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Welcome to the 500Eboard forum.
Since its founding in late 2008, 500Eboard has become the leading resource on the Internet for all things related to the Mercedes-Benz 500E and E500. In recent years, we have also expanded to include the 400E and E420 models, which are directly related to the 500E/E500.
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500Eboard Management
500e Board hierarchy
- Thread starter Lowman
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WAIT, I thought that was me !!!!
No matter how low the bar is I feel I can reduce it's height even more, or less.....
Ron
Nope, I have that distinction with all of 37 posts. lol
It's a little like any family. Somewhat dysfunctional, and we fight amongst ourselves a little, but we all get together for holiday dinner, etc. But sure, it has a hierarchy. Everything does, whether intentional or not. And if you ask 50 people to define and chart out the hierarchy, you will get 50 different responses, and some of them will be diametrically opposite. Regardless of hierarchies or discussions of them, I'm glad you're here. I am glad for everyone that is here regularly. I wish that I could be more active, contribute more, and interact with more of you. Unfortunately my time does not permit it.
The absolute bottom line is this: It's Gerry's thing. He absorbs all the expense, does 99.9% of all of the maintenance, and provides it free of advertisements and spam. The rest of us just use it.
The absolute bottom line is this: It's Gerry's thing. He absorbs all the expense, does 99.9% of all of the maintenance, and provides it free of advertisements and spam. The rest of us just use it.
It's a little like any family. Somewhat dysfunctional, and we fight amongst ourselves a little, but we all get together for holiday dinner, etc. But sure, it has a hierarchy. Everything does, whether intentional or not. And if you ask 50 people to define and chart out the hierarchy, you will get 50 different responses, and some of them will be diametrically opposite. Regardless of hierarchies or discussions of them, I'm glad you're here. I am glad for everyone that is here regularly. I wish that I could be more active, contribute more, and interact with more of you. Unfortunately my time does not permit it.
The absolute bottom line is this: It's Gerry's thing. He absorbs all the expense, does 99.9% of all of the maintenance, and provides it free of advertisements and spam. The rest of us just use it.
Exactly.
A big reason why I got my 500E vs. other cars I was interested in (2.3-16V, 928) is this Board. Gerry built it and keeps it running. It costs him time and money that he absorbs himself. Without him, it wouldn't be here. And then there's the many experts that volunteer their time to help others by posting detailed information on the Board and also on the phone, by email etc. Not to mention the friendships I have because I've met other E500E owners on this site.
And if there is a hierarchy, I'd put you Lowman on the upper end of it. Your owners thread is a must read and huge inspiration to all of us that know our cars need a little bit of work.
No formal or informal hierarchy that I am aware of. I call myself "Site Honcho" because I pay the bills, but from an expertise point of view I'm far below many folks here. No one is ever put down or made to feel inferior because they don't contribute or don't have the knowledge of others.
I would say that when folks post stuff for sale without adequate descriptions or photos, or when folks over-represent a car for sale as being "pristine" when it isn't, then folks get a little cranky because they want more details, or want to knock the ego of the seller a bit back down to market reality.
Other than that, things are pretty egalitarian around here. Don't mind "Der Furor"'s title ... he's only a regimental commander in the snowbound north-east, not the Supreme Leader.
Please expand upon your thoughts with specific observations?
I would say that when folks post stuff for sale without adequate descriptions or photos, or when folks over-represent a car for sale as being "pristine" when it isn't, then folks get a little cranky because they want more details, or want to knock the ego of the seller a bit back down to market reality.
Other than that, things are pretty egalitarian around here. Don't mind "Der Furor"'s title ... he's only a regimental commander in the snowbound north-east, not the Supreme Leader.
Please expand upon your thoughts with specific observations?
+1......without help of his group I would be way in over my head and likely would not have purchased my car and certainly would not be able to enjoy ownership of my 500e the way that I do....it's funny when I see comments on BaT or gcfsb when there is an e500e up there and the masses want to attribute owning one of these to dating a coked up, schitzo supermodel (basically all because of the wiring harness and fact it has an sls system).....short answer for those uninformed masses is just come pick the brain of "the board" and it's really a quite enjoyable ownership experience
I feel guilty sometimes and wish I had more knowledge base to contribute for others here as I feel that I am taking away so much benefit but don't adequately add back to the till so to speak ....(telling Melville about the ease of using the click-tight toddler car seat is about all I am good for on my 500eboard résumé)
Hmmm...Very Melvillian !!!
Ultimately it comes down to a sense of Community. Or, as Klink puts it, Family.
I attribute it to the simple fact that those who have a long-term appreciation of the W124.036 and the wherewithal to acquire one are, for the most part, people who themselves have the same characteristics that make the car unique: the goods to back up its reputation while not feeling the need to actively seek to prove it every 5 minutes.
Both online and in the local car scene it has been my observation that while recognition of both the 16v and the 500E500 is somewhat universal, those that tend to gravitate towards the 500E500 display somewhat more…maturity and refinement than the majority of those who gravitate to the 16v. Not in all cases, but in most of them.
I attribute it to the simple fact that those who have a long-term appreciation of the W124.036 and the wherewithal to acquire one are, for the most part, people who themselves have the same characteristics that make the car unique: the goods to back up its reputation while not feeling the need to actively seek to prove it every 5 minutes.
Both online and in the local car scene it has been my observation that while recognition of both the 16v and the 500E500 is somewhat universal, those that tend to gravitate towards the 500E500 display somewhat more…maturity and refinement than the majority of those who gravitate to the 16v. Not in all cases, but in most of them.
Fact!; I've learned is that the .034 is faster than the .036 due to the narrower stance.
"They see me trollin´".....
On a serious note regarding the OP´s thread start - No. I think this is a very mature (but often incredibly funny) forum, and I really appreciate the non-acceptance from Gerry towards the querolous fudge-tards that sometimes visits this precious domain.
If there´s some sort of hierarchy? Not that I´ve encountered, as long as you play along with the board rules. As it is in real life!
"They see me trollin´".....
On a serious note regarding the OP´s thread start - No. I think this is a very mature (but often incredibly funny) forum, and I really appreciate the non-acceptance from Gerry towards the querolous fudge-tards that sometimes visits this precious domain.
If there´s some sort of hierarchy? Not that I´ve encountered, as long as you play along with the board rules. As it is in real life!
The rules here are, in reality, pretty simple. Haven't really had to ban too many people (I can pretty much count on one hand) in 7.5 years of running this forum, for offensive activities. I try to give people slack, but if the intent is clearly negative and to cause offense to others, then folks don't last long here. A couple of folks have gone off the rails and issued streams of nasty insults, physical harm and implied grave injury/death threats, and so forth and that is grounds for immediate dismissal. It's their loss, honestly, and IMHO the karma comes back to bite them (or it may have bit them already and they're reacting to it with said behavior).
Talking about Klink's comment about hierarchy. This site is egalitarian. There is probably some "hierarchy" here based on knowledge of the cars ... sort of a natural "owner bell curve." The right side of the bell curve would be longtime owners, technically savvy owners and MB "stealer"/indy shop personnel members who have the longest/greatest knowledge of the cars.
However, my observation is that to a person, all of these "right side bell curve" folks are pretty engaging, humble, and not egotistical in the least. Just the opposite in fact.
To reiterate a previous post from some time back. There are several "levels" here that are automatically gated by the forum software:
To become a trusted member, there are a couple of criteria that have to be met that are programmed into the system, having to do with one's tenure here, and their level of involvement. Trusted members have access to a couple additional forums that contain factory material and magazine articles. The reasoning behind this is that Trusted members are the serious enthusiasts, so will be most interested in things like magazine articles about the E500E.
As this site has been increasingly crawled & indexed over the years by search engines, a lot of folks come here to get information about how to fix/maintain their 124s (all models) and 126s, and that's fine. They're not your typical gung-ho .036 enthusiast, so they don't ever need to be a Trusted member.
All maintenance/HOW-TO and technical forums are available to all comers, even people who come in via Google search and have never visited the site before. If you are unregistered for the site (i.e. if you came in from a Google search and don't register) then you can access all content but can't see the attached photos and documents. Registered members can see any and all photos and attached content.
There are four folks with site administrator status: Glen, GSXR, Klink, and myself. I also have an account that I never use that is the "Allah" admin account that has control over everyone. This account has never posted and is only there in case of a bad situation ... for example, say if GSXR were to go off the rails, make all the other site admins into ~BANNED~ members, so he could try to assume Allah-type powers. This account also is the one that initially installed the software back on the night of November 30, 2008 when this site first came "live."
To bring this back around ... I think you can see that folks from "all walks of life" and several countries have said that little to no "hierarchy" exists on the forum. If there is any, it's not a social pecking order, it's a natural distribution based on relevant experience and knowledge level, which translates into a fair bit of earned authority. But from what I've observed, any authority has been wielded very carefully and gracefully by those who have it.
Cheers,
Gerry
Talking about Klink's comment about hierarchy. This site is egalitarian. There is probably some "hierarchy" here based on knowledge of the cars ... sort of a natural "owner bell curve." The right side of the bell curve would be longtime owners, technically savvy owners and MB "stealer"/indy shop personnel members who have the longest/greatest knowledge of the cars.
However, my observation is that to a person, all of these "right side bell curve" folks are pretty engaging, humble, and not egotistical in the least. Just the opposite in fact.
To reiterate a previous post from some time back. There are several "levels" here that are automatically gated by the forum software:
- registered but unconfirmed-via-email members
- registered members
- banned members
- trusted members
- site administrators
To become a trusted member, there are a couple of criteria that have to be met that are programmed into the system, having to do with one's tenure here, and their level of involvement. Trusted members have access to a couple additional forums that contain factory material and magazine articles. The reasoning behind this is that Trusted members are the serious enthusiasts, so will be most interested in things like magazine articles about the E500E.
As this site has been increasingly crawled & indexed over the years by search engines, a lot of folks come here to get information about how to fix/maintain their 124s (all models) and 126s, and that's fine. They're not your typical gung-ho .036 enthusiast, so they don't ever need to be a Trusted member.
All maintenance/HOW-TO and technical forums are available to all comers, even people who come in via Google search and have never visited the site before. If you are unregistered for the site (i.e. if you came in from a Google search and don't register) then you can access all content but can't see the attached photos and documents. Registered members can see any and all photos and attached content.
There are four folks with site administrator status: Glen, GSXR, Klink, and myself. I also have an account that I never use that is the "Allah" admin account that has control over everyone. This account has never posted and is only there in case of a bad situation ... for example, say if GSXR were to go off the rails, make all the other site admins into ~BANNED~ members, so he could try to assume Allah-type powers. This account also is the one that initially installed the software back on the night of November 30, 2008 when this site first came "live."
To bring this back around ... I think you can see that folks from "all walks of life" and several countries have said that little to no "hierarchy" exists on the forum. If there is any, it's not a social pecking order, it's a natural distribution based on relevant experience and knowledge level, which translates into a fair bit of earned authority. But from what I've observed, any authority has been wielded very carefully and gracefully by those who have it.
Cheers,
Gerry
How much time we gotta do to gain access those additional forums? 
Grasshopper, you already have qualified, automatically, some time ago.How much time we gotta do to gain access those additional forums?
Well, there is Gerry, and the rest of us are minions... you mean besides that?
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/5WePtHOjh3U/0.jpg
A minion here, and recent 1992 500E purchaser. Not exactly a prophetic first post, but it finally dawned on me.
Gerry looks a lot like Peter Klutt at Legendary Motorcar.
Never. Klutt's show has aired on Velocity and a few other automobile-centric channels over the years. I generally enjoy the show, and he seems to be pretty knowledgeable about a lot of older cars - so the reference is intended to be a positive one. Not a particularly big deal - just struck me that Gerry's avatar / picture sorta resembles Klutt.
Peter Klutt has been on TV on various car shows for quite awhile now. I enjoy his current show on Velocity called Legendary Motor Cars. He seems like a very knowledgable car guy who turned his passion into a very lucrative business.
I do see the resemblance to the Honch.....anyone know if Gerry enjoys a LaBatt Blue on occasion, eh?
I do see the resemblance to the Honch.....anyone know if Gerry enjoys a LaBatt Blue on occasion, eh?
Well, I hope you are feeling better immediately if not sooner.
As far as pecking order goes, if you got a personal "hey, where have you been?" from the Honch himself, I'd say it doesn't get any higher than that.
Well, as I indicated earlier, there is a "hierarchy" for current and former "stealership" weasels, and indy shop owners, in terms of the earned respect among the masses minions here. So technically Vader, I guess you would fall into that. Plenty of people here recognize the information you have provided in the past. Respect is always earned, however. It is not automatically granted. One's actions and intent have a huge influence on this.
And yes, Clark, I have been concerned about you. And have publicly stuck up for you on other forums (and gone to the mat with the moderators privately) when folks have been recently denigrating your honesty and integrity.
Cheers,
Gerry
And yes, Clark, I have been concerned about you. And have publicly stuck up for you on other forums (and gone to the mat with the moderators privately) when folks have been recently denigrating your honesty and integrity.
Cheers,
Gerry
and my view...is that there is definetly a "bessewisser" tendency in here.
Of course there is highly knowledgable people in here..dont get me wrong...and i apreaciate there beeing those kindof people in here..but the way it comes across sometimes is just very .."besserwisser"ish.
so..the minion thing fits very well.even though the Jesus /diciple thing would be even more suiting
Of course there is highly knowledgable people in here..dont get me wrong...and i apreaciate there beeing those kindof people in here..but the way it comes across sometimes is just very .."besserwisser"ish.
so..the minion thing fits very well.even though the Jesus /diciple thing would be even more suiting
For those who don't know the word, Besserwisser is the German equivalent of the English term "know-it-all".and my view...is that there is definetly a "bessewisser" tendency in here.
Of course there is highly knowledgable people in here..dont get me wrong...and i apreaciate there beeing those kindof people in here..but the way it comes across sometimes is just very .."besserwisser"ish.
so..the minion thing fits very well.even though the Jesus /diciple thing would be even more suiting
I have never understood the purpose for this thread, and of the thoughts and/or observations that prompted the original question. However, I will say that the previous ("Besserwisser") post is in my opinion a divisive and non-productive post. While I'm not going to censor or otherwise edit/delete the thread, you either need to be much more specific with your observations -- why they were important to call out in the first place -- or back off.
If there's a problem here, I'm completely game to have a public discussion of it. But, don't open a can of worms, and then walk away from it while using names like "Besserwisser." If you are referring to a specific person, or people, here that you would apply that name to, then since you brought up your observations, you need to let them know privately why you have an issue with this/them.
Bottom line - this thread has no productive purpose.
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