Website Membership

[Paul Sheridan]

In response to the email about paying a membership fee to upgrade to the next stage web site, I feel this would be a good move.

What would be even better in my view, would be to possibly make this the main DOC website. I know I opened a can of worms with my post (Why do we have three web sites?)

We all have one main thing in common...our love of Duttons, being a friendly bunch of like minded people, we should all come together and fully represent our interest, this can be better managed if we are united.

Kind regards

 

Paul.

  

[Dave Taylor]

I have to agree, this site is one of the easiest about, and especially in the original plus version we had. Messaging and posts are instant, you have your own page to customise, video's can be uploaded direct. more importantly it looks interesting.

Membership on this site is at 82 at the moment I think, so I second your proposal

[Adrian Southgate]

So guys, come back to me with the costs and I will makes balls roll (oh er mrs)

I can propose a change of site at the AGM at Stoneleigh but in the mean time how much will it cost?

Also, there is a lot of information hosted on the existing site which will have to be kept open as we own the domain at the moment and would probably want to keep it, integrating this site within the existing if possible.as a sort of readers cars section, I can probably make this open inside the existing site with a bit of html jiggery pokery but I doubt I could make it work the other way round due to the way this site is structured.

[Dave Taylor]

The cost of the full PRO version of site is $499.95 = £316.36, this could come from the membership fee we pay to the DOC, and drop the magazine, well not drop it but produce 1 a year where articles like Snowy's, build diaries, allsorts of things that can be taken from the website, I know, we will have read most of them but not everyone will use the site so for them they are kept in touch. The site would keep interest everyday, a calender of events, so meeting can be arranged, fun run promoted.

Paul the can is well and truely opened, members it's over to you...

[Gordon McLaren]

In order to pay for the site upgrade would a small increase in the DOC membership fee be out of the question, say upto £15 a year. I know I save this much on my insurance alone by virtue of being a member. Alternitavely as was mentioned a few months ago only a small donation from all users of the site would be needed to be donated thru paypal or something similar. Would certainly be happy to contibute to get the site back upto full strength again

[Dave Taylor]

It's all it would need, but I think there are funds in the DOC already. I seem to remember it being said at the AGM at Stoneleigh, the comittee were asking for something to spend the funds on. Ade over to you.

[Dave Taylor]

Ade, the other sites are still there, but you have to agree the NING site works well, is easy to use and is interesting. The other site do what they are supposed to do. This site as it all for me, I never think of going to MR G's it bores me (There you are I said it) sorry if that offends some people, again it does do what it say's its a Forum. The duttonowners Ning site goes that step further.

I also propose that if we are to pay for the site we go for the PRO version as this gives 20gb storeage and 200MB bandwidth, along with  all the features for continued expansion of the CLUB.
Come on DOC spend some of our money
Adrian Southgate said:

So guys, come back to me with the costs and I will makes balls roll (oh er mrs)

I can propose a change of site at the AGM at Stoneleigh but in the mean time how much will it cost?

Also, there is a lot of information hosted on the existing site which will have to be kept open as we own the domain at the moment and would probably want to keep it, integrating this site within the existing if possible.as a sort of readers cars section, I can probably make this open inside the existing site with a bit of html jiggery pokery but I doubt I could make it work the other way round due to the way this site is structured.

[Tim Walker (The Bodger)]

 

Hi Guys Sorry for delay in replying. Busy with work and stuff (haven't even had time to send off the DOC membership renewal Cheque! on its way soon promise).

I haven't had any emails from NING regards further content removal but the page personalisation options have disappeared.

I've emailed support so if they get back to me i'll let you guys know.

There are 2 upgrade options that you can see in the link below:

 

http://about.ning.com/plans/

[Adrian Southgate]

Thanks for the link Tim.

I will pass the relevant info on to the committee by email but realistically we can't expect a commitment before Stoneleigh. The more bodies we have there on the Monday the better.

 

In the mean time do we want to chip in and take the plus package, someone else can do the mathematics, i'm crap at it.

I'm happy to stump up a few quid to get the plus pack features

[Dave Adams]

i like this site, but some aspects of the ning format are not as good as other sites, mrG's site works well as a reference site, the DOC site works as a chat site (could be improved) this site feels chatty but a little irritating to follow threads that do not appear on the first page. i will still use them all it's not a problem for me but a site that combines the best of all sites is what is needed.....just my two pennorth.

I like my Dutton and spend a lot of time letting folks know that, i also think the other three sites are doing the same in their own way, this site is not better or worse than the others, in fact Mr g  has experience of Ning sites and opted to not use them.

 

I don't think we should impose this format on the club with out some sort of meeting of as many members as possible, not necessarily at Stoneleigh, does anyone know how to code websites / forum pages? we could design some to suit our selves if anyone could do that.....but then we are a car club not a computer club. 

 

It's not the forum site that is important but it's active members and the comments they make, we on here would,  i am sure continue with a different forum site were it to be imposed on us and this one removed, but would everyone move?

[Paul Sheridan]

We all have our preferences on the web, as some one said in the other discussion, use what works for you! (my personal preference is Mr G's format,)  BUT.... I would much rather that we all work togehter, to fine tune, one united site where we can all fully represent the Dutton Marque. If this can be done with the pro version of Ning and can be funded from our membership subscription, then that would be a positive move.

What should be in a club website ?

1. Your own page, to show off your pride and joy

2. A simple chat forum (like existing DOC)

3. A technical section for reference purposes

4. A products section, products used and reccomended (or not!!)

5. Suppliers section

6. A section for our German and French friends (do we have any in the USA?)

7. Sale and Wanted section

 

Get the Idea ????  Come on members, have your say.

 

The reason that my page on this site, does not have any of my Phaeton rebuild or mechanical modification pictures on it, is that I have always posted them on Mr G's and it has always seemed pointless doubling up. As there has been very little traffic on that site this year, I have seen no point in updating the post. Hense my reason for pushing for one site.

[Dave Taylor]

Why can this not be decided on line with the DOC sending members an e-mail asking what they feel about it.

I don't know if this is me or my browser setting, but, I just loged on to Mr G's and the last post was you Adrian on 27th Nov 2010. So to say it is popular is going a bit far (Paul you know how to push my Buttons, That sounds so wrong when i read it back) look at the traffic on here and the DOC forum, they speak for themselves. I'll shout up now...
Adrian Southgate said:

Thanks for the link Tim.

I will pass the relevant info on to the committee by email but realistically we can't expect a commitment before Stoneleigh. The more bodies we have there on the Monday the better.

 

In the mean time do we want to chip in and take the plus package, someone else can do the mathematics, i'm crap at it.

I'm happy to stump up a few quid to get the plus pack features

[Adrian Southgate]

I can draught an email for all members but to add all the emails would be a bit of a pain.

This sort of thing really has to be put to the committee if we are expecting the club to fund it. Then it can be put out to a member vote. Yes I know its drawn out and takes ages but its the accepted way of doing things.

As I stated above, in the mean time are we all willing to chip in and get the site upgraded to plus status?

I can do HTML and coding, flash and a few other bits not to a professional standard but certainly acceptable for the small businesses I helped out a few years ago.The biggest issue these days is browser compatability so the simpler the better.

My idea would be to keep the existing DOC site and fit this inside it as a separate entity, like the chat forums. If people have the option which way they want to view threads then it will work on all levels.auto cross posting on all forums is another idea  which may be viable.

I do find it strange that this subject produces more posts than saving a threatened vehicle or stopping a possible ID theft.