R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > R-pod Discussion Forums > Introduce Yourself
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: Why an r-pod Owners Forum?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Why an r-pod Owners Forum?

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123 5>
Author
Message
rpodadmin View Drop Down
Admin Group - pHp
Admin Group - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Location: Midwest
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 288
Post Options Post Options   Quote rpodadmin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Why an r-pod Owners Forum?
    Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 3:43pm

Early in 2009 I had an idea to start an owners forum for owners of the new Forest River r-pod travel trailer. At the time I was working with an RV dealer. My idea was to build a place where r-pod owners could share their experiences, r-pod mods, and other cool stuff about the r-pod as they camped.

One goal I had was to keep the forum from being ruined by vendors and others trying to impersonate or push their product/dealership on the owners and prospective owners. I created the web site and for 9 months let it grow on its own. Soon the r-pod took off and more and more members joined...
 
When I left the dealer I decided to create a new forum for owners, ran and managed by owners. www.rpod-owners.com was born. Rest assured that your registration information will never be used to market to or sold off to a marketing venture. That is not the goal here - only to provide a nice forum for everyone to share your love of the r-pod and camping...
 
I hope you enjoy it...
Back to Top
rpodadmin View Drop Down
Admin Group - pHp
Admin Group - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Location: Midwest
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 288
Post Options Post Options   Quote rpodadmin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Nov 2009 at 11:34am
Hey Gang...
 
  techntrek and TerryM have pretty much taken over running the forum. Google has picked up the site and it will soon be on Google. As the forum grows and more content is added it will show up more and more. Do me a favor and refrain from taking any content from the other forum and contacting their membership ... they will discover us in due time ... the r-pod community is growing every day, there is plenty of room for 2 forums online.
 
Thanks for giving this forum a try... if there is anything you need please contact the moderators and
let them know!
Back to Top
techntrek View Drop Down
Admin Group - pHp
Admin Group - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Location: MD
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9059
Post Options Post Options   Quote techntrek Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Nov 2009 at 7:24am
rpodAdmin has asked me to pass this information along.  The following is a direct quote, I was going to re-word it but decided that the original words were best.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Here are the facts:
 
1. rpodnation was created by me in Jan of 2009 while I was working for rv nation
2. we had a verbal agreement that it would run best as a neutral forum that I would pay for, host and moderate as needed. My belief was that if we took care of our customers, they would speak highly of us on rpodnation. It is a big country - I felt that if we/I could increase exposure for the r-pod product that all dealers would benefit as well as Forest River - win/win for everyone.
3. FR knew that I ran it and was employed by RV nation, they send me stuff/info to post - fabrics, etc when they had it.
4. I let it run itself, i made zero money from it and had little interaction. There were some posts that I removed - some that I thought were overly negative/critical of one dealer out west in particular.
5. When I voluntarily left RVN - I was treated well while there - I was asked to keep it going and we were going to work out a payment for my time and hosting it.
6. While I was considering the options rv nation had their lawyer send me a letter insisting I turn the domain and site over to them to run/own.
7. I had no problem turning ownership of the domain over to them which I did last week. The outage the site had was due to the turnover - their DNS settings were not implemented fully and until that was done it was off the air. I helped their IT guy get it back on line, sending multiple emails and phone convo's until they made the proper settings.
8. I am not a disgruntled employee, I left for a better position with better pay and benefits.  My only reason for starting the new forum was as an alternative. I simply see it as a conflict of interest for a dealer to host the site - unless they make a full disclosure up front. I was the buffer for the site orginally and perhaps their staff will do the same going forward. I hope they do.
 
The software used for this forum (webWiz)does permit the administrator full access to every members email address/profile and any information they have entered. All posts and PM's sit in a database - without encryption - it is very easy to read all private messages and alter posts -again something I think should be disclosed to the members up front when they register. I have never accessed any PM's in the past and I trust the new moderators of this forum to do that same. Once a forum loses it's integrity it is doomed - that's why an owners forum for owners ran by owners makes the most sense to me.
 
Back to Top
Tusten Traveler View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 22 Jul 2009
Location: Catskills NY
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 235
Post Options Post Options   Quote Tusten Traveler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Nov 2009 at 12:41pm
techntreck-
 
Thank you for this. It is everything I guessed at when Doug first sent me an email after the crash, but this definitely fills in the pieces. I am glad he left for a better position (I wish that even for my employees who leave, believe it or not). I ask only for truth and disclosure of any potentential conflict of interests- in my business (healthcare) that is required by law and failure to do so can lead to serious penalties attached. Even though that doesn't apply to the wild, wild web...it is still how I prefer to deal with people and organizations. I appreciate that it has been presented here to us (especially that PMs can be read) and am saddened that has still not been done at the other place. Maybe that will come when the hand has been forced by members. I hope so.
 
Thanks again,
Linda
John and Linda
One 14 lb Cockapoo
2010 RPod 174
Back to Top
sylviablue View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07 Jan 2010
Location: Costa Rica
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 152
Post Options Post Options   Quote sylviablue Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jan 2010 at 9:20am
Well here I am and glad to be here.  Thank you techntrek.
four peas
Back to Top
yizit View Drop Down
podders Helping podders - pHp
podders Helping podders - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Location: Wis. Dells, WI
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 663
Post Options Post Options   Quote yizit Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jan 2010 at 12:18am
I like the fact that this is an OWNER run forum and not company run.  I was disappointed the other forum website was taken over by a dealership.  Good idea and thanks for starting this one. 

Former owner of 2009 172
Darlene & Jim, Ewok our Lhasa
Roada our 2004 Roadtrek C190Popular


Back to Top
techntrek View Drop Down
Admin Group - pHp
Admin Group - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Location: MD
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9059
Post Options Post Options   Quote techntrek Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jan 2010 at 11:49pm

Well, the admins on the other forum have claimed time and again that they haven't deleted posts, or threads.  Now there is a nice post at the top of every sub-forum stating that they have, and will.  And this is exactly why this forum was started.

For the record, while the admins there denied deleting the mpg thread (r-pod knock off), they did in fact "delete" it from the Misc. forum.  Turns out they just hid it because when everyone started raising Cain over its disappearance, suddenly it reappeared a few hours later in the Maintenance forum.  And claimed that's where it was all along (believe me it wasn't, and there are several people that can back me up on that).  If they are telling the truth, answer me this - why does it belong in Maintenance?  Its clearly a Misc./off-topic thread, and that's where it started.  Cool

Other posts have been deleted.  Not just ones that we've made, other users there have had it happen.  And now they've made it public that it won't stop.

Some members there have believed them for the last 2 months, and have been very vocal when we told them they were wrong.  Hopefully some day they will see we were on their side, and still are.  Everyone is welcome here.

And we won't delete your posts.

Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
Back to Top
Butterfly_Lee View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Location: Corpus Christi
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 131
Post Options Post Options   Quote Butterfly_Lee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jan 2010 at 12:29pm
Techntrek: FYI i click on every link and none of them took me to a dealer, only here R-pod owners.   Anyway SO WHAT if it's supported by a dealer (nothing is really free).  The manufacturer doesn't even have a CONTACT US link to ask/answer questions.   At least we have a place form information and help and some REALLY INTERESTING and FUN people to communicate withThumbs Up.

Maybe we should be like lightweight camper forum and get donations or small fee, to include enough to stipend Admin.  


Lee@

Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jan 2010 at 6:06pm
Originally posted by Butterfly_Lee

Techntrek: FYI i click on every link and none of them took me to a dealer, only here R-pod owners.   Anyway SO WHAT if it's supported by a dealer (nothing is really free).  The manufacturer doesn't even have a CONTACT US link to ask/answer questions.   At least we have a place form information and help and some REALLY INTERESTING and FUN people to communicate withThumbs Up.

Maybe we should be like lightweight camper forum and get donations or small fee, to include enough to stipend Admin.  


Lee@

Hi Lee, It seems to me that it's a matter of how a forum is defined:
1. A Rpod only forum and nothing else (narrow subject)
2. A forum for owners of Rpods and enthusiasts (wider subject)
3. A forum for Rpod owners, enthusiast or any RVer/camper (even wider subject)
 
I'm just an average run of the mill member and can not speak for the officials of this forum.  But, it seems to me, that this one falls into either #2 or #3.  That's OK.  The wider the permissable topics, the more opportunity there is to post and interact with the other members.  IMHO it's the people that matter.  Also, IMHO, if we begin to feel more strongly for the trailer than we do for the human beings that use them, that should indicate to ourselves the need to check the condition of our hearts and souls.
 
The owner and users of this forum seem to be tolerant of and enjoy a broad range of subjects.  Everyone here seems to get along with and show respect for each other and I am fine with that - I wouldn't change it.
Back to Top
Tusten Traveler View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 22 Jul 2009
Location: Catskills NY
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 235
Post Options Post Options   Quote Tusten Traveler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jan 2010 at 11:09am
Originally posted by David

Also, IMHO, if we begin to feel more strongly for the trailer than we do for the human beings that use them, that should indicate to ourselves the need to check the condition of our hearts and souls.
 
Very well said David. Approve
 
I also appreciate the huge amount of Rpod and RV experience and expertise that the mods of this forum come with and the fact that all posts will be respected- even if it means singing the praises of a variety of dealers. I have plenty of "real" friends and family. I come to forums seeking ideas and answers to questions. Period.
John and Linda
One 14 lb Cockapoo
2010 RPod 174
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123 5>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz