I would just like to respond to Brian Marshall’s post of Wed Apr 18.
I do not see much evidence of indifference pervading the club. I am a relatively new member of the club and have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and comradeship of the club and in particular the South London section. I have been given much advice and encouragement firstly to buy a Scott and then to get it back on the road, the help extending to offers of a loan of a carburetor and a magneto from people I hardly knew, plus visits to my garage to help diagnose problems.
As a younger member (54!) I think the club should recognize that its future lay with the internet. The time may come when the club will not be able to afford to publish the yowl in paper form – yet it will be free to publish via the web. I would be happy to receive an electronic version of Yowl (but recognize for the moment there will be many club members without access to the internet – but this will change as time moves on).
In the modern world the internet, websites and emails are essential tools for business and communication. Potential new (younger) members first port of call will be Google or equivalent search engine, so an engaging, informative and open website will be essential to attracting new members. With respect to the Forum, personally I was quite happy with the set up as it was – with a private area for members only/club business.
I also think the members only area of the website should be developed to include more reference material – only available to members. This + the Yowl + the spares scheme + club meetings & events are carrots to membership. Restricting the forum will only make the club seem backward looking and old fashioned – I do not think this is the way to attract new members (and judging by some member comments, this may lead to fragmentation and loss of members). I think that a breakaway independent forum is the last thing the club needs – so we should be careful not to ‘force’ the creation of one.
From the recent traffic on the forum it is also clear that there is much feeling in the club over this issue. The committee should be embracing the forum – it offers a quick and inexpensive method of two way communication with the membership (or at least those with internet), so members do not have to wait until the annual AGM to “air their grievances” (assuming they can spare the time or money to attend). Based on the level of feeling about this issue, it would seem reasonable for the committee to consult the membership regarding the forum access issue.
