Hi ! Again ! not been on here for a while and boy has it changed
- Thread starter boba fett
- Start date
There was a time when the forums (fora) used to be a main point of contact between members with daily posts and topics many and varied.
Alas, this seems to be no more - whether by accident or design, I know not.
There was a time when management appeared to consider the forum to be both seditious and conspiratorial and were happy to let it wither on the vine. Perhaps this was because management had a lot to hide! []
This is certainly not the case now, but when I mentioned a perceived decline in use since the revamp a while ago, I was assured the numbers don't support this, forum traffic was busier than ever and the site was buzzing.
Maybe so, but whatever those figures say, the forum seems to be under-used by its leaders and this is a pity since it provides an instant source of information and updates, which is certainly not the case when using Porsche Post and Mailchimp.
Regards,
[font="comic sans ms,sans-serif"]Clive[/font]
Alas, this seems to be no more - whether by accident or design, I know not.
There was a time when management appeared to consider the forum to be both seditious and conspiratorial and were happy to let it wither on the vine. Perhaps this was because management had a lot to hide! []This is certainly not the case now, but when I mentioned a perceived decline in use since the revamp a while ago, I was assured the numbers don't support this, forum traffic was busier than ever and the site was buzzing.
Maybe so, but whatever those figures say, the forum seems to be under-used by its leaders and this is a pity since it provides an instant source of information and updates, which is certainly not the case when using Porsche Post and Mailchimp.
Regards,
[font="comic sans ms,sans-serif"]Clive[/font]
Problem is that it only provides an instant source of information and updates for those who frequent the forum (and that would appear to be a minority of members) whereas mailchimp provides it to all members who care to open their e mail. Certainly since you and I left the 997 register "management" forum traffic is down on this register![] Mailchimp certainly does the job, as I can confirm from Region ROship, and the 997 Autumn tour filled up in two days using the same, by all accounts.[]
] Mailchimp certainly does the job, as I can confirm from Region ROship, and the 997 Autumn tour filled up in two days using the same, by all accounts.[]
tscaptain said:Problem is that it only provides an instant source of information and updates for those who frequent the forum (and that would appear to be a minority of members) whereas mailchimp provides it to all members who care to open their e mail. Certainly since you and I left the 997 register "management" forum traffic is down on this register![
Sure, but Mailchimp is a one way street. It just drops into your electronic letter box and you don’t have to read it. You don’t need to log in to see what’s going on and there’s no dialogue or opportunity to contribute.
If filling places were the criteria, I recall several Register tours - first announced on this forum - that were filled the same day! However, providing 10 places on a tour is hardly going to be inclusive for the remaining 1,500 members. The forum is a valuable resource needing encouragement and nurturing.
It’s quite different for the Regions. Here members are localised and enjoy regular meetings and events throughout the year. Registers cover a far wider national, even international, geographical area and there are fewer opportunities to bring members together. The forum provides a community and sense of belonging.
But it needs to be worked on and kept fresh and vibrant. If it’s not interesting or adding value, people stop using it and low traffic volumes and redundant sections, where there have been no contributions for years, are indications of neglect.
Regards,
[font="comic sans ms,sans-serif"]Clive[/font]
Hah, try running a minority sport like the Modified Register...
Generalities...
I think it will always be Regions first, because that is the social element that the majority of members participate in. But Mailchimp in part replaces the Forum, but rarely do the Regions link content in both media.
Register interest is either 'new model excitement', 'read the bloody handbook', or maintenance (944 and increasingly 996).
There is so much more competition 'out there' now with many committed contributors on other forums.
The way to enliven it would be to push content as with the Club's Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (although why this is a FB user group only beats me) so that each media supports the others and the Club's overall digital presence.
Otherwise with the Forum, "you can lead a horse to water" comes to mind
Generalities...
I think it will always be Regions first, because that is the social element that the majority of members participate in. But Mailchimp in part replaces the Forum, but rarely do the Regions link content in both media.
Register interest is either 'new model excitement', 'read the bloody handbook', or maintenance (944 and increasingly 996).
There is so much more competition 'out there' now with many committed contributors on other forums.
The way to enliven it would be to push content as with the Club's Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (although why this is a FB user group only beats me) so that each media supports the others and the Club's overall digital presence.
Otherwise with the Forum, "you can lead a horse to water" comes to mind
angusc
New member
Making the forum more user and reader friendly so that accessing the posts, replying and being involved does not require sitting in front of a PC or having to login to a web page might also increase participation.
I have long been asking the club to use TAPATALK to allow this but has always fallen on deaf ears. I activity participate in many forums via TAPATALK as it is an app that keeps the user logged in to the forums of their choice and makes monitoring and replying a much simpler process.
I currently use email notifications to keep up with PCGB forum topics of my choice.
I have long been asking the club to use TAPATALK to allow this but has always fallen on deaf ears. I activity participate in many forums via TAPATALK as it is an app that keeps the user logged in to the forums of their choice and makes monitoring and replying a much simpler process.
I currently use email notifications to keep up with PCGB forum topics of my choice.
I agree with Ralph. Regions tend not to use the forum for their"stuff" as, from personal experience, not much would happen if it were relied upon for communication - either one or two way. This isn't for want of trying to promote the forum. Some regions use it but I think they are the minority.
As for Registers the 997 has been in the minority over recent years in respect of how it used the forum. Most registers use it for the reasons Ralph mentioned. The Club have integrated the forum with the website so that members don't need to go to two separate places to find out what going on in the club and forum.
The facility is there and it's up to the members to use it for what it is, a forum and place for discussion and debate, as they are the ones who need to make it vibrant and interesting.
As for Registers the 997 has been in the minority over recent years in respect of how it used the forum. Most registers use it for the reasons Ralph mentioned. The Club have integrated the forum with the website so that members don't need to go to two separate places to find out what going on in the club and forum.
The facility is there and it's up to the members to use it for what it is, a forum and place for discussion and debate, as they are the ones who need to make it vibrant and interesting.
angusc said:
I find it quite easy to post using my mobile. I subscribe to all the forums I want to receive email updates from. If I want to post I click on the link in the email which takes me to the website where I am automatically logged on, and it takes me to the thread. No need for everyone to download Tapatalk (and I've seen it suggested for many many years on these forums)
I found a minority of the 911uk members are serial posters and if they had a virtual megaphone it would be deployed.
The bore score issue , I found both overblown and a topic that was latched onto with relish by some of their ill informed contributors.
IF YOU SPECIFY ADVICE it will be freely given on this site
I much prefer this site []
The bore score issue , I found both overblown and a topic that was latched onto with relish by some of their ill informed contributors.
IF YOU SPECIFY ADVICE it will be freely given on this site
I much prefer this site [
]
tscaptain said:
I found the forum needs occasional stimulation otherwise it just becomes an interminable discussion about zorst systems.
One of my favourite topics was "Manual transmissions - are they a waste time?"
Regards,
[font="comic sans ms,sans-serif"]Clive[/font]
garyw
Moderator
They are.... [tscaptain said:My favourite was PCCBs are better at stopping the car[
] the same thread runs elsewhere too and some good facts came to light.It's amazing to think only a few years ago the forum was pretty much hated by the club board and the main encouraged communication was Porsche Post - for almost the same reason Alan mentions about mailchimp (not the majority use the forum)
It was frowned upon when some started to use google groups to try and get quicker communications with members as the club wouldn't allow the use of email (GG was member subscription).
It's great that the club has finally moved on to the new forms of communication with members and realised the speed and effectiveness of electronic contact.
A real shame in my eyes that the forum is now so hard to access (signing in everytime) and now registers hidden under layers of other headings, especially when you consider how easy many of the other forums are to use!
It's always been apparent that someone needs to keep the register/region area active or you do find it quickly becomes very stale, quiet and inactive.
Alan makes a good point in the way registers and regions communicate is very different, the forum I see more important to registers.
I don't know for sure but it would seem the club now wants communication to be via its controlled website and mailchimp (for understandable reasons), so maybe the forum here has run its time.
Like many, I can now make contact easily and quickly with various friends and members via facebook on my phone - I wouldn't even try to use this new forum on my phone!!
Finally something I've often repeated about the numbers on the forum, the members that come and visit and post here are active members, just because the club has 16K+ members doesn't mean they all have any active interest in the club.
Just like the register events previously - which I agree have been filled many times via the forum and magazine, we never had 1000s trying to book onto them (which the register has members) - just that percentage of active members.
The good news is at least this thread is generating some posts and conversation- now back to PCCBs [
]
garyw said:
This has never been the case. When we first launched the forum 15 years ago it was met with some hesitance by the directors at the time, but it was larger accepted as a valued member asset and benefit. It’s certainly not been the case since. It may have been seen as a ‘hated’ medium when some of the 2012 board decided to up sticks and bale out under AW chairmanship, but it really served its purpose well then and showed what the power of the forum can do. I last served on the board from 2012 – 2016 and can assure you that not one board director ‘hated’ the forum. It was embraced as a valued communication source then as it is now, working superbly alongside the clubs FB and Twitter accounts.
garyw said:
The home page is so much easier now – not 80 plus headings to trawl through to stumble across. The 997 Register is just one click away. Hardly hidden.
garyw said:
Not at all. As previously stated the figures show that the forum is valued, used regularly and with increasing number of posts.
garyw
Moderator
Hello Peter
Thanks for your reply and I bow to your knowledge and excellent work setting up the forum those years ago.
Unfortunately your responses are ones I expect to read as they are repeated every time this type of thread comes along.(not always by you I admit)
We were both there back in the day and remember the calls for the forum to be closed down, for it to be closed to anyone outside of the club etc etc... the board did not like the forum as it was un-controlled and they were petrified it would cause an issue for the club - heck I received the emails from the board when it got lively as I was a moderator at the time...!
I think we both argued the case for the forum and what a valued asset it was and could become in the future.
Yes, there looked to be a distinct change of attitude when the board moved on - or did they realise the potential it had.
As a personal opinion (and as of 2017 I think I'm still allowed one - although it is election week next week [8|]), Ease of use is in my books is moving forward, having the areas layered under more headings doesn't seem to make things easier, sure there's a smaller list of unused headings but then there's still a few more that could go - and when this was mentioned recently the defensive posters all came along.
Even looking through this thread, there have been suggestions, but the responses just seem negative!
A Highlighted header no longer means that there is a thread in the 997 forum- it means it's under any of the modern forums, so clicking in may mean its another 996 DIY thread, GT3 residual thread or other..
Yes, I could subscribe to the 997 threads and save the time (once I've logged in), but from time to time I do like to see what is happening in other areas.
I don't disagree that the forum is valued but I do disagree that the forum is used as regularly, unassisted by log in, layered headers and lets have a look when a register official last actively posted.
The numbers can be massaged but visually its easily seen its not as active as it has been.
I'm happy to slip back into the shadows and continue to enjoy my membership here, but the emails I have received and other posts here do not show me to be the only one to have noticed this over the past months.
It's really not a complaint or anything personal to anyone, but more of a member trying to raise a flag and say have you noticed this?
Thanks for your reply and I bow to your knowledge and excellent work setting up the forum those years ago.
Unfortunately your responses are ones I expect to read as they are repeated every time this type of thread comes along.(not always by you I admit)
We were both there back in the day and remember the calls for the forum to be closed down, for it to be closed to anyone outside of the club etc etc... the board did not like the forum as it was un-controlled and they were petrified it would cause an issue for the club - heck I received the emails from the board when it got lively as I was a moderator at the time...!
I think we both argued the case for the forum and what a valued asset it was and could become in the future.
Yes, there looked to be a distinct change of attitude when the board moved on - or did they realise the potential it had.
As a personal opinion (and as of 2017 I think I'm still allowed one - although it is election week next week [8|]), Ease of use is in my books is moving forward, having the areas layered under more headings doesn't seem to make things easier, sure there's a smaller list of unused headings but then there's still a few more that could go - and when this was mentioned recently the defensive posters all came along.
Even looking through this thread, there have been suggestions, but the responses just seem negative!
A Highlighted header no longer means that there is a thread in the 997 forum- it means it's under any of the modern forums, so clicking in may mean its another 996 DIY thread, GT3 residual thread or other..
Yes, I could subscribe to the 997 threads and save the time (once I've logged in), but from time to time I do like to see what is happening in other areas.
I don't disagree that the forum is valued but I do disagree that the forum is used as regularly, unassisted by log in, layered headers and lets have a look when a register official last actively posted.
The numbers can be massaged but visually its easily seen its not as active as it has been.
I'm happy to slip back into the shadows and continue to enjoy my membership here, but the emails I have received and other posts here do not show me to be the only one to have noticed this over the past months.
It's really not a complaint or anything personal to anyone, but more of a member trying to raise a flag and say have you noticed this?
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