Jesse Bowers is a classic example of the Internet’s unlocking voices that otherwise would not be heard. He claims no experience or education as a writer but his passion for cars has raised his JustACarGuyBlogspot.com above The New York Times’ Wheels blog (14 to 16) in one survey, he proudly reports. Retired from the U.S. Navy, Bowers has a day job and on occasion drives a cargo truck for extra pay. His blog brings in no money yet he manages to travel from his San Diego, Calif. base to 120-150 car and trade shows a year and take an amazing 50,000 to 60,000 photos. All is grist for his blog that is informed by a lifetime of reading about, tinkering and working on cars, starting at age 6 while growing up in a particularly remote part of Michigan’s already remote Upper Peninsula. For this month’s Tom-Tom he submits his thoughts on last month’s Newsletter.
Post by Post Review
Road Signs
The innovation is the internet that author David Koretz seems to not like when it comes to Google answering any question we have, but he forgot so quickly that it has innovated such amazing things like instantly translating foreign languages online? You can use Google Translate, or instant translate on Google Chrome Browser, to read from foreign countries. That was impossible for an ordinary guy like me to do before Google made it possible, I can’t read Russian, Hungarian, Portuguese, and the other languages of websites and blogs I enjoy thoroughly now. All foreign press was unintelligible, and mostly inaccessible, before the internet.
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| Jesse Bowers |
Road Ahead
What I feel Nina, the COE of magazine media has overlooked, is that few if any, read magazines online, yet almost all despise advertising online, and most can find the same information or photos, without paying for a magazine… you got it, online. I have linked to 4 or 5 online magazines, and yet never have looked at them since letting my readers know about them. Turning digital pages is a lousy method of simulating flipping paper pages, and who needs the simulation? I just want the feature stories, and hate the ads. Same as hardcopy.
Tynt
They have a free app for blogs, and it’s not much use. I’m not sure it’s even working, and its not as good as Blog stats that Blogger recently added as a built in feature.
TheTom-Tom
I agree with Linda on most everything, but have no first hand knowledge of any hardcopy press being denied free entry as media to any events I attend, as SEMA, Grand National Roadster Show, Los Angeles Roadster Show, Good Guys Nationals, Coronado Speedfest, the Primer Nats, and the Beatnik Blowout have given no indication that any media people are turned away. I actually had to point out to the GNRS people when they denied my media credential that I have far more going for my blog than most newspapers and magazines… since I’m growing, popular, awarded by my peers who’ve reviewed and enjoyed my blog above others, and that includes the paid pros that make the New York Times auto section (http://www.ridelust.com/ridelust%e2%80%99s-top-25-car-blog-and-websites/ ) just one example. I further argued that as about a hundred newspapers a year are failing, and have went under and out of print, and many magazines (various levels of cultural demographics) have went down and are knocked out, the internet media are thriving. 700 billion text messages were sent last year in the US was the stat that was just on the local radio news at 100.7 in San Diego. Not that those are media, but it’s digital communication in growth, and the Post Office is circling the drain.
Hardcopy was put on notice when TV journalism began, and they didn’t adapt, maybe they can’t… and internet journalism doesn’t cost a dime. Free news, from nearly anywhere on the planet, as long as you have internet access, and libraries are converting to desktop and wifi access points just to keep people coming in the doors. Anyway, the person I was emailing talked to her boss, and he changed his mind due to my convincing facts (too numerous to copy and paste here), and from now on Bloggers will get media passes to the GNRS.
I think Linda should have stated the facts about the case of the hardcopy US media she claims was denied access to some event, her vagueness doesn’t convince me, I have read far too many hoaxes that you may have guessed, are disproven by Snopes.com. Skepticism and research are now simple, and asking neighbors about urban legends was never useful.
Paul-Borden
If he knows that a hyphen is necessary, due to another guy with the same name, he’s just sending people to the other guy. Not good odds that people will remember the hyphen, but they would have remembered something well thought out like, Best Damn Sports Writer Blogspot.
American version of Top Gear
It’s a flop. It’s already dead but hasn’t realized it’s time to pull the plug. The BBC original is now about 12 years in, and still attracting a tremendous audience, the US copy stands about as much chance as the NBC copy of Coupling. Yeah, you probably never heard of it, but the BBC original was 3 seasons of brilliant comedy. No idea why they lost Jeff on the 4th year.
Pit Notes
My Compliments to Sue Mead and the Raptor. Respect!
In summation, terrific newsletter! I would add that giving some focus to individual writers and excerpts would keep my attention glued… Ezra Dyer (Automobile and Mens Journal), Dan Neil (Wall Street Journal) and Scott Longman (Mopar Action) , Ken Gross writes regularly for Rodd Report, Rodder’s Journal, Road and Track, Automotive Magazine, the Mechanic at Edmunds, and lastly http://chrisoncars.com/ Chris.
Thanks for your time and patience, great newsletter, I’m looking forward to reading more of them if you’ll send them but I probably won’t respond again like this… takes too long and I have stuff backed up to get posted.