Ok everybody STOP,,STOP,,,,STOOPPPPPP!!!!! you know what? I tried to hold this in as long as I could thinking that things would get better, but they seem to be getting worse, so I want everybody to take a minute to stop, read, and think about what is happening to us lately because at the rate we are going, NELOC as a whole is not gonna be around much longer.
The statements I am about to make are of my own opinion, and if they offend you I apologize in advance but the truth needs to be said. Please take note that I will not call anyone out like this in open forum, but if any of the statements apply to you, just know it; as I will not call any names here. This is why we have PM's as well as the telephones.
I don't quite understand what is happening to Neloc, as a group, but lately there has been a rise in animosity amongst the group, and it needs to disappear; as it is infectious to the existance of the group as a whole. All of us here, are here because we choose to be. Not because we pay dues, are obligated to be here in the NELOC forum, are contract bound, none of that. We are here for the main purpose of showing love for the Lexus brand within a closer knit group within our area. Alot of the individuals here, myself included, have not only come to know the cars within Neloc but have also come to know the individuals who drives them as well. We have created a family within a family atmosphere, and folks I gotta tell you that somewhere along the way,, the family is falling apart!!!! There was a statement I read a little while ago by Oohpapi44 which basically summed up my feelings for Neloc which said,"In the last year this group of people have taken tremendous strides in growth, community and just regular life where I get can get phone calls from members on this forum from MD, NJ, PA just to say "what's up" and not mention the word Lexus at all and I'm a better person for it. So with what's been building, it seems that this thing called NELOC will continue to grow.... I can only hope you can get on board and ride it out with the direction it's going because you're missing a great ride.....There are some people here who just want to do meets or car stuff and there are other people who want to build comraderie and friendships"(Oohpapi44) I mean,, I could not have said it any better myself, and some of you know me personally to pride myself with my writings; yet this single profound statement struck me to the core of everything i know to be whole hearted and true. So where is this togetherness now??

First and foremost, this is a forum!!!! This is a place where ideas, thoughts, comments, etc are to be exchanged which may be both positive and/or negative (within respect guidelines). Lately, there has been alot of changes going on with Neloc; from an atmospheric view as well as from a regional view. Do you all recognize that the different areas are starting to branch off and do their own thing?? Do you all understand that certain feuds, arguements, animosities, and bad vibes amongst certain individuals are contaminating the atmosphere for others?? Do you all realize that people here who have been longtime friends, no longer speak to one another for whatever reason?? I know that most people here feel the same that I do, yet don't want to say anything for fear of being labeled a troublemaker. The only way that we will grow together, is to express what we truly feel. keep in mind that not everyone is going to agree with what is going on, what may/may not be said, or things which may be done in a certain way. This is the beauty of the group. We encourage all to participate, and we do not discourage those who choose not to do so.

I have listened to different individuals lately say to me that they are not feeling Neloc anymore, something is just not there anymore, or they don't like the direction in which Neloc is going; and this is a shame. I can only speak from that which I know. I know for a fact that at least the MD/Pa group (not sure about NY group since I am not there and can only speculate) encourages the open exchange of ideas, thoughts, etc. This is the reason for our upcoming Round Table meet (7/28) so we can, as a group, continue to find ways to grow together; not just be told by someone to go here and do this or that. Being one of the forerunners in Md, Leroy and myself NEVER want to be placed in a position in which the members have no respect for us(as individuals). It is virtually impossible for just 1 or 2 people to constantly come up with ideas all the time. This is why we encourage ANY of our people to suggest something, come up with a meet idea, whatever. If some of you remember, we were doing impromptu meets, which were not called, just happened because we could not wait to see one another. This used to be a widespread feeling throughout the ENTIRE forum, but that ship seems to have long since sailed away.
I know that change is difficult for alot of people, but it is a necessary process. There will be some people who WILL fall by the wayside, and will miss the train that Neloc is traveling on. This is sad and those people will most definately be missed. I encourage all of you to take a good, long, look at yourselves and then question. Do I want to truly be here? Do I really enjoy the individuals with which I am acquainted? Do I really want to be a part of this thing called Neloc, or am I here just to be able to say to others that I belong to a car club and I make posts? Do I really want to follow the direction in which the club is heading, or is there something that I can suggest which may possibly make things better/different? Do I just want to hop on the bandwagon with everybody else, or am I contributing to the existing problems by not saying anything? Are you content with just following all of the time, or can you step up and lead the pack once in awhile? Keep in mind that everyone here is an equal, not a senior, or otherwise but equal. Irregardless of whatever title that they may have, that man/woman is still an equal member within the group and are still subject to follow the same forum rules as any one of us. They may appear to us as the leader, but I assure you that even they want all of us to treat them as individuals. Basically, we are all partners here and we Will live on the edge,,,, can YOU live there with us??

Bottom line folks, the direction of Neloc is controlled by a concensus and not just by individuals. It is up to ALL of you to point the way for the group to go. Certain individuals normally do step up and assume the "leader" roles only because no one else is taking control of the wheel. We want EVERY individual to take a turn at the wheel. Question is,,,,,in which direction will YOU have us travel????


BTW,, Oohpapi, hope you didn't mind me quoting you bruh!!! Word of inspiration such as the ones you gave are not easily forgotten, and got to me,, if no one else.

 

Good lawd, I must really be "out of the loop". From the sound of things, that's a good thing.

Damn, should I already be missing 'the good ole' days of NELOC'. Are those days forever gone?

Well, I'm going to do my part, I'm going to bump my "Memories" thread just for nostalgia sake.

 

Wow what the hell is happening lol

Isn't this why we have mods so they can take the lead and arrange the meets?

I haven't really sensed any problems with the group but I also haven't been to a meet or seen any members since march so

 

Well I initially organized and put a lot of meets together but that was last year. I have a new job that requires traveling sometimes and changed schools and I really don't have as much time now was I did then. My car has been in and out the shop and I don't really have the time to personally work on it so I'm pretty much at the mercy at the shop.

It's also been brought to my attention that I don't come to meets and people don't see my car bla bla bla and yes it's true but as I said things are different from last year that's why I'm ready to pass the torch on as far as being a mod etc. to someone who has more time to commit and organize and do things like that. I'm proud of what I helped to start I just can't take the role I did last year.

 

In my dealings on other forums, this just happens. When you have so many people who have so many opinions it is going to affect the community in positive and negative ways, whether you like it or not. I had suggested CT or MA for meeting spots (and I believe even offered my house as one place) but it was immediately thrown out due to differing opinions. This is why I now tend to just read things here and there and post on what I'm interested. Most of you have only met me once or twice anyways, but I figured I'd throw my .02 in.



Trukn, I know what point you're trying to make, but unfortunately from what I've learned making post like this is just shoveling ***** against the tide - people will defend themselves and then point fingers, but in the end there will always be people who don't get along no matter what mediators do.

Cherp, I understand what you mean too... I've been working 40+ a week while taking 3 classes this summer. During the school year I take 5 classes with a 20hr job and until this year I was running D1 track to boot. I haven't seen some of my best friends (who happen to be into cars) in almost a year, and I haven't made it to the track in 2 years.

 

Trukn,

Quote me anytime bruh and I agree with you completely.

I've got a lot of thoughts on the issue and have been guilty in the past of contributing to the negativity in the past (But I'm reformed now )

To keep it short:

NELOC (the forum) does NOT need another mod, everyone in here is capable of policing themself or notifying a new member of what the culture we've set in here should be. NELOC (the group) needs people to take the initiative in advancing NELOC to another level.

A mod works for Dave and ClubLexus in enforcing the rules and polices of www.clublexus.com. People need to realize that and stop confusing the two. When we turn off the computer EVERY person is simple a Lexus Owner or Driver with the same rank and can contribute equally. The problem is people think they've joined an official car club for free and then want the world where the 'mods' should entertain them. You have not joined a car club, you've congregated in one area of a car chat website because we all live in the same general area.

If we want to take NELOC to an official car club status, that requires organization, leadership, dues, and finally COMMITTMENT. Right now most of the 'older' members who have modded their cars to their fullest capability whether it's due to budget constraints, lack of ideas or your ish is just 'd already don't have much to gain from attending weekly or monthly meets. Remember, the monthly local meets were to see each others cars and gain information, insight, and ideas on what we wanted to do to our own cars. After awhile, there aren't any new ideas coming in because most of the 'new' people to show up to the local meets have the same intentions and are mostly stock. Which is great and how it should be. So the participation of some of the "old heads" is done out of love of NELOC and to establish something that goes beyond simple car ownership as this is the only part of CL that exists for them.

My long winded point is this: NELOC is only going to give you what you put into it. Trukn, Mark, Apex, Carlos, myself and countless others put a lot of work behind the scene's to generate ideas that might be appealing to the mix of nationalities that NELOC is made up of and I don't think people take the time to appreciate that. If you want NELOC to be a better place to be, then put your idea forth as it holds just as much weight as the next. But the bottom line is that if you feel that you aren't enjoying NELOC like you used to and you don't feel like its going to change then try hitting ALT + F4 on your computer and see how easy the solution is.

lol, its early and I just had to drive through a raging river (LIE) this morning to get to work so excuse me if i'm not all the coherent right now.

 

And I just want to add something in regards to anyone who feels like they need to be "appreciated" for their efforts here in NELOC, GET OVER IT.

Any input you give or work you do for NELOC, especially behind the scenes, it should be because you WANT to do it, not because you want group recognition or collective appreciation for your efforts.

If you don't feel like doing it, or don't want to do it, then DON'T DO IT. Simple as that.

In life, some of the smallest things you do may be appreciated tenfold, and some of the major things you do may only register a blip...so this is why you should only do it because YOU WANT TO DO IT.

If you work long and hard enough, appreciation will come with time. But don't expect it.

I KNOW DaveGS4 has done so much for us to even have a ClubLexus...and he gets about 1/1000th of the appreciation he really deserves. And he doesn't complain about it, because he's doing something he wanted to do in the first place.

Now if NELOC fades away because we lose interest, so be it. That's fine. It's not that serious really. We can just go back to having a NE section, like there was originally. Soup and his comrades will still gather the troops in NYC and do the things they like doing.

But I do know this...many of the people I've met in NELOC I'm going to know for a long time, so it doesn't matter whether we have NELOC or not to me.

And I'd like to thank DaveGS4 for giving us our own section, and Cherp and Soup for heading this up at the beginning.

But where we go from here, that's up to each of us.

If it fizzles out, oh well.... Then I guess it wasn't really all that important in the first place, and that's OK.

But really, it's not that serious.

And as much as I'd like to have growth in NELOC, it's secondary to me. I'd just like to go back to the days of our 20-car regional meets in Harrisburg or Atlantic City. Those were good times. I will always prefer quality over quantity.

 

alot of deep words being said in this thread, to all for trying to keep NELOC together.

 

I'll throw my 2 cents in, warranted or not.

To me, CL & NELOC (as a subdivision) is a place where enthusiasts can talk, chat, relate, and simply BS. If the competition scene is what some choose, that's fine. But it should not be the focal point.

I myself do not have a car modded for competition. In fact, it's not modded at all. But I have still attended meets. Why? Because I like the company of fellow enthusiasts that share an enjoyment is the same brand/style/whatever, that I do.

With the growth of CL and NELOC there is undoubtedly going to me some animosity. Too many personalities mixing. And to be honest, I really would not expect everyone to get along perfectly. We all are human.

Ok, I have no idea where I was headed with this, but what I said still holds true. I think we and NELOC will weather through just fine. There will be changes and shake ups. But as long as people are online, there will still be get togethers and friendships.

 

hmmm im not an active poster here on the NELOC forum...but i do recall about 4years ago when we had the guys up from CT and PA come down to our meets in Bk....we all used to be really close sorta like a family.....i hardly see any of them anymore....but ive met some of you guys here and must admit, you all are really cool. Most of you are willing to go that extra step to help one out. I dont know what the situation is right now, but we all are pretty much here for a reason. Thats to show our interest in cars, any make or model. And some of us spend more than on here than anything else....so just drop all the animosity and be a family.

 

Ok well I stopped and read. I haven't been a member for as long as everyone here and don't know as many people which is probably why I wouldn't notice any drama.

One thing aside from all the cool cars that drew me to this forum was the way everyone is very close, the meets and just the people. You can't go to other forums and find something like this.

I think mkorsu said it best... Its not about the modding and what car you have... its about the family, the friendship and the company... I hope to be coming to plenty of meets once my cars are up and in decent shape and look forward to meeting everyone.

 

agreed! btw Curry I just sold my modded 5sfe camry

 

Word. Any pics? I had a 5sfe 5-spd but it was in terrible condition, junked it recently.

 

I say come to meets anyway! I may not go to a ton of meets, but I do show up from time to time with my stocker!

 

Well, as you all may know I'm still new to NELOC but from MY experience it has been wonderful! Everyone I have met has good vibes and sincerely wants to see the other do well not only with their car but in their personal life as well. I think one of the best statements about this group is "The cars bring us together, the people make you stay." Let us not lose focus on how important it is to maintain that so past, present and future members can feel the same Welcome I'm sure most of us felt.

In closing "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all."