What's Happening

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.

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 Ata Ehdaivand as a place to present a streaming online video show they call Hardwired, according to Ehdaivand. “We try not to be a tech group,” he said, adding that despite this, the group has a wide pool of talent in one place.

Ehdaivand also frequents groups including Mobile Solutions and the Sony group.

Brian Schurg of Extreme Audio in Richmond, Va. added that he gets a lot of inspiration from CarbideCult, a group for car audio fabricators. “I go in there to see what other guys are doing, how they’re solving problems, using different approaches, different tools and materials,” Schurg said. “When I go to KnowledgeFest, I’ll meet 10 or 15 guys I know from CarbideCult. We never met in person, but I know them from that. We get together and have fun.” He also uses Facebook groups like 12-Volt Insiders, the Mobile Electronics Syndicate, iDatatech and Mobile Solutions VIP Techs.

Other groups include AAMP Tech Support, Metra, JL Audio Dealers Only, 12-Volt Sales Pros and 12-Volt Careers, among many others.

Online groups naturally led to people meeting up at events such as Knowledge- Fest. Ehdaivand added that the Syndicate creates t-shirts for each major event and gives them away to those in attendance.

“Our goal is to have a one-off t-shirt on these occasions,” Ehdaivand said. “We want people to get educated. Our agenda is to push the awards and to push our industry. The only way we know how to do it is to dangle a t-shirt in front of everyone.”

Vetting Potential Members Keeps Groups Industry-Only

Although 12-Volt Insiders began as a forum, Mobile Electronics Syndicate has always been strictly a Facebook group. Individuals must be active members of the industry in order to join. Those who want to join must answer three questions in order to be approved, said Ethan Blau of Sound Wave Customs in Virginia Beach, Va. Blau is one of the administrators of the group. “We didn’t used to require answers to these questions, but now we do,” Blau said. “What shop do you work for? How long have you been in the industry, and how did you hear about us?”

Ehdaivand said the purpose is to educate and close the gap between smaller and larger stores. “Maybe there are things we do that we can teach, and maybe there are things they do that they can teach. There are discussions all the time like that in the Syndicate. Some people might not like the way other people do stuff, but it opens their eyes to what’s possible in their business and how they can make a difference. Many folks have approached me and said what a difference the Syndicate has made for them. It’s not about the admins, but what the message is.”

Sharing information is an important part of it: “James P. Smith of ACT Audio put up a checklist for remote starts,” Ehdaivand said. “It was such a good idea that I implemented it and some other people implemented it. It helped a lot of people. The ideas that happen in there, and can streamline what you’ve got going on, really make a difference.”

Brian Schurg of Extreme Audio frequents the Facebook group CarbideCult, where he finds inspiration for his work in car audio fabrication.

Industry Leaders Use Facebook Groups to Teach Integration Strategies

While the medium has switched to Facebook, groups continue to bring the industry together in different ways— including by supplementing training courses. Ken Ward of Educar training uses Facebook groups to help share information with the industry, as well as help to inform about upcoming Educar training courses.

“About 12 years ago,” Ward recalled, “I created an online forum called OE Interface to share information about factory radios. The only other person who ever posted information besides me was a guy named Ray West. I met him years later, but aside from Ray, no one else posted information. There were a lot of people checking it for information, but there wasn’t a critical mass of people contributing, so I shut it down.”

Ward created the Educar Facebook group in November of 2015 and continues to get positive feedback. “I got a message from someone today thanking me for the information, and he said he gets on there to learn whenever he has free time,” Ward said. “A lot of people don’t do that. They get pulled in by a rep. Manufacturers have been very supportive. Some people join and look at all the information, and some just look for vehicle data.”

Regarding his decision to open his own Facebook groups, Ward said, “I wanted to address a larger audience. The Educar Integration & Acoustics group is for two things: It’s for talking about how to tune your system, and it’s for talking about how to integrate with a factory receiver when you’re doing an audio system. It’s very audio-centric.”

The group now has 2,700 members. “I feel we’re making a big difference,” Ward said, adding that there are two types of support in the industry. “There’s telling me how to do my job and helping me learn how, and then there’s solving the problem that’s staring at me and keeping me from going home.”

Ward said he supports urgent questions about vehicles because they offer a chance to teach and share knowledge. “I get to talk about my over-arching questions, including what you need to do, what tools you should have and what I recommend you use to do your job,” he explained. “I wouldn’t be talking about the urgent questions if I didn’t get to talk about the strategic questions.”

Blau stated that one of the groups he frequents is Ward’s Educar group. “If I’m trying to figure out if there’s a factory upmixer for a vehicle, Educar is the spot to go,” Blau said. “There’s a great library of knowledge in there.”

Online groups—like the Syndicate, with its logo on the hood of this demo vehicle—extend beyond the screen when those who network online endeavor to meet up in person at events like KnowledgeFest.

Supplementing Training Courses Using Facebook Groups

Bryan Schmitt of Mobile Solutions also utilizes Facebook groups to help support training courses. “We wanted to have very like-minded people sharing ideas, a community,” Schmitt said. “Everyone contributes in a positive way, to excel, to grow and to go to the next level. That’s my purpose, and to communicate what’s happening with our training classes.”

Lots of questions are posted on the Mobile Solutions group, Schmitt said. “I’ll release dates through our VIP group and then it goes public, so those in the group have an inside track about what’s coming as far as training and products.”

Schmitt added that he avoids the standard sales pitch and simply offers the information if people are interested. “The demand is crazy for our classes,” he said. “They sell out in days. We have a waiting list of people trying to get in. It’s a good problem, and I feel bad that everyone can’t come.” The Facebook page is used to communicate with past and potential students, and Schmitt said he thinks they have less problems because the purpose is more focused.

“If you’ve attended class, if you’ve bought products, or even not—as long as you show that you’re an industry professional or a serious hobbyist who’s really involved in what your craft is about, then it makes you a candidate to be in the group,” Schmitt said. “I think at least 50 percent of our members have attended classes.”

Mobile Solutions has a core group of members who are also instructors, Schmitt noted, and they post frequently: “Tom Miller, JT Torres, Matt Schaeffer—I think they’re icons in the industry. I think it’s great to have that top tier of talent for others to look up to as an example, even with how they run their businesses, what they charge, what their shops are like. We share that as a community. Everyone’s collaborating, and that part to me is really cool.”

Also collaborating are Mobile Solutions and Educar, according to Schmitt. “Ken Ward is going to be a guest speaker coming up,” he said. “We cross-promote new ideas and dates. Ata, of the Mobile Electronics Syndicate, attends our classes, and so does Ron. They share our dates and update the group as well. If we can all help each other, it’s a win for everyone.”

Mobile Electronics Syndicate administrators Ethan Blau and Ata Ehdaivand feel that by offering free t-shirts at major events, they can help to spread a message of education and networking.

The Downsides of Relying on Online Support

At Sony Car Audio, the manufacturer runs a dealer page that uses a crowd-sourcing component to help balance the weight for the company’s technical support. “There are a lot of dealers helping dealers,” said Anthony Tozzi of Sony Car Audio.

The real-time aspect of Facebook allows members to get answers quickly. “There are things we don’t see because we’re not in bays and we’re not installing every day,” Tozzi noted. “There is some stuff we don’t catch that other dealers do catch. For the most part, nothing’s off the table for us and that’s both a good thing and a bad thing.”

Expecting instant gratification has been a byproduct of the Facebook group, Tozzi said. “Someone will post at eleven at night and then, a half hour later, post a question mark if no one answers right away. Sometimes the expectation level for an answer is pretty high.”

Another downside, he added, is that people may rely too much on online groups. “Not our group specifically, because it’s a product group, but we do see it to an extent. A question might be easily answered by less key strokes if you looked it up on Google first,” he explained. “Also, a lot of guys pour stuff on the Internet that wouldn’t come out in normal conversation.”

Tozzi advised manufacturers and those in tech support to not overextend themselves. “That’s our mantra. We’ll always help you, but you have to help us help you. We try to be supportive, but we also try to be very educational and build someone up in the process. I’ll answer your question, but I am also going to show you how you can get the answer in the future so you don’t have to keep asking.”

When he first started in the industry, Tozzi said, “you either asked the guy next to you or figured it out yourself. Now, the first knee-jerk reaction is to hit the Internet.”

Schurg said he feels the biggest downside is simply that it’s social media. “You’re forced to be in that realm,” he explained. “You have to take the good with the bad.”

Take care whose advice you follow, Harley said, adding that just because someone responds to an online thread to offer advice, doesn’t mean they necessarily have the right answer. However, it’s okay to reach out for information. “It’s always smart to let other people make mistakes,” Harley said. “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Someone else has already done it. My physics teacher always said, ‘You don’t have to memorize the phone book. You just have to know how to use it.’ You might as well utilize other people’s blood, sweat, tears and inspiration.”

Going Beyond the Industry to Help the Community

Charity work continues to be an important part of the equation, Blau said.

“We’re trying to grow and expand the industry as a whole. We’ve done a lot for charity. We have used Go Fund Me to help people with illnesses or those we’ve lost in the community,” Blau said, adding that the Mobile Electronics Syndicate hopes to do more for charity in the future.

“We were part of Marty Deane’s 12V for a Cause charity drive. Manufacturers offered giveaways and they raised almost $16,000 for charity.” As for goals specific to the Syndicate, Blau said they’d like to be able to help out with more trainings.”

Manufacturers are also sharing the message, Blau said. “Someone contacted us and told us they heard about us through Directechs. I met so many people in Long Beach that I knew from the Syndicate.”

Blau said he thinks the Syndicate is able to bring more people together because it’s not specific to one topic. “It wasn’t planned. It was natural. It just happened, and we get along well,” he said. “There’s so much on there. You can reach manufacturers. A guy might be talking to three reps or manufacturers about LED lights [in the same thread]. How else could he do that? [I think] it’s unique to what the Syndicate offers and how it helps people in the industry.”

Administrators of the group now review posts before they go up. “We’ve done stuff ourselves that was wrong or that we shouldn’t have posted about or said,” he added. “You learn from your mistakes, you grow and become better.”

Schurg said he hopes people will continue to embrace the knowledge that can be gained in online groups. “It’s more of a hive mind. We’re all doing the same things. When I started in this industry, people didn’t want to share,” Schurg said. “Now, people are willing to share. Jump in and take advantage of it. Reciprocate. It makes everything better.”