The 12-Volt
Network Online
what’s happening
14 Mobile Electronics February 2019
While offering comradery and the chance to network, online groups within the industry also translate into the real world—by fostering education, connecting at events and pooling resources for the betterment of all.
WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
Before the advent of Facebook, Russell Harley—owner of Hitts AutoSound in Port Royal, South Carolina—opened an online group called 12-Volt Insiders. “I think it was around 2006,” Harley said. “There were a number of shop owners, managers, salesmen, installers or reps in the group, and we had some big box employees. A lot of us were on the CarSound.com forum.” Harley saw the need for a place where 12-volt professionals could support each other, a place where everyone knew and understood what everyone else was going through in the day-to-day. Harley had a website, he said, and the basic knowledge necessary. He decided to start a forum.
The Beginning of Online Networking for the Industry At that time, Harley added, the industry was just beginning its fight against Internet sales, and the forum gave professionals a place to discuss how to remain vital in a changing market. At the beginning, 12-Volt Insiders was careful about who they let in, and today it is just as discerning about its
membership. “It wasn’t open registration. Everyone who wanted to join needed a secret handshake,” he said, adding that members were added largely based on referrals. “They might say, ‘Doug Dobson recommended that I join.’ They would send me an email and I would type everything up so we didn’t have any spam. We grew to about 2,800 members at the peak.” It was as if they all worked at the same factory, Harley said, and there was a bar across the street. “When the whistle blew, that’s where we’d end up and that’s what we’d talk about. Ninety-eight percent of it was work-related. It was a place where we could lean on each other and try to figure out how to stay in this game.” 12-Volt Insiders is still an active group on Facebook, Harley said, adding, “There are 20 to 25 posts a day on the 12-Volt Insider. It was nice back in the day because I was selling advertising space [on the forum website].”
Growing From Forums to Facebook Groups A number of spaces now offer networking opportunities on Facebook—including the Mobile Electronics Syndicate, started on Facebook by Ron Hoser and
