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Message |
    
Richard Treacy
Grand Master
Username: richard_treacy
Post Number: 149
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, 14 April, 2004 - 00:46: |    |
Which is preferable: open or private ?
To back up David, this forum thrives because it is open and the moderators are so diligent. Do not underestimate this task. Just last week the BDC forum was overwhelmed with lewd messages and replies.
Without the moderators stopping and removing this appalling stuff very quickly, as one BDC moderator stated they would have to go private.
The open forums I know of other than this one are:
BDC (UK): not a lot of traffic, but of particularly high quality. Messages are posted instantly and moderated later on.
RROC (inc) open forum: traffic dried up when they introduced the members' only forum. Also, the moderators must approve a message before it appears. This has frustrated many people as there is often a 6 to 72 hour delay between posting and appearance of the message.
Schwammelstein (private Netherlands site): becoming very popular, but sometimes a little chaotics as it has no subsections like the RROC(A) forum. I am unaware of how it is moderated, but when working properly messages appear in a minute or so.
Members-only forums.
RREC: highly successful as all members of the RREC worldwide may access it, and that is a huge catchment. The RREC has sections all over the world, basically everywhere except for Australia and the USA due to their RROCs. It uses the same message forum as the RROC(A), looking almost identical. No time delay in posting.
RROC Inc: new, and slow to catch on. The public forum used to be huge, but the combined public and members' forums are tiny compared to a year ago. No time delay in posting.
My opinion based on this: a well managed public forum appears to be the most successful formula. The RROC (A) is not the largest club by numbers, but the forum is so popular (probably the most)and well managed that the moderators deserve due applause.
As the RROC(A) is a little larger than the BDC, which also arguably competes to some extent with the RREC as they are both UK based, the excellent BDC forum is not so well known. Maybe that's how they like it, though.
With a strong home club, eg RROC(A), there is a platform of knowledge to build on. I also think a public forum can be most successful in gaining public interest in our hobby. |
Bill Coburn
Grand Master
Username: bill_coburn
Post Number: 129
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, 14 April, 2004 - 08:28: | |
Interesting Richard. I have never quite understood the closed forum. It unfortunately smacks of the rather dark side of the movement(s) (in my opinion) that ownership of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley confers a social superiority. If we are genuine about the Marque we surely wish to maintain and preserve every surviving example. But such would seem not to be the case. Club registers for instance are more interested in having an up to date and accurate membership list than having an accurate listing of surviving cars. And before they fall off their stools laughing, I am not suggesting that every Car in the world should be listed but at least we should be keeping close discreet records of where every say pre-world war 1 car is. In Australia there are at least 5 early cars that have disappeared over the last 10 years simply because the former owners have not renewed their membership or the new owners have not bothered to join the Club. I repeat the focus should be on the cars NOT the people. Which hopefully brings me back to topic; these forums in the main are fed by people who are genuinely interested in the cars. We (if I may include myself)are not I fear the majority among owners but if we don't pursue our interests there will be no cars! So why hide the forums. So we get spam - inevitable. I get much spam, mostly to do with my anatomy, financial well being and pharmaceutical supplies, which the good delete button removes. Considering the benefits derived from the forums however that should be a small price to pay for the Marque's survival. |
William H. Trovinger II
Prolific User
Username: bill_trovinger
Post Number: 100
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, 14 April, 2004 - 13:43: | |
Richard & Bill;
Here here, as a past member of both the RROC (US) and the RREC I cannot agree with your comments more. I felt both organizations tried to be too private (shall we say)  and that is among the reasons I drop membership in both clubs.
Bill, I do think it would be interesting to create a public form that helped to keep track of all the cars. Granted it could only give minimal information as to protect the privacy of the cars owners, like country and region or if the car has departed for the great highway in the sky.
Besides the openness of this forum allowing the maximum amount of contributors, I also find that the search ability of this site is very beneficial.
Best regards,
Bill
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Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 55
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, 14 April, 2004 - 18:50: | |
Hi Richard,
Interested to read your comparisons of various Clubs as we can all benefit from feedback. As an occasional contributor to the RREC and RROC-Inc, but based in Sydney, I admit to being biased towards the RROC-A. Our webmaster is most diligent with security and privacy issues and it will be a pressing future problem as more people become aware and use this website. David Gore spends hours as moderator and contributor and this is where each Club needs its 'eyes'. These websites are one of the best things to happen for R-R/Bentley clubs, especially with the international links and quick communication.
Regards, Jeanne. |
Pat Lockyer
Unregistered guest
Posted From: 81.131.5.193
| | Posted on Monday, 19 April, 2004 - 06:35: | |
As a guest user of this forum i first must say how well it is run,and not an easy task at times it must be.
With regard to the forum open or closed i must agree with Bill C and all the folk who say open.
With the prob's and remedies freely aired it can only strengthen the numbers of enthusiasts within a club and keep many cars in a usable state through out the world.
I myself have collected many makes of cars over the years and to belong to all the clubs would be impossible with an open forum it helps every one.
More pix on the Spirit-Shadow 2 engine and parts as i am shore that it will make an interesting topic with regard to sludge etc. |
Richard Treacy
Grand Master
Username: richard_treacy
Post Number: 153
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, 20 April, 2004 - 01:47: | |
Freedom of speech is fine, within limits. But don't call anyone a four letter word on a forum and expect to get away with it, let alone call them rude names based on race or nationality. Freedom of speech has nothing to do with that.
Our moderators seem to apply similar standards to the better newspapers. I think this is quite correct. Alything rude, racist or libellous should, in my opinion, be censored. Likewise, personal attacks on contributors are unfair.
Even in the countries with the greatest freedom of speech you will be arrested if you use four letter words towards a policeman.
As I pointed out previously, the BDC public forum almost closed down recently due to some disgusting, some racist and also some disgraceful contributions.
Regards,
Richard. |
Patrick Lockyer.
Grand Master
Username: pat_lockyer
Post Number: 196
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, 30 December, 2004 - 08:48: | |
As a now registed guest and as time pases on to answer the original question :
open or closed.
It has to be open.
The topics aired and the many folks postings is proof that it is one of the popular forums around.
It certanly has freedom of speech as far as i can see.
It is a truly well run site by the admin and moderators.
seasons greetings to all. |
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