The ICTA Facebook page is the oldest and most popular Checker experience on Facebook. We actually date back to 2008, two years before the Facebook group experience was introduced in 2010. Initially, the ICTA was a Facebook profile called the Checker Cab Club then in 2010 we transitioned into a Facebook group called the Checker Cab Group, that allowed for a more robust experience allowing for photo album creation and file storage.
Twelve years later we still are the most active group on Facebook with 3500 Facebook impressions a month now called the ICTA. Over 63% of our members are “active” members participating in a Checker experience, via likes, comments and posting.
We adopted social media long before other Checker based clubs. The early adoption clearly allowed for significant growth while traditional paper based club struggled.
Today the traditional Checker club is having a hard time generating a paper based newsletters. The other club has still not distributed their Winter newsletter……….pretty sure that Spring is next week? That same club had to combine their Summer/Fall issues into one issue and distributed in late December……….that’s Winter!
Our club has delivered two printable newsletters already in 2020, nothing to date from the other club?
Putting newsletters aside, clearly our Facebook experience is a great way to interact on a daily basis with like minded Checker fans. The ones that care about the cars, not the club checking account and dues.
Here’s just a sampling of the posts that were generated yesterday. ICTA member Robert Ferdon just took delivery of a Lawrence survivor. It will be great to see Bob take on this challenge in a pretty cool father and son project.
We were all entertained last year with Chris Monier’s trip across the country in a newly aquired Checker Model A11. We followed the trials and tributations of Chris’s challenges with tires and bad gas in the tank. We watched what Chris experienced in virtually every state from Arizona to New York. We even followed the updates from Chris as the Checker was exported to France and delivered in Europe.
Now home with his Checker Chris is providing updates on a regular basis of the restoration of the Checker. Yesterday was no different Chris posted a series of pictures this week of the removal of the vinyl roof and the preparation of parts for painting. We’re sure to continue to follow as Chris makes further progress.
Doug Klauck challenged members yesterday regarding the Alabama Checker Model A8 Clown Car! Doug wrote:
“Now that this group is well established with members all over the country perhaps someone can find out what ever happen to the A8 Clown Car that was in Alabama? about 10 years ago. The owner at the junk yard tried to sell it for $1500 but had not takers. There were definitely a lot of nice parts on the car.”
Along with the post Doug present a serious of pictures of a pretty crazying looking Checker Model A8.
The other Checker Facebook group has banned the publishing of ICTA blogs or classified advertisement, not us, no bans here, we post all Checker advertisments. This has made the ICTA Checkers For Sale tab, on our website, the most popular Checker clearing house on the internet. As always all Checker ads get posted up on our Facebook wall too. Yesterday was no different, ICTA member Rebecca Amaro listed her Checker on our free Checker classified section of the ICTA website.
We have a pretty creative bunch of members. These folks don’t just Google photos and then post, they actual create new Checker photos or renderings. Mitch Packer entertained all with a photoshopped version of his recently acquired Checker wagon. Mitch created a pretty noval Checker pickup, now the big question is, is he going to build it?
We’re pretty hard core about Checkers and you’ll see this demostrated with the various Checker technical questions that get generated over the course of a day. Yesterday Robert Ferndon, having just taken delivery of an A12E, and was interested in decoding the VIN. He got plenty of help from members and the free archve of Checker documentation our the ICTA website.
The posts above are just a sample of the ICTA Facebook experience. There is no doubt that the ICTA runs the most effective and complete Checker experience on the internet. We strive to create a positive experience. We’re free and we would never execute abusive campaigns, bully or troll our members. We have made a significant investment in the this experience, no different than any business, we need to protect our investment.
We have lost some folks over petty politics and scabbles over the last two years, that’s ok, if folks were not happy with our rules we can understand why they would leave the group. We hope they can enjoy a similar experience elsewhere, they’re always welcome back.
If you want to join our group its easy, we’re just one click away on the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/145497838799022/
