Unique visitors. I just love that term. It's not quite as Walt Disney World politically correct creepy as "special"– all visitors to Mickey's Kingdom are special Johnny– but it's close. People love to think they're "unique"– when in fact our species' very survival depends on astounding similarities of thought, emotion and behavior. And yet teachers, 'caregivers" and other members of the Western cult of human uniqueness drill the idea into us by from the time we discover we can't do stuff that other people can. While geneticists can confirm the fact of this assertion, they'll also tell you we're all just a few chromosomes away from getting our heads blown off by a Rwandan hunter looking for a nice big gorilla hand to make into a Chinese ashtray. And I saw an episode of Mega-Ultra-Wikkid-Big Disasters (yes that again) which said an asteroid-induced mega-tsunami reduced the human population to a hundred guys living in a tenement in the Upper East Side about 80k years ago. Or was it Africa half a million years ago? Probably Africa. Anyway, TTAC is up to 465,559 unique visitors (that's you!) per month, racking-up 1,368,121 page views. Apparently that's not good enough for the Detroit Auto Show organizers, who've either never heard of us, or, more likely, have (if you know what I mean). Our request for press credentials has been turned down. No reason given. We're reapplying, hoping that The Detroit Auto Dealers Association reconsiders and extends us the warm hand of friendship, once we re-introduce ourselves. Pleased to meet you. Hope you guess my name.
Find Reviews by Make:
Read all comments
that’s weak . . . but perhaps this is a great excuse to travel abroad.
Keep up the good fight, Robert. All 465,559 of us are behind you, unless some in that number are from the DADA who are trying to find reasons not to grant the sought-after press passes.
The Detroit Auto Show continues it’s long march towards irrelevance. I bet that “Road & Driver” and the rest will be there in force, even though readers are abandoning ship from the old rags faster than they are leaving the 2.8 behind. Journalism is moving to the ‘net at warp speed in part because the readers are now fully engaged participants.
No great loss though. Who really cares what goes on at that silly Detroit show?
Anyway, TTAC is up to 465,559 unique visitors (that’s you!) per month, racking-up 1,368,121 page views. Apparently that’s not good enough for the Detroit Auto Show organizers, who’ve either never heard of us, or, more likely, have (if you know what I mean). Our request for press credentials has been turned down.
Pimp out a spiffy wiki entry. Look, “Car and Driver” has one…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_and_Driver
According to the numbers on the wiki page linked to above, TTAC has over 35% of the readers of C&D. It is remarkable that an entity that has only been around for a few years has that many readers compared to a 52-year-old publication.
Th former big three and their supporters have a twisted blame the media mind set. Its not this website that is the cause of their problems. Congratulations for having 400 thousand plus unique visitors, that truly is a huge achievement.
We aren’t all unique visitors. I’m somewhat plain.
Maybe that’s the problem. You have too many unique visitors. That’s the last thing they want. It is hard to get 465,559 different and unique people excited about the cupholder changes that are upcoming in the 2010 Expedition. They want you and your readers to stay away.
According to Alexa, TTAC currently has about 25% the reach of caranddriver.com. Still, pretty impressive.
Damn I’m part of a crowd of almost 1/2 million I don’t feel so unique now. But I enjoy the company so who cares.
Stick it to them, crash the party. Actually that might not go over so well when you try to do interviews and they ask who your with. Hmm how about Cosmo are they getting an invite.
Man, you guys are quite cruel to the ol’ Caliber. I for one see that a more practical but fun car should fit a lot of people’s lifestyle. I know that those of you with a Boxster (I shan’t mention names) don’t care if you can use it to fulfill life’s needs like moving a package bigger then a ream of paper, but some of us do. I don’t dislike the intent or design of the Caliber, it really should have replaced the PT cruiser. However, it seems a bit half baked, and that is not what I like. I’ll stick with Subaru who at least tames torque steer via 4WD.
Heh, well, I subscribe to Automotive News, Automotive News Europe, China Automotive Review, Car & Driver, Motor Trend, and Car Audio & Electronics — of course the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press are free online. Sadly, in Tokyo I couldn’t discover anything published in English for Japan :(
But I have to confess, TTAC is the only one I actually read religiously, and read “cover to cover” so to speak.
Well, at least you won’t be missing Porsche there if you don’t get your free press pass.
That was predictable, knowing as we do, how incestuous the automotive journalism club is.
Suggestion: Publish an e-mail address we can protest to and hope at least a good portion of the half million will use it. I know I will.
The truth is the enemy to the dying dinosoar that is Detroit! We don’t need them anyway! They wouldn’t turn you away in L.A. & of course we have “sypmathy”
And you thanked them right?
FYI, your suspicions and views on China are reflective of the cold war mentality; it might even have been ok 20 years ago, but anyone that’s been to China or have kept up with the developments know that it’s no longer a “military dictatorship” and will not nationalize foreign owned companies out of the blue. There are many reasons why they would not, and the simplest one is that they stand to lose a lot more than they would gain. There will be no more investments, and nobody in the world will buy a Chinese product, automotive or not. If you’ve been to Walmart or any other large store in the past 15 years, you have a pretty good idea of the amount of money China is making through trade with us.
Many global companies, large and small (including the one I work for) are salivating at China’s 1.3B population and rapidly growing middle class. We are not investing money, time, and effort in China to be charitable.
I hope that readers at TTAC have a more open mind and see that the world is not all us against them, but that things go both ways.
To add insult to injury, I used to read your site from work (at Ford). As of last week, your site has been blocked. I sense a conspiracy!
picard234 :
To add insult to injury, I used to read your site from work (at Ford). As of last week, your site has been blocked. I sense a conspiracy!
Interesting. Our latest analytical data shows if you rank incoming domains by percentage of new visits, the second largest percentage comes from gm.com and the third largest comes from ford.com. I guess they found out!
That’s too bad, we have nothing but praise for the Ford GT and the Corvette.
the second largest percentage comes from gm.com and the third largest comes from ford.com
Well, you are sort of the f**kedcompany.com for the automotive industry. Do you blame them?
Maybe if more journos did their homework on the product (and take an accounting class) we wouldn’t have to be the lone harbinger of doom and gloom.
Is it really that wrong to keep the overpaid/underperforming auto executives honest every (mis)step of the way?
Pleased to meet you. Hope you guess my name.
Here’s a more appropriate reference:
“You made the [web site] too good.”
“The whole idea is building a better mousetrap.”
“Not if you’re the mouse.”
Tell the bastards we’re watching. Because we are. And when it comes to automobiles, we’re the most discriminating, influential lot on the interweb. We’re the ones who know exactly what a “flying vagina” refers to, and we’re the ones who know exactly how breathtakingly fast the FV’s creator changed its stylistic tune.
And so do they. Every single one of them.
Robert, maybe it’s time to highlight some of the cars that are actually IN Detroit. Now that would be an entertaining story.
If they won’t give you advance permission show up in your robe and do the old Jedi mind trick.. “We are not the journos you are looking for…”
Show up and tell them how to spell your name for the badge..I’ve never tried that at Detroit but it has worked elsewhere.
If that doesn’t work and you don’t want to do an everyman’s tour of the show then forget that show and head up to CIAS in Toronto.
Perhaps we could have a TTAC get-together party at the Detroit Auto show? I’m sure some of us could make it.
Pass this lesson on to your children folks…if you want to get ahead in life, be sycophant.
yankinwaoz :
Well, you are sort of the f**kedcompany.com for the automotive industry. Do you blame them?
I never thought of it that way (and that site did jump the shark a few years back) but that’s a good analogy.
Refused press credentials? What the hell? I wanna hear yet another exciting piece about the Chevy Volt…or some other vaporware crap.