LI JAM bulletins

[Ka$h25]

Hopefully we can make a positive creative idea thread out of what became a negative "bashing" thread.

I really think we should come up with a way to keep Riverhead related news as the top bulletins on LI Jam while other news stories come and go. Maybe it involves a different format, maybe there's a way we can incorporate it into the current format. As far as I'm concerned the ROY announcements, the 2010 scheudle, and the FIOS plan should be the top 3 stories on the JAM. As a fan of Riverhead Raceway, that's my biggest interests. Small bullets concerning other tracks are helpful but not really needed. When I was going to King of the Mountain and NELMA, I consulted MountainSpeedway.com for information. And with plans to go to Turkey Derby I'm checking out Wallspeedway.com. Point being there are other sources of information for that kind of stuff, and I don't see any Riverhead news on their websites. I know the JAM isn't a Riverhead only website, but maybe it should be.

I'm not at all saying this is how it should be, and this is what I want or else I'm gonna keep complaining. I just think it's a step in a good direction for LI JAM.

[LongIslandJam]

Ka$h,

I appreciate your input. If you (or anyone else for that matter) have any suggestions, feel free to email me at jackley@longislandjam.com . We have some exciting things in the works for 2010, and we always like to hear from our loyal visitors.

Thanks,

[RGeeProductions]

Hopefully we can make a positive creative idea thread out of what became a negative "bashing" thread.

I really think we should come up with a way to keep Riverhead related news as the top bulletins on LI Jam while other news stories come and go. Maybe it involves a different format, maybe there's a way we can incorporate it into the current format. As far as I'm concerned the ROY announcements, the 2010 scheudle, and the FIOS plan should be the top 3 stories on the JAM. As a fan of Riverhead Raceway, that's my biggest interests. Small bullets concerning other tracks are helpful but not really needed. When I was going to King of the Mountain and NELMA, I consulted MountainSpeedway.com for information. And with plans to go to Turkey Derby I'm checking out Wallspeedway.com. Point being there are other sources of information for that kind of stuff, and I don't see any Riverhead news on their websites. I know the JAM isn't a Riverhead only website, but maybe it should be.

I'm not at all saying this is how it should be, and this is what I want or else I'm gonna keep complaining. I just think it's a step in a good direction for LI JAM.

I do think that's a reasonable idea... But you do have to remember that is is not RiverheadJam, it is LongIslandJam, pertaining to Long Island Racers and not just Riverhead Raceway. Of course, Riverhead is our main focus track and we do like to keep all abreast of news there but also cover the racers ventures away. Stories can be easily missed by viewers, especially if many stories come up and they are moved down. Keeping track news up would improve the chances viewers wouldn't miss them. Thanks ka$h....
As JA mentioned, there are changes in the works for 2010 and we will do our best to better the website and it's coverage.

[Tracy87BB]

Ka$h, you do have a good point...but there are many ways to look at everything (if there wasn't, this sure would be a boring and very UN-creative world).

One thing to note is that the sites you mention are both track web sites, so they realistically should only have information about their own track. On Bethel's web site, we have periodically posted news that included Afton Motor Speedway (which is run by the same promoters as Bethel) and SVS (through cross-promotion with NELMA), but typically your track site is only going to cover your track. If the Jam only posted Riverhead stuff, then it would be a duplication of the information that is on www.riverheadraceway.com. The Jam is, instead, more of a one-stop source for any information of interest to LI racing enthusiasts. Honestly, it is one of the most diverse, and therefore interesting, sites I think I've ever come across.

On the same note, if you keep the Riverhead stuff "sticky" at the top of the page, don't you think you would eventually get bored of seeing the same article(s)? There is not nearly as much news circulating during the offseason, and how long do you think you would want to see the PR about the "upcoming" awards lunch (after it is already over)? Just a thought.

Since the amount of Bethel PR has been brought up more than once, I'd like to address it here. There was a lot of Bethel PR sent out over the course of the season (trust me, I know, because I spent countless hours writing it and sending it). At Bethel, we faced an uphill battle to get recognition for the track, since it had been closed for nearly two years before reopening in August of 2008. No one on the "team" up at Bethel had an easy task of getting things back up and running, and a full-force effort was put into it. The people up there had learned the hard way not to take the existence of their track for granted, and perhaps an overabundance of effort was put forth.

Prior to the 2008 season, the Legends did not race at Riverhead, and quite a few of the Riverhead drivers spent a good amount of time at Bethel. I have made it a point to try to keep the Riverhead drivers informed of what is going on at Bethel, since they do run a fairly short schedule at Riverhead. So, yes, there was a lot of pre-event PR that was done, because I didn't want anyone to miss an opportunity, and it is virtually impossible - no matter how you try to do it - to contact everyone (and not enough hours in a day). Post-race PR was done separately for the LI guys this year...after the official track PR was done, I spent the time to write another article just for LI teams. There were two reasons for this: (1) many times when LI drivers came to Bethel, I would still be up in the booth working while other people who were out at Riverhead were sending text messages to see how the LI drivers were doing. That tells me that the friends, family, etc., of the guys who came to Bethel - while often unable to make the trip themselves because of other factors, such as involvement with other teams at Riverhead - want to know how they did. The people at Riverhead watch these drivers run all season long and you almost always end up getting attached to certain teams and drivers...it is nice to be able to provide the "home track" followers of any given team with results from an event that they could not attend. (2) When a team travels, unless it is to a "big" race, their performances often get overlooked completely. The Jam provides an outlet for them to let their sponsors, etc., know how they are doing elsewhere. Let's face it - the majority of LI teams have LI sponsors. The Legends, as a division, have nine scheduled races for the 2010 season. That means that, on their schedule, they have 13 weeks during the regular Riverhead season when they are not racing, and their rules make it possible for them to race at a number of tracks in the region. How do you convince a potential sponsor to shell out money for you to race outside of their core customer base? Granted, outside track PR alone is not going to do it, but it can help. My goal is simply to help the drivers get the recognition they deserve. It's nice when you spend the time and effort to travel to a track and are able to point out to a sponsor that it isn't like you are going to be racing in another galaxy.

Riverhead happens to have a group of very talented drivers. We had two Riverhead drivers capture wins at Bethel in 2009. Two teams from Riverhead finished in the top ten in season points at Bethel. One Riverhead driver secured a spot in the INEX Asphalt Nationals because he was the highest finishing driver in his class at Bethel's national qualifier. It would be a shame - I think - to overlook the accomplishments of these drivers simply because the events took place off of LI. No matter where they are turning their laps, they are still LI drivers.

The Jam is a very powerful tool for anyone who knows how to and puts forth the effort to use it. In order to keep more Riverhead PR going up on the Jam, the core base at the track needs to simply work on creating it and getting it out. When a team has news, write up a quick press release. Everyone is always looking for some fresh news, especially during the offseason.

JMO.

[RickFigure8]

Is it possible to color code threads by track? Give all Riverhead related posts a red box on the left or something.

[Ka$h25]

JA, Rgee, and Tracy, I can only imagine how much you guys exhaust yourselves with the possibility of making the JAM better. I don't doubt for a second that it's lack of effort, just so that's clear.

Luckily this isn't RiverheadRaceway.com. We're fortunate to have JA, Rgee, and Tracy who give us they best effort they've got. It might not be everything we ask for but it's clearly the best thing we've got. Your hard work is appreciated even if it seems like we want more.