We posted a story yesterday that some technogeeks had developed a website called SeeDealerCost.com which takes information stolen from boat manufacturers and publishes it on a website so that consumers can make an "informed" decision as to whether they were being ripped off by evil, profit-hungry business owners. A noticed posted to the website suggested that the firm was about to target RV dealers next.

The very idea of a website publishing proprietary cost information for the entire world to see is repugnant. The developers of SeeDealerCost.com should be shackled and dragged into court where IRS trained thugs extract every vestige of profit from their little geeky hides.

If consumers were to look the price of an RV sitting on a dealer lot and compare it to whatever was found on a website like SeeDealerCost.com, they would grasp their chests and hyperventilate in righteous indignation over the idea that a small business owner dared to charge anything more than $100 over cost.

Executives at Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) see signs of an upswing in the RV industry based on attendance and a general enthusiasm experienced at recent industry events. Many event attendees seem more engaged than in recent years, seeking answers to product questions and inquiring about technology. 

Sherman Goldenberg, the publisher of RV Business, was given a golden opportunity yesterday when it was announced he purchased the magazine from Affinity Group, which has managed the publication as long as I've been in the industry.

I've known Sherm for years and we've always enjoyed a cordial relationship. I've learned he's as proud of his kids as I am of mine. And he is a relentless advocate of the RV industry. He's a good journalist and well respected in the RV industry. In fact, he's so well respected he received the RV Industry Association's prestigious Dave Humphrey's Kum-By-Ya Let's All Get Along Industry Unity Award last year. He's destined for the RV Hall of Fame someday and, more importantly, he deserves it.

Sherm has his work cut out for him as he begins to capitalize on his new venture. I am sure he's up for the challenge. And I welcome him as a competitor because he's the type of guy who will raise the bar and force me to work even harder to stay one step ahead of him.  

Mobile marketing is one of the most talked-about forms of social media marketing around. What exactly is it? Technically, ‘mobile marketing’ is simply a marketing strategy that employs mobile devices — think cellular phones, iPads and the like — for the promotion of ads. The definition also includes marketing that ‘moves’, such as moving billboards.

When Mr. Fisher was informed by the Circuit Court of Allegany County May 28, 2010, that he was not to be there fulltime but was to abide by the deed's restrictions and use it only recreationally--a deed that both he and his wife signed--he was a very "unhappy camper." Instead of appealing the Circuit Court's ruling, he sought to change his situation by making the Maryland Public Service Commission his "hammer" against us. By going to the Public Service Commission, he was able to circumvent having to pay his own legal expenses, and have the taxpayers of Maryland pay for them through the People's Counsel, who is the entity that represents people who make complaints to the PSC.

We, of course, had to pay for legal representation for defense with our own funds. The paradox is that we were not only paying for our own defense, but since we are taxpayers to the state of Maryland, we were (and still are) essentially paying for this frivolous lawsuit to be brought against ourselves!

This may come as a surprise to those people who think I have a vendetta against Camping World, but I actually liked Marcus Lemonis' ideas, which he proposed yesterday to help rescue the RV/Manufactured Housing Hall of Fame.

He pledged $100,000 upfront on behalf of Good Sam members, and then pledged to annually redirect a half-percent of income from membership dues to help ensure the long-term viability of the Hall of Fame. He also proposed opening a Camping World within the museum itself and leasing space to the tune of up to $150,000 annually.  The store would only sell accessories, and not recreation vehicles, Lemonis promised.

I think it's an idea worth considering.

I've been pondering the situation in Arkansas where legislators raced through a new law this month to allow out-of-state RV dealers to sell RVs at rallies and other special events. It's not law yet, because the governor hasn't signed it. So, perhaps there is still hope that this silliness might be stopped.

From the day House Bill 1300 was introduced by Rep. Barry Hyde Jan. 24 until the day it cleared the Arkansas Senate and was sent to the governor for his signature March 8 totaled just 45 days.

I've been in the journalism business long enough to know that nothing gets through a legislative body period unless someone is pulling the mule through the process by its ears and someone else is thumping its rump with a board.

The big question remains, who exactly is behind this move, and why was the measure pushed through so quickly? Someone somewhere wants to sell RVs badly in Arkansas, and they needed to skirt existing law to make it happen.

For many RV owners, flipping the calendar to the springtime months means it’s time to get the motorcoach out of winter storage and get ready for the travel season. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) understands the call of the open road – but don’t rush your vehicle’s removal from storage: The right preparation will help ensure smooth roads ahead.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation offers tips for motorcoach owners getting ready to take their RVs out of storage.