State of the NWC

[CASEY-R]

excuse my ignorance but what does FTW mean?

 

[Mc2KXJ]

For the win.

 

[Bronzewyrm]

its 5 pages deep. time for a BOD responce...

 

[Mc2KXJ]

It's 5 pages deep. Time for a BOD response...

There is a lot for them to consider.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

There is a lot for them to consider.

There's 4 pages filled of *edited for family friendly forum rules* posts, they are probably trying to figure out what "infractions" to nail me with!

;-)

 

[Mc2KXJ]

I'm reporting you for that smiley face. I think you're trying to come on to me.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

I'm reporting you for that smiley face. I think you're trying to come on to me.

:dunno: It's all the gravy

 

[ECKSJAY]

I think you're trying to come on to me.

Giggity.

 

[mojojojo]

X3

While I was reading through the thread on the last page I thought to myself "this club/group needs a bunch of "old" guys to keep the younger guys in line". The NW chapter needs this group of people that everyone respects and can look up to. Jeepboy381 sounds like one, and I believe Avanteone and 2extreme are.

Maybe there is this group and I don't know it. Maybe there was this group but they have turned away because of some actions they did not like.

I am definately not one of these "old" guys but I would like to be in the future. And I don't think I'll get there by making fun of people, degrading sponsors or by representing in a negative way.

Define old.... ? :shocked:

 

[CASEY-R]

Define old.... ? :shocked:

In this case someone who's been around longer than average. Experienced wheeling, working on rigs, politics of ORV's. Attended a good number of runs and events. Not afraid to call out the newer, less experienced guys (myself included) for b.s. and doing dumb stuff. And somebody who is an ambassador to offroading and to .

That's someone I can look up to.

 

[Mc2KXJ]

Once again, Casey nails it.

 

[Mc2KXJ]

Define old.... ? :shocked:

Rod, don't pretend you aren't one of the old-timers. :moon:

 

[HE-MAN]

In this case someone who's been around longer than average. Experienced wheeling, working on rigs, politics of ORV's. Attended a good number of runs and events. Not afraid to call out the newer, less experienced guys (myself included) for b.s. and doing dumb stuff. And somebody who is an ambassador to offroading and to .

That's someone I can look up to.

Calling out the "newer, less experienced guys" is easy. Leaderships gonna come from making the tough moves. Calling out the more experienced/respected guys who have been down for a long time and calling out personal friends. Im not trying to jump outta line just sayin.

 

[Mc2KXJ]

Most of the older members are kept in check by other, older members. We have all received PMs saying "Mellow it out a bit, I know the guy is an idiot, but..." and have enough respect for the others that it isn't a "butt-hurt" scenario. Too many of the younger guys take it as a personal attack when they act the fool or just flat-out become an ass and people need to become the online parent to put them in their place. The older guys have seen most trends come and go in regards to personalities, as well as in wheeling practices, so when a new guy jumps in and starts mouthing off or becoming a "know-it-all" with a Jeep question, they need to get shut down for the good of those using this site for information (whether it is pro-Jeep or anti-Jeep); that is just the way self policing works.

 

[HE-MAN]

got ya, makes sense

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

EDIT: Rich doesnt know what he's talking about.. Because his letters are black

 

[Mc2KXJ]

EDIT: Rich doesnt know what he's talking about.. Because his letters are black

:doh: Well played, Scott, well played. :roflmao:

 

[WaXJ_Skier]

Most of the older members are kept in check by other, older members. We have all received PMs saying "Mellow it out a bit, I know the guy is an idiot, but..." and have enough respect for the others that it isn't a "butt-hurt" scenario. Too many of the younger guys take it as a personal attack when they act the fool or just flat-out become an ass and people need to become the online parent to put them in their place. The older guys have seen most trends come and go in regards to personalities, as well as in wheeling practices, so when a new guy jumps in and starts mouthing off or becoming a "know-it-all" with a Jeep question, they need to get shut down for the good of those using this site for information (whether it is pro-Jeep or anti-Jeep); that is just the way self policing works.

This^

5 years ago when I joined, I felt accountable to the group. I don't anymore, I feel I could post a picture of my jeep ripping up a field with a beer in hand and very few people in the chapter would blink. I personally will not post something that could be misconstrued as bad for the sport/club/chapter. If everybody took 10 seconds to think about what they posted before hitting Submit it would go a long way to helping things get better.

 

[Gold Cobra]

Wow.... I just read thoroughly thru everyone's posts...
First let me say I'm new here to ::, and probably one of the newest members of the NWC.
I found this forum in January thru another that I have been involved with for some time.
I was excited to see that there was a large community dedicated to all that is the XJ (and the MJ – don’t want to leave you guys out.)
Personally, I found :: to be a more reliable, accurate, and better source of technical information than cherokeeforum.com.
After the meet & greet at the Rock I joined as a member because I liked the group, and after a month of finding insightful and useful information in various threads I figured I should do my part to support “the cause.” I’m a paying member of both jeepforum.com as well as another XJ only forum XJtalk.com, and was happy to pay my dues to be a part of another jeep community.
Those two words right there “Jeep Community” is what I think of when I think of Jeep owners. I personally, am a Jeeper first. A Cherokee owner second, and whatever else you wanna call me third.
Virtually everyone I’ve met throughout my years as a Jeep enthusiast who is also a Jeep owner has been “salt of the earth” type of people. The kind of people who would do everything they could to help another Jeeper. The comradery that I have witnessed on the trails and on the road between Jeep owners is, in my opinion, both unique and honorable. This is the creed that I, as Jeep owner, as a member of this forum, and others, try live by and represent myself and others by. There’s a reason the old saying was created “It’s a Jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand” …we’re a unique group of people who ALL share a common interest, (several really)… the love of the outdoors, being offroad, and of course, our Jeeps. It’s this common bond we share (and an ounce of self-respect) that should guide us thru our dealing with others in the offorad communities. Whether that be here, in a chat, in a post, in the woods, on the beach, on the streets, or WHEREVER, and none of us should require someone else to keep us in check, (babysit) or to sensor what we say or how we say it.
I AM a “noob” when it comes to ::, and am not privy to what has happened in the past or who it affected.
What I DO know, is that there are some good, honest people here who have the right ideals, the right mind-set, and some good intentions. Granted there are always some bad apples in every bunch, it goes without saying, it’s bound to happen in every group. We are after all a decent cross section of society. That being said, I think its both honorable and deserving of respect that Darren is stepping up to not only bring attention to what apparently has become enough of an issue to warrant action but to also reach out to us to help make it happen.
And I think guys like Casey-R, jeepboy381, He-Man, and Nighfoam, (at least from this thread) and others show us all the kind of mentality and attitude it takes to regain whatever reputation was lost.
Many of the local 4-wheeling clubs, PNW Jeepers, Pistons Wild, Jolly Jeepers, and others are relatively active in the community. I’m not saying the NWC of Naxja isn’t, I havbent been around long enough to make that judgment, but it seems like that’s the one thing in 6 pages of callouts and face slapping that hasn’t been brought up as a solution to some of this. If the chapter as a whole, in its communities, can come together for a cause, a common goal, putting that “face to a name”, and make something happen, whether its to help out a local OHV park with a litter run, sponsoring a trail, donating some time to a local boy scout troop, or a church, or themselves(the club) for that matter. - a fundraiser comes to mind.
Look, I know my opinion doesn’t carry much weight here, as I’m probably considered “the new guy”… but I like the people here, I like the community, I like Jeeps, and I’d like to see :: “move forward” with a positive reputation just as much as the next guy.
Thanks for reading.
-Josh (NW99XJ)

 

[Gold Cobra]

I appreciate all the input we got from this thread, and we will be doing several things in the coming days/weeks/months to try and help get this club going in the right direction. I want everyone to know that there wasn't a single comment that fell on deaf ears, we discussed literally everything that was said here. There were a few things said that I would like to address specifically;

"I don't see where the money goes" or "Where do my membership funds go".
Good question. I opened this thread talking about land use donations that came just from this chapter. I also mentioned that we are all volunteers here. No one is pocketing your dues/donations. The money this club has goes into land use causes, site maintenance, and back to its members. :: has donated tens of thousands of dollars toward land use, what our sport is about. Can cherokeeforum or your club say the same thing?

From the Member FAQ;
Q. Why should I join ::? What are the benefits?
A. This is a relatively common question from perspective members of :: and while many people say that the forums and the information provided is reason enough for joining, we do our best to provide many other benefits of membership. :: is a club first and fore-most and an online discussion site second. We strive to host 4-5 national events every year which all members are welcome to attend. These events are at the largest and best known OHV areas in the US and are typically multi-day events which include a BBQ and raffle. With the effort to establish more local chapters of :: we are providing the members a way to meet with local XJers and participate in their own events outside of the national events.
When joining you are granted access to the members only forum, the membership news forum, the technical articles area, the forum archives area and you are granted several discounts with vendors. Many of our supporting vendors offer temporary or permanent discounts to our club Members. You will also receive your membership card and club sticker.
The club also actively supports TreadLightly, USALL and several other groups promoting the safe and fair sharing of public lands with the interests of OHV use.

"This is not a Club"
I personally believe it is, and I think the majority of people here would agree with me.

From Wikipedia;

A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.

And that's straight from the internet, so it has to be true.

Event and Vehicle requirements
We discussed this at length and will be posting something regarding this in the immediate future.

As for the present, TORX posted this thread. It's a sticky in the staging area, and I sure hope everyone has read through it at least once.
NWC Equipment and Participation Standards

2xtreme put this together, it's also a sticky in the staging area and another must read for everyone.
Vehicle and Trail Preparedness Checklist

Representing ourselves and ::
How can I talk about this without using the term "common sense"?

When you're posting on the forums, driving your Jeep with a :: sticker on it, or even wearing :: swag, you are representing the club. Please keep that in mind.

Again I'd like to thank everyone for their input, it really was appreciated. It may be unpopular, but I am now locking this thread. This was started to gauge opinion and get feedback, not start a debate. If I said anything that you would like to comment on, you're always free to shoot me a PM.

I'm hopeful that we'll see positive change in the chapter, and am grateful to be able to serve as President.