Open call for web site content suggestions

Greg Feeler said:

Snip > how would it be to have a north american map with hot spots you could click on to find the ride reports? Then you could "virtual ride" an area and compare differnt accounts of the same rodes. If the same map also listed rallies and camping areas (with their own reviews), you could "ride" you way between to help plan your final route. <Snip

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Greg, this one is a must do!

I think that whatever it is that we end up doing, we need to make sure that it is thoroughly promoted in the ON. I had a discussion at Falling Leaf with some folks who weren't even aware that there was a Forum online until Brad's article in the ON about his Spokane ride. Why hasn't anything appeared in the Riding the Web column or whatever it's called in the ON. If we can get some more people in here, we can really make this web community thrive. The format of the forums is such that (well to me anyway) it seems a little less intimidating than "the big list" for newbies to get involved in, and can maybe even suck some folks in who otherwise wouldn't have much to say on other forums. We have a really good thing starting to take off here, and we need to make sure that we don't let it die, or become the playground of just a few people due to lack of advertisement amongst our membership base.

Can't wait for the classifieds to be online.
Can't wait for more cooperation between Forum and ON.
Can't wait to see what you fine folks cook up.

YB in IN said:

I think that whatever it is that we end up doing, we need to make sure that it is thoroughly promoted in the ON. I had a discussion at Falling Leaf with some folks who weren't even aware that there was a Forum online until Brad's article in the ON about his Spokane ride. Why hasn't anything appeared in the Riding the Web column or whatever it's called in the ON.

[SNIP, SNIP]

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Excellent point, and a personal sore point with me. It will be addressed.

I'm working on a membership discount with a photosharing service.

Not only will it be discounted for Forum members, but for every MOA member that joins and references our community, they're proposing a rebate of some funds to the MOA. I'd like to see those funds targeted to help underwrite the cost of our web services.

We'll have a more formal announcement when we get the particulars ironed out. Stay tuned. I see this as a win all the way around. More customers for the hosting folks, cheaper hosting for the membership and help with supporting the MOA's web efforts.

That is a great idea Dave, no real advertising, but help for the site and a discount for those of us who use photo sharing.

I am really disappointed in the fact that you really never read about the website in the ON. It almost seems as if the folks who really like the ON would not be hurt to see the forum go away.

Sorry to inform them, but I dont read the obsolete ads in the ON, I shop online and get it now when I need or want it. Seems like every ad in there has an email address, so what is all the fuss about in not getting them online.

I get way more tech advice online than I do in the ON, I get a wider variety of ride reports and and astronomical number of great pictures here vs ON. If I had to choose, you can knock off 10 bucks a year from my membership and stop sending me the ON. I am happy here, and the forum is the reason I joined the MOA in the first place.

Hard to make friends and coordinate rides and activities like the midwest track day, or the rounders in a magazine. Hard to get opinions on tires or seats or any number of things in the magazine, unless you are lucky enough to want what is being reviewed in that particular issue.

Tell those who spend extra bucks on first class postage for first crack at the ads in the ON, they can find it faster online, and I sure wish we could have the classifieds here.

Just seems like a bunch of political bull to keep a vast amount of technical knowledge and papers in archive, and not let the members reap the benefits of past issues here.

Someday we will be the old farts, and maybe we can get our way.

on a side note, I just joined MOA and got my membership card/sticker. When should I expect to get my first copy of ON? Is it mailed at the beginning or end of the month?
Thanks,
Chris

I get mine right at the first of the month.

lorazepam said:

[snip, snip]

I am really disappointed in the fact that you really never read about the website in the ON. It almost seems as if the folks who really like the ON would not be hurt to see the forum go away.

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I can tell you for certain that on the Board level this is not the case, nor does it apply to any one else I've worked with in the BMW MOA. I think you will find nearly everyone on the Board both monitors and posts here.

The Forum as you know it now came about mostly because the old software was beyond capacity and needed replacement over a year ago to handle the load of the Rally chat. During that same time we were (and still are) focused on making some major and complicated changes to our web software to support true secure ecommerce transactions for Rallly registration, membership join & renewal, and Country Store purchases.

The next stage is to split the web into member and guest sections with validated login. This may also unify login for both the web site proper and the forum, although we're not sure at this point how practical that is for technical reasons.

Once the split is done, the web site will get a new and greatly updated look and we'll begin adding a lot more content, which is the motive behind starting this topic. These changes will happen this fall and winter.

Somewhere in there we'll be making a lot of noise about what's available on-line. One way of looking at this is we are building a house and got the kitchen (where everyone hangs out at parties) done first, but we'd like to wait until more is compleated before having an "open house.'"

Make no mistake about it, the overall initiiative to turn the BMW MOA web into a premier site had the full and complete support of the Board. We see it as absolutly necessary for the growth and future success of the organization.

[snip, snip]

If I had to choose, you can knock off 10 bucks a year from my membership and stop sending me the ON. I am happy here, and the forum is the reason I joined the MOA in the first place.

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Actually, the cost of the ON to the members is a small fraction of $10. Providing services to a diverse membership requires a diversity of benefits, so cutting one to provide another not only fails at that task, it also pits one interest group against another. Nothing good lies down that road.

Someday we will be the old farts, and maybe we can get our way.

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You want have to wait that long.

Hmm.

There are a number of great suggestions here already. The problem is going to be, "Which way do we go?"

Personally, I would like to see a general tech/maintenance board to form an umbrella to the specific model line format we have now.

There is merit in having classifieds that are limited to members only, but not having them has not kept me from finding creative ways to advertise my K11, which is for sale.

Greg Feeler said:

You want have to wait that long.

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(since 1997....)

Ian

Link summaries

Subject-matter categorized dummaries of interesting content found here on the forum, linked to the original posts.

Ian

Chartered Club Web space

A set of templates that can be used by clubs to make basic websites for Chartered clubs.

Ian

E-commerce for chartered clubs

Make it possible to join chartered clubs via the same interface used to join the BMW MOA.

Ian

International Memberships

Ability to subscribe and recieve BMW ON via the internet... ref: Zinio

Ian

Integration of Rally and Website

Live from Rally experience for those unable to attend.

Ian

Tiered content to attract non-members

Structure content so that portions are available to non-members, with easy-to-join purchase path. ref: MO

Ian

Method for re-purposing Forum contributions

I hate havingn to dig through all this junk just to find something!

Ian

Participation of BMW ON Writers here on the Forum

Cross-pollenate content to create a seamless member experience.

Ian

Birthday presents for members

Allow BMW MOA advertisers to send special offers to opted-in members on their birthday that are relevant to their bike(s) and riding interests.

Ian