TrueDelta: So Long And Thanks for All the Fish
Just like the industry we cover, The Truth About Cars is hunkering down for the duration. To that end, we’ve ended our contract with Michael Karesh’s TrueDelta vehicle pricing and specification website. TTAC will no longer link directly to Michael’s site from our reviews. We’ve removed TD’s price comparison widget. And we’ve deleted the “pricing” option from our top menu bar. We thank Michael for the breadth, quality and utility of his data, and recognize the hard work he puts into its creation. We wish him good luck during this economically challenging time, and ask that our Best and Brightest recommend his site to anyone shopping for a car or searching for vehicle reliability information. Thankfully, Michael will still contribute reviews and commentary to the site. He is a valued part of TTAC’s editorial voice. Rest assured, that voice will not be quelled. The truth will out. Meanwhile, thank you for your ongoing support for our writers and advertisers.
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Hey, RF, I thought you used to have links to other websites on the right side of the page. Where did it go? Seems like it would be nice to at least still link to TrueDelta from here. Or perhaps there's no room for free publicity on the webpage; I'm certainly not the one having to balance the checkbook for TTAC. Michael, have you explored any possible integration with Edmunds? With all of their proprietary pricing stuff and consumer orientation, it seems like your data (including reliability) would integrate quite nicely. Given your devotion to your website and getting the word out, I'm sure this isn't a new thought. Anyway, to both RF and Michael, I hope the situation improves for both websites. It's easy to forget that it actually requires MONEY, and I imagine not a tiny amount, to keep these websites going. Many thanks for keeping the truth out there on the internet during these tough economic times, whether it's regarding the pricing and reliability of a car or no-holds-barred reviews of domestic and foreign iron.
nino: Good ideas WRT boosting traffic, but not good ideas thinking more broadly. (Perhaps I think too broadly?) The first sets up an incentive for TrueDelta to provide positive results for specific models. The second potentially attracts people with lemons more than than average car owners--which would distort the results. Bumper stickers, wraps, etc.: unlikely to generate enough traffic to justify their cost. Ronnie: I do send out regular press releases. The press prefers to ignore them. I have some idea as to why, less about what might be done about it. Any thoughts here would be appreciated.
If I may presume, if any of you have person websites if you could add a link to TrueDelta, that might help. Just a thought.