Is eLightbars dying out?

Nolines

Member
Apr 5, 2018
1,678
Margate, FL
Yeah but it's not a big issue it's just an annoyance.. a Big issue would be your unable to log in at times like it's not recognizing you and sometimes it does. Or your unable to even post Anything, can't even add a image or any file. So I'll take a lil X this and refresh that any day over total aggravation that the site is going bonkers! My opinion, I may not have been here as long as alot of you but I'd be more concerned over the sites owners well being first during this pandemic or anytime, just like I was concerned not seeing Mr. Wilson not on for ages I was concerned on his health just like would for any of you!
 
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Da-Sarge

Member
Feb 27, 2020
393
Canada
Someone needs to try and take over the forum from jman does anyone have his offline contact details maybe go to his door to see about it? Its a shame to let this community fall apart if you can't contact him find some way to clone it to another domain and set of servers im sure it can be done
 

OSP959(R)

New Member
Mar 22, 2011
720
Ohio
I've been a member here for 11-years. Nothing against ELB or the staff here, but I set up a new forum.


Everyone is welcome to take a look.

I've owned and ran another forum for over 20 years, and the technical problems here just frustrate me sometimes. I appreciate the work the moderators do here, but they can only do so much.

Maybe someone can fix ELB and save it, but I'm tired of seeing the problems and complaints and sitting back and doing nothing.

@Da-Sarge yes it can be done. Someone would have to have server access to copy the database, and then migrate that database in to a new forum. It's a little more complicated when you have to move it from one server to another because it would be a huge file to download. In a situation like this it would be helpful to have the new server host help. You have to also make sure that you're moving to a host that can handle the bandwidth that a large forum consumes.

There's a lot of content here, but there's also a lot of posts that are missing photos and pdf files. So not all of the content is useful. Plus a forum really only lives in the first few pages. The real asset to a forum are the knowledgeable members.
 

Da-Sarge

Member
Feb 27, 2020
393
Canada
I can understand the whole database access and large file sizes involved i will also check out your new forum and once registration is available ill be happy to join :) i hope it becomes a great community
 
May 21, 2010
1,258
Minnesota
Just wondering... if the site owner has been absent since August, how is or how long will the site still run? (How long are the bills paid for to keep it going?)

Hope he is ok. Life happens and other things can take priority. Unfortunately it must be a considerable issue to withdraw for this long.

Whether the site shuts down or not (I certainly hope not though) I would like to thank all those that have kept it running behind the scenes for the many many years (I would bet even though it is a hobby for some moderators, it can be like another job at times too). I have learned a lot, bought and sold a lot, seen some come and go as well as appreciate those that have shared on the site. I first found this site around 2000 back in the threaded days, amazing how it has grown and lasted since then.
 

Jarred J.

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
11,580
Shelbyville, TN
Nice post Jennifer, I am in agreement. This site has made this hobby easier and more enjoyable. I hope Jman, and John Marcson are doing well.
John isn't involved with the site anymore..

@Da-Sarge it was an attempted mutiny on the HMS elightbars... Laughable at best..
 

Da-Sarge

Member
Feb 27, 2020
393
Canada
Wow now isn't that something lol well at least the better one won i hope elightbars gets back to itself again soon its a rather pleasant community with great people and loads of great info I dont plan to leave any time soon anyways lol
 

JazzDad

Member
Aug 5, 2011
5,165
USA
Hmmmm, maybe I should take over. Wouldn't THAT be fun?

smiley.jpg
 
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OSP959(R)

New Member
Mar 22, 2011
720
Ohio
Someone's going to have to.

I added a forum to the site I've been working on, but my site is more about older police cars and vintage emergency lighting.


There's more to it than just a forum.
 

Tony P

Moderator
Sep 13, 2015
1,940
Midwest, USA
If it was possible for this to be taken over and fixed, Dave and I would have. Even Nathan R. with admin privileges does not have the access to right the ship. We have exhausted our options at this point.
 
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Bigassfireman

Member
May 23, 2010
823
U. S. of A. Ohio
I find my way back to the site now and then. I doubt it dies completely, it still serves a purpose. Like mentioned before, I think facebook has a lot to do with it. I haven't had a personal computer in years and it wasn't all that enjoyable using a phone. Now that I have a new laptop, I'm sure I'll be using the site more. I feel like a new guy though, no clue whos running the place now or where anything is. Seems like it will be easy enough to navigate and learn though.
 

Rigmover06

Member
May 31, 2010
28
Moscow,TX
I have been around here since 2008/2009. Like every other website forum it comes and goes in a wave. I love coming on here for the vast wealth of knowledge that I have been able to find when it comes to installs and troubleshooting. And the silly shit that goes on in here. I miss Burt (Pimp) and his dry sense of humor, but the products he made and sold on here was unbelievable. I still have one of his dash lights in my 2003 Peterbilt and never had a lick of trouble.
But like others have said, Elightbars will survive and continue..
 

Carlos SpicyWeiner

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 3, 2012
5,233
Lakeland, Florida
Yup. It will unfortunately stay this way until Jman decides to come back, if he does. https://elightbars.org/forums/threads/intermittent-site-not-available.91875/post-674475
Was never about if he DECIDES to come back. Its about when he could. I won't divulge things, but for those who think this is something that is voluntary after everything he's sacrificed for the site over the years, you're f'n dumber than our politicians.
Someone needs to try and take over the forum from jman does anyone have his offline contact details maybe go to his door to see about it? Its a shame to let this community fall apart if you can't contact him find some way to clone it to another domain and set of servers im sure it can be done
This whole thing can be traced back to the single problem of never having enough support to properly run this site. I know for a fact he's run this site at the tune of it costing him significantly out of his own pocket. FEVER's periodically offered to help with some of those cost for him since many here have taken more from here than they've actually given. Unfortunately with the way things are going we are not in a position to help. The administrators here do a hell of a job, but didn't have the technical capabilities of being able to handle things.

If he was hesitant to bring some more voluntary help in, I could see why he may be skeptical. There are so many vultures here, he'd lose it forever.

Knowing what he's gone through and what I've gone through in the past, I know completely what it is like to "disappear." Value your picture perfect lives, not everyone is as lucky. Sometimes there are things out of people's control and at that point, all you can do is all you can do.
 

JazzDad

Member
Aug 5, 2011
5,165
USA
If it was possible for this to be taken over and fixed, Dave and I would have. ...
Please keep everyone posted if a new forum starts up.
 

Da-Sarge

Member
Feb 27, 2020
393
Canada
Jman apparently runs a few sites all on his own im sure there's been much more that caused his absence i know life happens im glad he's back and doing well he might be just too overwhelmed from being the admin of multiple sites plus his other day to day stuff the pandemic on top of it all among so much more to the staff who have been here to help you've all done great I know jman is reluctant to allow others access to his baby especially since the lightbarn fiasco but maybe he needs to allow another co admin to help him with the workload just a thought
 

Tony P

Moderator
Sep 13, 2015
1,940
Midwest, USA
Was never about if he DECIDES to come back. Its about when he could. I won't divulge things, but for those who think this is something that is voluntary after everything he's sacrificed for the site over the years, you're f'n dumber than our politicians.

Thanks Nic...
 
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OSP959(R)

New Member
Mar 22, 2011
720
Ohio
As someone who's owned a site for over 20 years, I know that this site should earn enough from Google adsense to pay for itself. And for anyone that's curious, Jman isn't allowed to share those numbers. It's a Google policy violation. So don't think he's hiding anything.

A good host will offer a free SSL Security Certificate.

Forum software is a one time fee.

I have no formal education when it comes to computer programming. I'm self taught. The servers Plesk panel doesn't require any special education, and a good host will change settings for you, or tell you where to make the changes.

I literally had my forum at code3garage.com setup and ready to go including template design in 8 hours or less. But... I've also been dealing with forum software for a long time.

I appreciate that Jman took over for John and kept the site going. I realize the work involved, and I get it when he said there was a point where he was simply checking in to make sure the forum was up and running.

But I don't think it's a horrible thing that people care enough to complain about how the site is running. I also don't see any reason to chastise those people for caring enough to want to see it fixed.
 

Carlos SpicyWeiner

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 3, 2012
5,233
Lakeland, Florida
As someone who's owned a site for over 20 years, I know that this site should earn enough from Google adsense to pay for itself. And for anyone that's curious, Jman isn't allowed to share those numbers. It's a Google policy violation. So don't think he's hiding anything.

A good host will offer a free SSL Security Certificate.

Forum software is a one time fee.

I have no formal education when it comes to computer programming. I'm self taught. The servers Plesk panel doesn't require any special education, and a good host will change settings for you, or tell you where to make the changes.

I literally had my forum at code3garage.com setup and ready to go including template design in 8 hours or less. But... I've also been dealing with forum software for a long time.

I appreciate that Jman took over for John and kept the site going. I realize the work involved, and I get it when he said there was a point where he was simply checking in to make sure the forum was up and running.

But I don't think it's a horrible thing that people care enough to complain about how the site is running. I also don't see any reason to chastise those people for caring enough to want to see it fixed.
You are probably grossly exaggerating the traffic the site has gotten since the defection to social media sites. Message boards in general are not doing as well as they once have. A niche site like this one really doesn't get much traffic. Additionally, this site hasn't been inundated by ads as other forums. Every time that's been implemented members here complain about it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to see the site be fixed. Maybe its not ok to chastise them, but is it ok for them to attack Jman? Acting like he doesn't care about the site is substantially different than just offering support and asking questions.... or... offering to help (god forbid that be the way it gets addressed).
 

Carlos SpicyWeiner

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 3, 2012
5,233
Lakeland, Florida
Be pissed at me all you want for defending him. But I've also put my money where my mouth is and substantially offered support to the site. It's pretty easy to see which members paid and which didn't.

I don't want to see ELB go away. FEVER was born here. It was created in the ELB chat room by multiple members here. I've been a relationship on a professional level as well as a friendship on a personal level with JMan. I know what him and John Marcson have gone through to support this site. Both men have sacrificed greatly to take care of this site and even defend it from people attacking it. I don't mean attacking it will silly words. Sorry, ads from minimal traffic don't support legal fees and other bullshit that comes up on this site. They've never come here to complain and won't.

Probably a smart thing with as many members here who so want to slice their neck at every turn.
 

StEaLtH2

Member
Mar 3, 2011
2,159
New England
I’d like to add a huge thank you from me. I began to think that maybe 2020 would take this community from me and this is my outlet. Never had or want a FB. This is an outstanding place and the ads are not even that terrible. I’m very happy that JMan is well and the leaky ship was fixed.
thank you all so much for the deeds it takes..
Happy New Year.... on to 21...!
 

Jman423

Administrator
Sep 10, 2010
3,391
United States
If anyone thinks I'm administering two forums for profits, you couldn't be more wrong.

Also, I can assure you that you will NOT start a "new" website/forum that is as involved as either of these two sites in 8 hours. Sure, I could log into my hosting account and press one button to install a forum, plug-in a free theme, and start spreading the word. However, if anyone has actually started a forum from the ground up (with reasonable user growth), you'll know it is not easy, nor is it cheap.

I am willing to defend any of the decisions I've made for the sites I'm responsible for. Free SSL is not universally compatible, forum software is NOT a one-time cost, we're not hosted on a free account at GoDaddy and managing these forums will be required long after your enthusiasm for the subject has faded.

Anyway, I just don't like things being incorrectly represented... some people believe every opinion they read on the internet.

I am genuinely grateful to everyone who has contributed to this community and I understand why you would be aggravated by unresolved issues. All I'm willing to say is that I was unable resolve those issues, despite the timeframe. It could happen again in the future... I don't know.

As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, social media is the cause of reduced traffic numbers on the site. There is nothing we can do to compete with the ease and simplicity of those platforms, and people don't immediately realize that the information posted there isn't organized and can't realistically be used as a reference later in time. No hard feelings, we can't force people to want forums over social media.
 
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EMT-BLS

New Member
Oct 28, 2011
2,640
Waterbury, CT
If anyone thinks I'm administering two forums for profits, you couldn't be more wrong.

Also, I can assure you that you will NOT start a "new" website/forum that is as involved as either of these two site in 8 hours. Sure, I could log into my hosting account and press one button to install a forum, plug-in a free theme, and start spreading the word. However, if anyone has actually started a forum from the ground up (with reasonable user growth), you'll know it is not easy, nor is it cheap.

I am willing to defend any of the decisions I've made for the sites I'm responsible for. Free SSL is not universally compatible, forum software is NOT a one-time cost, we're not hosted on a free account at Host-Gator, and managing forums will be required long after you're enthusiasm for the subject has faded.

Anyway, I just don't like things being incorrectly represented... some people believe opinion they read on the internet.

I am genuinely grateful to everyone who has contributed to this community and I understand why you would be aggravated by unresolved issues. All I'm willing to say is that I was unable resolve those issues, despite the timeframe. It could happen again in the future... I don't know.

As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, social media is the cause of reduced traffic numbers on the site. There is nothing we can do to compete with the ease and simplicity of those platforms, and people don't immediately realize that the information posted there isn't organized and can't realistically be used as a reference later in time. No hard feelings, we can't force people want forums over social media.
First of all, if I hadn't already before, I'd like to thank you for the work, and the financial propping up of the site. Now, appreciation aside - if you could pick, what would you want/need for the site? Donations? Assistance? Ideas? How can we help the site survive, and grow?
 
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unityrv26

Member
Mar 4, 2012
391
Michigan
I've been gone for a long time. I've on the books of face. It's easier posting and trading and getting info than a forum. Not that I'm knocking this place. I got a new phone and just never put this link back on my screen....until now.

Funny how I decide to come check this place out again and this thread pops up first.
 

unityrv26

Member
Mar 4, 2012
391
Michigan
Ya know what. I will say this about this forum....and I think this is important to know the difference....

IT IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE!!

The two worlds couldn't be further apart. Facebook groups are full of opinionated assholes and egos that have to chime in their opinion about everything, and when someone disagrees. .....look out. Someone's getting banned. Being able to comment more freely on there is a detriment to groups. Arguments can escalate quick.

Or new guys asking questions are flamed by multiple users for being stupid. No, they are just new and need our help, not sarcasm.

Not so here. I think that's what made me want to come back here. I've never had an issue here. You guys are a good group and it's just a better place to get solid resources.

The two recent things that did it for me was getting banned from a pistol group for sharing my opinion that didn't jive with everyone else. I got flamed and I was the one to get banned.

Then as you know I am the owner of the Unity RV26 group.....I had a new guy come in and want info about his frozen up light. He wanted to sell it. He got nothing but rude comments, so he deleted his post and left the group. Of course this happened before I could see the posts or do anything about it.

Point is, that doesn't happen here. And I won't let that happen in my Unity Group. I think you guys are far better than Facebook.

Be safe everyone.
 

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