Have Click N Brags "Jumped the Shark"???????

Part of the problem is that some of the threads just overwhelm you with the number of pictures. How many pictures of the little brush cleaning the wheel lugs in one thread do we really need to see? Do we really need to see every single panel through all 5 steps? And conversely, what about taking pictures under the lights and the afters are all in the shade? I can understand if the sun was used in the before shots and you don't finish until very late in the day but if you had the lights for the befores, you have them for the afters. Or three fuzzy pictures with a cellphone?



Much if it is probably saturation now. So many people posting good details that unless the thread title catches my eye and the write-up is well done, I don't have enough internet time to go through every single C&B thread anymore.
 
Grimm said:
Another beef I have is too many/too few pictures. It seems the majority fall into this category. Someone starts out with "I didn't have time to take before shots." OK, the car looks shiny, but I don't know what it looked like before, so it kind of takes the luster out of the whole point of the thread.
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I'm guilty of that at times because I honestly don't have much time, or during winter, the sun angles can be terrible for showing defects or lack thereof. And if I am working in an office parking lot, using lights isn't practical. Plus if I am not doing a correction, there isn't that much to see. I try to concentrate on those thread on the process, what it takes to do a good quality basic bread and butter detail.
 
Really, that was a weak beef. The lack of any/good after shots was more what I was thinking of. I think I see that a lot more than lack of before shots. Like you said, they take nice shots before, but then take shady pictures after. Those are the ones that bug me a lot more than lack of before shots. it's more being picky than anything, but if you don't take before shots, it doesn't prove us that you actually did anything to the paint. It could have looked that good before you touched it (though I'm sure that's never the case), but we wouldn't know.
 
As a person who has just become interested in detailing vehicles, I can tell you how I view the click n brags. For one thing, it seems that every single product posted works. Doesn't matter if the guy used a PC, a Flex, or a Rotary. Doesn't matter which compound, polish, glaze, wax, they all look the same to me. For a while I enjoyed looking at the 50/50 shots of leather interiors, and swirl removal, but now those are all the same. Even if it is a Ferrari or a Lambo, I never see those in real life anyway...



Now, clearly I do not have a "professional" eye, and I'm sure most of you can tell the difference in a compressed JPEG file between Zaino and Optimum... But I can't.



At this point after a few months of viewing these things, I am more interested in the processes involved in fixing specific issues with paint or interiors. Maybe a paint transfer on the bumper, or a particularly bad section of an interior.



To sum up what I've learned.

1. Detailing cars, in the capacity needed to satisfy 95%(maybe more) of car owners in the world, is exceptionally easy.

2. Taking pictures that emphasize how well you know how to wipe on and wipe off a product, is also exceptionally easy. (ie, sun before, shade after)

3. Product selection is preference, almost all of them work if you read the directions on the bottle. (I say this because it no longer matters to me what products are used in the C&B, as they all look the same "to me" once finished).

4. People are short on time, and aren't necessarily willing to use their limited time if they are not guaranteed something in return.



Again, from my newbie perspective, given 3-4 months of interest in detailing cars and detailing forums.
 
Strokes77 said:
As a person who has just become interested in detailing vehicles, I can tell you how I view the click n brags. For one thing, it seems that every single product posted works. Doesn't matter if the guy used a PC, a Flex, or a Rotary. Doesn't matter which compound, polish, glaze, wax, they all look the same to me. For a while I enjoyed looking at the 50/50 shots of leather interiors, and swirl removal, but now those are all the same. Even if it is a Ferrari or a Lambo, I never see those in real life anyway...



Now, clearly I do not have a "professional" eye, and I'm sure most of you can tell the difference in a compressed JPEG file between Zaino and Optimum... But I can't.



At this point after a few months of viewing these things, I am more interested in the processes involved in fixing specific issues with paint or interiors. Maybe a paint transfer on the bumper, or a particularly bad section of an interior.



To sum up what I've learned.

1. Detailing cars, in the capacity needed to satisfy 95%(maybe more) of car owners in the world, is exceptionally easy.

2. Taking pictures that emphasize how well you know how to wipe on and wipe off a product, is also exceptionally easy. (ie, sun before, shade after)

3. Product selection is preference, almost all of them work if you read the directions on the bottle. (I say this because it no longer matters to me what products are used in the C&B, as they all look the same "to me" once finished).

4. People are short on time, and aren't necessarily willing to use their limited time if they are not guaranteed something in return.



Again, from my newbie perspective, given 3-4 months of interest in detailing cars and detailing forums.
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You are very observant! All your points are spot on correct.

I can use products from my local Dollar Store and everyone here would be happy.......until I told them what I used.

I know my customer's wouldn't care either way. They just want a clean, shiny car. Why can we? LOL!

The only thing that keeps me from just using OTC products in my business is price. I have to buy in bulk. Other than that, most and almost all OTC products yield no difference.
 
Deep Gloss Auto Salon said:
Bryan: What's the matter with taking before pictures in the full sun and the afters in a garage??? :hurt: :fencing: :flame:
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Tripod is a must and I am too darn tired/want to get home to mess with all of that. Now I have seen some nice garage shots done, just none by me. :)
 
Strokes77 said:
As a person who has just become interested in detailing vehicles, I can tell you how I view the click n brags. For one thing, it seems that every single product posted works. Doesn't matter if the guy used a PC, a Flex, or a Rotary. Doesn't matter which compound, polish, glaze, wax, they all look the same to me. For a while I enjoyed looking at the 50/50 shots of leather interiors, and swirl removal, but now those are all the same. Even if it is a Ferrari or a Lambo, I never see those in real life anyway...
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That is spot on stokes. Really most products will all do the job fine. But what seems to be lost now in the discussion, is that some products when it comes to polish do work better on certain paints and with certain pads. I remember seeing more detail with that regard in the C&B section. I clearly remember lots of people saying how they used one polish on a certain pad with little results on a test section, so they moved on to another combination, and possibly half a dozen more before they found one that worked well and quickly. When I view the C&B's, I just don't see that very often any more. Sure, most any polish on most any pad will eventually get you the results you want, but I think what we all strive for in the end (besides a great finish), is a combination that gets the best results with the least amount of work.



What I want out of the C&B, besides seeing some great cars and transformations, is to be able to put my car in the search function, and find a C&B post where someone worked on the same car/paint, so that I might find a polish or technique that helps me reduce the amount of work I need to get good results on my finish.
 
For those who say they don't have time to do write ups, consider the value to the owner of a car if you provide them a personal write up for their garage queen. For my clients who want full corrections I document each step and take tons of photos. Each client I have done this for has been blown away. Some I see regularly and they tell me how they show it to all their friends to show what the car looked like before, and sometimes reminds them of their own amazement upon seeing their car for the first time after the detail. My forum posts are often just a watered down version of those.



We do full write-ups for our clients for an additional charge. It's always cool to go back six months later and see it hanging in their garage.
 
gmblack3 said:
Tripod is a must and I am too darn tired/want to get home to mess with all of that. Now I have seen some nice garage shots done, just none by me. :)
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Yuuuuuppp...



I don't recall seeing you do befores in the sun and afters in the garage but, unfortunately for some it is the norm...



I also love when people for the befores focus the camera on the paint (which shows the defects) and the for the afters focus the camera on the reflection (doesn't show the defects)
 
I've been detailing for others since 2006, I've had a few cars that would be worthy of a C&B on the shear before and after results, no exotics or classic cars yet. But, I've never really thought about doing a detail and posting about it. Maybe I'm lazy or just feel I lack the ability to take pics decent enough. Maybe one day I will, but for now I'll just look at the others posted here. That said, I do have my favorites, and you're kidding yourself if you don't own up to it too, we all have them. Example 1 - Marc Harris does a Maserati, I know it will be well written and beautifully photographed. Example 2 - Dave Fermani does a how to on a regular car showing a new technique and or product, I know I'll learn something I can use in my biz. So yeah maybe I do need to look at a few more from folks I don't know but ya'll know how time slips away sometimes and you just miss it.



What to do about that shark? too bad Jaws didn't have a taste for leather, I'd laughed my butt off to see Fonzie taken down a notch. But back to our drama, something DOES need to be done. What? Well I'm not sure, maybe have sub forums under C&B, like Product XYZ in Action, Exotic Cars, How-to - Technique Central, and Judge Me - where you post and people critique what you do. I'd post there myself hoping Marc, Bob, Dave, Thomas or one of the other Pro's would offer advice.



What do ya'll think???
 
Interesting thread...and six pages in just a few hours, after initial concerns that it wasn't getting any responses!



For my 2₵-



- Yeah, documenting your work is very demanding! Every time I thought I'd (finally) do it, it just never happened as I was busy enough without it

- The honest truth is that most C&Bs simply don't interest me. The exceptions offer something, well...exceptional. And that includes "here's how it turned out" threads by newbies who have asked for advice

- Whether I/we care to view them/comment on them or not, I can certainly understand the value of C&B threads with regard to pros displaying their abilities

- As for C&Bs that, uhm...might exaggerate how great the work was, gee whiz, it's the internet ;)
 
I hate to keep beating on the horse, but a C&B on another site fit this thread perfectly. I was drawn in by the title, "'66 Ferrari". Cool I thought, I love classics. It has five pictures (decent quality, but were they before's or after's?) and doesn't say a thing about it. The OP said basically "here are some pictures, let me know what you think." The first reply was "the car is neat, what did you do with it?" I nearly laughed out loud. That thread was such a letdown.
 
Grimm said:
I hate to keep beating on the horse, but a C&B on another site fit this thread perfectly. I was drawn in by the title, "'66 Ferrari". Cool I thought, I love classics. It has five pictures (decent quality, but were they before's or after's?) and doesn't say a thing about it. The OP said basically "here are some pictures, let me know what you think." The first reply was "the car is neat, what did you do with it?" I nearly laughed out loud. That thread was such a letdown.
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Ha, I just saw that thread as well.... If it werent for the hose and suds that were in the gutter I would have thought the guy just took pics of some random car he saw on the street... Poor car was still swirled to hell
 
Great thread David! I have noticed the decline in views/posts as well. Personally if people don't want to view my work that's fine by me since most of my work tends to be daily drivers with basic details, and lets be honest, there are tons of those threads posted daily! IMO most readers could care less if it's not an exotic or special interest car. My threads with the most views are jobs with cool cars or jobs where I went above and beyond standard detailing duties, and I'm fine with that. I'm not out to be the next Paul Dalton, I simply do what I love and want nothing more than to be acknowledged as a reputable pro.



I do agree with a lot of what's been said so I'll try not an repeat it all. Instead I'll list why I post C&B threads myself.



  • Obviously it's a great advertisement! Why not take advantage of it?
  • As Eric stated, there is nothing wrong with adding them to multiple forums as not everyone visits Autopia, the more exposure the better!
  • Helping others! A lot of knowledge has been gained from forums and I try and do my part to give back to the community. I've always responded to everyone of my threads! Most of the time it's simply a thank you, but if there is a question posted I always answer them.
  • Having my work on-line has also been helpful many times when someone asks a question about a certain car that I've already worked on.





I will say that I dislike the threads were the OP does not answer questions or simply doesn't contribute to the forum at all other than to post their work.





Rasky
 
RaskyR1 said:
...most of my work tends to be daily drivers with basic details, and lets be honest, there are tons of those threads posted daily! IMO most readers could care less if it's not an exotic or special interest car...
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Ya know..I'm actually more likely to check out C&Bs about daily drivers as opposed to exotics. I'm a *huge* fan of beater-car details!
 
RaskyR1 said:
I will say that I dislike the threads were the OP does not answer questions or simply doesn't contribute to the forum at all other than to post their work.





Rasky
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I agree. Your C&B's are great because you answer questions and help out in other areas. I also like that you do 'regular' cars where the owner has a budget or a time constraint and you demonstrate how to work within that boundary.



Randy
 
I agree with the general sentiment that the C&B have lost most of their steam (not just this site... most of them). Not sure how appropriate it will be to reference a competing site but I think when you figure out what the guys are doing in the "The Studio" section of DetailingWorld, you'll have it figured out. Just a quick glance down the first page and almost all the threads have multiple thousands of views and multi-pages of responses. Is it me, or have the Europeans always been one step ahead in this industry?
 
danponjican said:
I agree with the general sentiment that the C&B have lost most of their steam (not just this site... most of them). Not sure how appropriate it will be to reference a competing site but I think when you figure out what the guys are doing in the "The Studio" section of DetailingWorld, you'll have it figured out. Just a quick glance down the first page and almost all the threads have multiple thousands of views and multi-pages of responses. Is it me, or have the Europeans always been one step ahead in this industry?
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DetailingWorld has always had a lot more traffic IMO, so that could be part of it. As far as the "Studio" section goes, the only difference I see is that it's a "pay to post" section. the content doesn't seem any different to me. They have their key players who are always pushing the envelope just like some of the guys we have here.



In general I'd say they may be ahead of the game in some areas, but they are behind in some too (MF D/A polishing).
 
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