The Forum's Brother Satch, I'm also going to have to disagree. You are 100% correct that these forums are not popular or utilized by a large number of members but I can assure you that is most certainly not true of a number of BMW or other automotive related forums. I would submit for consideration that the reason that may be is that we have yet to have a forum, classifieds, or, any other social media/internet version of any of the clubs activities set-up or to work correctly. These forums and electronic social media are not the future, they are the now for all organizations hoping to continue successfully. And here we are trying to make a simple forum work correctly? really? I'm sorry that the membership seems to be bothering the staff at the national office, and "entitlement" sounds suspiciously like the same BS I hear from my elected officials when they want to take away something I have paid for to give it to someone who didn't as a loop hole or incentive. That said, The Roundel is a shinning example of what no compromise, no scrimping can do to produce a product of very high quality. I'm sure it too will be 100% on-line soon enough, but please not until we can make sure we get it right before we do. Very best to all, Doug
You know, I think you're right. . . The more I read over these replies and think about the situation, the more I think I am probably wrong about all this. Just because my Club priorities include Roundel, driving schools, Oktoberfest, autocross, tours, and social get-togethers, with online interaction somewhere down the list, doesn't mean it's the same for everybody. And my Club experience is no more valid than that of somebody whose sole benefit is interaction on the Internet. Also, I am in the same boat as everybody else; I know I tend to pontificate as if I know what I'm talking about, but I don't speak for the Club, or for the National Office. I do trust them to make changes to better serve the people for whom this is a primary Club experience and a high priority. And I hate the dorky emoticons as much as anybody. I'll shut up now, shall I?
Much better. Satch, I know you'd like to be a cheerleader of sorts, but I'm glad to see you've got a handle on the problem now. You wanted to overlook the seemingly minor problems of the club forum because you're a lot more 'wired in' to the club than are most of the forum contributors. If you want to bitch to Frank or Linda or Steven, you have 'em on speed dial or you'll see 'em next month. I can do that, too, if I really need to, but I'm sympathetic to the people who got lost in this shuffle. For many past posters, this was a strong connection to the club; maybe right up there next to ROUNDEL. It may be the most interactive part of the club they see and here it is on life support, put into a coma by crappy software. I'm not here to throw stones. Lord knows Steven would throw some himself if they didn't come back down onto his own head. So I'm willing to give it time. I've got other places for my online BMW 'fix' (MyE28.com and facebook BMW folks). I check in here every day or so in the faint hope of either seeing the fabulous new forum debut or to take some bewildered cyber-soul by the arm and find him/her the way to where they were trying to go here. I think that's all we can do for the moment.
Quoting Satch on Sun, 2011-08-07 09:38: “…. The more I read over these replies and think about the situation, the more I think I am probably wrong about all this. Just because my Club priorities include Roundel, driving schools, Oktoberfest, autocross, tours, and social get-togethers, with online interaction somewhere down the list, doesn't mean it's the same for everybody…†For me, the CCA Forum is very important regarding my BMW experience and is much higher in my seriatim list. My list is almost upside down from Satch’s. It was the banter on forum that motivated me to attend my first HPDE (heck, motivated me to buy a second tin-top BMW so that I could attend HPDEs), it was the banter on the forum that gave me courage to learn how to wrench my own car, it is the banter on the forum that motivates me to attend an Oktoberfest sometime in the future. The forum gives me vicarious access to an exciting BMW world, which my day-to-day life does not often touch. Roundel is wonderful for that same vicarious experience, but the Forum is much more dynamic and interactive. FWIW, I participate in several Forums on several non-car related topics. I am glad that the CCA Forum and Gallery are being restored.
Whoa... 'seriatim'...! Somebody on the internet using a real word that I've never heard before... gnarly, dude!
Oh my... guys, seriously... The only way to describe new forum - [beep] [beep], [beep] [beep] [beep] There are lots of FREE forum applications that will look much better than this. Forum applications are not rocket science...
May not be rocket science but it's important that the same login is used here as well as on the main site. I'll update my post at the top of this section. Steven
I'm going to keep my complaint SIMPLE - site is SLOWER now Whoever thought this "redesign" was an "improvement" should have their resume checked for previous Microsoft employment. At least it would explain the awful interpretation of the word "improvement." To put it in the vernacular of an old school Warner Brothers cartoon: "Was this trip [the redesign] really necessary?" Gripe and venting complete. Thank you.
I took ssaylor up on his suggestion to check out pca.org... ...and I was IMPRESSED. I hate to hand it to a competing marque's club, but that website is TIGHT (in a good way). Found out that apparently that club hired out their webdesign to a firm called R2i at r2integrated.com. I hate to even think of what they might charge OUR club to work their magic on ours the way they did for PCA, but just getting a quote or estimate couldn't be that bad could it?
