Q: What a great idea! Where did it come from?
A: I'd love to say it came to me in a fit of divine inspiration, but resources like this are nothing new. The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America (BMWMOA) have a "little black book" for members, as do several other motorcycle lists (COG (Connies), SabMag, etc.). I've also heard that Ron Ayer mentioned something like it in his book Going the Extra Mile. As far as I know however, this is the only resource to present the data in such an accessible format. If you're interested in building something similar for your own site, please contact me.
Q: I've got a really popular VF/VFR site, can I link to this?
A: Absolutely. It is certainly not my intent to hoard a resource like this; that goes completely against the point of VFR911.com. Please feel free to include a link to this site from your own site. All I ask is that you drop me an email so I can gauge the site's spread.
Q: I'm worried about someone using this information to steal my beloved Honda V4, how are you protecting my location?
A: I'm not collecting anybody's precise location, only your ZIP code. The only information available to users of the site (via search results) is your first name, your general locale, your primary contact phone number, and any additional services you've agreed to volunteer to fellow VF/VFR riders. You can be as vague or precise as you want with the 'locale' information: "DC Metro," "Tuscon," "someplace in Upstate NY" and "from N.E." are all valid entires. In addition, your "primary contact" phone number can be your receptionist, your mother's house, or your cell phone, but the results page doesn't give any indication which. Please, feel free to provide alternative contact numbers, such as cellular, home, work, etc., but they are not required.
Q: I'm willing to offer some amazing additional services, can I list them?
A: Please! If you've got access to a professional garage/tools, happen to own a Honda dealership, or even have some medical training, include that information! Also, if your wife/husband/mom/significant other has a killer meatloaf recipe you're willing to whip up for an unexpected house guest, put that info in there too. (Email it to me too please, I'm terribly low on good recipes.)
Q: The country I live in is not on your list, can you help me find a VF/VFR owner in my neck of the world?
A: Of course. Drop me a line, and I'll put it in for you.
Q: Help! I searched but didn't come up with any results!
A: Did you try searching by area code? In some larger states (think "west of the Mississippi River") the closest lister might be beyond the capabilities of the ZIP code proximity search.* Many of the less densely populated states have only a few area codes (if more than one) which might give better results. Still no luck? Call/email/bug your VF/VFR friends and tell them about this site. Its success is directly dependent on its users; the more people who sign up and contribute information, the greater region we can cover. Let's put the other "little black books" to shame!
* The ZIP search cannot deal with a search radius greater than fifty miles, given the sheer amount of USGS/Census information in the database.
Q: This phone searching thing is bunk. When I try to get to the page with my phone, I get an error message.
A: Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to test VFR911's mobile access functionality with every cell phone out there. Some cell phones use a simple text browser and work well, but the WML version of the site is not yet finished. I will certainly notify the big list when it's complete. To help me improve the site, how about sending me an email with a complete description of the problem (cell phone make/model, your service provider, and the exact error message). Thanks!
Got a question or comment? Please let me know. Good luck, thanks for visiting, and ride safely.
— Colby