Changes to the Forum – update 06/06/12

[Paul W]

All,

It’s been sometime since the announcement about access to the club’s Scott Forum, so here’s a summary of some of the pending changes (please also see the more detailed version of this posting in the Members’ Area).

Given the wide range of views on this subject the Committee have tried to find a way forward which allows both the promotion of the Club/Scott interest and to provide a clear differentiator for the Club Member. In short there will be two parts to the forum – a public area (open to all) and an increased set of Club Member areas.

The forum changes as follows:
– Keep public areas for enquiries, events, sources of supply and how to use the forum, the main change would be that users would need to self certify (register) themselves to use this facility;
– Add Members Only Sections for Technical and Restoration, Club discussion, Regalia Catalogue, Back Issues for ‘Yowl’ (possibly with a link to the latest edition), Spares Listings (subject to how Graham would wish to present this area), Members Photo Gallery (where users can upload their own images of bikes/events etc) and any other sections Members wish to have.

There will also be some other changes in response to feedback i’ve picked up as webmaster:

Updates to the static website https://www.scottownersclub.org:
– ‘The Club’ page: update with a modern, compelling narrative on the benefits of joining the club leading to the ability to join at the click of button (we effectively have the latter bit already)
– ‘Sources of Supply’ page: publish some more details of the spares scheme, with samples of stock listings displayed for the public to see.
– ‘Events’ page: this hardly ever gets updated so remove it and use the forum instead;
– Add a website features page describing how to use the site/forum, what parts can be accessed by the public and what extra stuff you can access as a member;
– Add a public ‘how to contact the Club’ section with email links to membership secretary, technical correspondent, machine registrar, general secretary and webmaster;
– ‘Links’: this could be an opportunity to better consolidate the public internet Scott community in one place without trying to replicate it (links to other Scott themed sites, for example I believe we have an offer to better integrate the Club and website with the Scott eNewsletter Archive 😕 ).
– ‘Members Area’: remove this and transfer to the restricted parts of the forum

I hope these changes allow us to keep a public area (albeit with some additional registration) to encourage interest and new members as well as demonstrate the significantly different facilities available on-line to members and non members alike. I got a positive response from the Committee on this suggestion and with some small refinements, based on their feedback, I will be making the changes over the coming weeks.

I guess we shall see what happens over time – with the internet nothing will stay the same indefinitely…. so let’s not set things in stone !

Best Regards,

Paul Wilson
webmaster@scottownersclub.org

[Roger Moss]

My compliments Paul. An arena is definitely needed where interested people could find more information about Scotts before committing to join the SOC. A common inquiry is from a person who having had their curiosity whetted, then wants to buy a bike. How about a subsection where those wanting a bike can register their interest. The next step is that they see one and want to know info and especially value. A heading referring to Ian Parsons and Annice at VMCC for info would be good and perhaps someone could take on the job of valuer.
I spend a lot of time fielding such inquiries in addition to technical inquiries every week and would be glad of some help so as to give more time to commercial work.
Let us see how this fills the needs and satisfies the majority of interests. Roger

[Roger Moss]

An afterthought. For those seeking help, advice and information, their needs can only be answered if a good number of SOC members and long time Scott owners frequent the open section of the site. If those folks restrict themselves to the Members only section, then our potential future members might as well talk to the wall! If existing owners / SOC members continue to use the open section as their preferred first port of call, then nothing will have changed except to register. Will this detail satisfy those with the “laagar” mentality.
It still comes down to the basic question as to whether is is wiser to look out than to look in. I will watch with interest and monitor the results. Roger

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

Hi.
I really do think that someone being a “Valuer” for the SOC is a definite NO. An absolute minefield, as one would be asked to give opinions based on photos, and who knows if frame and engine numbers have been ‘got at’ ? Then what is the internal state of engine, gearbox/two-speed gear, etc. ? The prices being asked at the moment for some very ‘iffy’ machines are quite incredible, but somewhere out there are potential buyers with more money than sense, wearing rose-tinted glasses. Probably NOT members, who are much more aware of the pitfalls and prattfalls….
Of course, at the end of the day, it is a matter of supply and demand, and complete Scotts are rarely offered for sale within the pages of Yowl these days, and prices do get driven sharply upwards by a lack of really good machines on the market. For instance look within the pages of recent VMCC Journals…..You rarely see even spare parts for sale ! For some unknown reason those ‘classic’ magazines that have largely ignored Scotts for years, have suddenly woken up to them in recent months. Great for attracting potential new members, but again it will drive up prices.
It is such a difficult issue that I wouldn’t even like to confirm “Agreed Valuation” figures for insurance companies, never mind the values of bikes that are for sale. CAVEAT EMPTOR…
Brian

[Wilfried]

Hmm, this sounds too complicated and it will probably not work. People interested in a Scott will not be patient enough to find out how this closed but a little bit open forum works. Who will spend the time to post and look in two sections of a forum? The open-forum-posters will probably develop some mistrust because there is something hidden.

If you want to “sell” the club to prospects, the shop window should be transparent, clear and easy to access for all. A closed forum is none of that!

Some people learn the hard way and some listen to others. I am sure there is much more knowledge about Scotts here than I have. But Scott and Clubadmistration knowledge is not good enough to understand how the open web society works.

Kind regards

Wilfried

[pplatt]

How about going the same way as a few other club forums I have encountered. You can read all forums without being a member and you get a basic search tool. If you want to create a topic or post a reply or access the full search tool then you have to be a member? It might be a good idea to have a couple of open topics, for example, ‘I’m thinking of buying a Scott…’ or ‘I would like to join the SOC but…’ where non-members (but registered users) could post.

Just a thought….

-PP

[TedParkin]

😀 😀 Tell you what Paul. Leave things as they are!!!!!!!!! Surely the response to the idea of “raising the drawbridge” and closing the open forum cannot have passed those forward thinking members of the the Management Comitee by!!!!!!! 😀 😀 Its still a NO BRAINER mate!!!!! THE SCOTT OWNERS CLUB HAVE A “major winner” in the open forum already!!!!!!! Ted 😀 😀

[panthersteve]

@pplatt wrote:

How about going the same way as a few other club forums I have encountered. You can read all forums without being a member and you get a basic search tool. If you want to create a topic or post a reply or access the full search tool then you have to be a member? It might be a good idea to have a couple of open topics, for example, ‘I’m thinking of buying a Scott…’ or ‘I would like to join the SOC but…’ where non-members (but registered users) could post.

Just a thought….

-PP

Exactly what I was going to suggest 😀

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