why designstop.com?

The simple answer to "why designstop.com?" is because I already owned that domain name. It used to be my personal website and it grew to get about 8 million hits per year. It was online from 1999-2011. It came to an end when my hosting service deleted the files after the credit card account they had on file had "expired". They made no effort to contact me to get the updated expiry date. It was depressing. You can still see some of my old site archived at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Now that I've decided to do this blog thingie I thought, heck, I might as well use the designstop URL. I think the "design" part will fit as that is one of my major interests in the trailer that the blog has its focus. I know when I was looking to buy a trailer I would have enjoyed finding sites that had more detailed information about particular trailers or features. There isn't much out there like that. In that regard I think manufacturer's are really missing the boat. Many rv manufacturer websites are little more than glossy brochures. Many have remarkably little information. To me design is more than the way a trailer looks or its layout. It is the thousands of choices the manufacturer made and the complex recipe of components that form the overall product. Those choices involve intention --- what they were trying to achieve. I think a more informed buyer is likely to be a more satisfied owner. I hope to share info that will inform those interested in Livin' Lite products and hopefully inform others as well.

Likewise the 'mods' that almost all rv owners make, involve design. We make modifications to personalize and/or improve functionality. We recognize an opportunity or a need to be addressed, plan a solution, do our best to implement it, live with the outcome, and assess our success. That is design. With this blog I intend to share the modifications we make to our little trailer and highlight good ideas I've learned from others.

With regards to the "stop" part in designstop.com, think of it like a 'truck stop'. Stop here and pick up some information! Overnight stays are allowed but don't run a generator!

Regards, Ross   July 22, 2012