying that there where too many members that were not contributing to what the GJ was all about. IE...garage related things. So I was wondering why there didn't seem to be any response to it. That simple. Looking for what would interest other members. And was wondering if the thread was worded differently that it might have got more interest.

 

[dlcwent]

It looks like that thread did get some interest. That's kind of a specialized sort of thread though. There's nothing I can add to a post about a big lift. I don't have one, and have never used a lift.

Thanks firworks, kind of what I was looking for. Hope others will chime in.

 

[Strouty]

Lifts get very little interest unless it is either a group buy or someone screaming about a problem.

 

[John in OH]

Some things raise an interest some things don't. Im not sure what you are looking for? Did you expect your post to get tons of interest and comments? Its one of numerous threads on the board. They all can't be winners. Maybe the next one you post will gain more interest. But this one for whatever reason didn't. At the end of the day just chalk it up to the mysteries of life and let it go.

It looks like that thread did get some interest. That's kind of a specialized sort of thread though. There's nothing I can add to a post about a big lift. I don't have one, and have never used a lift.

Lifts get very little interest unless it is either a group buy or someone screaming about a problem.

I concur with these comments!!

I will add that the title you used. "My Atlas 412A", is pretty vague ..... it doesn't even say the thread is about a lift. I don't usually have a lot of time to spend reading GJ (although the wife says I spend too much time on GJ!) so if a title doesn't grab me as something I have a specific interest in I usually don't read it.

But I think it's pretty common and I know it's happened to me .... I've put occasional posts out there that I thought would get some interest and they've gone over like lead balloons!

 

[Fretters]

But I think it's pretty common and I know it's happened to me .... I've put occasional posts out there that I thought would get some interest and they've gone over like lead balloons!

Pop a random photo of a good pair of bristols in there, and I guarantee they'd get attention.

 

[purplezr2]

Pop a random photo of a good pair of bristols in there, and I guarantee they'd get attention.

Is that what the English call them.....

 

[John in OH]

Pop a random photo of a good pair of bristols in there, and I guarantee they'd get attention.

Ha!! Good idea!! I'm sure a post like that would get my attention!

 

[rsanter]

I don't see a problem. You were showing something you did/were installing.
Perhaps a little showing off for others to drool over but no different than what I see others doing.
If someone was offended or took it the wrong way, their tough.

Me, I was wonder when you will have it all done so I can invite myself over to try it out

Bob

 

[Jere]

I don't see any problems with anything you posted with the exceptions of being too brief. Assume that no one has any idea what is going on, then start describing what you are doing. This forum has more traffic than any other board I have been on. It's not hard for some posts to get lost or passed by

 

[CudaChick1968]

dlc, you wanna borrow my red heels???

 

[Flivver250]

Sometimes I wonder why I respond to some post that seem either too mundane or ridiculous, but do reply or don't. Such as... Which screwdriver should I buy? Sometimes a question gets asked and properly answered in the first reply and I don't bother to add to it. Sometimes I think we post mundane pap just for camaraderie. I don't know how many threads I have answered that I love Wright tools. I read more than I reply.

 

[Jarhead0408]

It happens man. I've had a few threads that just bombed as well.

Sometimes I get the feeling I'm a thread killer. I don't do anything to kill a thread, I just happen to be the last one to post in it...


...We'll see if I did it with this one!

 

[gungatim]

I concur with these comments!!

I will add that the title you used. "My Atlas 412A", is pretty vague ..... it doesn't even say the thread is about a lift. I don't usually have a lot of time to spend reading GJ (although the wife says I spend too much time on GJ!) so if a title doesn't grab me as something I have a specific interest in I usually don't read it.

But I think it's pretty common and I know it's happened to me .... I've put occasional posts out there that I thought would get some interest and they've gone over like lead balloons!

exactly why I never even looked at the thread in the first place. I assumed it was someone's score on an old lathe...

try a better title that describes what is different or unique about the thread. There's a million and one threads on lifts, so explain what is special about yours..."how to do an alignment on a heavy duty lift" or something...

 

[Rico.]

Is that what the English call them.....

haha... We did in the early 1970's... I think Fretters is just showing his age..


As for the topic at hand.... I thnk so few DIYers have a lift, or even have used one... that
the only response many of us could have given was something banal like...

"nice lift"
"sweet lift"
"awesome lift"
"wish i had that lift"

You get the idea... So instead we just mentaly say "nice lift" to ourselves and move on.
The thread title would have also contributed to lower traffic than if you had titled the thread

"My new Giant Atlas Lift Install... Feeling Very Stoked"

...or something like that... Anyway all I will say is.... Nice lift, I wish I had one...

 

[Zeke]

And four days later, here it is.





So now I'll tell you what how it's working out for me. But I'll let you guys in on the conversation if you're interested.

Is this like that one commercial where the guy is having tomorrows lunch. Leftovers for supper tonight?

Just wondering?

Or is this a stree relief post?

Regards sublime

This is where the thread started to go sideways. Don't try to be cute and just do the job you are talking about — sharing info and evaluation.

I leaned something from the old thread but didn't need the OT comments that followed. Apparently you didn't either.

 

[the gypsy]

It happens man. I've had a few threads that just bombed as well.

Sometimes I get the feeling I'm a thread killer. I don't do anything to kill a thread, I just happen to be the last one to post in it...


...We'll see if I did it with this one!

Hey I feel that way too. It happened so any times that I am no longer posting.LOL

 

[Zeke]

Wow, you guys are funny. Who gives a **** what other people think? If they like it, fine. If they have some ******** comment, just consider the source.

If they show little to no interest, bang their wife!

 

[sublime68charger]

This is where the thread started to go sideways. Don't try to be cute and just do the job you are talking about — sharing info and evaluation.

I leaned something from the old thread but didn't need the OT comments that followed. Apparently you didn't either.

Sorry DLC I seemed to have knocked your thread off track!

I'll try and stay on topic!

Sublime

 

[firworks]

This is where the thread started to go sideways. Don't try to be cute and just do the job you are talking about — sharing info and evaluation.

I leaned something from the old thread but didn't need the OT comments that followed. Apparently you didn't either.

I'll admit I was really confused at that point.

 

[Fretters]

If they show little to no interest, bang their wife!

What about taking a photo of the jubblies, (is that one more current Rico? ), whilst they're at it so that there's a point of interest for later, little interest/activity threads?

 

[Fretters]

I honestly thought your other thread was about a lathe too, upon seeing the title. Took me a while to twig what it was actually about. Btw, a good story never hurts either. An outright ripping yarn or a bit of artistic licence with regards to detail embellishment generally make for a good thread.

Normally I would agree with you, but in this case I would probably feel a little self conscious looking at a pair of "bristols" posted by the OP while also being stared down by a bad *** biker llama a little to the left on my screen.

I'd not noticed what it was until you mentioned it. Now though, I can't ignore that thug-like look of admonishment from his avatar.

 

[SweetD]

I also thought "lathe" when I saw your thread title, I opened it, saw the lift and quickly scanned the pics, thought to myself "cool, lucky guy", and moved on...

Nothing more than that...just didn't have anything to add on that one...!

Nice lift though, wish I had room for one. (I could've typed that in your other thread but it doesn't really add anything except post count for me, which I could care less about...)



Dave

 

[fatfillup]

I have had threads I thought would do great bomb and ones I figured would get little comment live on.

 

[BikerDad]

Briefly, I'd say one thing you should have done is specified what sort of lift it was in the title. 4 post, 2 post, motorcycle, maybe a cheek lift?

 

[dlcwent]

I honestly thought your other thread was about a lathe too, upon seeing the title. Took me a while to twig what it was actually about. Btw, a good story never hurts either. An outright ripping yarn or a bit of artistic licence with regards to detail embellishment generally make for a good thread.





I'd not noticed what it was until you mentioned it. Now though, I can't ignore that thug-like look of admonishment from his avatar.

Well, how can I add to that statement. This image came from a birthday card that I bought my wife. It was entitled "The guy your mother warned you about". And was in response to a birthday card that showed a snarling dog with willy hair that was entitled " I'm having a bad hair day and WTF do you want from me". But I can see now that maybe the avatar is a little gruff. I'll give it some consideration. Thank you my "friends from across the pond"

 

[ChevyEFI]

Your writing is bland. I could gloss through it and tell I wasn't going to learn anything technical. Nor would I get entertainment value out of it.

Instead of being a current day techno klutz, resize and rotate your pictures. I've been able to do that with a pc, tablet, or phone for over 25 years without adding an additional program. Instead of being able to read right through your thread, I have to click each picture to let the forum software enlarge it. Then I can tell it's html-resized by the browser by the forum software coding. F that. Resize them so they basically work for someone on a 1024x768 screen unless they have detail that needs to be seen. It's just like coding a current-day web site. If it works well on everything from a craptastic basic non-android/apple phone and works on a 24" monitor browser, you've accomplished something. The "layout" of your posts suffers because you didn't do your due diligence with media.

Further, your first picture sucked. Its packaging, falling off a trailer. The only cool thing about the first picture is the CQ signage makes the wall almost look like a tool truck. And you should, by all means, paint and facade-fake that look on that wall, it would be more exciting than the first 7 pictures. You'd have dozens of tool-boners on guys wanting to walk through their screen onto the truck to buy overpriced chrome, and that might stick some more readers and posts to your thread.

Both of those points are applicable to the first few posts. You lose viewers if you don't have **** in the first 5 seconds, so to speak. Your next 82 posts could be gold, but no one will know; they stopped a couple steps onto the bridge and walked back.

HTH and no, I don't dislike your or your post. It's just not an awesome-sauce thread. I do welcome critique of my post.

 

[2oolhound]

I don't understand how so many of you guys thought the title referred to an atlas lathe as I have an atlas lathe and that number doesn't look like any lathe number to me. To me it looked like a thread about an old atlas drill press, metal cutting saw or shaper that I had no interest in either ; ).

So I agree the title should have has word "Lift" in it. I will even roll the mouse over the title to era the 1st line or so that pops up when you do that but the title was so vague I don't think I even did that.

I also agree with the above post in that the sideways photos don't work at all and the whole thread jumps around too much.

I'm with many others here though and a lift is currently not in my future long term plans as yet. so agree it's a limited audience.

Don't be daunted by it though, the more we participate the more we improve. I used to wonder why we so many posts that repeat what someone else has stated just one of 2 post up. Then when accessing here from work, starting a reply and having to drop everything and actually do some work for my boss, I was finally able to finish my post and submit it only to discover that in the mean time several others had already posted similar comments to mine. Now I understand why people repeat what others have just posted above them.

Nice lift, I'n envious.

 

[94_C/1500]

Complaining about no one commenting about your lift?
2 things come to mind
- misunderstood the title
- no one cares

I actually seen the thread and was both of those. I didn't know what tool was being talked about but I knew it was some kind of shop equipment. So you got a new lift and no one comments? It's not the end of the world if the internet doesn't like you. On top of that if you're not saying how amazing snap on or harbor freight is, then you're a minority. If your lift had came from either of them then you'd have pages lf comments. I used to frequent a few truck and jeep forums, some gun ones too. I have to say this forum has the most diverse crowd. Don't worry how well you or your thread is liked. Does it really matter? Does it change how you like the lift? Be happy with your purchase and call it good enough.

 

[ovrrdrive]

I did look through that thread when you posted it but I didn't have anything to add and I'm not one of those guys that's compelled to say "Thanks for sharing" on every picture post he looks at even though I did enjoy looking at the pictures and reading the story. My thoughts on the low views, for starters I didn't know what the hell an Atlas 412A was. I really only clicked because I was bored and thought maybe it was an atlas transfer case being repurposed or something. Usually I avoid threads with vague titles completely. Secondly, lifts are out of my budget at the moment so once I did open it it was just a browse then hit the back button. The unrotated pics are kind of a pet peeve of mine. Once again lowering the chances of a reply.

If you wanted page views next time make the title something like "My Atlas 412A and my girlfriends ****!". Now that's a thread I would click to first and participate in.

Picture posts are what make a forum interesting like this one, but not all topics are interesting to the masses. I fall victim to the same problem whenever I make a new topic. Maybe it would be better if the forum had a like button. Then people could show they appreciated it without too much effort.