Site design
Posted By : James Carruthers, 02-Jan-2004, 11:02pm
And what a fab motor vehicle there is on the front page....
James
James
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Posted By : Michael Davis, 02-Jan-2004, 11:58pm
...It has a soggy rear spring by the looks of things though...
I like the new page layout.
Suggestion: How about that title picture (and caption) being chosen randomly from a database? That way you'd get a different picture each time you visited the site.
Mik-
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Posted By : Craig Gingell, 03-Jan-2004, 00:27am
Hi Mik,
Working on it - wouldn't want you to think James was getting preferential treatment...
Craig-
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Posted By : Michael Davis, 03-Jan-2004, 01:10am
...or the spitfires...a range of club cars would be nice. Anyone got a good picture of an amphicar?
Mik-
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Posted By : Helen Savage, 04-Jan-2004, 08:27pm
Wow!
I log into the site and find my car displayed on the homepage. How cool!!!.
Doesnt look like that at the moment tho. In pieces on my driveway waiting for some good TLC to get her looking like that again.
I kinda like the idea of being able to view other members prides and joy
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Posted By : James Carruthers, 03-Jan-2004, 01:32am
...*had* a soggy spring...
and it was my car by the way... now it seems its Don's turn for glory... most unfair...
James-
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Posted By : Ben Ferguson, 03-Jan-2004, 01:58pm
Craig,
Any chance of there being a gallery on the site, containing all the photo's published on the message board and the rest of the site?
Ben
68 White 13/60 conv-
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Posted By : Craig Gingell, 03-Jan-2004, 08:05pm
Hi Ben,
Currently working on a Gallery section and some other bits too. Stay tuned.
Ideas and suggestions welcome.
Craig-
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Posted By : Don Cook, 04-Jan-2004, 11:39am
Hi Craig
Ideas and suggestions?
Here's one: I seem to recall an interview the Courier's editor Bernard Robinson gave at last year's Stafford International in which he said that he has a lot of articles submitted but couldn't be included in the magazine because of lack of space.
Might there be space on the site somewhere?
Don-
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Posted By : Chris Gray, 04-Jan-2004, 08:34pm
I go on holiday for a week, and the site looks completely different (well, a bit different, anyway) when I get back.
Pretty cool.
By the way - you think James' rear spring looks soggy? You should see mine . . .
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Posted By : Craig Gingell, 14-Feb-2004, 02:10pm
Hi Don,
Technically, anything's possible. However, the Club don't want to disadvantage those Members who don't have access to the internet, so I'm not sure what the response would be.
John? Bernard?
Craig-
Site design
Posted By : James Carruthers, 17-Feb-2004, 04:49pm
It won't be a disadvantage - they'll never know about...
Seriously though - I don't see how it would disadvantage them - only if the Courier starts to shrink...
James-
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Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 17-Feb-2004, 05:41pm
Although I don't have the numbers to hand... I believe we have a total membership of around 12,000. So, although the Website IS a great forum, for ideas and discussion the question is - what proportion do we have in this website community?
I would expect we don't account for more than a few percentiles
So if you publish direct to the website how many of htose members do you think will miss out? 10,000? 11,000?
Also, websites are passive and the information is transitory, e.g. visitors have to come to the site and the information held within is changes. The Courier, on the other-hand is delivered to every member and provides it's own archive of information.
For instance, I see the Courier as the primary contact/information source and the Website as it's backup. And with that in mind this year the racing pages will hold truncated race reports for a limited period, you'll hav to read your courier to get the full storey.... ha ha haahahahah
PS Don - no smilies in the courier
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Posted By : James Carruthers, 18-Feb-2004, 03:05pm
Of course they would be missing out...
But the point is that this material wouldnt be available anyway...
I'd rather have the chance to read it, than for it never to be published, and never have that chance...
The Cookster, for instance wrote a very nice article that he sent me... I think he said he submitted it to the Courier... it never got published because I imagine there was no space...
Plus-I think we should go on the number of the population who have access to the internet - rather than people who are members of the club who actually access this specific website... there may be plenty of people who are members who dont access this particular site... if you're a member I don't see any excuse for not visiting your club's site if you have internet access...
Shortening your race reports for the web makes sense - because it *will* be published later on... although it could also make sense to publish longer reports on the web too...
The Courier is finite... the web is infinite...
"websites are passive and the information is transitory" - the web can also be an archive like the Courier! Mike's Cop Shop... in fact its an even better archive - because I have access to information before I was a member...
I agree with the Courier as being the main contact and information source - but I don't see why the web can't mirror that - and extend it...
James-
Site design
Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 18-Feb-2004, 04:09pm
"I think we should go on the number of the population who have access to the internet - rather than people who are members of the club who actually access this specific website... "
I'm afriad I very much disagree on that one, this is a members club and the members fees pay for the site. We cannot base our desicions on a demographic that has nothing to do with our area - the only demographic we should work with is club members. However, this is not a referendum issue so the TSSC Commitee are making the decisions and they must act in the best interests of the majority of the club members. If a club member wishes to 'dispute' a decision (ie signing on etc) then the committee are there to listen.
"...there may be plenty of people who are members who don't access this particular site... if you're a member I don't see any excuse for not visiting your club's site if you have internet access..."
I think that is true, but you cannot discriminate against someone because they are perhaps techno-phobic, or simply prefer to recieve their information in other ways - ie Courier. In it's very nature, the overwhelming amount of information available on the web is what can put people off.
I have to admit though, the website is an excellent forum for Mike's Cop Shop (sounds like a Saturday Morning Kids TV show
), but it has to administered
and maintained as laws change from time to time, but I realise by the same argument one could claim that as
soon as something is in print it is already out of date!
But I suppose the primary 'pro' in the Couriers favour is that it can generate advertising space for suppliers and has a guaranteed market of 12000 enthusiasts! but in order to do that the members need to have their articles in there and it needs to be interesting. A website, cannot make such readership guarantees, and pop-up ads are not the best advertising available.
In conclusion, until the website traffic can reasonably claim to account for the majority of the membership, the Courier HAS to remain the key communication tool for the club. And with that in mind I find it unreasonable to offer extras on the website that a non-www member cannot get.
My
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Site design
Posted By : James Carruthers, 18-Feb-2004, 04:51pm
On the point of who has access to the internet... I was purely saying that the number of members who have signed up for the site's messageboard doesnt reflect the number of members who actually read the TSSC site... I was just trying to figure out how to work that out.
If they are members, and have access to the internet... if they don't access the site then thats their problem - perhaps they just toss their courier to one side everytime it comes through the door!
If they have access to the internet - then I presuming they use the internet to access information... therefore I still don't see any problem...
It's like a shop giving out free stuff... if you don't go you wont get...
"But I suppose the primary 'pro' in the Couriers favour is that it can generate advertising space for suppliers and has a guaranteed market of 12000 enthusiasts!" - I've never ever suggested scrapping the Courier!
If the website offered *members* more articles and information - then this would attract people to join and receive the Courier... thus increasing membership...
I am of course presuming that publishing to the web is quick, simple and easy.... which it should be... no more than writing a post on the forum... Im sure Craig could come up with something!
James-
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Posted By : Craig Gingell, 18-Feb-2004, 05:09pm
Without being glib, I thought everyone had access to the internet. Our local library has had internet access for years.
It's called, "The People's Network" : a multi-million pound Government programme to provide people with free access to the Internet and computer facilities in every public library in the UK.
"The People's Network is a project which has connected all public libraries to the Internet, as part of the Government's commitment to give everyone in the UK the opportunity to get online. Lottery-funded by the New Opportunities Fund and managed by Resource, more than 4000 library centres have been created through the initiative. "
http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk-
Site design
Posted By : Graham Reeks, 18-Feb-2004, 05:45pm
Yes Craig, very nicely put, and with the current surge in broadband connectivity that is being heavily funded by European coffers, soon all libraries will be supplied with fast free, friendly internet connection. And we haven't even gotten on to the fact that learndirect provide courses to teach people how to use the internet, and if your current qualification level is below NVQ level 2 then you should be eligible to receive free training too ...
However, for those in rural areas who aren't fortunate enough to be visited regularly by buses with wireless connection, or who have difficulty getting out of /away from the house (perhaps 'cos they don't know how to fix their rusty old triumph and can't get in contact with NiG to find out how) this is all rather useless.
But then they won't see this message thread anyway, so it doesn't really matter, does it?-
Site design
Posted By : Craig Gingell, 18-Feb-2004, 05:51pm
Point taken.
However, I don't understand the view that says we can't do something new until everyone can do it. If that were the case, we'd still be living in caves.-
Site design
Posted By : Graham Reeks, 18-Feb-2004, 06:02pm
And what's wrong with that? Caves are great! 7billion bats and 120,000 bears, plus countless snakes, and insects can't be wrong.
Mark my word young Craig, if it wasn't for caves the Human race would still be in the trees!
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Posted By : Adrian Lee, 18-Feb-2004, 06:17pm
You mean you don't Craig?........must live down south?.............i'm staying out of this one,though,if someone writes an article for the courier that is not published, i see no reason that it cannot be posted on this site,i ,personally,would not mind printing a few copies off for the few members i know without internet access,(at work obviously with thier ink and paper)
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Posted By : Tim Everitt, 18-Feb-2004, 04:53pm
I have to say that I am astonished that there is more material available for publication than the Courier can cope with. I am a member of a number of (one make) car clubs and the magazine editors could never dream of being in this position.
If this really is the case then make the Courier bigger. I look forward to a truly convincing answer as to why this cannot be done.
All club members pay the same subs - I think it would be absolutely wrong to provide more information to those who are web enabled/capable than to those who are not.
Tim.
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Posted By : James Carruthers, 18-Feb-2004, 05:03pm
Sorry for sounding so argumentative this afternoon - I really am not like this!
"All club members pay the same subs - I think it would be absolutely wrong to provide more information to those who are web enabled/capable than to those who are not."
In which case I suggest we shut down this very message board...
James
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