Excellent article about negativity on social media

[W2Racing09]

http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index...rt_river_index

This article has first hand references about the negative effects that drivers (and fans) can have on a track via Social Media. Keep in mind Kolten runs one of the nicest facilities in Central, PA with some of the best car counts in the area as well (regularly running a consi in two of the tracks three regular divisions!)

[Barbecueboy]

Like most of those type articles, not a single mention or claim of responsibility from the source of what may have been the problem......

Did the driver just start ranting about the track for no reason(highly doubtful)

Was the drivers concern addressed or just swept under the rug as ( just another social media rant)

When will these promoters figure out that in this day and age that you just can't run to the tower and hide from issues........the days of it just getting ignored because of the (what can a handful of disenchanted word of mouth fans or drivers do to me.) are over.

Again, in that whole article, not one mention of why the folks where hollering so loudly on social media.......maybe they just like to holler, but I doubt it.

Accept the responsibilities of running your business folks........look around ........address concerns.....and most of all do less talking and more listening to the people that are telling you there is a problem or the ones that have a concern.

Or just blame it all on someone else and social media and go the heck out of business............in the Carolina's that's called a Fulpism I think.

[Kromulous]

Good for Gouse, toss em out.

To easy to get behind the keyboard and run your mouth, instead of facing up to it man to man.

Take responsibility of what you post, and be held accountable.

No problem with that whatsoever.

[W2Racing09]

Like most of those type articles, not a single mention or claim of responsibility from the source of what may have been the problem......

Did the driver just start ranting about the track for no reason(highly doubtful)

Was the drivers concern addressed or just swept under the rug as ( just another social media rant)

When will these promoters figure out that in this day and age that you just can't run to the tower and hide from issues........the days of it just getting ignored because of the (what can a handful of disenchanted word of mouth fans or drivers do to me.) are over.

Again, in that whole article, not one mention of why the folks where hollering so loudly on social media.......maybe they just like to holler, but I doubt it.

Accept the responsibilities of running your business folks........look around ........address concerns.....and most of all do less talking and more listening to the people that are telling you there is a problem or the ones that have a concern.

Or just blame it all on someone else and social media and go the heck out of business............in the Carolina's that's called a Fulpism I think.

I believe that particular instance was related to track prep. But like most things, posting on facebook about it won't yield any type of results. They have invested a lot in track prep equipment over the past year -- and you can rest assured they didn't spend all week prepping the track with the intention of throw a rut in turn one to create some excitement. Just like a car that has a mechanical failure that ends up causing a wreck, it happens and it is not intentional. Most drivers seem to understand that, but not when something equally unintentional happens with the track. I believe I heard the track spent 45 minutes trying to fix it and it reoccurred. Not much else can be done.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[GEAR_HEAD]

Why aren't there ever any articles about media positivity and how that can benefit racetracks? Put on a good show at a well-kept facility at a decent price and there will be a ton of positivity (FALS is a great example). If tracks don't like negativity then don't feed that fire and improve your racetrack. I have always asked my customers for feedback so that I know what we could improve on, racetracks could use that insight to benefit them as well.

[W2Racing09]

Why aren't there ever any articles about media positivity and how that can benefit racetracks? Put on a good show at a well-kept facility at a decent price and there will be a ton of positivity (FALS is a great example). If tracks don't like negativity then don't feed that fire and improve your racetrack. I have always asked my customers for feedback so that I know what we could improve on, racetracks could use that insight to benefit them as well.

Tracks won't have the money to improve if negative posts on FB are making sponsors think twice about working with them. At that point the drivers are shooting themselves in the foot because money that goes to the track ultimately trickles down to the drivers in some way.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[Josh Bayko]

A smart promoter looks at gripes on social media and realizes what needs work.

A poor promoter looks at gripes on social media and blames their problems on it.

[W2Racing09]

A smart promoter looks at gripes on social media and realizes what needs work.

A poor promoter looks at gripes on social media and blames their problems on it.

So you think social media costing one of the most popular tracks in the area sponsorship money is a positive?

This track is pulling almost 40 Street Stocks, and 30+ Super Sportsman weekly.. along with 20+ Limited Late Models. Clearly they are doing something right. Meanwhile a few people complain about an anomaly causing a sponsor to back out. In my mind there is no question that it is something that should be limited.

I have had no issues with the tour that I manage as far as complaining on social media goes, but if it became an issue I would definitely adopt a similar policy. I am a lot more likely to rectify a problem brought directly to my attention, rather than blasted out on social media for all of the other drivers, fans and sponsors to see.

[golddirt]

Here it is, beating that (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) dead horse again!!! I look at media on tracks to get a ideal what to expect when going to a new track but wit only me six years edjukashun I can make up my own mind, not a negative article about negativity again !!!

[flagone]

I believe that we as promoters do have some responsibility to answer to questions posed via social media and message boards. You can either embrace these outlets and use them to your fullest advantage or you can ignore them completely. I choose to do the former. I believe that 90% of the negativity can be addressed and allayed. As long as you treat people with respect and recognize there is a possibility there is a real issue which needs to be corrected. If it needs correcting or you made a mistake - own it. It will happen. Fix it where you can and move on.

You must also be able to recognize when someone is just looking to create drama or looking for an argument for the sake of having one. And then resist that urge. In those cases I try to give a clear and concise answer and be done with it.

Social media allows fans to have a voice. A voice that can be heard (or seen) quite clearly. But as I have said before - fans should remember that they also have a responsibility, both morally and legally, when speaking their minds for all the world to see. I want to hear from you. If you enjoyed the show or we did something right I want to know. And I also want to know if the opposite is true. But it is much more likely to be addressed when it is done in a respectful manner. No need to call me a doodoo pot and question my mother's virtue. Just talk. Ask. Follow the Golden Rule. Treat folks how you want to be treated.

The one thing I think is smart to do is to never address something while you are angry. Anger only clouds your thoughts and usually boils into a diatribe that doesn't get your point across. Take some time to cool off before typing.

Just my 2 cents

[Josh Bayko]

So you think social media costing one of the most popular tracks in the area sponsorship money is a positive?

This track is pulling almost 40 Street Stocks, and 30+ Super Sportsman weekly.. along with 20+ Limited Late Models. Clearly they are doing something right. Meanwhile a few people complain about an anomaly causing a sponsor to back out. In my mind there is no question that it is something that should be limited.

I have had no issues with the tour that I manage as far as complaining on social media goes, but if it became an issue I would definitely adopt a similar policy. I am a lot more likely to rectify a problem brought directly to my attention, rather than blasted out on social media for all of the other drivers, fans and sponsors to see.

Susquehanna has never been particularly successful long term. It's had a revolving door of promoters over the years, and the weekly show they present has been changed drastically at least five times that I can remember. I'm not saying that negative social media isn't the cause of him losing a potential sponsor, but any solid businessman is going to have trepidation sponsoring a track that seemingly can't ever be stable.

If he's reading negative criticism on social media, he should be learning what he has to work on. Fix those issues, and the negativity will die down.

If he just whines about the negativity, it's only going to contribute to more negativity.

[ClampedUp]

IMO if a sponsor or potential sponsor bases their decision on whether to sponsor a track or not by a faceless/nameless person/s post on social media, message board, or whatever without going to the track and seeing first hand how business is run there I have to doubt they were serious about it in the first place.

If I would have listened to the whiners and complainers on various social media outlets over the years about this track or that track and how bad things are I would have missed a whole lot of great racing, tracks, and drivers.

[W2Racing09]

Susquehanna has never been particularly successful long term. It's had a revolving door of promoters over the years, and the weekly show they present has been changed drastically at least five times that I can remember. I'm not saying that negative social media isn't the cause of him losing a potential sponsor, but any solid businessman is going to have trepidation sponsoring a track that seemingly can't ever be stable.

If he's reading negative criticism on social media, he should be learning what he has to work on. Fix those issues, and the negativity will die down.

If he just whines about the negativity, it's only going to contribute to more negativity.

Anyone who has been there or even nearby can tell that the current management is invested in the track. It has been purchased and a bunch of money thrown at it this season. The car counts are huge, the fan counts are great. I've been there this season both for a practice and for a race, and both times the surface has been fine.

As far as the negativity, I suppose it does not matter either way. Two of the three divisions at the track don't race elsewhere for the most part. If drivers complain/post negative stuff on FB and get suspended they will have a car sitting in the garage with nowhere to race it.

I'm fully in favor of this policy, as a fan. I rarely complain about a track, and if I do then that track is so far gone that I think it is a detriment to racing for it to be open.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[W2Racing09]

IMO if a sponsor or potential sponsor bases their decision on whether to sponsor a track or not by a faceless/nameless person/s post on social media, message board, or whatever without going to the track and seeing first hand how business is run there I have to doubt they were serious about it in the first place.

If I would have listened to the whiners and complainers on various social media outlets over the years about this track or that track and how bad things are I would have missed a whole lot of great racing, tracks, and drivers.

Exactly, it is a good thing you didn't. However many people do, and no matter how incorrect the stuff being said was the track ultimately misses out on fans as a result. It isn't just those fans missing out on good racing, its the track that hosts the racing missing out on those people paying to get in. It does happen frequently, in fact I'm guilty myself of basing a decision on what track to go to on comments I've seen online.

A great example is the post on here about Eldora being dusty, I've seen just about every track be dusty. I've seen highlights this year of Eldora with no dust at all, and I've seen highlights this year (from the Dream) with a bunch of dust. I also see a bunch of posts in that thread about how Eldora is ALWAYS dusty. If my wife were to read that thread she would never want to go to Eldora... it is ALWAYS dusty...

Thanks,
Jeff.

[Clayton_Wetter]

I believe the whole article is rediculous.

After reading the comment section many others do also.

Race car drivers are not employees of any race track.

One of the comments:
I think this whole article is ridiculous, you suspend people for speaking their mind, especially from the drivers that race on the tracks. If they complain/ voice their opinion about something that could affect their safety or the safety of others and you don't like what they have to say you suspend them for example the lighting in the turns, dust so bad you cant see two feet in front of you, condition of the track, track crew crossing the track in the middle of time trials? what happens when a driver gets killed because of one of these problems, are you going to suspend the family for being upset at you??? I mean get real with this!