[nathans1012]

Social Media and Negativity - A bad combination for dirt racing.
Does speaking out on social media hurt dirt racing?

Article is from the Ransomville Speedway in New York. Track is located just a bit north of the Buffalo / Niagara Falls area.
Link - http://www.insidedirtracing.com/soci...r-dirt-racing/

[Gene Franckowiak]

Social media is a sword that cuts in both directions. Social media if used properly may help a racer, track, or sponsor.....but if used incorrectly can become a venomous outlook for negativity and could lose a sponsor for a racer, discourage a person from becomng an owner or a sponsor, and even cause expensive litigation. It is very easy to type on a keyboard and you can do it almost without thought....but the consequences of your words can problems that you don't think about while punching the keyboard.

[Charles Nungester]

Yet we got Racers who bash promoters in victory lane on the microphone.............. Seen one do it three times at the same track.

[Quantrill]

Forums, FB or any reviews of a business are the same. It is easy to pick out the person or persons who have a bone to pick and you basically ignore there comments. There is not one person on any social media that could persuade me from going to an event or patronizing a business because of negative comments. Now if you have 100 people saying the same thing…… There most likely is something to it. Numbers don’t lie, if a tracks or series is having a hard time attracting customers. I.E. fans or racers then it most likely it is not Social Media it’s their business practices IMO. Blaming it on social media is a scapegoat. http://tjslideways.com/2015/12/31/so...ing-endeavors/

I do think you draw the line when people stray from a topic and get personal. This should not be tolerated and it usually means one of the people has lost the debate by going negative.

[LEADERS EDGE]

If I were a track.....I would be more concerned that electronic media allows a nearly real time account of the evenings events without a fan having to shell out a dollar let alone put pants on.

I feel that if it's given away for free then thats basically what it's worth.

Between that, back gate promotors and the age of the average fan.....it's going to be interesting to see what it looks like in 10 years.

[Unlucky#9]

Originally Posted by LEADERS EDGE If I were a track.....I would be more concerned that electronic media allows a nearly real time account of the evenings events without a fan having to shell out a dollar let alone put pants on. I feel that if it's given away for free then thats basically what it's worth. Between that, back gate promotors and the age of the average fan.....it's going to be interesting to see what it looks like in 10 years.

I quite agree with you, and I'd almost be willing to throw out this as well. Maybe we as a board should put a stop, or at least a limit on real time updates of an event. While I understand that it's not a popular opinion, It makes sense from a track owner's stand point. If a person can simply log in here and give a play by play, what use would I as a fan have in putting on my pants, driving to the track, paying the admission fee(which keeps tracks running, helps fun facility improvements, and provides pay out to the racers) to watch the show? While granted it's much more exciting to actually watch the show in person than to read about it on a message board, it just lowers my desire a little if I know that I can get a live update while in my recliner at home minus pants just by checking a thread on here.

[illinisprintfan]

Periscope. Just about every big race has at least one, if not more, person live streaming it. It happens even when PPV is available for the same event. The last night of the Chili bowl had 3 people streaming it. As a promoter, it would concern me. Periscope is still fairly small, but it is getting more users all of the time.

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Unlucky#9 I quite agree with you, and I'd almost be willing to throw out this as well. Maybe we as a board should put a stop, or at least a limit on real time updates of an event. While I understand that it's not a popular opinion, It makes sense from a track owner's stand point. If a person can simply log in here and give a play by play, what use would I as a fan have in putting on my pants, driving to the track, paying the admission fee(which keeps tracks running, helps fun facility improvements, and provides pay out to the racers) to watch the show? While granted it's much more exciting to actually watch the show in person than to read about it on a message board, it just lowers my desire a little if I know that I can get a live update while in my recliner at home minus pants just by checking a thread on here.

Robert Ballou's Twitter feed gives results heat race by heat race as does Dave Darland's (If they're at that event) along with other drivers

USAC does the same for any of their events.

If I'm at a race I'll usually give regular updates on @INSprintCarNews but usually I just give the results but others are more active on Twitter.

@WoOUpdates literally gives lap-by-lap updates of any WoO sprint and sometimes their LM shows.

All of this is just on Twitter. That's not counting Periscope, Facebook, blogs, etc. I understand what you and others are saying. But even if we limit what is posted here, there are a ton of other sources to look at.

I can see how it can be an issue. Personally the only time I'm looking for updates is if I can't be somewhere because of either distance and/or work. Nothing beats actually going to the track, getting dirty and drinking a beer along with a few dirt sprinkles.

So as long as it is going on my hope for these kinds of updates is it will help bring a younger crowd (primary users of social media) to the track.

[Mrs G]

This topic has been discussed several times off and on over the years. We all know Bill had a way with words. Here's his response at the time regarding the subject: https://www.indianaopenwheel.com/sho...910#post375910

Mrs. G

[Charles Nungester]

You can follow a ton of tracks and events in live timing and scoring so throw that update stuff out the window. Its nice to have if you couldn't make it, Had to work or something.

Its never kept me from a real race I could reasonably make. Even if it was on TV or streamed, Its not the same, The sights, the sounds, The stuff only the eye catches that the camera don't.

You can never get the excitement, Sense of wow or stress relief from Updates, Watching numbers scroll up and down a screen or even TV.

This periscope stuff, IDK, It sure as heck isn't the same. Might hurt PPVs a bit same as above. Its nothing like being there.

The thread was about SM and negativity. I posted how IMO its not cool for a racer and even teammates to be negative all over it about how the nights going or went and I pointed it out that they do it right in victory lane.

My example was a racer who stood on the podium then blamed the track he didn't win on three occasions.
IDK, Sometimes it would make that guy, The one you love to hate. It isn't like Social Media has changed anything there, But the constant bashing by a crew member of the track or something during a event, I kinda agree with this track owner on.

I think it was two years ago, Opener at Gas City, Track was prepped ready to go at race time, Track was allowed to bake another 45 minutes as the drives meeting went way over. OMG, The number of owners, crew chiefs, team members bashing on facebook an twitter was unbelievable. Strange how only a couple of them complimented it on the condition it was in for the consi and features.

This IMHO is the relentless negativity I think that this tracks trying to cool of. Used to be you'd walk up personally and ask the owner, promoter or track guy if they could do something about it. Without all the F bombs etc because you'd probably be eating teeth if you did what you do on the net. And Everyone you know wouldn't know how bad it was, FOR A SHORT TIME.

I read Bills response after writing this and I totally agree, We got locals who can no longer drive or have a spouse they have to take care of that make it when and if they can find the live updates useful for all the times they can't.

I meet people from PA NJ, New Zealand, Austrailia and Britain that make come because of social media, Keep track of all our tracks so they know who, what, where when they do come.

It has some negatives, But it also takes this localized three state non wing fad. INTERNATIONAL! and even folks from winged country come to Indiana just because it isn't winged.