Forum Structure - Your input needed please - finding stuff you want to read about.

[JohnCRS]

The thread about having a separate GT4 Register (or forum) https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1065210 has hignhlighted the question about the way we structure the Cayman forums. I would like to use it as a relevant example and make a proposal on how best to proceed.

Firstly, can we agree we are not talking about a separate register. This would have organisational implications within the club as it is currently set up (and a cost). So this debate is currently in respect of the forum structure and how to facilitate communication between those with a specific model interest.

Secondly, to set the context, in the last month I have exchanged emails related to this general topic with owners of the following:

• Cayman R
• GT4 981 and 781
• GTS 981 and 781
• Design1

and it would be easy to extend that list to those such as

• Black
• S and non S
• Individual model designations from 2006 onwards.

So it is clear that anyone who is particularly focused on one of the above, has a challenge sorting out the threads that they may want to look at.

We could have separate sub forums for each, set up as the need arises. The problem is that, the more forums there are, the harder it is to ensure everything gets in the right place. If you are not confident in others ability to correctly categorise threads, you end up going through them all anyway.

For example, I have been trying to set out the situation re radiator grills. Do I post the thread in the high level general Cayman forum, in FAQ's, technical articles; do I pin it and, if so, for how long; do we need another sub forum for modifications?

Also, if we do have sub forums, do we stop at models, or should we have technical ones for different aspects of ownership, engine and transmission, suspension, bodywork, detailing?

I am really not trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, just trying to say that these things take on a life of their own.

The alternative, which is essentially what we have got, is to put everything in one place and use the forum tools provided. This works OK, especially if you are a regular visitor, but not so well if you drop in occasionally to check on a specific matter.

PROPOSAL (Which can apply to any model about which there is particular interest)

• we start a thread 'GT4 Owners' which I pin to the top of the Cayman forum which folk use for identifying their interest, general discussion on all aspects of GT4 ownership, purchase, swapping stories, experiences or anything else, even putting links to other threads;
• if GT4 owners want to post elsewhere within the Forums, e.g. general, technical, FAQ etc. or begin a new thread, just start the title with 'GT4-.............' We ask everyone to put the model in the title if it is relevant;
• use the subscribe and search functions (although I accept the latter is not particularly helpful or accurate;
• use the 'latest posts' facility, where you can select or hide specific forums to reduce the threads for review.
• I am very happy to use any model specific material for Porsche post, mailchimp circulation etc. and I will work with any member(s) to aid communication for general or specific information on Forums or within the Club as a whole. Just send me a pm or email.

We see how this goes and at least it will give us some idea as to the size of the issue. if it gathers sufficient momentum and needs something more, we can revisit.

So, feedback and other suggestions are welcome. If there are any other aspects of the forum you would like to comment on, please do so.

 

[ralphmusic]

John,

As the Registers are primarily technical in focus surely any sub-division should follow that which suggests generations/types so 987, 981, GT4 (both), 718T and (maybe) 718 4.0L as common underpinnings.

The biggest issue with finding things is the poorly executed search facility and people’s normal default of posting a new question. There is a facility to add ‘meta tags’ to posts but that would be a huge amount of work.

Ralph

 

[AndrewCS]

John,

Thank you for picking `this` up … knew you would at some point []

Can I suggest that a GT4 section (not a register) is trialled and then see what `gives` ...

 

[Wollemi]

Just to throw something else into this discussion, what is the justification for having separate forum areas for Boxster and Cayman? Most issues relating to the mid-engined cars are common regardless of the presence of a fabric or metal roof. There’s no separate cabrio section for various 911 models.

There‘s a lot more similarity between say a 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman than there is between a 986 and a 718.

I always look at the Cayman threads, do I assume most Cayman owners look at the Boxster ones.

 

[Martin_Davis]

Hi John,

Thank you for your response on this subject and I am sorry if I have opened up a can of worms on this topic, I promise you that I am not usually a troublemaker and I guess if nothing else at least this has got some dialogue going.

I totally agree that we should not have a separate Register for the GT4 or for that matter any other Cayman model, my initial question in the forum was as a new Cayman owner /enthusiast looking to find out more information about the model that I am interested in.

Anything that makes it easier to find information wether it be technical, social, track days, specific events or anything else will be an improvement on where we are now.

However, please forgive me if I have misunderstood the suggestion, but if the proposal is of having one thread in the same format as the Boxster Spyder thread, then I personally do not think that this will make much difference to what we have now, if you still have to wade through literally hundreds of posts to find what you are looking for.

Having previously used the 991, 992 and GT3 areas of the forum, I found these much easier to navigate and find information.

Either way, it is good that we can discus this and share different points of view, whatever is decided thank you for heading up the Cayman Register and I look forward to joining in some of your future events as the “lockdown“ eases.

Martin

 

[Martin_Davis]

Posted in error.

 

[BrianJ]

I always use the "Latest Posts" facility and nothing else. Most of the interesting content (and my occasional ability to usefully participate) is splattered pretty much randomly across just about every model, either by accidental posting in the wrong subsection, threads wandering miles from the original post, or design. There is so much commonality of design philosophy across the Porsche products over the years that I have learned more about my cars (and Porsches generally) from entries that are nothing to do with my car than I have from the specifically relevant forum section. And the search facility rarely produces anything I can definitely remember being in there somewhere! But that's probably just me.

 

[AndrewCS]

One positive item from the Search function is that if you `click` on the empty box it shows you many of the items you have previously engaged with … useful for checking back for those `forgotten` items, assuming that you found what you wanted initially

 

[Motorhead]

John,

As someone who responded at length to Martin's original post referenced above I don't see the need to repeat myself verbatim other than to say that I'm not in favour of a separate GT4 section. I've posted on the forum extensively for more than 9-years - mostly but not exclusively on the Cayman section - and reckon that the open format is still more than fit for purpose, despite the significant increase in Cayman ownership over that time, and in my opinion fragmentation won’t necessarily make using the forum either a better or easier experience.

As Ralph has suggested, if the forum is to be compartmentalised it would make much more sense and be fairer to all to have 987, 981 and 718 sections [the latter two incorporating the GT4] along the lines of the water-cooled 911s, a forum format which from my own observations doesn't appear to add much to the forum, often with the same or similar questions croping-up in different sections. What fragmentation could do I'm sure is promote little cliques, with Members becoming more inclined to post in their own section rather than in the main body of the forum where you get the benefit of inputs from the whole Cayman fraternity. I think it's good to have a variety of topics in one place for all to access - both technical and of general interest - on new or old cars, base or GT4.

I reckon that the Club forum as a whole is vastly overpopulated [historical I'm sure] and I'm not convinced that we should add to that, and as Graham has suggested there's even a case for combining the Cayman and Boxster sections. I wouldn't hold up Piston Heads as a shining example of how things should be done but they've rationalised the Porsche forum into Porsche General, 911/Carrera GT, Boxster/Cayman, Front Engined Porsches and Porsche Classics, which seems to work satisfactorily, and I'm sure their audience far exceeds that of the Club's.

Martin complains that he has trouble searching for GT4 threads, and I agree with Ralph that the SEARCH facility is not fit for purpose and needs fixing, but that's not a Cayman forum issue, and surely if you can’t find something then why not just post the question for the whole Cayman fraternity to view even if it has been covered previously?

Having a GT4 thread pinned to the top of the forum would make it easier to find but it would of course be a single thread, and as Martin says it would be necessary to scan through the thread to find a relevant topic. As an observer of the [over?] long-running Spyders thread, I sense that it's become a victim of its own success and there doesn't seem to be much variety in topics posted: pics of my car, these cars are for sale, are residual values holding-up?, etc. A bit unfair perhaps but you get the idea, and I'm sure many posts would benefit from a new thread rather than using it as the default go-to for anything Spyder-related.

Apologies for the long-winded response but I reckon that this is an important topic which warrants input from as many Cayman forum participants as possible. If we are to make changes I believe that they should be demonstrably for the better and should benefit ALL forum participants.

Jeff

 

[gronk1967]

Just to throw something else into this discussion, what is the justification for having separate forum areas for Boxster and Cayman? Most issues relating to the mid-engined cars are common regardless of the presence of a fabric or metal roof. There’s no separate cabrio section for various 911 models.

There‘s a lot more similarity between say a 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman than there is between a 986 and a 718.

I always look at the Cayman threads, do I assume most Cayman owners look at the Boxster ones.

This is a very good point, like others have said I tend to read/search both forums as any issues, queries are 99% going to be relevant to both.

Maybe the format should be to have a set up 986. 987. 981, 718 across both models for technical issues then a more social forum on a Boxster / Cayman basis?

If thats not practical for club politics reasons i agree with the suggestion that the more practical suggestion would be sub forums by generation rather then the model...I‘m a firm believer that less is more and the more ‘buckets‘ you create the more opportunity exist to misplace a post.

 

[AndrewCS]

Jeff,

Throughout my Porsche ownership I have extensively searched many avenues for associated information, mainly prior to asking on the Forum. As such I have a personal store for each model owned and use it to attempt to assist relevant Forum questions.

My Forum search for information on the GT4 prior to purchase took many hours, it was a PITA but ultimately worth it and aided my decision. The search facility is not that bad, the primary issue being that the thread titles poorly reflect the contents and that is down to us the users.

Where would you propose that I share this type of information ? … holding it awaiting a question to be asked should not be in the best interests of anyone.

 

[Motorhead]

Andrew,

Depending upon what sort of information/facts you've amassed I'd say that the most appropriate location would be in the 2-page Cayman Faqs, with a separate entry for each of your cars: 987 R, 981 GTS and 981 GT4 as I recall, maybe more? It's not as though you'd need to wade through pages of posts there if you were looking for something. If you want more visibility you could ask John to pin the information for each vehicle to the top of the forum for all to see, although that should be for him to decide.

Although I rarely use it, personally I find the search facility a bit hit-and-miss, but I'm pleased to see that if I type in GT4 it flags-up three of the longest running Cayman posts, two of mine and one of Ralph's, so it must be getting something right. []

Jeff

 

[JohnCRS]

Thank you all for your responses. It is a worthwhile exercise reviewing this. So, some observations from what has been stated:

[ul][*]There are well stated views supporting both consolidation and subdivision of the forum(s)[*]With consolidation, upgrading the search facility would make the biggest improvement to ease of use.[*]Subdivision would make sense if we had a consistent way of cataloguing topics and managing threads to ensure they are always correctly posted in the right place.[*]There are many ways of cutting the cake, model, platform, series which just multiplies the difficulties.[*]The main focus of the Register is technical and in reality, such is the nature of our cars, there are few issues specific to an individual model. Most forum participants have a wide range of interests.[*]Accepting that the Register has grown to include other aspects of enthusiastic Cayman ownership it is right that those owners of specific models have a ready means of identifying their own and others common interests.[*]Conversely, it is hard to think of something that would be posted in a model specific sub forum which could not be sufficiently highlighted just by having a thread of its own.[/ul]Ultimately, if all other things stay the same, I do not think that creating sub forums would be productive. Increasing complexity rarely makes processes simpler.

There are some areas where we could make a difference. Anyone making a post surely wants it to be read and get a response. This is more likely if everything is in one place and the chances are even better if the subject of the thread is easily identifiable. If we were consistent in our approach and ensured the thread title included Model – Subject – clarification, all forum functions would work better.

For example: 987GTS – 20” wheels – are 19’s better?

Or: GT4 – Seats – Are fixed buckets too uncomfortable for general use?

I am always happy to receive requests to pin threads if appropriate, and I think it would work if there was one for a particular model where owners past, present and future could post their details. At least anyone with a model specific query can find other owners.

It is as much about the way we, as individuals, prefer to use the forums as anything else. I find it fairly easy to browse through the latest posts and tag anything I want to follow. The search function, although crude, works to an extent that is helpful.

So, if anyone has any tips on how to use the forum effectively please post them on here. Otherwise I suggest this continues as a subject for our next Zoom call.

PS – the Boxster and Cayman registers are separate within the Club’s organisation. The Boxster register is the biggest one in the club, we are the 4^th largest. It makes sense to keep them as separate entities for all administrative and practical purposes. (and also, I suspect, because we do not want to read another thread on blocked soft top drainage channels, any more than they want to hear potential solutions to rear hatch rattles)

 

[DWaldie]

I'd like a section just for black 2013 models

Surely, the beauty of the internet is that everything isn't perfectly ordered, giving us the opportunity to "browse", drop down the odd worm-hole and find something interesting that we weren't quite expecting.

I for one have had little problem searching the whole site for information. Even resorting to asking questions that might have been covered before. I've never been scolded for this as everybody has been helpful in their replies.