2017 Results Just In!

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bajaman72
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by bajaman72 » Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:15 am

I would definatley pay a subscription for the info on this site. I prefer looking for information here rather than on the samba due to the keyboard jockeys. I need my information in a relatively timely manner... I just do not have days to read a 30 page thread on peoples different opinion.

Age has started to take it's toll on me as well. It takes me a long time to get under my Bus and even longer to get under my Beetle.
Maybe slow down a little on the Itinerant Travels and invest the extra time in your Book. It could be the next idiot guide. Not sure if that term is correct... but when I look at your drawings and explanations I kinda feel like an idiot for not catching it myself.

I would buy your book. I think a BUNCH of people would buy your book. Who knows, you could retire on the sales, retire in the Florida Keys and jaunt to Upstate New York whenever the heart contents.
1968 Karmann Ghia - Driver
1969 Transporter - Project
1959 Karmann Ghia - Full Race Car

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BusBassist
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by BusBassist » Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:38 pm

Colin, you're an excellent writer as illustrated time and time again on is site. After reading your post regarding your recent trip here to Western NY, it was clear to me that besides your knowledge of vintage VW's, you also have great insight into other interesting topics.

I do agree that a book (or books) could be a way to share your ideas and experience. The question is, is there an over saturation of air cooled books already on the market? I don't know where information like this could be gathered, but I wonder what the annual sales numbers are like for the Bently, Muir, and other books on the topic? Does anyone have a sense of the quantity of VW books currently available? Are there other auto specific books that are successful?

The publishing industry can be toigh and the margins can be slim, but there is also potential to see good profits.

Clearly, there is support from the IAC community for you and many of us log in just to see what you have to say - sort of a cyber page turner.
Late 73 Bay w/a transplanted 914 Engine.

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zabo
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by zabo » Fri Nov 17, 2017 5:18 am

too bad 1-900 numbers no longer exist in the U.S.

CALL NOW! 1-900-CALL-COLIN. get hot, exciting air-cooled vw advice 24/7 for only $4 a minute!
60 beetle
78 bus

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ScottLasVegas
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by ScottLasVegas » Sun Nov 19, 2017 2:57 am

But the discussion here is more about how can I make a living in the VW scene and be off the road.
Well, for what it's worth, as long as you are on the road, i will be signing up, and if this becomes a membership site, then i will be becoming a member.

I think you may be overlooking a few other ways to monetize that would be fairly simple, and you could pull from something that you are already doing. Itinerant Air Cooled is a brand, and you are an amazing illustrator, you should have merchandise. T-shirts, Stickers, Coffee Mugs or Koozies, Etc. There are ways to do such things without having to carry any stock as well. I would be glad to discuss with you further if interested.

As for the site, honestly, i am not sure what is the best route for it. It really depends on who you are targeting. Assuming I am your demographic. Early 40's, mildly mechanical, tech savvy, and eager to work on my ACVW, but needing guidance.

What would I expect for $10 a month:
At least 2 new articles per month with accompanying video that details a procedure.
At least 1 Product/Part review per month
Member Pricing for Itinerant Visits

Just my $0.02

Scott
79 Riviera CA FI

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wcfvw69
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by wcfvw69 » Sun Nov 19, 2017 12:54 pm

ScottLasVegas wrote:
Sun Nov 19, 2017 2:57 am
But the discussion here is more about how can I make a living in the VW scene and be off the road.
Well, for what it's worth, as long as you are on the road, i will be signing up, and if this becomes a membership site, then i will be becoming a member.

I think you may be overlooking a few other ways to monetize that would be fairly simple, and you could pull from something that you are already doing. Itinerant Air Cooled is a brand, and you are an amazing illustrator, you should have merchandise. T-shirts, Stickers, Coffee Mugs or Koozies, Etc. There are ways to do such things without having to carry any stock as well. I would be glad to discuss with you further if interested.

As for the site, honestly, i am not sure what is the best route for it. It really depends on who you are targeting. Assuming I am your demographic. Early 40's, mildly mechanical, tech savvy, and eager to work on my ACVW, but needing guidance.

What would I expect for $10 a month:
At least 2 new articles per month with accompanying video that details a procedure.
At least 1 Product/Part review per month
Member Pricing for Itinerant Visits

Just my $0.02

Scott
Some great ideas Scott
1970 Westfalia bus. Stock 1776 dual port type 1 engine. Restored German Solex 34-3. Restored 205Q distributor, restored to factory appearance engine.

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Amskeptic
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Nov 19, 2017 2:35 pm

sped372 wrote:
Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:45 am
Please do not discount what zabo is writing. This is the way things are going now, like it or not. I don't do the whole 'app purchase thing' but it's where people's attention, comfort, and spending is nowadays. In my opinion maps are in nearly every way superior to a tiny phone screen, but nobody's buying them.

Also, and I don't think I'm alone here, please do not overlook yourself as the content. The technical stuff is brilliant, don't get me wrong, but (and please don't take offense) it's "merely" a different flavor of what's also available elsewhere. I can figure out how to fix my car by reading the Bentley, or watching YouTube videos, or sifting through theSamba. There is only one source of roadside-restoration-entertainment that has your unique charm to it.

I realize there is no concrete strategy outlined by what I have written but I urge you to consider that what draws people to you is more than a search for technical answers. You have a gift of blending both together, that's what grabs me. The Bentley and John Muir both teach me how to fix my car, but I would gladly sit in front of the fireplace and thumb Muir because it makes me smile even when I don't need to repair anything.

Thank-you.
Duly read, noted, appreciated, pondered(ing), planning, scheming, and . . .

. . . trying to put together this hideous AM/FM cassette stereo unit for the Lexus in the Lexus in preparation for a quick trip to Cindy's in the frozen north for Thanksgiving. no, really, h-i-d-e-o-u-s:

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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satchmo
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by satchmo » Mon Nov 27, 2017 11:18 am

I signed up for a web site called Boondockers Welcome when I was doing more traveling/camping in a bus/van. The developer of that website is also the author of this one:

http://www.frugal-rv-travel.com/adventure.html

She has found a way to monetize her travels/adventures by publishing guides to camping and RVing in different parts of North America. And lest you think this site caters only to the big motor home brigade, she herself travels around in a Roadtrek van, so not much different than a VW bus.

I could see a similar design for this web site, where you (Colin) publish guides for troubleshooting, specific repairs, etc, that folks can download for a fee, and download again for free if there are updates/revisions to the guides in the future. That is what the Frugal RV person does with her camping guides.

Just a suggestion. I would certainly pay for a well documented write up (with photos) of numerous bus and van repairs. Sometimes the Bentley is just too opaque for my limited mechanical knowledge.

Satchmo
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by immitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is bitterest. -Confucius

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Amskeptic
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:59 am

Thank you all again for your insights. I am busily mulling.

On my way to Miami in NaranjaWesty. This car just started up and hit the road like "where you been?" 60-65, 17 mpg, no fuss.

Image


Currently battling some "health issues". The overarching sensation of the past week has been nausea brought upon by a sulpha drug regimen that has declared war on my flora and many of my joints. I had NO idea that prescriptions (this, my very first ever) could have such an effect. All those people I have known with their little orange containers popping their pills, is THIS what they do to you? Because I am deeply stubborn (oh, I am), I refused probiotics for the first four days "I ain't piling on pills after pills," and everything just ground to a sickened halt.

Now I am repopulating my digestive system with 10 billion "good" bacteria once a day (available at WalMart), and these little guys seem to actually help. I think frequently of all the people I have known who underwent chemotherapy, and I am ashamed of my histrionic hatred of feeling like crap just because of this little side effect. Emma German had it all over me when it comes to grace and courage.

I can't wait to be on the other side of this. Delicately, I discovered blood in an unexpected place. The "dipstick test" did not show infection. We are on a wait and see. Amazing how a beautiful day recedes so far out of reach when you feel gross. I am too busy supplicating God to argue with Him/Her/It.
ColinInTallahassee
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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hippiewannabe
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by hippiewannabe » Tue Nov 28, 2017 11:33 am

Amskeptic wrote:
Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:59 am
Thank you all again for your insights. I am busily mulling.

On my way to Miami in NaranjaWesty. This car just started up and hit the road like "where you been?" 60-65, 17 mpg, no fuss.

Image


Currently battling some "health issues". The overarching sensation of the past week has been nausea brought upon by a sulpha drug regimen that has declared war on my flora and many of my joints. I had NO idea that prescriptions (this, my very first ever) could have such an effect. All those people I have known with their little orange containers popping their pills, is THIS what they do to you? Because I am deeply stubborn (oh, I am), I refused probiotics for the first four days "I ain't piling on pills after pills," and everything just ground to a sickened halt.

Now I am repopulating my digestive system with 10 billion "good" bacteria once a day (available at WalMart), and these little guys seem to actually help. I think frequently of all the people I have known who underwent chemotherapy, and I am ashamed of my histrionic hatred of feeling like crap just because of this little side effect. Emma German had it all over me when it comes to grace and courage.

I can't wait to be on the other side of this. Delicately, I discovered blood in an unexpected place. The "dipstick test" did not show infection. We are on a wait and see. Amazing how a beautiful day recedes so far out of reach when you feel gross. I am too busy supplicating God to argue with Him/Her/It.
ColinInTallahassee
Good luck, glad the probiotics help.

Last time I took an antibiotic it gave me C-diff. It kills people, and the suffering certainly had me wishing I was dead. I have refused antibiotics three times since then, and the docs/dentists didn't bat an eye. I did a little research and it shows things like dental implants having a 5% failure rate, and taking an antibiotic reduces the risk to 2.5%.

I haven't kept up, but it sounds like you have an actual infection that needed treatment. But too many antibiotics are prescribed "just in case".
Truth is like poetry.
And most people fucking hate poetry.

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Globespotter
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by Globespotter » Tue Nov 28, 2017 1:04 pm

I have spent most of my life from about 17 to now (59) in IT and the internet, and am pretty plugged in to some of its nuances.

I also spent a day with Colin, so have a bit of an idea about him and although you can't know someone well in a day, I have a pretty good gut for understanding people so....

1. It is correct what has been said that the future of any online media and monetizing that is both mobile IOS/Android and in small bites - read short attention spans.

2. It has also been pointed out that the folks who are upcoming ACVW owners are likely younger and probably less likely to have the patience or desire to read, research, learn and work on their vehicles. (Disclaimer - I am generalizing and there are always exceptions.)

3. The Internet is saturated with information - to the point that being successful - ie: montetizing or even keeping an audience is EXTREMELY difficult unless you are in the porn industry. (Not actually a joke.)

4. There are people who can and will put together pretty slick sites / apps that you would have to compete with.

5. I'm not against the idea of a kind of online knowledge base / teaching aid but know how much work it would be to create and maintain.

6. If I was Colin, I would consider the following - either one or more:

a) Cut the on-road schedule - both geographically and in numbers. Maybe over the next 3 or 4 years, slowly keep cutting it back. What areas do you like to travel in? What areas have a larger population of your customers? Maybe one year do an Eastern swing and one a Western and one a MidWest?
b) Consider an on-line knowledgebase with the opportunity to have an interactive dialog - either a chat or video conference to supplement education or just try it to see if it floats your boat.
c) Have one or two or three locations that you do workshops. One in the West, one in the East, one in the Middle. Maybe you rent space, and you have people come more to you than you go right to them. Would people travel a bit to see you? It could mean more flexibility for two or three day workshops, maybe workshops with 2 or 3 people and staying in one place longer.

At the end of the day, you want to enjoy your bus, and still enjoy interacting with others that love their bus, while having that social interaction but not at the expense of being exhausted, tired and ailing. It's all about balance.

My 2 cents. Well 5 cents in Canada since we got rid of pennies.

Doug

TrollFromDownBelow
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by TrollFromDownBelow » Tue Nov 28, 2017 6:43 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:59 am
I had NO idea that prescriptions (this, my very first ever) could have such an effect. All those people I have known with their little orange containers popping their pills, is THIS what they do to you? Because I am deeply stubborn (oh, I am), I refused probiotics for the first four days "I ain't piling on pills after pills," and everything just ground to a sickened halt.
Wait...you are pushing 60 and have never had to have a prescription drug? Never even given antibiotics as a kid? That's freakin' impressive. My hats off to you. I'm pretty stoked that I'm knocking on 50 and am not taking any maintenance scripts....just some over the counter vitamin supplements.....so yes I have one of those little pill organizers, but it just has vitamins in them.
1976 VW Bus aka tripod
FI ...not leaky, and not so noisy...and she runs awesome!
hambone wrote: There are those out there with no other aim but to bunch panties. It's like arguing with a pretzel.
::troll2::

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tommu
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by tommu » Tue Nov 28, 2017 10:57 pm

I was hospitalized recently with a bizarrely unstoppable lymph node infection. They had to mainline antibiotics into me with a drip. When I was released they prescribed me the most enormous antibiotics I've ever needed to swallow. But yes.. that's what they do. They're nasty but they work. The morphine they happily administered, on the other hand, was very pleasent :)

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tommu
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by tommu » Tue Nov 28, 2017 11:11 pm

I've worked in IT for far too long too - and a big part of working in this field is dealing with the IT training racket. Most recent course I took was a SANS security course. The course was available for a very limited time to stream online. Study books were sent out before the course. This was an on demand course but they also do 'live' training sessions. That is a high value and unique offering that may suite. For example - live stream CV joint and wheel bearing maintenance session. Members can watch live and ask questions as you go. Members can also watch recorded sessions. Over time you'll build up quite a library. You could even offer your own exam and certification! Downside of course is a) learning how to film yourself doing this and b) working out how to stream live and on demand whilst protecting that content from piracy. I'm sure there are people who would volunteer to help especially here in LA.

Another bane of my IT life is never having the right support contract in place to get upgrades or technical support. Maybe you could adopt a similar tiered support model? Access to docs, then videos, live training or even one off sessions.

Hope you're feeling better. Last place I want to be when I'm sick like that is behind the wheel..

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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by 71whitewesty » Wed Nov 29, 2017 8:51 am

I've mentioned it casually before but drop the coffee and switch to herba matte tea with a little honey and drop the Diet Coke for water. Do your best not to take any maintanance drugs. Work on your diet and excersise program. Doesn't need to be much but it'll help.
I've been dealing with stomach/colon issues for 25 years and been on all the drugs etc. the only one that helped was prednisone but that stuff will slowly kill you so I used it in emergencies only. Now I take nothing for the last 9 years and changed my Diet a bit and feel healthier than I have in a long time. No issues at all. The Drs would still have me on all sorts of serious meds if they had it their way. Sometimes you gotta do it but the goal is to always get off the meds asap. I'm not a health nut but am a firm believer that Diet and a little maintanance is key to keeping our aging bodies in fine tune just like our buses.
By gawd I need you to be healthy enough for next year, I have some tune up questions for you. :salute:

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zabo
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Re: 2017 Results Just In!

Post by zabo » Wed Nov 29, 2017 10:43 am

tommu wrote:
Tue Nov 28, 2017 11:11 pm
Downside of course is a) learning how to film yourself doing this and b) working out how to stream live and on demand whilst protecting that content from piracy. I'm sure there are people who would volunteer to help especially here in LA.
Ha -if you are interested in something like this colin let me know and I can pitch it at work. Then you would be getting paid by a mega corporation instead of burdening your users. Currently we stream live shows everyday 10a-11p et. We also archive the last 5 episodes.
example: http://www.adultswim.com/videos/streams - daily schedule is below the player.
60 beetle
78 bus

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