Posting Your Detail Work on Auto Sites?

[Beemerboy]

I got to a few car specific forums, and notice that some of the posters that are detailers, post their work. Many of these posts are not of the specific car manufacture in that forum.

Is that considered spamming? or free enterprise?

It doesn't matter here at DC, we are talking about detailing in general, not about one kind of car manufacture.

I wonder how much business can be generated from that?

[JaredPointer]

Apparently enough business can be garnered by hit-and-run photo posting that it bothers a good many forum members over at Autopia. There was a recent thread on it, and it seems like there's a few folks out there posting pics with no substance (i.e. no help in the community) that it bothered some folks.

I've gotten to a point where I really don't have time to stop and take sixty before and after photos nor do I have the time or the drive to bother posting them. I did a Camry (exterior only, light polishing/one step) yesterday and it just about broke me down. Kept looking at my boat the whole time wishing I was out on a lake somewhere...

[Beemerboy]

Originally Posted by JaredPointer

Apparently enough business can be garnered by hit-and-run photo posting that it bothers a good many forum members over at Autopia. There was a recent thread on it, and it seems like there's a few folks out there posting pics with no substance (i.e. no help in the community) that it bothered some folks.

I've gotten to a point where I really don't have time to stop and take sixty before and after photos nor do I have the time or the drive to bother posting them. I did a Camry (exterior only, light polishing/one step) yesterday and it just about broke me down. Kept looking at my boat the whole time wishing I was out on a lake somewhere...

That's why I posted this, I see this happening at a couple of site and some have made remarks about it

[JaredPointer]

I guess it's cheap advertising. I just couldn't imagine being a pro (where time is money) taking the time to stop every time I put the polisher down to snap photos. Or taping up areas to make 50/50 photos. Or hiding my afters in a shady area.....

[C. Charles Hahn]

I don't do it mainly because all the amateur "I can make my car/truck look as good as that with a can of turtle wax rubbing compound and some liquid glass" idiots come out of the woodwork to criticize or claim "that's too much work... not worth it."

Ignorance seems to always prevail on most non-detailing forums from what I've experienced.

[Stephan]

It takes me long enough to do a full detail on a car, let alone take before and after pics...

[C. Charles Hahn]

I usually try to grab 2-3 pics before and after a detail, if for no other reason than to document any prior damage on a vehicle. Only takes a minute or two since I'm not really going for high-res macro shots or anything. Which is also why I don't post them usually even here, unless I'm trying to illustrate a point or teach a technique.

There's something that actually bothers me even more than people just posting random pics though. It's people even on this site who post WAY TOO MANY pics. I don't need to see a gloved hand with a wheel brush in it, or pics of you polishing/claying/waxing/whatever. Just show me the car before and the car after. I don't want to have to scroll through the rest of your crap!

[Bunky]

I do not see why it upsets some so much. If I owned the forum, I may have a different opinion if it was a negative cost to operating but then one could say if you posted a lot of threads you have to show your work. In fact, some select posters were called out by someone demanding them to show their work, etc. so they could earn their respect since they were given "advice".

[Beemerboy]

Originally Posted by Bunky

I do not see why it upsets some so much. If I owned the forum, I may have a different opinion if it was a negative cost to operating but then one could say if you posted a lot of threads you have to show your work. In fact, some select posters were called out by someone demanding them to show their work, etc. so they could earn their respect since they were given "advice".

I'm not upset by it at all, but some could use it as a form of spamming for biz..It could be viewed the same if someone pops on this site and starts wanting to sell detail supplies.

[Bunky]

Originally Posted by Beemerboy

I'm not upset by it at all, but some could use it as a form of spamming for biz..It could be viewed the same if someone pops on this site and starts wanting to sell detail supplies.

Some have publicly said they use the posts to help business.

I think the forum owner needs to decide if it is spamming or not since it is a very broad term.

Forums, especially independent ones like Autopia, tolerate some kinds of spamming (purist definition) by "respected" members so where do you draw the line. These members may only post about a specific brand product. Of course, you expect promotion at sponsored forums.

[Beemerboy]

Originally Posted by Bunky

Some have publicly said they use the posts to help business.

I think the forum owner needs to decide if it is spamming or not since it is a very broad term.

Forums, especially independent ones like Autopia, tolerate some kinds of spamming (purist definition) by "respected" members so where do you draw the line. These members may only post about a specific brand product. Of course, you expect promotion at sponsored forums.

Bunky

What I was more talking about was sites that are specific to a car manufacture...like Ford, BMW, Chevy, etc. They all have a detail section for Q&A. I can also see a detailer or any posters put his car up for viewing and telling about the process if it is a car specific to the site

Its the agenda I wonder about is when you have a detailer posting a BMW on a Ford forum, what's that all about

To me that's promoting their detailing skills in order to create questions and or business. If the sites owners take no offense to it then OK, but it seems like a form of free advertising at the expense of the site sponsors that pay to be there

[tdekany]

Originally Posted by Beemerboy

Bunky

What I was more talking about was sites that are specific to a car manufacture...like Ford, BMW, Chevy, etc. They all have a detail section for Q&A. I can also see a detailer or any posters put his car up for viewing and telling about the process if it is a car specific to the site

Its the agenda I wonder about is when you have a detailer posting a BMW on a Ford forum, what's that all about

To me that's promoting their detailing skills in order to create questions and or business. If the sites owners take no offense to it then OK, but it seems like a form of free advertising at the expense of the site sponsors that pay to be there

This is how I see it - PROs post pictures of their details to get more business. Bottom line. No exception. If they tell you otherwise they are lying. Anyone can help others without posting thier own work.

As far as posting details of different cars, that is also for the same reasons. You'll see higher end cars posted on the "lower end" forums.

If the moderator is ok with it, why not. After all, if we (professionals) didn't post our work on other forums besides the big 3, those "detailing" forums would be pretty dead. Just my 2 cent.

[Beemerboy]

Originally Posted by tdekany

This is how I see it - PROs post pictures of their details to get more business. Bottom line. No exception. If they tell you otherwise they are lying. Anyone can help others without posting thier own work.

As far as posting details of different cars, that is also for the same reasons. You'll see higher end cars posted on the "lower end" forums.

If the moderator is ok with it, why not. After all, if we (professionals) didn't post our work on other forums besides the big 3, those "detailing" forums would be pretty dead. Just my 2 cent.

I was darn certain posting your work on sites that are not car specific was a way to generate visibility, and win local business.

Where I don't agree with you is, that if you pro's don't post your work on the other forums besides the big 3 that they would be dead.

The "other car forums" are a place for those car enthusiast to ask questions about issues on their cars. Its not necessary that you or any one post pics of general details in order to provide answers to those questions. There are plenty of questions especially at this time of the year about how to's

IMO that's just free marketing and as stated if the mods or site owners don't care right on!

Its not you pros posting your detail that are keeping those detail section alive

[mrclean81]

I'm not a member of any forum other than DC anymore but I do read through others from time to time and I've noticed this as well. I've always wondered what why someone would post pics of say an Audi detail on a BMW forum. As for taking pics, for me its absolutly to generate business. Granted I sometimes post a job I've done on here but only if its something I think is worth sharing. Usually the pics I take goes on my myspace page. I know within the first minute of looking at a vehical weather or not I'm going to take pics of it. If its not really bad and won't have the "holy crap I can't believe that's the same car" factor, or just something really nice, I don't bother with pics.

[Beemerboy]

MC

I agree I rarely take pics of anything that I am working on, like you if I can see there will be a dramatic turn around then I will, but I don't feel like I have time to take pics of every process that I go threw, heck a five hour detail would turn into twice that.

I think that we've established that posting pics of a Audi on a BMW site or something similar to this is nothing more than a plug for business