Most liked posts in thread: FOTD - Fail of the Dragon

I like the place mat idea, especially at some sort of welcome meal. Maybe make it visually interesting by putting a map of the Dragon with the corners and places labeled, the etiquette guide, and some other stuff.

 

some great ideas......don't see the a dealership or MINIUSA helping with the promotional car idea(that's just my gut feeling based on numerous past expierences) If you could find a volunteer, I do think we could get one of our grahic vendors to supply a magnetic version.

Per a suggestion on NAM I would be willing to make little yellow pieces of paper that say don't cross the line or something similar. (similar to the orange paper coupon I made for CooperCards) (I can print 4 on a 8.5" x 11" paper and cut them in 4)

Not sure if a "Etiquette Page" will get read any more than the two pages in Safety information that is already in the Welcome Guide. Again, just my opinion. That said, if someone is willing to make a "Etiquette Page" and print out a copy for each person, I'll put them in the registration bags (sadly it won't help the "anti-registration" crowd either)

Sadly, many of the folks that have created this issue don't think they are doing anything wrong and I not sure if anything we do will change that. But some of the above suggestion should help the folks that do care and what to better drivers and community supporters

 

T-Shirts!!

Something that evokes the don't eat the yellow snow idea with a slogan along the lines (no pun intended) of Don't Cross the Yellow Lines...

 

I think a big part of it is the "It won't happen to me" crowd. Just look at the seat belt and drunk driving campaigns we have all heard them many many times yet people still drive drunk or without a seat belt. I am not saying we should give up but there will always be people who just don't care.

 

How about a "Mind the Gap" campaign? It has a British origin and can take on a double meaning in relation to Deals Gap.

 

Barry,

I would place a statement that people must read and acknowledge before they register. Make sure people are told when they pick up their registration, and maybe send out an email to all registered persons before the event with the top 10 safety points.

I would not do anything that costs money, unless someone were to step up and sponsor. And nothing we do, now, then, or whenever is going to stop some people from crossing the double yellow.

YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID!

 

I see this as a positive topic...and we had fun-fun-fun...good stories...we had fun-fun-fun.

 

I think that's a great idea. Personally, as a newbie, I enjoyed the other roads much more than the Dragon. The Dragon, for me, was stressful. The other roads, while they may have a few challenging turns here and there, were a lot more fun.

 

I agree the Cherohala Skyway is a beautiful road, heck even the 28 from Fontana to deals gap was fun.

 

"Hellbender"

 

Thanks I had heard of the Hellbender but I didn't realize thats what it was.

 

Yep - it extends well past Fontana too, of course.

A lot of people also think the Dragon fun ends at the Crossroads of Time (i.e. Deal's Gap) but it's fun for another 3 miles all the way down to Tapoco Lodge!

 

Wylah Bald Road is one of the best in the area IMHO!

 

As for the "promotional" efforts, some of the ideas floating around sound pretty good. I would only suggest that we (the MINI community) should actually consider a bigger picture. Why limit our promo efforts to just our own community? Why not take these ideas and make it our mission to campaign it to ANYONE that traverses the Dragon? More of a PSA type thing. (Think "Just Say No" or "Only YOU can prevent forest fires") I think it would be one way to give back to the region and it would help to keep us well-recieved by the locals - maybe even local law enforcement. Of course, those would just be "perks" not the real impetus behind the effort.

If we create actual merchandise (t-shirts, stickers, badges, etc.), then let's license it to Fontana, Deal's Gap, etc. Our percentage could be put into an fund to defray the annual costs for MOTD.

...I know, I know - lots of implications with money in the mix. But I'm just spit-balling my big idea. Work with me!

 

IMO.. taking on EVERYONE is like people knocking on your door with their religion. Like telling other people how to raise their kids.

Should more of the world work together to keep each other in check? Sure.. but... this is OUR community... if the Hondas, EVOs, STI, Harley's, and the like wanna be Dbags on the dragon. So be it.

But not in My house! LOL I care what my "family" looks like. We have earned respect. I am not letting a few "bad apples" spoil that.

 

the Subaru guys do a Dragon run every May and the organizers run a tight ship. Lane discipline and courtesy are paramount and the good folks at Killboy usually comment that the Subaru enthusiasts are better than most. There will always be bad apples in every group though.

I organize a Burger Rally every summer....we had a few too many yahoos one year....it's invite only now so I can control things better. Nothing worse than a few guys ruining the fun trying to be KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN out there on public roads

 

yeah nothing worse than ruining it for everyone else... oooooooo :mad5:

 

I absolutely agree with taking responsibility for self-policing. And while there may be some similarities between proselytizing a religion and proselytizing about Dragon Safety, I don't think it has to be "preachy" or negative at all.

It's merely a matter of perspective on how you handle it. Have you ever heard of the book [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Cool-Standing-Cluttered-Marketplace/dp/0743497090"]Chasing Cool[/ame]? (Link points to Amazon.com summary.) Think of it more like that. Where the message is designed to be cool and everyone WANTS to take part in it. To the point where they actually feel UNcool if they don't support the message. If the message, images, etc. were in line with other popular themes, it could catch like wildfire. If it can be "cool" to promote stupid fad-ish things, why can't it be cool to promote something that is actually smart and important? Think about it.

I, personally, think that the Dragon Community at large is actually hungry for a cool wrapper to this important message that they can latch onto. Don't you think that the bikers and all the rest of the people would love to see less idiotic, stupid things killing/injuring them and their friends - and not damaging as much property? Don't you think that the amount of law enforcement and patrolling would reduce if the entire Dragon Community was highly self-policing through positive peer pressure and sheer awareness? I think that the Dragon World is waiting for a GOOD message to rally behind. MINI folks are early-adopter, front-runner type people. Let's take this on and LEAD!

It would certainly take a well-organized, planned effort involving some market testing and research, but it can happen - not only without negative perception, but be warmly welcomed and openly adopted!