It was a busy week here at Autopian HQ and I almost missed noting a huge milestone for us: 1,000,000 comments. That’s incredible. A huge thank you to all of the many commenters who have made this possible. If you’re commenter (or reader) who hasn’t yet become a member, I’m adding a special deal: $22 off any annual plan with the code “amilli” or by following this link. That’s right, you can get a cloth membership for under $3 a month.
The Autopian has been publishing for a little over four years, which means we’ve been averaging 250,000 comments a year, although that number is accelerating over time. We’ve also gained 18,750 (exactly, somehow) commenters.
Other car writers (many of whom are also in the comments) have asked us how it’s possible that we have so many commenters and, at the same time, have such high quality and hilarious contributions? The shortest and most obvious answer is that only the smartest, most attractive, and funniest people all want to comment here… which is true.
The slightly longer answer is that we’ve been lucky enough to attract a lot of compelling voices (writers and commenters) from various parts of the car-internet, and we work hard to make this a fun place to be. In an online community you can have 10 jerks or 10,000 happy people and we’ve tried to avoid the former by allowing people to speak their piece without ruining the peace. It doesn’t always work, and politics can sometimes make it harder, but it’s a generally self-policing group; if someone ever goes on tilt we usually get a heads up and can fix it quickly. Mercedes also gets a lot of credit for keeping this place free of jerks. [Ed Note: Shout out to Nick H. for being a great moderator on Discord!].
[Ed Note: The big thing is: We love cars. We’re not here to try to convince you to think our way, because many of you are smarter than we are. We want you here no matter your politics or creed or whatever — come here, love cars, be smart in the comments, be hilarious in the comments, and above all: be yourself. -DT].
Honestly, I often write a post and go back to the comments and realize that the wisdom of the crowds has created something just as good (and often better) than what I wrote. Not that that’s a high bar, but it’s always rewarding to go back into the comments and find a better joke, a deeper insight, or a weirder factoid than I produced.
Are you curious what the 1,000,000th comment was? We do get the occasional fly-by commenter who just leaves one joke and never comes back (although commenters don’t get approved on the strength of a short joke, usually). The comment was on this great post from new contributor Annie Keller about the abandoned Lexus Bose prototype she found, and the comment was from a member!
Introverts are welcome! This is the Internet, after all.
It’s fitting that the 1,000,000th comment comes from a member, as I think membership is another key reason why this community works. It’s rare that we have an issue with a paying member, partially because members are already invested in making this a place they want to be. Members are also often the first to let me know when there’s an issue.
That’s why I’m reaching out to commenters who haven’t become a member with one of our best membership deals ever (if not our best deal ever). For just $28 most places, you can get a year of membership! What is that, $0.08 a day? That’s an incredible deal. [Ed Note: I want to give ’em away, but Matt won’t let me. HE’S CRAZY! -DT].
A huge thank you to our members, our commenters, our contributors, and everyone who makes The Autopian one of the happiest corners of the web.
Top graphic image: Warner Bros./ New Line Cinema
If you need me, I’ll be basking in my 15 minutes of fame.
Thankfully, that wasn’t one of the comments I retroactively regretted. 😉
The comment section is a big reason I spend so much (my boss might argue too much) time here. I could probably blast through the articles in 20 minutes, but so often there’s value in reading the comments too.
I cannot confirm nor deny that most of my comments have been snarky, and may have thrown shade
Tone comes from the top. You all are friendly, appreciate fun, and are respectful of others opinions.
I appreciate what you’re doing here!
Fine. I’ll subscribe. Thanks for the discount!
Discounts are cool, but this is the ONLY place I pay a subscription (not TV, not streaming, nada). I’ll happily pay full price so that the lights can stay on and the next important tests with toddlers and bath Lasagna can be finalized.
Aw dude, I wasn’t comment number 1 million? Was the prize a 1966 Chevelle? Because if it was I’ll be really sad.
The prize was actually 1966 pieces of a Chevelle. Not sure what year, too many pieces…
I thought it was 1966 unsold Chevelle concert tickets? Glad I didn’t win.
Just adding another one to the pile.
Upgraded my membership with this offer! Here’s to the next million.
“We’re not here to try to convince you to think our way, because many of you are smarter than we are” Weren’t you an engineer? I thought to be a member I just had to pay, not be smarter than an engineer. When’s chat gtp integration coming so no one finds out about my secret?