Hello all,
I have been thinking about a lot of things lately... I have intentionally not posted anything since the bash because I wanted to make sure that I addressed a few things to the members here.. I have sat back and watched and thought about a few comments that were made at the bash and why things are the way they are. I can only give feedback to the members, my role on this site is simple, I provide a place to hang out, I have made that same comment for years now....
I know in my own life and my time on this site I have seen many many people come and go. I have seen men that I considered great friends get a bike, get involved on the site and then for whatever reason sell the bike for something else or just get out of motorcycles all together. I have had the honor of meeting many of these folks and I am better for it...
One of the comments that I heard at the bash this year was that the group didn't seem to be as tight as we had been in the past. I can tell you what I think the problems are but your opinion is just as important as mine, I look foreward to hearing from others and to hear what you think the causes are..
Personally I see the W.I.F.M. attitude around here more today than in the past.. What is W.I.F.M. you ask, Whats In It For Me
The thing about this website that has set itself apart from others was the common desire to make things better. The feeling that we were all a part of something greater than any one person could be was a great feeling. Have we lost that attitude around here? To an extent I think we have, we have lost some great members for many different reasons. I think that the economy, stress, time and the motorcycle industry in general have all played a role in the changes of the group here...
I look at Hayabusa.org just like an emotional bank account. Am I putting more energy in savings each month or am I pulling more out. Am I giving back to the group or am I constantly complaining and solving problems or am I the problem...
How many remember the days of the pay it forward thread or when people would just send you something in the mail because they knew you needed it. How about the days when folks would rally around a common cause because they knew it was the right thing to do?
I think that we all have it in us, I think that we all want to be better each day and to take pride in a site that we all contribute to.
When the question at the bash about the group not being as close as we have been in the past I immediatley started looking at my own bank account. What do I mean when I say my bank account?
1. Do you spend time welcoming new members to the site?
2. Do you offer suggestions and answers to people even though the same question has been asked a thousand times before.
3. Do you always seem to receive good things from members of the site and if so do you put back to others as much as you receive?
4. When is the last time that you reached out to someone new for no reason at all, simply to welcome them to the site.
As I mentioned above I have seen this site go through waves of transitions over time.. We have seen this same phase before and we will get through it again..
What I find to be interesting though is when we have these transitions there is also a transformation in roles here on the site. People that yesterday were the new guy are today the folks stepping up and leading by example. I mean at some point each of you have to stop being the newbie on the site and you are now one of the older guys with all the history... I think what we have is folks that need to realize that maybe they are that guy....
I was proud to see folks this year taking members that were at the bash for the first time and riding with them for a half a day just to show them around, that is definately a deposit into the account. People cooking for others, again a deposit... In the end its an honor to serve out fellow members, true leadership is all about serving other people.
To sum it up I have to ask each of you how your Hayabusa.org account is doing, are you rich in friendships or are you over drawn?
The membership has time and time again risen to the occasion, I have complete belief that you all will continue to make this place great but I think there are some folks that need to decide what role they need to fill.....
In the end while I own the domain name and manage the servers you own the overall attitude and demeanor of the site... What do you want it to be and how much effort are you willing to put out to make it what you want it to be?
You folks are awesome....
cap
I have been thinking about a lot of things lately... I have intentionally not posted anything since the bash because I wanted to make sure that I addressed a few things to the members here.. I have sat back and watched and thought about a few comments that were made at the bash and why things are the way they are. I can only give feedback to the members, my role on this site is simple, I provide a place to hang out, I have made that same comment for years now....
I know in my own life and my time on this site I have seen many many people come and go. I have seen men that I considered great friends get a bike, get involved on the site and then for whatever reason sell the bike for something else or just get out of motorcycles all together. I have had the honor of meeting many of these folks and I am better for it...
One of the comments that I heard at the bash this year was that the group didn't seem to be as tight as we had been in the past. I can tell you what I think the problems are but your opinion is just as important as mine, I look foreward to hearing from others and to hear what you think the causes are..
Personally I see the W.I.F.M. attitude around here more today than in the past.. What is W.I.F.M. you ask, Whats In It For Me
The thing about this website that has set itself apart from others was the common desire to make things better. The feeling that we were all a part of something greater than any one person could be was a great feeling. Have we lost that attitude around here? To an extent I think we have, we have lost some great members for many different reasons. I think that the economy, stress, time and the motorcycle industry in general have all played a role in the changes of the group here...
I look at Hayabusa.org just like an emotional bank account. Am I putting more energy in savings each month or am I pulling more out. Am I giving back to the group or am I constantly complaining and solving problems or am I the problem...
How many remember the days of the pay it forward thread or when people would just send you something in the mail because they knew you needed it. How about the days when folks would rally around a common cause because they knew it was the right thing to do?
I think that we all have it in us, I think that we all want to be better each day and to take pride in a site that we all contribute to.
When the question at the bash about the group not being as close as we have been in the past I immediatley started looking at my own bank account. What do I mean when I say my bank account?
1. Do you spend time welcoming new members to the site?
2. Do you offer suggestions and answers to people even though the same question has been asked a thousand times before.
3. Do you always seem to receive good things from members of the site and if so do you put back to others as much as you receive?
4. When is the last time that you reached out to someone new for no reason at all, simply to welcome them to the site.
As I mentioned above I have seen this site go through waves of transitions over time.. We have seen this same phase before and we will get through it again..
What I find to be interesting though is when we have these transitions there is also a transformation in roles here on the site. People that yesterday were the new guy are today the folks stepping up and leading by example. I mean at some point each of you have to stop being the newbie on the site and you are now one of the older guys with all the history... I think what we have is folks that need to realize that maybe they are that guy....
I was proud to see folks this year taking members that were at the bash for the first time and riding with them for a half a day just to show them around, that is definately a deposit into the account. People cooking for others, again a deposit... In the end its an honor to serve out fellow members, true leadership is all about serving other people.
To sum it up I have to ask each of you how your Hayabusa.org account is doing, are you rich in friendships or are you over drawn?
The membership has time and time again risen to the occasion, I have complete belief that you all will continue to make this place great but I think there are some folks that need to decide what role they need to fill.....
In the end while I own the domain name and manage the servers you own the overall attitude and demeanor of the site... What do you want it to be and how much effort are you willing to put out to make it what you want it to be?
You folks are awesome....
cap
I've been a member of several different sites throughout the years and I can honestly say this is if not the best, one of the best. I hope to stick around here for years, or hell even decades to come. 
He was traveling alone to ride with people he'd never met! Then when he returned from his trip safe he told me that it was an awesome time and that I should go the following Spring. This is where I had the opportunity to meet some awesome people. 
.....and finally Captain and Kristie 
