HOTstuff C+ #109 | Page 78

HOT Club - Blacklist Photo by Blacklist Facebook Group Text by Nicholas Lim Founder Jason & Sherwin S eeking a car that is not so much about what car you drive, but rather about the people behind the cars, as well as a friendly community where advice and independent recommendations are freely made without pressure? Blacklist is the place for you! Despite its “menacing name” the community now boasts more than five thousand faceboook group members coming from various walks of life, but united by a love of modified cars. We catch up with the administrators of Blacklist, and find out just what it means to be Blacklisted! ACA: At the start, what inspired you to get started with Blacklist, and how did things really get started on from there? Sherwin: Blacklist was started in the beginning as a friend only community, to gather all my car enthusiast friends and bring them together to hang out, and to live this passion together. So I thought of a name for the group, created a facebook group and invited my personal friends! Thats how it started, who knew the thing grew quickly overnight ! ACA: Eventually, what were some of the challenges you faced with having the site grow quickly and how did you cope with it? Sherwin: To be honest, the more people we have in the group, the harder it is to control the group. Sometimes we implement things that satisfy all except a few, but we accept that with so many people, it is hard to please everybody. Another challenge is having to cope with detractors, and people who want to see the group fail, however we just think of what is best for the group by looking at the bigger picture and decides for long term benefits. ACA: So what is your take on the car enthusiast scene in Singapore? Sherwin: Before Blacklist, I frankly thought that the scene was dying, however after seeing all the members hanging out together and driving together, the scene is while still scattered, is thankfully still there. ACA: Do you feel that there is such a thing as “underdone or tasteless” enhancements, whether aesthetically or otherwise? Sherwin: In my opinion, there are many different kinds of people in the car enthusiast community, both locally and internationally. There are people who love In-Car-Entertainment systems, Autostyling or Performance, so i guess it is their preference. You cannot be prejudice towards others just because you prefer performance and detest those with Autostyling rides. It is a whole different thing. Whatever it is, we should appreciate the effort that is put into their rides, regardless whether you like it or not. ACA: Do you foresee your group being an avenue for motorists to share practical tips with one another, given how people are posting sightings of speed cameras and law enforcers with each other? Sherwin: Look, we are all enthusiasts, yes we do argue with each other sometimes. However we share a common passion in terms of our love for cars, and of course we would tip or advise each other from those who are trying to kill our passion! In here we learn from each other, I believe it is a place where you can look for advice and opinions. ACA: What other ways do you aim to grow this non-discriminatory community of motorists? Sherwin: Well, the community is growing by itself ! No matter where they are from, we are all into this same passion. We hold meets to let others meet other car enthusiasts, we are also planning to hold more events for more interaction among members. We do also have members from other parts of the region, like JB, Malaysia ! ACA: Would you want to explain your group’s policy towards activities, as well as social responsibility? Sherwin: This is a community for car enthusiasts, for people to share their passion with others, to meet other enthusiasts and to make more friends. We DO NOT encourage street racing ! And we definitely do not want it to be an avenue to make personal complaints. This is just a group purely for car enthusiasts and car related subjects, not an avenue for complaints or flaming others. ACA: How did the idea for that sticker come about? I noted that people in the group really like it? Sherwin: I was thinking of how the sticker should be, and because the policies in our country are rather strict, along with the general public not really appreciating our passion. Having the feeling that we were being Blacklisted by the rest, I thought of a stamp-on design with the word Blacklisted! ACA: Describe the key members in their group, and their roles. Also talk about the unique North-South-East-West admin arrangement, and why you chose this? Sherwin: We chose to have the different zones when we noticed that the group is getting too big, along with the need to pass information and also to keep it under control. The co-ordinators of each zone, help pass down information to other members, as well as hold smaller meet ups, and of course keep Blacklist active and healthy. In the end, what Blacklist would be in the future also depends on how the members want it to be. ACA: Currently, what is your vision for the group’s future? Sherwin: We aim to create a friendly [