We like to chat here at Inside Saab but we know that sometimes, when people are confronted with a comments system that looks a little different, they might be inclined to shy away. Inside Saab uses a comments system called Disqus. It provides us with some good moderation tools and also lightens our server load (which is always nice).

Commenting via Disqus couldn’t be easier so if you’ve thought of this ‘new’ system as a barrier to entry, let me walk you through.

If you’re new to the system then it won’t recognise you and you’ll need to either sign in or register. Disqus makes this process super-easy. Once you’ve entered your comment text into the dialog, you need to press the “Post As” button on the bottom right side of the dialog box. A pop-up will give you the various registration options:

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The default option is to login using a Disqus profile. If you don’t have a Disqus profile, you also have the opportunity to sign in using your profile from one of the following web services:

• Google
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Yahoo, or
• OpenID

If you don’t want to use one of these, creating a Disqus profile takes seconds and you can use it here on Inside Saab and any other site that uses Disqus (there’s quite a lot of them, now).

On the Login screen (see above image) you simply click the link that says “Register a new Disqus Profile”

The screen will change to the registration page. It’s still within the same popup and won’t take you away from Inside Saab.

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Simply enter in your email address, desired username and password – and you’re done!

If you want to make your profile a bit more elaborate, you can go to Disqus.com, use your registration details to log in there and fill things out a bit (add an avatar image, etc).

On future visits, depending on your computer and privacy settings, the system will either remember you, or you can simply log in again whenever you want to leave a comment.

We look forward to hearing from you!

You should be able to listen to it on the embedded player, below.

If it doesn’t show there (it may drop off the playlist in the coming days) the you can go to the SBS Radio website. The interview should be here.

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My thanks to Johan Gabrielsson from SBS for the opportunity to talk about Saab and the role of that social media is playing within the company.

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The purpose of the site is primarily to provide the type of stories that only the company can tell, from the inside. We’ll be covering other stuff as well, of course, but the ‘inside angle’ is the one that only we can offer with the right amount of depth.

There are plans for several types of posts that we haven’t tackled here yet. We want to get some Q&A sessions going with key people at Saab, for example. We’s also like to get to know our current Saab owners better by learning what you drive and what brought you to the brand. And then there’s the Saab Museum…….

We have to acknowledge that there are certain things we can’t do here on Inside Saab. Minute-by-minute coverage of the recent Hawtai Motor Group deal, for example. Being a company that’s listed on a public stock exchange, there are certain limitations on what you can say when it comes to the business side of being in the car business.

There is a long way to go in the development of this website, and we’d like to know what you want from it. How can this site serve your needs better?

Comments are open.

My name is Steven Wade. Those who know me – and many who don’t – call me Swade. I’ll be your host on a journey into the heart of this wonderful carmaker. Some of you may be familiar with my previous work at a site called Saabs United, where a community gathered to support Saab as they were sold by General Motors to become an independent company back in 2009/10.

Saabs United continues in good hands, but Saab has decided to take a big leap of its own into the social media space, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be invited along for the ride. To work for one’s favourite company, in such an exciting industry and at such a unique time in history is an enthusiast’s dream. I’ve been on board with Saab for just two weeks and I’m already bursting at the seams over the things I’ll be able to share with you here. I’m even more excited about the things I can’t share, but we’ll get to those eventually.

Saab is blessed with a passionate and engaged enthusiast community. Rather than just have you read press releases, we want to bring you Saab’s story from the inside, and from an enthusiast’s point of view.

• How do we design and build our cars?
• Who are some of the people involved?
• What goes on behind the scenes?
• What happens at Saab events around the world?
• How can you connect more with Saab?

We don’t want you to just read more about Saab. We want you to experience more, too. We’ll give you plenty of information about official Saab events around the world and how you can participate.

A conversation needs two or more people. We invite you to connect with us here at Inside Saab via the comments section of the site. You can also connect by being a fan of Saab Cars on Facebook, or following Saab’s official twitter feed. We’ll add more outlets for connection as time goes on.

Saab has a rich history, filled with superb, iconic vehicles and stories of innovation, determination and triumph over adversity. These are still challenging times for Saab, but they are also exciting times as we build on our independence and bring you an all-new range of Saab vehicles and technology.

You’ll be able to read about it all, right here on Inside Saab.