We’re waiting on the future of Saab Automobile to be settled (word is it may be another week before every ‘i’ is dotted prior to final documents being signed) I thought I’d take a moment to talk a little about the future of this website.
Right now, the future is heading in two possible directions in parallel, with a possible fork in the road looming. One option is only about a 3% chance of happening, at the most, but it’s there to be considered.
The 97% chance:
The most likely thing that will happen around here is an expansion of the site in the near future. I have my IT guy working on it right now, but he needs to get a new server, one that’ll run the software I’ve purchased.
That expansion will be centered around a forum, which will be added as part of the Saabs United URL.
The forum will be aimed at news and community issues, rather than covering technical issues. Saab Central and Saabnet both handle technical issues very well and I’ve got no desire to step on anyone’s toes there. There might be some crossover with Saablink but I think the core audience for SU and SL are quite different so I’m sure we can both handle things OK.
The forum will allow an opportunity to keep discussing some issues after they fall off the front page here on the blog and the forum should be very helpful in that regard. It should be a good de-facto archive for some of those entries people might like to refer back to but have trouble finding.
I’ve got a few other ideas for themes within the forum area but I’ll keep those up my sleeve for the time being. Needless to say I think a good, focused forum will be a valuable addition to the site and hopefully, make the site a better ambassador for the brand.
The forum should kick off in the next 2-3 weeks and that will happen regardless of the possibility of….
The 3% chance
At the end of 2008, I received some interest from a US-based media site in acquiring Trollhattan Saab. Discussions got a reasonable distance when things started looking shaky for Saab, so we called things off. I went ahead and started Saabs United and committed to covering this sale story right until the end, which I’m pleased to say we did (and did well).
Now that Saab’s future is assured, we’ve been in touch again and they’re having a look at the new site, the old site and their needs/resources.
Why is this of interest?
Basically, it’s an opportunity that’s available and must be considered, however unlikely it might be to come forth.
Also, I do have to change something about the way this site operates. Over the last 12 months, I committed to cover the Saab sale and that commitment ended up meaning I was working on this site between 6-10 hours a day (more in the 6 weeks leading up to January 26). I have a family and a day job and both have suffered as a result of this. Something has to change.
A sale of the site, should it happen, would mean that someone else can take care of the maintenance, the bills and the administration. All I have to think about is content. It would also give my family a tangible outcome for all the work that’s been done over the last five years, which is something important, too. They’ve given a lot.
——
The chances of Saabs United being sold are very remote. The guys in the US are looking at the numbers, but even if the site’s numbers are sufficient to get them interested, they’re still going to have to offer numbers sufficient to get me interested.
The most likely outcome, and the one I’m working towards, is the expansion of the site in a manageable way so that the site is equipped to serve the community and the brand as best it can.
Thanks for your support, especially over the last 12 months. I hope can continue to work together into the future to enjoy the Saab brand and do our best to promote its interests here in cyberspace.
No related posts.
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{ 56 comments }
Well, Swade, if we can help with anything… I’ll love to help.
Same here in New York State. Let us know if we can help.
Swade, if you need help just ask.
I think that I am speaking for most of us when I say the most important thing for us is that it is you (and Eggs) who write the content. And that you are free to write what you think.
Hi Swade,
I’ve been here almost since the start and will help any way I can. I like the way you do your blog and the way your write. You have done a fantastic job for everyone. I am with you which ever way you go. Robin.
Swade, your work here is admirable and few people would put in the hours working with this project.
I have mentioned it before as well as others – and maybe the entire idea will fall because SU will and shall be fully independent from SAAB Spyker – but this is a very good platform for promoting SAAM all over the world. The traditional channels for promoting products are changing and it is not so that 100 % of the effort shall be put in printed media and TV commercials. Here SAAB Spyker has a large number of committed lovers of the brand and by using this site also for promoting issues, the entire world can to a very low effort be informed about all things happening with SAAB (and Spyker).
Few other brands have this opportunity and I think that SAAB – Spyker mgmt must look at this as well, and in the end even could have a paid staff doing some of the editorials.
Swade,
First of all thank you for all your hard work. I’ve been a frequent reader since around mid-2007. For me Trollhattansaab/Saabsunited is one of those sites which I check out first thing in the morning, and on average several times during the day. To support your work financially I’ve donated small amounts of money (at the times when the link has been up), and made small purchases from your affiliates which’s banners have been placed to your site.
All this time I’ve been amazed by your devotion to the site and community, and wondering how you have time and the energy to keep going. The fact is that enthusiasm can take you far, but sooner or later the costs of this enthusiasm will catch you up. No one can put in the hours you’re putting in (and neglect your work and family) until the end of the world.
I personally would be extremely pleased to see you sell the site. It would mean that you would get at least some sort of reward of all the hours you’ve put in, and the sale would ensure the continuity of the site. As mentioned I don’t believe that anyone can continue working as you have, and quite frankly I’m worried that you’ll burn out.
In five years time I’d rather have commercially run SaabsUnited.com which publishes maybe one or two articles a day, than a dead site which died because the person running it had a burn out.
You’ve build a wonderful community – now is time to either spread the workload, or let someone else take the main responsibility for taking the site forward in the coming years!
Whatever happens you have my utmost respect.
Swade, have you considered joining forces with Mr Muller?
I would like to believe SAAB Spyker found a way to cooperate with you and take the costs for maintaing the site. Also I should think they have reasonable servers to provide you with the power needed.
Besides that, as you say, maintaining a site is a time consuming work (I know since I work as an IT consultant).
Hopefully Mr Muller and for that matter Mr Jonsson as well could see the benefits of a cooperation with SU.
Why not ask them about the future setting? I mean, the stage is set… it just needs some lights shed on the right parts…
Keep the good work up!
I think at least that Saab should hand over a pre-production 9-5 to our Aussie friend! =)
Cheers
Johan
I support whatever you decide on Swade. I’ll be the first person to register on the forums
Would you be selling TS or SU? After selling one would you keep running the other?
Well as long as you’re not selling to Rupert Murdoch… =)
Seriously, though, I think you could probably make a going concern of SU, and request some donations to hire a part time administrator, or something. I also think that VM should officially make you Saab’s community representative, for which you should receive a yearly stipend. =)
It’s a joy to see SaabsUnited evolving like that!
If there’s anything you need, count me in.
Sell to the highest bidder and then retire to the Bahamas and forget about all the riff-raff like us. You know you want to….:p
There weren’t any RHD’s made afaik…
Swade, you have done amazing things for Saab and the entire Saab community. Thank you for your passion and dedication. I agree with a lot of people here, I think VM and JAJ should reward you for all your efforts.
Swade, you’ve done a superb job with SU. I came onto this blog just as the sale was first discussed by GM all those months ago and have regularly visited since, many times a day when the SAAB Spyker deal was about to be done. For you to maintain the level of dedication to the SAAB community that you showed in these unique times is remarkable. SU has become the font of all news for SAAB and that is a mighty achievement in itself!
I agree with others who’ve suggested that possibly SAAB Spyker should make good use of your services, either via SU or in a new, dedicated SAAB role, managing the news and information output online.
Whatever you decide or whatever comes your way from SAAB, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for keeping me fully informed over the last 12 months or so!
Swade, you have done so much for us, in particular in the past year, that you should take all measures required to reduce your workload. Nobody wants to see you have a heartattack, or die from karoshi.
Swade – I have been here since November 2005 as an astute and hardcore Saab nut.
Which ever way this dice rolls, bear in mind the recipient of the news: the old stallwarts (read Saab nuts like us), those gravitating from those Teutonic three and the saber rattling toothed tiger from the East (read Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru and Toyota)and the new yuppie generation not wanting to join the main stream. They will chart the course for the future and in so doing determine what type of media SU will be.
All the best of luck and if you need help, you know we are just a click away.
Swade- I have been following you and this community for many years. Being a new dad myself I just wanted to say take care of yourself and your family. Saab has proven sturdy and strong- families are fragile and precious.
I hope you will be apart of my Saab community when I buy a new one in a few years. I can imagine you not.
On another note, I hope if you sell you can get a monetary reward you deserve.
oops- I meant to say
“I can’t imagine you not.”
srry for the dble post
I enjoy this website for news and commentary about upcoming models etc. My other favorite site is http://www.motoringfile.com/. My second passion is the MINI.
One of the things Gabe does is podcast. I think this would be a good direction for this site.
Saabsunited should stay independent to keep it’s community.
) and don’t forget to rebuild your 99 turbo 
Swade, you need some assistance. Make content groups and there’re a lot of redactors here willing to write and you can check it/ reformat it and make it public. So you need redactors in the main time zones and you never see bypassing a news while you sleep. Manage it, own it and get more spare time.
Take care. Take enough time with your family (work life balance
Aero I agree that Swade doing something for Saab Spyker would be wonderful and in Victor’s best interest. But I don’t see taking SU under the Saab Spyker wing as a good Idea. Its not and should not be a company run Blog. I am sorta kinda new here only about 6 months and I personally think it was created as a company blog, its news worthy, fun, at times it has been the best thing I could read because Steve and Eggs say what they mean and a company run blog couldn’t do that.
Swade should have a spot with Saab Spyker. I think most of us agree. But if he would become something with Sabb Spyker he could be SU at the same time. These are just my thoughts and I am sure some will agree and some will think I’m nuts but thats why we come here.
Sorry I meant to say it was not created as a company blog. not “I personally think it was created as a company blog”
Again I am sorry
Swade, You gotta do whats best for yourself and your family and I am pretty certain all the regulars here will support and understand which ever path you choose.
Swade, You gotta do whats best for yourself and your family and I am pretty certain all the regulars here will support and understand which ever path you choose.
Bon mot, my friend. Right behind you.
I’ve often wondered how you do it – especially as you’ve pointed out that each comment made here gets sent to your email! Sometimes when I see the amount of comments on a particularly ‘hot’ topic, well, I feel kind of bad! Anyway, hope you continue it in some capacity – as you mentioned, a forum might be good, and could reduce the pressure/workload on you, and allow others to moderate/post everyday topics, whilst you concentrate on the ‘bigger’ stories?
Again, I’m relatively new here – I was looking at the old site for 2 years or so – but didn’t comment here until mid-09. I’m a Saab guy in secret, you see, just don’t tell anyone! I’m not sure how many people can say this, but I’m more likely to buy a Saab directly as a result of this site. I think it says something as I drive a Volvo…! Best of luck!
Swade…a word, or two, or three, or more
Swade you have done a great job. Ill never forget how disappointed I was when you said you were going to stop the blog before. Maybe you could give a few more people you trust access to the site to upload pictures and ideas instead of just you and Eggs. I think the forum is a good idea and maybe SAAB-Spyker will link your site and pay you for advertising. Just cut back a little (very little
), you deserve it.
Swade you’re a rock star, thanks for your relentless dedication.
The forums would be in addition to you QUALITY blogs or would the blogs disappear?
Sell to Google for, as Dr. Evil in Austin Powers would say with his pinkie over the corner of his mouth, “One MILLLLLION DOLLARSSSSS!”
Steve, good luck in whatever decision you make. I do think a forum is a great idea. There are several forums around that seem to use software that is fast, flexible, and easy to use, that allow posting of pictures, formatted posts, etc. Take a look at the forum on http://www.flyertalk.com as an example.
su and swade should follow whatever path is most suited to the needs of his family. after watching ‘whats in the water’ i think you should get on the keep tassie clean bandwagon.
Don’t sell the site! Selling means loss of control. Instead buy help -or accept free help, which I’m pretty sure you can get from other SAAB lovers here!
I, for one, can help setting up and maintaining a forum. It’s not a biggie, especially if one can delegate the moderation tasks (which should be minimal anyway).
I am a stubborn person sometimes and very resistant to change….I am secure in my ways of thinking and know what I like and do not like….
I LOVE SAABSUNITED and hope it remains as focused as it has been, regardless of who “owns” it.
Th only thing I would like to see would be the ability to run a chat room. A chat room open 3 days a week so people can meet up and exchange FRIENDLY conversations about anything…but keeping political topics at the door…
I am a stubborn person sometimes and very resistant to change….I am secure in my ways of thinking and know what I like and do not like….
I LOVE SAABSUNITED and hope it remains as focused as it has been, regardless of who “owns” it.
Th only thing I would like to see would be the ability to run a chat room. A chat room open 3 days a week so people can meet up and exchange FRIENDLY conversations about anything…but keeping political topics at the door…
I only started making comments recently (back in Nov) but I popped in to read quite frequently even back at TrollhattanSaab. I mentioned it before, and I think forums would be the way to go. Get a few people you trust to moderate, and be more selective to what goes up in the blog.
P.S: I assumed you weren’t offered substantial amounts of money for the site! If you were, I have no advice really!
Like I have said before, spend less time over this site. News and some car reviews should be just fine.
Reduce bandwidth use by using less and smaller pictures.
Take a holiday away from the site, time to time.
For example time between deal finalisation and factory re-opening should be quite peaceful.
Forum idea sounds like….more work…
Swade, a quick comment from me.
I think your personal and professional judgements and gut-instincts will guide you nicely no matter what your decision is. We are here for you, so if you need help with anything please ask, there’s no shortage of resources amongst your fans here.
The most important thing is for you to maintain a work/life balance that works for you, your family and your day job. The rest is superfluous.
So listen to that little voice inside. It’ll tell you what to do.
Again, we’re here to help.
I guarantee any such forum will take a life of its own and morph into a technical advice board before you even realize what’s happening.
My 2
Hmmm….maybe now one of us has to start a blog to track the ongoing saga of the sale of SU.
Seriously, I agree with others, Swade, that what you have done this last year has been amazing to help rally the support for Saab. However you decide to handle this going forward, you have my support. Family and health must come first so you can continue to enjoy them (and your Saabs).
I agree with it : SAAB Promoting Department should reasonably interested by your website audience as it is a tremendous reflexion of SAAB owners point of views.
You got a terrific external communications tool: they must be interested in it, if they are interested in us!
Wonderful job anyway.
Take care
Remdu67 (Strasbourg – FRANCE)
One would have to be blind not to see this coming. It does seem that the potential to bring in advertising dollars could work in Spyker’s favor just as well as the US Media. The chance to fuel one’s passion and be compensated for it would be difficult for any of us to turn down. Make sure you are represented in all things business. Best of luck.
Most artists having created a masterpiece are glad to find a customer who wants to buy it. Trollhattansaab.net and its sucessor SU can be considered here as such a work of art created by an artist called swade whose beloved inspiration is a swedish automotive brand.
In my opinion there are two reasons why he should take the opportunity to sell this well grown performance of Saab if an interested party appears waving with money.
1. The sale would be the right compensation for him and his patient family.
2. The artist does`nt know how long this special automotive inspiration and basis for his work will exist since the environment of this brand is extremely unfriendly for surviving.
Testing, testing ……..
Swade,
With the new Saab 9.3x, the Saab 9.5 and the Saab 9.4x how does Saab reach out beyond its committed core and become the new fashion statement i.e. the new hot item ?????
.
“The chances of Saabs United being sold are very remote. The guys in the US are looking at the numbers, but even if the site’s numbers are sufficient ……..”
Saab-Spyker, Saab dealers and your site have one thing in common: we all need “sufficient” numbers.
Delivering 100,000 units worldwide does not seem to be huge task. However, getting the proper level of consideration is critical.
Zillions are unaware that SAAB was SAVED or that SAAB was almost killed compared to the passionate but limited number participants in
Saab Convoys.
How do we take the little buzz we have and amplify it to a wider audience ? The good news is Saab does not need Zillions of buyers only around a special 100,000.
SAAB should be more “hip” and “cooler” than Mini. All those Prius buyer’s were of the old Saab mentality but Saab was not on the leading edge of technology has it had been during the glory years. Frankly, GM did not understand the brand enough to exploit the SAAB brand strengths as the market began shifting towards SAAB’s traditional values.
Will Victor and the Swedish contingent have the right marketing sense and strategy to do what GM did not achieve ?
GM cannot be blamed as we move forward !!!!
Can demand be created for this brand which is in excess of TROLLH
Steven, everything we (soonteam) and I can do (next to our hard agency jobs) we will do. Looking at my own professional and private situation, I understand very much what you’re talking about.
Just ask.
SU is most important and we all should stick together to keep it alive and well and successful.
RJ
Swade you have done a terrific and superb job so far! You are a great guy. We are all impressed for the excellent news you provide us. But does it mean that you are prone to follow the same destiny as Saab did? (i.e. first sold to an american company and then, who knows, to a dutch one?)
Steven whatever happens, I sure hope the independent voice of Saab is never snuffed out. I’d hate to see you muzzled on your own blog, but I guess it would no longer be yours then? Feel free to lean on us sometimes. We’re all here to help, not just complain. Well most of us!
Ahh, Jim, a fellow after my own heart!
“With the new Saab 9.3x, the Saab 9.5 and the Saab 9.4x how does Saab reach out beyond its committed core and become the new fashion statement i.e. the new hot item ?????”
With a fresh marketing team and fresh approach!
“SAAB should be more “hip” and “cooler” than Mini. All those Prius buyer’s were of the old Saab mentality but Saab was not on the leading edge of technology has it had been during the glory years.”
Totally agree!, MINI has done the marketing so well. People have to have one!
“Buzz needs to begin with our clients (beyond SU readers). But how will they be engaged and why will they become passionate enough to bring us new clients? Our audience should be happy pay prices to keep this small yet independent car companies healthy and viable in the land of consolidating giants.”
Everyone has been vocal, “I’ll buy one”, well I’m still waiting to see increased traffic … Oi, where are you????
It has been tough being a Saab dealer in the last few years, let the moths fly…
ill hope you stay, you write the best web blogs!
swade been knowing u not for long, i came in late last year..been one hell of a ride for you i understand, you impress me many times during the crisis. family first as they say but if you need help im up and willing
SWADE, PLEASE DON’T GO…..DON’T GO……DON’T GO AWAY!
OK, so be that way. Now I’m just a statistic.
Go out and save the world (Saab world, that is) and forget about all us little posts.
Just a thought (smile).
Steven,
Assuming you stay independent (or find a place with Saab-Spyker), please reconsider a tech forum. You’re already heading there with recent blogs on MapTune and Hirsch. Speaking of Hirsch, they plan on expanding to US dealerships following the close of sale. Can’t help but think SU played some small role. A occasional section devoted to car review and product evaluation would be a good fit for this site. There are some very good contributors here to help carry the load.
We trust you’ll make the best decision, be whatever it is, Swade. You’ve pretty much always managed thus far. Any requests for your readers.. just ask away!
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