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 [