It's Official: ZHPMafia.com Closed To New Members

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Well, guys, that's that. I must tell you that it's been very cool operating this forum during the past year. With a few exceptions, this has been a very chill place to hang out.

Visitors to this site are now getting a message at the top of the site. They are being steered toward a subforum that I created today. There, they will find a thread with all of the information they need to understand what's going on here. The only people who can see that message are unregistered guests (and members who are not currently signed in).

Next month, when we become an official SIG (I'm willing to bet November is it), those guys will be directed to the same subforum, where they will be able to read about their situation. I've already written that post, too. I'll make that notice available on November 1, 2011.

So here we are. It's just us now. Let's continue to make this a great place to be.

[danewilson77]

Whew!

Did we just reach the end of the interwebz?

[kayger12]

Happy to be here with everyone.

:keith

[Marcus-SanDiego]

During the past 24 hours I put four people into a box. Suspect IP addresses and email addresses. We'll see how they turn out.

[johnrando]

We made it! :biggrin

:waldo

[Marcus-SanDiego]

:chuck

[johnrando]

Just logged off to see the message. Nicely done.

EDIT: I need to add this. Marcus, you, Dane, and Keith (and all the members) have done a great job with this forum. :cheers to you all!

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Thanks, Johnny. You've been a great mafioso since day one.

[BimmerRules!]

Just logged off to see the message. Nicely done.

EDIT: I need to add this. Marcus, you, Dane, and Keith (and all the members) have done a great job with this forum. :cheers to you all!

I will drink to that. :)

Great job gentlemen!

[Marcus-SanDiego]

^^ Thanks!

[danewilson77]

^^ Thanks!

Thanks Johnny.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[kayger12]

Thanks, sir!

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[SoarinZHP]

I can't believe I'm still here. I'm feeling some love right now.


:grouphug

[Johal E32]

I love this forum. Very relaxed and tight knit community

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Yep. You guys are in. And you're all the reason this place is so laid back. No one takes themselves too seriously.

[jreyes19]

Thanks for making this environment and site what it is
this laid back and fun attitude is what attracted me here (and danes invite)
Thanks guys I have enjoyed it and will continue to do so :)

[Marcus-SanDiego]

And if you guys want more members here you only need to invite them to join. You vouch for them. We make sure they fit our group here. We approve.

[das boots]

Lots of things to learn on E46s ZHP. I still have a lot of questions still waiting to be asked.....when I get to that bridge. Never ending quest to learn more.

[johnrando]

Thanks, Johnny. You've been a great mafioso since day one.

You all are welcome.... and thanks Marcus.

[lilcdkey]

glad to have made the cut

[GMATT]

Marcus..............this forum is Great! I say that after being on many GM forums in the past, I think the only one that came close was FRRAX. I have much to learn about BMW's and ZHP's in particular, always nice that I can come here for answers.

[cakM3]

Marcus,

I have to say that this is one of the best forums I have been in. I was moved by all the support everyone have given to fellow forum members, including me. I feel very privileged to be a part of something very special :thumbsup Glad to be here!

[kayger12]

:conversation

Yep-- sun still came up this morning, site is still here, good people signing on and helping each other out...

Just another day in paradise. :chillin

[imola red zhp]

:conversation

Yep-- sun still came up this morning, site is still here, good people signing on and helping each other out...

Just another day in paradise. :chillin

Nice!! to be in paradise...... Good Morning everyone

[echo46]

This place is legit. Not sure, but do you guys understand how much of an absolute joy the ZHP is to drive. Just got back from a run out east and once again i realized that this damn car is amazing. I guess I'm sort of like a fish in that every time I drive the ZHP I rediscover how amazing it is to drive. I'm glad I have no memory because it's really incredible to rediscovery the joys of driving my ZHP every time I get in. Just want to make sure everyone here realizes...Oh the same goes for this site.t

[johnrando]

:conversation

Yep-- sun still came up this morning, site is still here, good people signing on and helping each other out...

Just another day in paradise. :chillin

:hashbrowns

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I agree. Best forum I've ever frequented. I'd say the same thing even if I did not own the forum.

About ten years ago I joined Bimmerfest.com. My friend, Jon Shafer, owns that forum. During the first 6-12 months, it was awesome. For the most part, we knew everyone. It was a great environment. Many of us were refugees from Bimmer.org (now known as Roadfly).

But, as always happens, even that forum got too big. It lost its charming and friendly feel. Today, there is no intimacy there. It's just a huge forum. Luckily, there aren't a ton of idiots there. Oh, they are there, and they are vocal, but it's nothing like e46fanatics (which is generally the most unfriendly BMW car forum in existence). Even bimmerforums is becoming a forum full of mean, moronic idiots. You can get a good feel for any site by visiting its off topic forum.

Anyhow, this post isn't meant as a slam against those forums. You guys have already formed your own opinion about those places, anyway. Instead, it's to let you know that I used my historical understanding of those forums to guide part of my decision to close this one. I always wished that some of those forums never got so big. I remember when, during the early days, it was easy to moderate those forums. I remember when those places were intimate. When they were friendly. I visited those forums every day.

With us, we never had to worry about getting 100,000 members. Wasn't in our future. But we were eventually going to get 10,000 members. Guarantee it. Just a matter of time. What would we look like with 10,000 members? Would we have been better off than when we had 1,000 members or 1,500 members? I made a bet that we would not. It's akin to multiplying infinity times infinity. You still get infinity. Quality times quality is still quality.

Our community is large enough. We don't have any need to stack more quality on top of the quality that already exists.

I want to know everyone's name here. I want to notice that Bill has been missing for thirty days. I want to know that Charlie's dad is making an excellent recovery. I want to know that Justin Wilson is doing well during his first year at VMI. With a small forum, we can have that atmosphere. The bigger we got, the less chance we had of maintaining the familiar feel that exists here.

A lurker (but a member) hit me up on ZHPMafia.com's Facebook page last night. Her name is Rhonda. She asked if we would be terminating anyone once we closed registration. Her message: "Will you be keeping some of us who joined but are bad about posting?! I love reading but I just didn't get a chance to get on much these days. You guys rock regardless!"

Of course we are keeping her and everyone else who already joined (see asterisk below, though). I have no doubt that if Rhonda got active here that she'd be an absolute joy to be around every day. I hope that she'll eventually find some time to join us.

Asterisk: I will be deleting some people who have been stuck in a box for many months and who never posted again (never attempted to post again). There were also several people who joined earlier this week. About five of them are suspect to me. A vendor also signed up yesterday to promote his site. He'll be terminated today.

Likewise, and unfortunately, some of our own may one day stray. A handful of you may feel the need to be disruptive down the road. Even with private messages from me, reminding you of the family atmosphere and friendly tone of the site, you'll continue to behave in a way that does not fit in here. Once I realize that no amount of corrective action will work, you'll be terminated. I won't create a post letting everyone know. You'll just disappear. It's my hope that no one ever gets to that point. As far as I can tell, and if I had to make a prediction, I'd guess that it's not going to happen. But you never know. At least, though, I am on record for putting my thoughts out there about the possibility (and what consequences exist if it does happen).

Anyhow, we're all here now. We have a great community. I think it's almost a guarantee now that this community will only get stronger from here.

Thanks for deciding that ZHPMafia.com is worthy of your discretionary time. Thanks for making the forum what it is today.

Carry on.

[imola red zhp]

Thank you well said :chillin:applause2

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Thanks, Dennis.

[johnnyrad]

Thanks to Marcus, Dane, Keith and the rest for creating a place that is special even if are car's are not..:applause2

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Johnny, amen.

The site would not be where it is today without Dane and Keith.

[danewilson77]

Johnny, amen.

The site would not be where it is today without Dane and Keith.

And Casey, and you, and the awesome members. Whew. Done

Thanks Boss.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I just started deleting members from our rolls. You will see our member number down from 1330 by the end of the day.

[Mtnman]

I hope I make the cut!

I haven't posted my thanks yet, so marky mark, dane keith, casey, and everyone else...thanks for doing all that you do!


Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

[imola red zhp]

< 1319

[cakM3]

This place is legit. Not sure, but do you guys understand how much of an absolute joy the ZHP is to drive. Just got back from a run out east and once again i realized that this damn car is amazing. I guess I'm sort of like a fish in that every time I drive the ZHP I rediscover how amazing it is to drive. I'm glad I have no memory because it's really incredible to rediscovery the joys of driving my ZHP every time I get in. Just want to make sure everyone here realizes...Oh the same goes for this site.t

But our cars are not so special....:biggrin

[Marcus-SanDiego]

By the way, we're almost down to 1300 members now.

Some members who were in the box, though, have been promoted to registered users. Congrats.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

OK. Down to 1,284 members. I got some pleasure deleting some of these A-holes (especially that last one from the Philippines).

That's it for now.

We have about 10 users in the moderation queue right now. If they ever verify their email addresses, they'll get in.

[Hermes]

boss, what exactly does your "box" look like (not that I ever wanna see it)?

Are they sent to the corner?
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N4SEJGgT5nI/SvcWvpqbYRI/AAAAAAAABY4/YoHUiNie2do/s400/dunce-cap.png

Burned up in the stove?
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs21/f/2007/236/3/2/the_dunce_corner_by_fahrmboy.jpg

Simpson's style?
http://i.saucesome.net/BIw.jpg

or are you a traditionalist?
http://gmhistory11.wikispaces.com/file/view/punishment_11.jpg/31807113/punishment_11.jpg

[Marcus-SanDiego]

More of a traditionalist. I created a user group for suspect members. It's a neutered user group. Members of this group cannot post without me moderating the post first. These members cannot be seen by registered users. Their signatures are stripped.

I have 10 different user groups at ZHPMafia.com. I even have one for members who like to delete 100s of their posts for no apparent reason. That user group isn't allowed to delete posts. Additionally, that group gets every post moderated by me. It's a very special group.

[danewilson77]

More of a traditionalist. I created a user group for suspect members. It's a neutered user group. Members of this group cannot post without me moderating the post first. These members cannot be seen by registered users. Their signatures are stripped.

I have 10 different user groups at ZHPMafia.com. I even have one for members who like to delete 100s of their posts for no apparent reason. That user group isn't allowed to delete posts. Additionally, that group gets every post moderated by me. It's a very special group.

So.....some are "special"

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Yes. Some are special. Some are very special.

[danewilson77]

I know one has a big dent in his hood.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[M0nk3y]

Whew! I Made it through!

[chris]

I have one question that I don't quite understand, aren't we now starting the march to reach 0 members?

Since this car hasn't been in production in several years and you can only buy used now, what happens are ownership of ZHP's transfer to new owners? We should have some way to at least retain the car, if you will, albeit with a new owner.

[johnrando]

I have one question that I don't quite understand, aren't we now starting the march to reach 0 members?

Since this car hasn't been in production in several years and you can only buy used now, what happens are ownership of ZHP's transfer to new owners? We should have some way to at least retain the car, if you will, albeit with a new owner.

What transfer of ownership? I'm taking this car with me to my grave. :)

[Hermes]

we can still add people, it's just not gonna be whoever wants to join. you need to be checked out first

[Marcus-SanDiego]

And if the new owner of the car wants in they're free to contact us. We are just being very selective about who we let in now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[06ZhP]

Whoa, how'd I miss all this... :dunno

Sorry to hear about the issues

[danewilson77]

Marcus, did not know thus until my dent guy mentioned it to me...but he says he was unable to view ZHP classified section as a non-member. Is this desired?

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[Marcus-SanDiego]

It's not accurate information. Test that information by signing out and checking.

I just signed out and viewed forum as a guest. I was able to view all forums, including classifieds.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[johnrando]

Just checked, it works.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Thanks for confirming, John.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I agree. Best forum I've ever frequented. I'd say the same thing even if I did not own the forum.

About ten years ago I joined Bimmerfest.com. My friend, Jon Shafer, owns that forum. During the first 6-12 months, it was awesome. For the most part, we knew everyone. It was a great environment. Many of us were refugees from Bimmer.org (now known as Roadfly).

But, as always happens, even that forum got too big. It lost its charming and friendly feel. Today, there is no intimacy there. It's just a huge forum. Luckily, there aren't a ton of idiots there. Oh, they are there, and they are vocal, but it's nothing like e46fanatics (which is generally the most unfriendly BMW car forum in existence). Even bimmerforums is becoming a forum full of mean, moronic idiots. You can get a good feel for any site by visiting its off topic forum.

Anyhow, this post isn't meant as a slam against those forums. You guys have already formed your own opinion about those places, anyway. Instead, it's to let you know that I used my historical understanding of those forums to guide part of my decision to close this one. I always wished that some of those forums never got so big. I remember when, during the early days, it was easy to moderate those forums. I remember when those places were intimate. When they were friendly. I visited those forums every day.

With us, we never had to worry about getting 100,000 members. Wasn't in our future. But we were eventually going to get 10,000 members. Guarantee it. Just a matter of time. What would we look like with 10,000 members? Would we have been better off than when we had 1,000 members or 1,500 members? I made a bet that we would not. It's akin to multiplying infinity times infinity. You still get infinity. Quality times quality is still quality.

Our community is large enough. We don't have any need to stack more quality on top of the quality that already exists.

I want to know everyone's name here. I want to notice that Bill has been missing for thirty days. I want to know that Charlie's dad is making an excellent recovery. I want to know that Justin Wilson is doing well during his first year at VMI. With a small forum, we can have that atmosphere. The bigger we got, the less chance we had of maintaining the familiar feel that exists here.

A lurker (but a member) hit me up on ZHPMafia.com's Facebook page last night. Her name is Rhonda. She asked if we would be terminating anyone once we closed registration. Her message: "Will you be keeping some of us who joined but are bad about posting?! I love reading but I just didn't get a chance to get on much these days. You guys rock regardless!"

Of course we are keeping her and everyone else who already joined (see asterisk below, though). I have no doubt that if Rhonda got active here that she'd be an absolute joy to be around every day. I hope that she'll eventually find some time to join us.

Asterisk: I will be deleting some people who have been stuck in a box for many months and who never posted again (never attempted to post again). There were also several people who joined earlier this week. About five of them are suspect to me. A vendor also signed up yesterday to promote his site. He'll be terminated today.

Likewise, and unfortunately, some of our own may one day stray. A handful of you may feel the need to be disruptive down the road. Even with private messages from me, reminding you of the family atmosphere and friendly tone of the site, you'll continue to behave in a way that does not fit in here. Once I realize that no amount of corrective action will work, you'll be terminated. I won't create a post letting everyone know. You'll just disappear. It's my hope that no one ever gets to that point. As far as I can tell, and if I had to make a prediction, I'd guess that it's not going to happen. But you never know. At least, though, I am on record for putting my thoughts out there about the possibility (and what consequences exist if it does happen).

Anyhow, we're all here now. We have a great community. I think it's almost a guarantee now that this community will only get stronger from here.

Thanks for deciding that ZHPMafia.com is worthy of your discretionary time. Thanks for making the forum what it is today.

Carry on.

Probably one of the best posts I ever typed out here at the forum.

[imola red zhp]

^^^^^^^^^
+1

sent from my Personal Electronic Device