Ranger Tech (2019+)

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By Jim Oaks

As I begin my 10th year as website owner, I have been taking a good long look at The Ranger Station and it's role in social and traditional media. What is it?  What is our impact? Why is it becoming such a popular topic?  How do we rate as a form of social media and how do we compare to traditional print media?

What is Social Media?

Social media is best understood as a group of online media which shares most or all of the following characteristics:

• Participation - Social media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who is interested.

• Openness - Most social media services are open to feedback and participation. They encourage voting, comments and the sharing of information. 

• Conversation - Whereas traditional media is a one way broadcast that's being distributed, social media offers two-way communication to clarify and expand information.

• Community - Social media allows communities to form quickly and communicate effectively. Communities share common interests. In our case, the interest in Ranger Based Vehicles (RBVs).

• Connection - Most kinds of social media provide connection, making use of links to other sites, resources and people.

When you look at the characteristics, you easily see that The Ranger Station is a prime example of social media.

Our Impact:

Now that we know what it is, what impact are we having as a form of social media? 

I decided to use the month of December 2008 (the last full month that has passed) as an example;

As you can see, The Ranger Station performed a lot of activity for a site that's basically dedicated to the Ranger based vehicle community.

Why is social media becoming such a popular topic?

So why is social media becoming such a popular topic these days? Perhaps it's because there are more and more on-line services popping up on the internet trying to target the market of providing online communications. If you think about it, blogging has gained popularity in the last couple of years as well. More and more people want to express themselves on the internet. Now consultants are trying to broaden the use of social media by trying to connect corporate America with consumer America.

Social Media and Corporate America:

The idea of consultants trying to connect corporate America with consumer America is kind of funny when you really look at it.  The internet has been around for a long time, yet we now have all these consultants running around trying to show corporate America that there is an internet community out there that they can connect with.

This isn't anything new. In fact, my personal experience with this dates back to around 2000-2001 when Ford was designing the new FX4 Ranger. Ford had taken advantage of Ranger enthusiasts websites to see what Ranger owners were doing to improve their own Rangers. It evolved in to an email discussion with engineers about some of these upgrades. As a result, I got to see the vehicle prior to it's 2002 release and was very pleased with Fords new product and its implementation of common upgrades made by enthusiasts.

Recently, The Ranger Station became involved in a battle with attorneys that represent Ford. The law firm in question was demanding our domain name and $5,000 to be turned over in 10-days for violating Ford's intellectual property rights. We responded by asking our members to contact Ford and ask them to reconsider.  The law firms heavy approach was about to quickly turn this situation in to a public relations nightmare. Fortunately, I was able to contact Fords head of social media and the issue was quickly resolved. Myself and Fords media head then used the available social media such as forums, email, twitter, etc, to quickly disperse the information and resolve the issue within a 24-hour period.

There are a lot of enthusiast forums out there. Companies need not only to start reading through these forums and the discussions from their customers, but the potentially future customers as well. Social media is providing a free method of communication to their customers. Maybe it's time companies appointed someone to start monitoring this new thing called 'social media'.

Imagine what companies could learn from communicating with members of enthusiast sites that use the companies product(s). Most enthusiasts would gladly offer their input. After all, that's why they're there. To talk about the product.

When Traditional Media and Social Media work together:

I've seen how traditional media and social media can work together. I have hosted trail rides where a magazine writer has found out about the event from the internet, and then asked to tag along to cover it for a magazine story. This has happened on a few occasions. I have also been involved as a site owner in building an off-road vehicle where the whole build was outlined and featured in a series of magazine articles. The Ranger Station has been used as a resource for magazine articles on the Ford Ranger, and we've even had magazines direct readers to us looking for technical help.

Enthusiasts versus Traditional Media:

Social media is quickly becoming the primary method in which enthusiasts are getting the media they're looking for. I'm reminded of this when I pick up any truck related magazine. In the past, I would look forward to a seeing a new magazine hit the rack in my local convenience store. I would save any magazine I bought that had valuable information in it. Now however, I have less interest in buying magazines.

I created a post in our forums and asked our members what they thought about magazines. Those that posted had very similar opinions;

"Now all the mags are full of advertisements and other garbage, not really a lot in there anymore that has to do with what your reading. Therefore I no longer buy any type of magazines. They are not worth the price and no longer caught my interest."

"I've pretty much given up on magazines...they cost too much and there is far too much advertising in them for the price you pay...I always thought the cover price should pay for the magazine and that the ads would be limited...I have bought a few off-road and truck mags when I first got my Ranger...and computer mags were important for keeping up with technology...haven't bought either for about four years though...the internet is a far better source of information...IMO that is..."

"I tend to read mags at wal-mart rather than buy them. most info I really need I get online."

"walmart page flipper.........if it has some info that's useful I'll buy it."

There seems to be a feeling that magazines have become too focused on advertising. Magazines seem to be full of articles about installing new products from its advertisers on to newer popular vehicles. The articles are good maybe for people buying new vehicles and looking for bolt on upgrades, but how many people build hardcore off-road vehicles out of new vehicles? How many times do you see them build a 10, 15 or even 20 year old vehicle and use parts from a salvage yard or swap meet. Not that often. They may feature an older vehicle, but they seldom do a project on one.

One of the problems traditional media encounters is the cost of publication. I can remember back in the early 80's when magazines were mostly black and white. Today everything is full color and the cost of printing is high. Readers would never tolerate going back to black and white. This means magazines have to rely more on advertising to help offset the costs of publication. Magazines have to find a balance between advertising and printing articles that enthusiasts want.

Maybe enthusiasts are getting to disconnected from traditional media because the can quickly find what they're looking for on the internet. 

Don't get me wrong. There is still some magazines out there I like and pick up from time to time. Some are doing a good job. Some have their good and not so good issues. And some just need to refocus.

How does The Ranger Station compare to traditional print media?

The best part about The Ranger Station is our member involvement. Putting this issue together was fairly easy because I had several good articles that were submitted by forum members. This is where you can find articles that relate to YOUR vehicle built by enthusiasts just like you. The best part is that when the article appears, you can generally find the author in the forum and ask him/her questions about it. How many magazines could you get to publish your articles for you? Any one of you could have your article featured here. Any one of you have the chance of having your vehicle featured here. 

Unlike magazines, we don't target a general group. We target a specific group.

You can find articles about real world upgrades, repairs, etc using anything from new, used and custom built parts. No commercialized article promoting the advertisers product(s). Now, that's not to say we won't be showing articles that involve or even recommend new products, but it won't be because we're getting paid to do so.

Social media is quickly growing and becoming an easier and cheaper method of obtaining not only media, but information that's important to you in general.

I'm hopeful that our online magazine and media presence will continue to grow. The Ranger Station has always been a resource that was built by RBV enthusiasts for RBV enthusiasts. The next time you start a project, grab the camera and take some pictures. We get our submissions either through forum posts or email. You don't have to be a professional writer. Gather the info and photos and we'll put it all together.

I look forward to seeing what we can get put together from our members for the Spring issue.

Stay tuned!