Author Topic: New Forum.  (Read 3789 times)

oldcranker

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  • Beaudesert, Qld.
New Forum.
« on: 07 February, 2009, 07:45:05 pm »
OK, we all wanted a "new forum" 
We now have it, and it works spot on, but, it's unfriendly, no one thanks anybody for answering their query, or answer.
We have to be more talkative!!
We all pulled together when the old forum was a bit iffy. Think we have to put a bit more into this one or it's gonna die. (sorry TOMM youv'e done your bit)
More talk, less tecnical details, have a laugh, have a chat, get to know other members.

A good example is Rudy, he has been asking about a muffler for a 3hp M type.
He drove over to my place and took pics of the muffler on my 1 1/2hp just to get an idea of what it should be, surely some of our members have a 3hp M type that they could take a pic of the muffler and post it to him.

I might not come over as a very serious person,  I like my fun, but this is serious.
BK

Nothing like a good crank

jopeter

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Re: New Forum.
« Reply #1 on: 07 February, 2009, 10:16:06 pm »
I hope I have always responded to posts ...perhaps i have missed one or two but as old age encroaches this I am sure would be forgiven.
Seriously though Old Cranker I agree with you .The same with emails ,it does not take much to hit Reply and a few words of awknowledgement make a big impression.

lanzalldog

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Re: New Forum.
« Reply #2 on: 07 February, 2009, 10:41:27 pm »
I thought the forum has been going quiet well in both its performance and posts.You only have to look at the stats being 778 posts in just over 1 month now and 151 members.
You will always find the givers and the takers where ever you are.I have helped people out with parts just on 30 yrs now.Quiet often giving them away  for free or posting them in the mail and not recieved a thanks or a refund for my post costs only to hear that the said people have sold the parts later for profit.Wish I had kept them all because I would have the big profit now but at the time I done it to help.
 At the end of the day,if my actions helped get another engine or tractor running ,that was the importaint thing.
 A lot of us are chasing parts which are lying idle in other peoples sheds which would complete restorations and make it a lot easier.

Like oldcranker said we should talk more and help each other more.

Cheers
Lanzalldog

Eric Schulz

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Re: New Forum.
« Reply #3 on: 09 February, 2009, 01:40:52 pm »
It's easy to be negative about something, we all indulge in it from time to time. It also makes us tend to exaggerate. BK, I don't think the forum users are quite as bad as you suggest.

I actively participate in a few different forums by supplying information. Sometimes I am aware that no-one said thank you. This does not stop me, as I am sure that someone found some interest in what I said (this is presuming I said something sensible in the first place!).

As to the forum being "unfriendly", to me, people not using their real names makes them seem impersonal. Everyone is different and this is just my perception. This is what we are dealing with all the time, peoples perceptions. I know there are legitimate reasons for some not wanting their identity known, and I respect that.

"More talk, less technical details" I do not agree with at all. First and foremost, this forum is about engines, tractors and machinery. To me the technical stuff is what it is all about. There is nothing wrong with having a little fun along the way, certainly. If I go to a Star Wars convention I don't expect to hear a lot of discussion about Dr Phil!

I think forums are great. They give such immediate response, compared to a magazine for instance. Because of this, I can't see this forum falling into disuse.

That's just my opinion, of course!

Eric

franco

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Re: New Forum.
« Reply #4 on: 09 February, 2009, 04:06:15 pm »
I am quite surprised how much the forum has picked up since it moved to the new format. Just for interest's sake I checked the number of topics and the number of replies to those topics for two four week periods. I was going to go back and check the number of topics and replies a year ago on the old forum as well, but had forgotten what a b...... of a forum it was to work with! It kept triggering a security warning and locking the site, which it used to do frequently to me while we were still using it, so I gave up in disgust. I am really pleased that we have the new forum!

In the four weeks from 10/11/08 to 7/12/08, a while before the end of the old forum when things were going well and there was a lot of activity, there were 59 topics and 232 replies to them.

In the four weeks from 10/1/09 to 6/2/09, after the new forum had settled down and people had become used to it, there were 89 topics and 500 replies to them.

Because of the extra forum sections - which I happen to like - it may sometimes seem a bit slow (except in the stationary engines section) because the topics are more spread out, but total usage has really picked up quite a bit since the new forum became available without the frustrations of the old one.

Frank.
Cairns, Queensland