Corvette Forums And Why They Matter

I received in the mail a free AOL disc and I first went \”online\” with it back in 1990. The AOL phase lasted about 5 years and in 1995 a friend said to me, \”You don\’t need AOL to surf the net.\” I was honestly surprised back then; I was ignorant to the whole internet thing. A few days later I started to cruise the info superhighway and didn\’t look back to AOL. Also, at that time PC\’s had not been interesting to many people, however they did rush to stores with computers so they could get on the internet and receive their email.

The Internet really was different back then. Nearly everyone was on dial-up, so web pages and sites were simpler. It was easier to find \”information\” then because the net hadn\’t yet been taken over by commerce sites. Forums and chat rooms had been around since the early \’80s, but were clunky and difficult to use. AOL\’s interface helped make it much easier.

Blogging began around 1994; it didn\’t really take off until \’99 with the beginning of \”blogging tools.\” When the political pundits embraced the blogs on \’02, the blogosphere really took off. There is a blog for everything now; this is good news and bad news. For researchers like me that conduct research, we have discovered that nearly half of the links are for product, services, auction listings, books and blog or forum comments. Initially, I was sort of annoyed with the Corvette forum links, because searches often linked you to things such as, \”I like side-pipes too.\” I was pleasingly surprised to find a comprehensive source of information when I took some time to go to the Corvette forum\’s home page.

Take a Corvette forum such as SmokinVette.com. The Corvette hobby is huge because it covers a 57 year lineage of cars in six distinct generations. SmokinVette has Corvette forums for all six generations. Once you\’re into your generation\’s forum, cruise around, and check out the topics. Every forum is unique, so spend some time poking around the links, controls, and drop-down boxes. It\’s like wandering around a big box, home improvement store. It\’s a little overwhelming at first, but it doesn\’t take long and you know just where to find that sky hook you\’re looking for.

Sometimes I\’m just in the mood to look at pictures. SmokinVette has a HUGE collection of Corvette photos. And what would a high-testosterone topic like Corvettes be without a collection of Corvette Girls? BORING! You won\’t find anything too over the top at SmokinVette, but you WILL find lots of SMOKIN babes. That\’s a compliment, ladies.

Being a Corvette owner is not as expensively challenging as owning a pleasure boat, however you could spend extra cash on personalizing or refurbishing your Corvette. In the SmokinVette forum\’s \”Vette Parts\” section you can find anything from a crate engine or supercharger to a little ole LED lights and even used parts. Corvette enthusiasts are extremely creative. You will locate Corvette parts that you didn\’t even know was being offered.

But don\’t just be a voyeur. After you go through the free registration, you can add your two-cents to any of the forums, start a new forum topic, and ask a Corvette question, or post photos and images. Corvette people are VERY helpful. When you own a Vette, or are an enthusiast, you\’re a member of a uniquely American club. The whole \”Save the Wave\” thing got started as a way for Corvette owners to acknowledge one another on the road. Corvettes aren\’t just \”cars.\” They\’re something more, something intangible that you don\’t begin to \”get\” until you drive one. Driving a Corvette is a uniquely sensual experience. You don\’t just \”ride\” in a Corvette, you DRIVE a Corvette because they are designed and made to be DRIVEN. I\’ve lost track of how many times I\’ve read or heard a new Corvette owner say, \”I never really understood this car until I drove one.\” That\’s the \”GOTCHA!\” moment.

Create some time to get comfortable, and view some Corvette forums, such as SmokinVette.com. It is very educational, engaging and a really good way to meet like-minded people that \”get\” the passion for the Corvette. Enough said! -KST

For more information and questions in regards to Why A Corvette Forum Matters please visit the Smokinvette Group at www.smokinvette.com