forum

[Ed]

The amount of trouble that Facebook has caused at work mean that I will never join regardless of what I may be missing

That's a shame Russ.

[Tanya]

It's been interesting reading all the comments and thank you to all have have taken the time to comment. Some are much more about the club than the forum and certainly the coming together of BL/ARG clubs in one way or another I do see as the best way of small clubs such as ours being sustainable and the best way to build in resilience. However, that's a separate topic and a very large one at that!

E_T_V, I'm not sure if you understood my point which was that I am very interested to hear from users with average experience of forums rather than experts as most of our members will have average experience. In that sense my experience and view of forum is just as valid as beakers. Also, I'm aware that some where not happy with beaker's tenure, just as some are not happy with mine. This is normal but I feel that your post slightly implied that is a good time for the club when I know that not everyone shares that view. I don't have a view as I was not there.

I am still having very few issues with speed and have opened threads randomly for the past couple of days and the longest a thread took to open was two seconds - most were instant. I know others can also open threads quickly so I'm not sure what's going on for you but it would be good to get to the bottom of it. I'm not quite sure what 'white space' is. I'm an average forum user who frequents a number of forums. To me, this is clean, uncluttered and easy to use on all my devices. Personally I find the layout friendlier than most other forums. However, I'm the first to say that's my opinion and not shared by everyone.

I do think it's important to keep the difficulties with the forum in context. It is entirely normal to hear from those who do not like something, far less likely to hear from those who are happy and just getting on happily with it. I do feel that this is the case with this.

The downloadable PDF membership form is under 'Join' and has been there for sometime. I know that some people have had trouble finding it so we'll look to make that clearer.

I do feel that as a club we are very fortunate with the content of this forum - it holds a wealth of information. However, it was very overdue for a rebuild for several reasons, namely security, to ensure it could be easily used on all devises and to tie the membership database in with the forum and website.

Facebook is a difficult one. It is so easy to use and share things on it widely - it has a huge audience that is easy to access. However, as many have said it's not searchable so all the good, useful info is soon lost. We are very lucky that this forum collected so much useful information before Facebook became as huge as it is today. I know of other clubs/register who have set up in the past two or three years and are struggling to collate useful info as it just gets lost on Facebook and people are reluctant to contribute to a new forum with little/no info on. My best guess is that people will post less on this forum but it will be used as a resource as many questions can be answered by searching it.

We will continue to tweak the forum and iron out any glitches. I know that there are already some issues on this thread such as broken links which are on the list. If anyone has a specific issue, please do post them here with as much information as possible. While you are very entitled to post that you don't like the new forum full-stop, that is something that we cannot fix.

Thank you

[Russ]

I can't believe that it's something that can't be fixed, it's not like there has been an emergency government bill to make forums as difficult as possible to navigate. Err they haven't have they??
But as stated before I can't see the value of being a member anymore, this is a real shame as I was very passionate about the club in the past. It was only because of my geographical location that I didn't get more involved. One magazine is not much in return for eighteen quid oh and being able to park on the club area at Peterborough

[Tanya]

I can't believe that it's something that can't be fixed, it's not like there has been an emergency government bill to make forums as difficult as possible to navigate. Err they haven't have they??
But as stated before I can't see the value of being a member anymore, this is a real shame as I was very passionate about the club in the past. It was only because of my geographical location that I didn't get more involved. One magazine is not much in return for eighteen quid oh and being able to park on the club area at Peterborough

There is more to the club than the annual Monstro. Due to time constraints Monstro was getting published less and less, possibly less than twice a year - it is a major piece of work and unless you're retired with lots of spare time on your hands, it's almost impossible to produce. We are now going to pay to have it edited and produced as despite our best efforts to find someone to take it on, understandably no one came forward,

It has been replaced with the Service Bulletins which give much more regular information about events and what's going on in the club. I do feel that it is a little unfair to say that the club boils down to Monstro and Peterborough - that is simply not the case.

Amongst other things the club is doing and working on, we have worked hard at getting as much exposure for the cars as possible and indeed that is one of the committees current aims. The more people who we can get to see the virtues of Maestro & Montego ownership, the better. Presence at high profile shows (which cost very little for the club to attend) and working with the classic car media is important. Even better if we can get them into the national press, although that is harder to achieve. However, the reporting of the Festival of the Unexceptional in the Telegraph did have some excellent Maestro coverage.

[Russ]

Sorry Tanya you're not selling it to me. I can't honestly see how giving the cars more exposure is good for the club except for the owners of the cars involved.
There are NO more MMs for Joe public to buy and join the club. The club should be getting NLA parts remanufactured not attending the NEC unless the owners involved want to pay most of the costs.
But we can't have parts remanufactured because we don't have a parts department anymore

[E_T_V]

I do feel that it is a little unfair to say that the club boils down to Monstro and Peterborough - that is simply not the case.

Amongst other things the club is doing and working on, we have worked hard at getting as much exposure for the cars as possible and indeed that is one of the committees current aims. The more people who we can get to see the virtues of Maestro & Montego ownership, the better. Presence at high profile shows (which cost very little for the club to attend) and working with the classic car media is important. Even better if we can get them into the national press, although that is harder to achieve. However, the reporting of the Festival of the Unexceptional in the Telegraph did have some excellent Maestro coverage.

For the average member that is exactly the case though. What does the club offer its members?
Magazine? - Sadly not. I've not seen any service bulletins either.
Spares - No
Technical support - Yes via a forum which isn't as good/reliable as it once was
Shows - Yes
Insurance discount - No
Discounts from suppliers - No
Remanufactured parts - No
Magazine and press coverage - Yes. And this is important to attract new members but doesn't benefit current members unless their car is the feature. It can help secure members benefits too though if you work at it enough.

[E_T_V]

E_T_V, I'm not sure if you understood my point which was that I am very interested to hear from users with average experience of forums rather than experts as most of our members will have average experience. In that sense my experience and view of forum is just as valid as beakers. Also, I'm aware that some where not happy with beaker's tenure, just as some are not happy with mine. This is normal but I feel that your post slightly implied that is a good time for the club when I know that not everyone shares that view. I don't have a view as I was not there.

I'd regard myself as a fairly average (but long term user) of this site. I've given feedback which you are free to accept or ignore. However only a fool would choose to ignore advice from experienced people that could help. An average user might report that the forum response is slow or a link is broken. It doesn't mean that they know how to fix it!

I apologise if my original comment wasn't clear. I wasn't slightly implying it was a good time for the club, it WAS a very successful time for the club by every measure I can think of that a member might care about.

We had lots of press coverage - and I know this is something you are working hard on to get back to
We attended lots of shows - again something which seems to be gaining ground slowly
We had social events that weren't shows - drives, camping, BBQ's, fix-it days, strip it days, Xmas dinner, birthday celebrations etc.
We secured spare parts for members
We secured discounts and group-buys for members
We gained a lot of new members both paid ones and forum members
We started attending proper "classic" shows like the NEC (when the car was only just starting to be accepted as a classic).
We expanded the website
We created memorabilia and useful products that people could buy to help keep their cars on the road
We had a technical e-mail response service
We had a very active forum both socially and technical responses
The club bank balance was significantly improved allowing us to develop our offerings further and secure the clubs future.

Was everyone in the committee happy at that time? No I wouldn't expect them to be but you seem to be missing the point. The clubs core purpose is to promote and support Maestro and Montego owners in owning and enjoying these cars (not to make everyone on the committee all cosy and happy). And to do that successfully for the majority I'm sure we have all upset a few people along the way.

I guess my point is if you don't acknowledge the past and learn from it you'll never make things any better. Build on what worked before, get people involved and generate some enthusiasm about the club.

I've tried to help things along the way remanufacturing extinct parts (heater pipes, filler pipes, anti-roll bar ends), and I can honestly say I've had ZERO support from the club. This means I'm now less likely to do more in future, and if I do then far less likely to do it via this club. Does this help club members? No probably not - so is the club really living up to its constitution?

[Tanya]

Thanks for your reply E_T_V. With reference to the Service Bulletin, please can you PM me with your name and address and we can look into what's gone wrong, There have been two Service Bulletins since we have started them earlier this year.

While I really don't wish to drag up what appears to a difficult period for the club, not all see it your way. I don't feel that everyone would view beaker's tenure as successful, but I guess that depends of how you define success.

Since I have been involved with the club, we have made steady progress and we know that there is plenty of work to be done. However, that doesn't mean for one moment I would criticize the committee or chairs before me, I feel that they did their best for the club with limited time resources. Indeed, the club in its current form requires more human resource than is available, hence the need to work to form a club which is sustainable and resilient. That is a priority for me.

Re-building this forum and the website has been a significant and positive step forward for the club. The glitches are gradually getting sorted the next job is to ensure that links to other sites work and the information on the website is current and correct. Once we're there, the committee will push the website and forum out to the classic car media, which will both benefit the club and the cars.

I know that there are plenty of Maestros and Montegos out there for people to buy and not all of them are rotten! In most cases you can pick up a decent (non MG) Maestro or Montego for around £1000. One of the club's jobs to promote Maestro and Montego ownership and make it an enjoyable experience. While we no longer have a Spares Service (I think this has been covered several time for for clarity I will explain again) we do have members with spares and there is now eBay. The spares were sold as the person who was running the Spares Service no longer had the time to do so and needed their double garage back. I think it was remarkable that they gave as many years to the Spares Service as they did and provided the service and storage free of charge. It was no great surprise to the club that no other member wished to take the spares on - it is a huge undertaking. Without either storage for the spares or someone to run the service, it was in the best interest of the club to sell them. I feel the club did well to sell them for more than they paid for them and the stock has been depleted over the years.

As and when we have the human resource, we will look into re manufacturing parts, However, should the club wish to do this we need to look into becoming a company limited by guarantee as there are liabilities attached to selling parts. I did attend a spares training session on how to set up and run a spares service including re-manufacturer, but it was of little use as the club running it had 12 people manning the service! What I thought might be interesting and helpful turned into demoralizing. However, it did help with legislation and some other matters.

One area we are working on is events/socials. For some events the club is able to fill a stand, but for some others I feel with need to work with similar clubs to form a stand. Likewise for socials, we will need to work with other clubs. It is great that we now have someone in the north who is helping with events and hopefully that will grow.

We now have someone who is interested in regalia and if that goes ahead will be able to open the shop and sell initially a small range of regalia.

The club's bank balance is healthy however the necessary outsourcing of Monstro is going to be expensive, hence Monstro becoming annual accompanied by the inexpensive to produce Service Bulletins. This system of club magazines and newsletter is more sustainable than trying (and sometimes failing) to produce three Monstros a year. Monstro in its previous form was unsustainable. It also allows for more regular communications from the club.

Club's like ours are in a different place to 10 years ago and we need to work with where we are today. It is perfectly normal that people will disagree on what is the best way forward, but this committee is doing what it feels is its best to move the club forward while making it sustainable.

[Tanya]

Sorry Tanya you're not selling it to me. I can't honestly see how giving the cars more exposure is good for the club except for the owners of the cars involved.
There are NO more MMs for Joe public to buy and join the club. The club should be getting NLA parts remanufactured not attending the NEC unless the owners involved want to pay most of the costs.
But we can't have parts remanufactured because we don't have a parts department anymore

I think I have answered some of your questions in my post above.

Just to clarify the cost for the large indoor shows which attract high footfall and significant classic car media coverage. Generally the vast majority of the cost of attending these shows is borne by those displaying their cars and by the committee members personally who help out. From memory, last year's NEC cost the club in the region of £40 which for this invaluable exposure is an excellent use of £40. We never pay for carpet (although we do womble carpet which has been left behind) nor electrics. Also, where possible I like to give different members a chance to show their cars at these shows and with the NEC's Restoration Show I can take any car in any condition which is great. I do balance this with trying to have an experienced member on the stand who is also happy to chat to the endless stream of people and in doing so can sell the love of the cars.

These shows really do bring great coverage and highlight our cars to our market, those who read the classic car press.

[Russ]

The fact that a few shiney cars at a show is of real consolation to me when I can't get an anti roll bar bush.
Sorry Tanya but I think the club is sailing in perilous waters.,
Owners clubs are supposed to help with the existing members cars as well as attracting new ones

[Beaker]

Also, where possible I like to give different members a chance to show their cars at these shows and with the NEC's Restoration Show I can take any car in any condition which is great. I do balance this with trying to have an experienced member on the stand who is also happy to chat to the endless stream of people and in doing so can sell the love of the cars.

These shows really do bring great coverage and highlight our cars to our market, those who read the classic car press.

There is a definite lack of membership engagement and transparency and that is not just inclusive to the big shows, When did we last see a thread inviting members to suggest vehicles, stand ideas or volunteers on the day for the NEC?

However this is off-topic to the main issue being the upgraded website/forum being poor. It beggars belief that you will refuse to listen to knowledgeable people yet openly acknowledge that your understanding is poor in this area.

White-space is what it is written on the tin - white space. People don't want to be scrolling/clicking constantly due to wasted space. Simple/uncluttered is good but it can be taken to the extreme.

How much have we paid as a club for this website overhaul?

[Hobby]

There is a definite lack of membership engagement and transparency and that is not just inclusive to the big shows, When did we last see a thread inviting members to suggest vehicles, stand ideas or volunteers on the day for the NEC?

That's a bit unfair, Beaker, as the organiser she will be the one who has to decide so the use of "I" is perfectly acceptable and inevitable... As for your question, here:

http://maestro.org.uk/forums/forum/g...-5th-6th-march

[Mikey v8]

My only issue is with the new forum, I have to log in everytime, posts take ages to load, cant always reply either which is the most annoying part,

[Beaker]

That's a bit unfair, Beaker, as the organiser she will be the one who has to decide so the use of "I" is perfectly acceptable and inevitable... As for your question, here:

http://maestro.org.uk/forums/forum/g...-5th-6th-march

I was talking about the NEC Classic car show - sorry I should have been more specific.

[Montegoman]

So you mean this...

http://maestro.org.uk/forums/forum/g...ber-at-the-nec