Information about the future of the Forum

As a user in a lot of different forums ,Myself i think the Simple machines set up as used by TOMM forum ,while being a step up would not be the better option .V Bulliten is good , and there is another option used by a couple of forums i am on .
www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?&CODE=00
Big Mack forum And ACME Caterpillar forums .Both use this set up .
www.invisionpower.com/apps/board/
This is the another option for the parties involved to consider .
I hope thursdays meeting Sorts out the directionthat needs to be taken , and the forum is the winner .

Hey lets all give it a rest until Saturday and then we might have a answer to our dreams and yes it's great come up new servers but the wheels are in motion take it from me and I will know whats happening before most of you . Dave

Sorry Dave but if I am going to be in Melbourne for a meeting Thursday night, then come home and then get back to Lancefield then unless you are at the show you may not hear from me until Sunday night at the earliest.

Ok Everyone here is the news,

Firstly sorry about the delay, I wasn't home until Sunday and sent some drafts off for review and did some research so I could post the correct information here.

There are several things happening:

1) I am putting together a list of Forum Rules as I see them to be given to the committee for discussion and action

2) The meeting discussed the relationship between Facebook, Forum, Website, Monitor and Yearbook and how transitory or important the information including taking the useful information that comes out in the forum and turning it into articles for the Website, Monitor and Yearbook.

3) Before deciding what software to upgrade to a list of requirements will be drawn up. This will be based on emailed feedback to a special email address which is being monitored by a volunteer who is not a club member so doesn't have any vested interest.

4) The Feedback was expanded to include the website, Monitor and Yearbook

5) all feedback must be accompanied by a real name (forum name can be added optionally but the real name is a must). Feedback without a real name will be ignored

6) a post will be put on the forum (it was done earlier tonight as an announcement so can be found at the top of each section see www.hcvc.com.au/forum/YaBB.pl?virboard=t..._Chat;num=1424688101 )

7) feedback must be by email, not forum posts

feedback will be collated by the volunteer and collated with names removed see post referenced above for examples

9) Alternative forum software is being looked at to try and start a short list. The requirements as defined by the feedback will make the final choice.


In addition

I have been asked to Project Manage the upgrade to ensure it happens.

I have indicated that as I have already given 8 years service as an admin and that once the forum is upgraded and running I would like to step down. I have offered to be available for advice if required but the form that will be up to the person taking it on (they need the space to do things their way)

The current forum posts and users will be migrated to whatever new software is chosen.

The committee has indicated that it is willing to purchase software to do the job if required. This will be taken into account with the requirements.

So take the time to read www.hcvc.com.au/forum/YaBB.pl?virboard=t..._Chat;num=1424688101 and have your say so we can get this rolling.

Thanks Bruce,for the update .
I hope as many forum members as possible take the time to send their Email.

what sought of time frame do people have to get there feed back in ????????

Paul

The post I made has to appear in the Monitor and on the website so if it closes it will not be until after easter. The reason I say if is the committee are thinking of leaving the address there for ever due to the spread of the club and forum membership so that people have an ongoing feedback mechanism.

However information is being collated as it arrives and experience with surveys in other places is we will have 80% of the responses but 95% of the ideas related to the forum and website in a couple of weeks. I would recommend sooner rather than later but not to panic about it.

Please also make sure you read the announcement to make sure your feedback counts.

Bruce thanks for the update.

From the meeting the feedback that comes in will form part of the decision making the committee will be using they are also going to put together a set of guidelines for there multi media products (forum,facebook & website) to follow this is an area that has been lacking in the past.

Regarding the software as a user I was asked at the meeting to look into what was available so that when the feedback on what people want the software to be able to do it can be matched to the best possible product. We are already looking at a couple of products but if you have any other let me know and I will add them to those.

Regarding what stays and what goes I have had my say and it is now up to the powers to be to decide on that but I do know it will not be just up to the forum or the committee it will be a joint effort.

Trevor

Well said Trevor . Dave

It's been a while since I reported but things have been slowly moving on.

The feedback received so far has been distributed without names so I will pass on the following observations about its content as I have not tried to work out who said what.

For the record I gave feedback about the Monitor, Website and some areas I saw that needed improvement in communications generally and things the committee may want to look at in the future as it moves from being a Melbourne based club to one that is truly national (eg should the Pres, Vice, Secretary and Treasurer be voted on by all members not just those that can get to Melbourne, distribution of consolidated Financial reports from all branches etc).

I deliberately didn't comment on the Forum or yearbook. The reason why is I believe it is a service I help provide to members and the public on behalf of the HCVCA. It is up to the various committees, general meetings and forum discussions to let me know what they want. I have worked on the basis that once a group has asked for something via its majority it needs that majority to reverse the decision - not just one or 2 voices.

There were some interesting comments.

I am sorry I upset a couple of people as the announcements section keeps reminding them of lost friends. It is something I didn't consider, it was created as the same notices and condolences were being put in several parts of the forum at the same time for the same people so it was an attempt to clean that up. I was thinking along the lines of the sections in the newspapers. If someone has a better way of addressing the issue please send it a feedback email. The fact that people were making those posts on the forum anyway indicates there is a need to address it somehow (and I don't think banning them will work either as then people will complain they don't know)

The feedback about whether to remove or keep the other 'controversial categories (models, tractors etc) is about 50:50 at the moment which means it is the committees headache not mine!

The other common suggestions are:

• a posts since last visit button
• easy loading of photos
• a technical manual section
• a 'yellow pages' section where forum members can advertise their wares (my comment - that was part of the idea of Where do I get it that never quite worked - maybe the sections get separated out)
• better search facilities
• separate HCVCA events from other clubs events and keep them at the top (my comment - tried but never quite worked - see below)
• concern about forum going quiet

The forum is a place for discussion and exchange of ideas. For 12 months we made HCVC Events 'sticky' (which places them above the line under the announcements) and people complained that they could not find them as they never 'looked up there'. Forum software is designed to prioritise based on the discussion not the discussions heading - its a technical limitation. There was thought of making a separate section for HCVC Events but at that time it was thought to imply those events were for everybody.

As far as the Forum going quiet, it is a common trend for all forums. I belong to several and have 'notifications on' set for some. For example instead of getting a dozen emails a day on say Early Falcons, I am getting one every couple of months but 30 - 40 daily Facebook updates instead.

There seems to be some confusion generally amongst people what the different medium (Facebook, Forum, Website, Monitor and Yearbook) are best designed for. To give a breakdown:

Facebook is good for the quick throw-away style items and connecting with people quickly (eg there is a club meeting tomorrow night). It is not good for trying to research information (eg try to find photos about a show from 2 years ago that you didn't comment on)

Forums for discussions that you think you would like to look back on, about events, answering technical questions so that people can find them later. They need to have a good search engine (which this one doesn't).

Websites - club promotion and events, things you want to index (eg technical manuals, club newsletters, meeting minutes etc) - note you may have to login the website to see it. I have seen other club's newsletters where they separate out their own events from the other invited events. There is no reason why the HCVCA website and monitor couldn't do the same thing and feed into each other with a link from the website to the forum for discussions.

Monitor or newsletter, communicate the above information to members with the posts that don't add information removed (eg "the great photos mate", "replace it with a screamer type" posts)

Yearbook a more in depth report on the events and useful relevant information from the above sources.

Regarding the forum going quiet Adam put a post on his 'Vintage Trucks Australia' Facebook Page with a link to an article about social media for truck drivers as it mentioned his group. The article also basically stated that 'Forums are dead now, except for the HCVC forum which refuses to die'. That is not an exact quote as I can't find the post on a Facebook search.
As to the sometimes nasty tone it is happening everywhere at the moment unfortunately. There are a couple of reasons for it:

• Innocent Misreading - someone misunderstands the conversation due to either bad wording, bad reading or a combination of both.
• Keyboard Warrior - safely hidden in their cosy environment they can say what they like as nobody can get to them
• "2 to many", at home relaxing with a couple of drinks then loses their control - probably a subspecies of Keyboard Warrior but I am not sure whether they lack the courage or need the assistance
• There is also a concern of what I call 'missing context' where person a stirs up person b as they are friends then people who don't know one or either jump in for the Forums (or Facebook) equivalent of an 'All in Brawl'

Finally there is a test forum up so we can look at and get used to some new software. As it is a test forum it may bounce up and down without notice and nothing posted on there will be kept.
At the moment it is being used to test the loading of pictures, how to create the different categories, set up the security etc and may drop out to be replaced with some other software to be tested. This is part of the selection process Trevor (SloSpeed) referred to.

Sorry for the length of the post but there was a lot to share and thank you to everyone who has provided feedback so far and just a reminder it is not too late.