Members Own Build Threads?

[Mike]

Although I felt this should be discussed by the MOC members it struck me that potential new members are just the people who might want to see more build blogs, so I have added this thread where non - members can add their comments.


The significant interest shown in Robert's build blog on the Forum has confirmed my long held belief we should have a section on the MOC site dedicated to individuals builds.
There are, and have been, a number of Marlin builders who have kept a photo diary of their builds on other sites. I feel this is a shame, as their natural home should be on our Marlin site.


Can I open a debate on this subject to see if there is a common wish to do this, or not as the case may be, and if there is a wish to do this, how should the site be set up to accommodate them?


Assuming there is a wish to proceed in principle, some of the questions I can foresee are:
Are the threads to be open to all members to add comments/photos as they wish?
Should they be closed, only for each builder to post to?
Should the builds be filed under the relevant model?
Or under a section dedicated to members car builds/restorations?


I'm sure there will be other questions from other mebers?


My build has been recorded on a flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikes_bmw_marlin_cabrio/

This is the most recent photo



Initially I was sceptical as to whether it was conceited of me to think anyone would be interested in some bloke building a kit car?
Over 35,000 hits later (for a Cabrio build, where there are fewer kits supplied, and far less still left to complete) suggests they do!
I'm sure the Sportster guys will have far more interest, as their cars are still current and potential kit buyers look to see what is involved.


Of course there is the argument that these blogs can be seen on the other sites, so why recreate them on the MOC?
My view is that the MOC Forum is exactly the right place to have build blogs of Marlins. It is where visitors can search for Marlin, and find lots of build/rebuilds going on which will generate interest in our cars. It will improve the vibrancy of the club on the net.


Would anyone else like to encourage current, and past, Marlin members builds/re-builds/renovations with lots of photos and comments to post them on the Marlin site?


Mike

[greyV8pete]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

I think this would be a good idea. Peter.

[terryreed1664]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

Mike, after following Roberts thread from start to finish, (If it ever really is). I think this is a fantastic idea.

Terry

[Michael Turpin]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

Mike , really good idea, and in answer to your questions


Are the threads to be open to all members to add comments/photos as they wish? - YES
Should they be closed, only for each builder to post to? - comments and questions will always be generated by pictures and presumably will need an answer
Should the builds be filed under the relevant model? - could be but I think the interest would be cross model, so maybe a dedicated area
Or under a section dedicated to members car builds/restorations? - may be visible in both, if that possible to tag each entry to model and dedicated area

I would be willing to put all my archive build pictures on along with a brief build story that I did for Kit Car Magazine assuming I can remember where it is

Michael

[dcunn]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

OK so which is the thread to use, we don't need two ....or do we ?
I've just put this one the other one :
Cracking idea Mike. FWIW I think each individual should have their own thread, within either a blanket area for builds, or within each car type.

As Lee says this is what the forum is about, and currently with most members (I guess ) fettling existing cars, new builds (or
dare I say also major rebuilds) are of interest to all and will also generate some enthusiasm amongst the lurkers here

Cameron : Suggestions please as to the best way forward, and do we have sufficient "band width" if that's the term, to do it ?

Rgds DC

[cameronfurnival]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

Sounds like a good idea. No problem with bandwidth or storage space as far as I know. Ideas for a title for the forum? And IM guessing it goes into the free-to-view section?

[b_caswell]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

Do we need an extra section? why can't people post their blogg like Roberts, in the appropriate car section. Surely the facility is already there.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

Do we need an extra section? why can't people post their blogg like Roberts, in the appropriate car section. Surely the facility is already there.

Ditto.

[Mike]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

Do we need an extra section? why can't people post their blogg like Roberts, in the appropriate car section. Surely the facility is already there.

Using the current set up means the thread gets hi-jacked, and taken off topic from time to time. My vote is for individual dedicated blogs which are about an individual and his/her Marlin.

probably the biggest argument in favour of individual blogs is that the current format does not encourage members to set up their own site. Robert has been the only member willing to use the MOC Forum. There are plenty of members who are recording their builds off site for exactly this reason - the MOC Forum is not welcoming in that respect. We need to open it up, and individual blogs is a way of achieving just that.
Mike

I'm open to persuasion regarding where it is located?

[stevejgreen]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

Threads will get hi-jacked wherever they are located. It's down to our behaviour and netiquette as readers and contributors to keep things 'on topic'.

We now have the power of PM to ask off topic questions or have discussions with others, equally we can now edit our own threads and I am sure the forum admin would be happy to move or delete things that get too far off topic.


Edit:

Precisely because the old forum limited pictures embedded in text, easy links, editing etc. many of the projects that I embarked on, Clio Front Brakes, Type 9 to B series, Dolomite Sprint axle install, were written up on Fast Marina.

I did try to re write them for this forum but the conversion process was not 'clean' and more importantly vBulletin has one major drawback. You cannot save your work midway, and come back to it a day later without publising it online.

[cameronfurnival]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

A quick solution to that Steve is to use something like Word and select the "paste from word" icon (under advanced), that should save a lot of headaches. I personally favour Mike's approach in so far as it opens it up to others more readily - for example, if I was a roadster owner and someone was posting about a build under Berlinettas then I may not immediately recognise the thread as one I would be interested in. If it was in a build diary section then I would be more likely to look. (As it happens I see everything anyway so its a bit moot) what do you think?

[stevejgreen]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

Copy from Word does not work correctly, it concatenates words and some random formatting is lost. It cannot be relied upon.
It makes a conversion job quite tedious. Convert from phpBB to Word, check the conversion, then post it into vBulletin, and check the conversion again.
It's easier for me to say, 'register with fastmarina' and then have a look.
I might eventually just do a conversion to Word and then a PDF and post it in KeepAndShare.

It would be a massive benefit if like phpBB a thread could be composed in vBulletin, saved there, rather than being published, so you could complete it at a later date, and then publish it. But unless vBulletin changes, that wont happen.
Incidentally it's irritating seeing the 'Auto Save' light up in the bottom right hand corner. It means nothing, if my laptop crashes, I cant retrieve what was autosaved. What is it's purpose?

I tend to look at the forum under Whats New or Activity Stream. The actual location of a tread or post is irrelevant at that point. If I was rebuilding a Berlinetta, my first search would be in the Berlinetta section as it contains all the historical data back to the early days of the MOC forum, far more than would be in a fledgling Members Build Thread section.

Would Roberts Progress to Date thread have had improved content or be seen by more users if it was in it's own section, I doubt it.

[Mike]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

I tend to look at the forum under Whats New or Activity Stream. The actual location of a tread or post is irrelevant at that point. If I was rebuilding a Berlinetta, my first search would be in the Berlinetta section as it contains all the historical data back to the early days of the MOC forum, far more than would be in a fledgling Members Build Thread section.

Would Roberts Progress to Date thread have had improved content or be seen by more users if it was in it's own section, I doubt it.

This is diverting the point, by approaching it from the wrong perspective. My issue is not about the viewer, but the contributor.

The MOC Forum is not successful in attracting current builders to keep a blog of their build/rebuild on its site. Other sites are, and we need to ask why? Could it be that the Forum is not builder blog friendly? Not the right place? No one has done it, and no one is encouraged to do it? We do not have a community of builders keeping a diary of their builds on our Forum that would encourage others to make that leap of faith and join in. Would having a dedicated section of build blogs help to create it? You only have to look at the Madabout Kitcars site for your answer. There is a community of kit car builders, not just Marlins, but many makes who encourage other to join in.

The MOC Forum has been running for many years now (both in its former life, and its current guise), yet, Robert excepted, no one has used it to host their build diary. Why?

My suggestion is focussed on encouragement: creating a part of the Forum that is dedicated to making it easy: making it something builders want to be part of: an area where they don’t feel they are sticking their neck out, but just simply joining in. How many times have we seen a new contributor say, " I have been lurking around this site for some time.........and would now like to join in"? We need to make it easier.

There are Marlin members, who view this forum, but do not contribute. Its a fair bet they also surf the net looking at other sites, to share the build progress of someone else's project. These are the very members who we should be encouraging to join in with their Marlin project on our Forum: I count myself as one.
The current “feel” of the Forum requires an out-going character to say " I know the world wants to see what I'm doing, and I'm going to tell them, - even if no-one else is doing it!".

Well done Robert: the following his thread generated has shown there is a real interest out there.The issue now is to seize the momentum he has kick started, and encourage the quieter, but certainly no less interesting, members who have a build they would enjoy sharing.

If we have a dedicated section for build blogs and get the ball rolling, then others will see there is a community which they can join in. Rather than feeling awkward about it, it would be quite natural to join in. More importantly, if we get enough to keep the interest rolling new builders will come along wanting to join in. And so the "feel" grows.

Compare this to our current site structure. If anyone was brave enough, presumptive enough, to be the first, where would they place their blog. Sadly, at the moment it would stand out like the proverbial thumb wherever it went!

This proposal is focused at opening the club up, making it a little more welcoming, a bit more fun!

The new Forum has given us a huge new asset: the ability to post large, high definition photographs. We should be making much more use of it. Often other members will get something from the photo that the author was completely unaware of when posting.

By encouraging new contributors, with more photographs, and more articles, I feel sure we will see more cross fertilisation of ideas, and then we will get the increase in interest we all desire.

We just need to create the environment, and then go for it!

[stevejgreen]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

You answered some of your own questions there. Before this version of the MOC forum as we have both said, pictures vital to a project, could not be readily posted. There was more value in posting an article in Pitstop. Todays forum is very different.

The number of cars being built (but mostly rebuilt) are very small. The relevance of a rebuild of a Triumph based car, to a modern BMW powered car build, is almost negative, my main reasoning for putting the builds in their relevant model section were existing relevant information is locaed. Even small but significant projects like your brake servo mod have only a passing interest to Triumph Roadster cars.

The problem I forsee is a kind of dilution where valuable history is archived in several different locations.

The current environment is so much better than what we had, but many of it's potential features like the calendar are under used. Why not populate and make us of the existing sections rather than create an isolated one.

[Mike]

Re: Members Own Build Threads?

The number of cars being built (but mostly rebuilt) are very small. The relevance of a rebuild of a Triumph based car, to a modern BMW powered car build, is almost negative........... Even small but significant projects like your brake servo mod have only a passing interest to Triumph Roadster cars.

Why is a modern build relevance "negative" to older cars"? All builds are as relevant as the viewer wishes them to be.

Ask yourself why there is so much interest in, and contributions to, the Madabout site? Because there is a common interest in building cars of all types, whatever their age. A process of cross fertilisation of ideas is going on between various marques, and eras.

A modern BMW powered car is only an adaptation of an older Ford based car, and may well be the catalyst for someone else to consider a conversion, or updating of their older car. This is how the Marlin models have evolved over the years.
Consider your own use of Clio brakes which you frequently advocate. These are modern brakes that have been applied to an older car.
Let the viewer decide what is relevant by giving them the information, and encourage the contributor to provide the photos.

My "small project" for dual servos was taken up by over 50 Marlin members, and used in Marlin cars going back to ones using Cortina donor parts. This is precisely why modern builds are relevant to older cars: you make the point perfectly!

It is interesting to note that the servo project only came about because of the cross fertilisation between models that easily goes on within the Madabout site. Jason Cundall (BMW based Sportster) first posted an advert he had seen for the dual servo, and asked what others thought of the idea. It struck a chord with me and I bought one and made a kit to fit my Sierra based Cabrio. Jason tested it in his road going Sportster and was impressed. This was all blogged on Madabout, and very quickly there were 20 members willing to join in a batch order of servos from the US - and all were Madabout followers, or heard of it via the site. Subsequent adopters then came from word of mouth, the MOC Forum, and later ones, via Pitstop and direct emails.

My vote remains for a dedicated area for build diaries that encourages cross fertilisation.