Rich Stern
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2000
- Messages
- 2,618
- Reaction score
- 1
Hello, everyone.
I wanted to say a few words (ok, more than a few) about what's happened in the last few days at this web site and give you my take on the ramifications. I beg your indulgence for the length of this, because, at the end of my long-windedness, I want your input.
I am disappointed in the lack of decorum shown in various threads this past week. It has happened in numerous forms, some subtle, some blatant. The bottom line is that people have been forgetting rule number one, our golden rule, which is treating everyone with respect. It only takes a few steps down the wrong path before we are lost. Remind yourself of this by visiting some of the other bass fishing sites and reading some of the less flattering interchanges that take place.
This web site, through diligence, consistency, and a nearly religious sense of etiquette on the part of all participants, won a position of minor, yet important influence in the world of Tracker and Nitro boats. Visiting many other sites, I see references, referring a person with a question about Tracker and Nitro products to this site. Not to a dealer. Not to Tracker Marine. To us. The owners. The members. We earned respect for being helpful, rational, and reasonable.
Through all of this, Tracker Marine has paid increasing attention to the content of this web site. Our collective voice was not only being heard, but also received with a degree of appreciation for the value of the information we exchange and the value delivered to the owners and future owners we are aiding. A major accomplishment.
If you've ever worked for a big company that sells products to many thousands of customers, you know that those companies set up mechanisms (dealers, distribution channels, retail relationships, etc.) to isolate much of the company from the issues of the end consumer. It's a natural and often necessary response to getting big. Try calling your automobile manufacturer's corporate headquarters with a specific question about your car. You'll quickly find out that the walls are high, the razor wire is sharp, and the guards are heavily armed. They don't call it the ivory tower by accident. And, in case you hadn't noticed, very few companies of any size are willing to have direct interaction with the general public via the Internet. It's still the Wild West out here, and established companies don't like the unpredictability of the frontier.
Tracker opened the gate for us a bit. They were listening from behind the wall, and recently, even started answering back. We were asked for input on issues important to present and future owners. That was a huge, positive step that will benefit many. Eighteen months ago, who would have guessed that could happen when just a handful of us were getting together to support one another?
Cool stuff, huh? I think we all thought so.
And now, here's the bad news: In the course of just a few days, we've lost most, or possibly all, of the goodwill that allowed those accomplishments to happen. Gone.
Right now, this web site is a source of pain for Tracker Marine. The word "corporate" has at its root <I>corpor</I>, from the Latin word corpus, which means body. What does a body, either an individual or group, do when it suffers pain? It instinctively seeks to stop or at least to minimize the pain. It is as predictable as sunrise and sunset that Tracker Marine is considering how to minimize pain it currently suffers here. I would if I were in their shoes. They have people to answer to regarding goals for sales and profits. They have a context for achieving those goals. Engaging in a shouting match with any of us is about as far away from being useful to those goals as any Tracker employee could possibly get. They don't need to do it, they shouldn't do it, they won't do it.
I am not saying that people don't have legitimate gripes about warranty or se
I wanted to say a few words (ok, more than a few) about what's happened in the last few days at this web site and give you my take on the ramifications. I beg your indulgence for the length of this, because, at the end of my long-windedness, I want your input.
I am disappointed in the lack of decorum shown in various threads this past week. It has happened in numerous forms, some subtle, some blatant. The bottom line is that people have been forgetting rule number one, our golden rule, which is treating everyone with respect. It only takes a few steps down the wrong path before we are lost. Remind yourself of this by visiting some of the other bass fishing sites and reading some of the less flattering interchanges that take place.
This web site, through diligence, consistency, and a nearly religious sense of etiquette on the part of all participants, won a position of minor, yet important influence in the world of Tracker and Nitro boats. Visiting many other sites, I see references, referring a person with a question about Tracker and Nitro products to this site. Not to a dealer. Not to Tracker Marine. To us. The owners. The members. We earned respect for being helpful, rational, and reasonable.
Through all of this, Tracker Marine has paid increasing attention to the content of this web site. Our collective voice was not only being heard, but also received with a degree of appreciation for the value of the information we exchange and the value delivered to the owners and future owners we are aiding. A major accomplishment.
If you've ever worked for a big company that sells products to many thousands of customers, you know that those companies set up mechanisms (dealers, distribution channels, retail relationships, etc.) to isolate much of the company from the issues of the end consumer. It's a natural and often necessary response to getting big. Try calling your automobile manufacturer's corporate headquarters with a specific question about your car. You'll quickly find out that the walls are high, the razor wire is sharp, and the guards are heavily armed. They don't call it the ivory tower by accident. And, in case you hadn't noticed, very few companies of any size are willing to have direct interaction with the general public via the Internet. It's still the Wild West out here, and established companies don't like the unpredictability of the frontier.
Tracker opened the gate for us a bit. They were listening from behind the wall, and recently, even started answering back. We were asked for input on issues important to present and future owners. That was a huge, positive step that will benefit many. Eighteen months ago, who would have guessed that could happen when just a handful of us were getting together to support one another?
Cool stuff, huh? I think we all thought so.
And now, here's the bad news: In the course of just a few days, we've lost most, or possibly all, of the goodwill that allowed those accomplishments to happen. Gone.
Right now, this web site is a source of pain for Tracker Marine. The word "corporate" has at its root <I>corpor</I>, from the Latin word corpus, which means body. What does a body, either an individual or group, do when it suffers pain? It instinctively seeks to stop or at least to minimize the pain. It is as predictable as sunrise and sunset that Tracker Marine is considering how to minimize pain it currently suffers here. I would if I were in their shoes. They have people to answer to regarding goals for sales and profits. They have a context for achieving those goals. Engaging in a shouting match with any of us is about as far away from being useful to those goals as any Tracker employee could possibly get. They don't need to do it, they shouldn't do it, they won't do it.
I am not saying that people don't have legitimate gripes about warranty or se
