The EPautos roster of subscribers continues to grow – but oh-what-fun it is to separate the real people from the bots/spammers. For every one legitimate (actual human, here to read and post) new subscriber, we probably get at least 50 fake ones.
Really.
One of the fun jobs I have is to sort through the lists every day, flushing the fakes. But the toughies are those “new subscribers” who appear to be real people but who have not actually posted a comment yet. By posting a comment, you help identify yourself as a real person – not a bot, not a spammer – and this helps me to separate the wheat from the chaff. It also helps you – because once you’ve given us indication you’re real, we can upgrade your membership here (it’s free!) which means your posts will appear immediately instead of being held up in the “moderation” queue for approval.
So, if you’re new here – please post something! Even if it’s just a sentence saying hello.
Other stuff:Â
The stickers are proving to be popular! I just sent out another batch, including a packet of several to one person who very generously supported EPautos this month. But, regardless of the amount, thanks to all of you who’ve supported the site. It’s been a tough year, but things seem to be getting better.
We’re on track for our second month in the black… which means I may not have to go live in a van down by the river after all!
It also means we’ll be able to keep EPautos free of pushy ads. We have a handful of ads, but they’re not pushy. They don’t dominate the page – or force you to wait for minutes while they load before you can see the stuff you actually came here to see. Contrast this with one of the “big” automotive sites, the relentlessly shill-you-to-death Edmunds.com for instance. I have an adblock program running on my Mac. It shows 20-40 ads per page blocked when I load Edmunds.com
That’ll never happen here, Elvis-willing!
If you value independent media, please support independent media. We depend on you to keep the wheels turning!
Our donate button is here.
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EPautos
721 Hummingbird Lane SE
Copper Hill, VA 24079
PS: EPautos stickers are free to those who sign up for a $5 monthly recurring donation to support EPautos, or for a one-time donation of $10 or more. (Please be sure to tell us you want a sticker – and also, provide an address for us to mail the thing to!)Â
First off, I am 35 years old, I am divorced, and I live in a van down by the river. I’m here to tell you, that you’re probably going to find out as you go out there that you’re not going to amount to jack squat!
You’re going to end up eating a steady diet of government cheese, and living in a van down by the river. Now what do you want to do with your life. A writer?
Wellllll la de frickin da! We’ve got ourselves a writer here. Hey Dad, I don’t see too good. Is that Bill Shakespeare over there?
Gawd, how I wish I were 35 years old again. I would defiantly/definalty (sheet, definalty isn’t in spell check!) live down by The River if I could be 35 years old again.
Cracks me up how when i first saw that bit, I thought, “Mang! 35 years old is freakin’ OLD!”
…But My how time flies.
And as I told the 20 year olds who gave me crap for being thirty (old as dirt) a few years ago, “Don’t worry, You’re Next”.
That kind of shut them up.
What a drag it is getting old.
I loved that skit – !
RIP, Farley. You were great…
Just wondering, are the stickers removable, or are they stuck on real good?
This batch is vinyl, with sticky backing.
I’m thinking about going for the ones that can be moved from place to place once inventory runs out.
Which do you guys prefer? Maybe we should offer both?
I prefer moveable. But then again, if I forget to take them off when I go through the car wash (which is Easy to do)…. Poof!
As some banker idiot says on SouthPark, “…And,… it’s gone.”
I’m leaning hard to offering both. Might even order up a second batch this month, if the originals keep moving!
I prefer the moveable, magnet ones. Although with newer cars, like my father’s 2007 outback, there isn’t much metal. The rear bumper is 100% plastic. Might as well just make it out of foam, that would at least cushion the blow…
Eric,
Good to hear. Especially since … Down By The River has already been done. 😉