Wow, Lotus 7 Club's quiet ... how can we help it recover

[apexcone]

Has PH become the new Blatchat

Its very sad to see what been happening to the L7C and the migration of its members, but the world we live in offers us lots of choice. Hopefully the L7C will get its new site sorted out and people will return, but I guess few will. It seems that the club had something with the old site that has now gone and potentially wont return.

[GreigM]

apexcone said:

Interesting comments Greig, do you you think that most of the issues now being faced could have been avoided had the management asked different questions.

Obviously without knowing the details its just speculation. This is my profession however and on face value you would have to suggest there were perhaps better alternatives given the appearance of a poor outcome.

[apexcone]

GreigM said:

Obviously without knowing the details its just speculation. This is my profession however and on face value you would have to suggest there were perhaps better alternatives given the appearance of a poor outcome.

Maybe keep it simple would have been better.

[sjmmarsh]

While the updated BC was definitely released in Beta form (or even pre-Beta), the team have listened to a lot of the feedback and fixed the worst bits. There are still things to do, but the progress to date gives confidence that it will get addressed at some point.

BC is still a lot busier than the Caterham forum on PH, which has now been pushed into 3 rd place behind FB, which has a lot more comments and is quite helpful. what FB lacks is a decent search facility so you can find old posts with the help you need - this is still BC's trump card as most questions already have a usable answer, notwithstanding the broken links!

Steve

[PurpleMeanie]

GreigM said:

Yes, all that is available. I've implemented it. Worst case scenario you need to develop a wordpress/phpbb plugin that manages the integration of the wordpress/forum and club admin side - not a big deal.

I would imagine there is a lot more to it.

But who knows. None of us do. I didn't do the requirements analysis. Maybe nobody did.

I agree, on the face of it there are other technical solutions. But then....I spend a lot of time managing the fall out from technical people who said "not a big deal"

[PurpleMeanie]

apexcone said:

...Its very sad to see what been happening to the L7C and the migration of its members...

There seem to be quite a few new members. And I have recently continued my membership. So it isn't all doom.

Maybe it will appeal to a whole new set of Caterham owners.

IMHO it is a bit early to be reading the Obituary.

[rubystone]

apexcone said:

Has PH become the new Blatchat

Its very sad to see what been happening to the L7C and the migration of its members, but the world we live in offers us lots of choice. Hopefully the L7C will get its new site sorted out and people will return, but I guess few will. It seems that the club had something with the old site that has now gone and potentially wont return.

Why should a website alter the dna of a group of people who get together to drive cars? For me, it was never about the friggin website. It was about the vineyard runs, the Surrey Xmas dinner and the L7Club GB Cadwell Park trackdays.

I don't recall you... apexcone...nor your name being discussed in any management meetings I attended. Did someone piss you off?

[Aeroscreens]

rubystone said:

Why should a website alter the dna of a group of people who get together to drive cars? For me, it was never about the friggin website. It was about the vineyard runs, the Surrey Xmas dinner and the L7Club GB Cadwell Park trackdays.

My thoughts exactly. I've only been a member for 16 years and during that time I've made many good friends (and they remain good friends even though they've sold their 7s and moved on) and I continue to meet new friends through club activities, trackdays, sprinting and run-of-the-mill pub meetings. People that perhaps I would never have met.....

I know the website has had its issues etc etc. Yes, I know it could/should be better but I can honestly say that I have not for one moment been overly concerned, my life does not revolve around a website of any description. ISTR that nobody particularly liked the old BC when it was changed back in 2002 or 2003 but we all moved on. I know also that social media has moved on at a pace and again I don't really have the time to be bothered by Facebook and Twitter.

As for the cost of the annual membership it is but a minute cost of what I have invested in sevening over the years and what's more it is amply covered by discounts (for example this year, as in previous years, SWMBO gets a free £89 ticket for the Silverstone Classic).

I for one won't be leaving the L7C.

Now, if I was a member of a forum of a website design club then perhaps all this chat about the why and wherefors of the change might be relevant....... Just saying like

[rubystone]

Aeroscreens said:

My thoughts exactly. I've only been a member for 16 years and during that time I've made many good friends (and they remain good friends even though they've sold their 7s and moved on) and I continue to meet new friends through club activities, trackdays, sprinting and run-of-the-mill pub meetings. People that perhaps I would never have met.....

I know the website has had its issues etc etc. Yes, I know it could/should be better but I can honestly say that I have not for one moment been overly concerned, my life does not revolve around a website of any description. ISTR that nobody particularly liked the old BC when it was changed back in 2002 or 2003 but we all moved on. I know also that social media has moved on at a pace and again I don't really have the time to be bothered by Facebook and Twitter.

As for the cost of the annual membership it is but a minute cost of what I have invested in sevening over the years and what's more it is amply covered by discounts (for example this year, as in previous years, SWMBO gets a free £89 ticket for the Silverstone Classic).

I for one won't be leaving the L7C.

Now, if I was a member of a forum of a website design club then perhaps all this chat about the why and wherefors of the change might be relevant....... Just saying like

Amen brother

[kenny.R400]

As soon as Orange Blatchat comes back all this will be forgotten

[Chrisp5782]

sjmmarsh said:

While the updated BC was definitely released in Beta form (or even pre-Beta), the team have listened to a lot of the feedback and fixed the worst bits. There are still things to do, but the progress to date gives confidence that it will get addressed at some point.

BC is still a lot busier than the Caterham forum on PH, which has now been pushed into 3 rd place behind FB, which has a lot more comments and is quite helpful. what FB lacks is a decent search facility so you can find old posts with the help you need - this is still BC's trump card as most questions already have a usable answer, notwithstanding the broken links!

Steve

BC is busy - not with car related topics though.

It's still being populated with ste from the same link happy bunch of self proclaimed academics who can bore and belittle with ease.

[coppice]

You mean in the same way as the PH Caterham sub forum seems mainly to comprise moaning and whingeing about a club which most of the moaners and whingers don't even belong to ?

[anotherjohnv]

rubystone said:

I don't recall you... apexcone...nor your name being discussed in any management meetings I attended. Did someone piss you off?

apexcone is/was evotell .. does that go someway towards explaining why he's now jumped on to the L7C / blatchat slagging off bandwagon with both feet ..?

[anonymous-user]

coppice said:

You mean in the same way as the PH Caterham sub forum seems mainly to comprise moaning and whingeing about a club which most of the moaners and whingers don't even belong to ?

Ah yes, the old "You're not a member so you're not allowed to express an opinion" thing.
Don't you geddit? Maybe, just maybe, if some of the whinging and moaning got listenened to, and was given more credit than just being axe-grinding and sniping, then perhaps there's a fighting chance those people wouldn't actually be ex-members.
You remind me of those idiotic hoteliers one sees on various TV shows whose businesses are haemorrhaging guests, and their response is "Good,we can do without their type"

[Mort7]

I agree with Crossflow Kid. The prevailing club attitude seems to be that if you ask pertinent questions, or say anything that is in any way critical, then you are anti-L7C. In my case the reverse is true. I really want the club to succeed, and attract new members. I've been responsible for bringing in a few myself. But the current policy of ignoring the problems, failing to acknowledge that mistakes have been made, and hoping it will just sort itself out, is not the best way to resolve the issues that are currently affecting the club IMO.

[Smollet]

Mort7 said:

I agree with Crossflow Kid. The prevailing club attitude seems to be that if you ask pertinent questions, or say anything that is in any way critical, then you are anti-L7C. In my case the reverse is true. I really want the club to succeed, and attract new members. I've been responsible for bringing in a few myself. But the current policy of ignoring the problems, failing to acknowledge that mistakes have been made, and hoping it will just sort itself out, is not the best way to resolve the issues that are currently affecting the club IMO.

Perhaps the problems can't be resolved and the MT are renegotiating with the design team to rectify this. Maybe they're not but when nothing is said either way it leads to conjecture as to what really is going on behind the scenes.

[Chrisp5782]

coppice said:

You mean in the same way as the PH Caterham sub forum seems mainly to comprise moaning and whingeing about a club which most of the moaners and whingers don't even belong to ?

I'm a member and don't really slag the club off - in fact I rather like it. I'm just not a fan of some of the more prolific posters, it doesn't make me want to not renew though as there are other things I get out of the club. It just makes me reluctant to use the forum much.

[Smollet]

Chrisp5782 said:

I'm a member and don't really slag the club off - in fact I rather like it. I'm just not a fan of some of the more prolific posters, it doesn't make me want to not renew though as there are other things I get out of the club. It just makes me reluctant to use the forum much.

I've not been on there much of late but I think the person you're referring to seems to have vanished.

[apexcone]

anotherjohnv said:

apexcone is/was evotell .. does that go someway towards explaining why he's now jumped on to the L7C / blatchat slagging off bandwagon with both feet ..?

WOW

[rubystone]

anotherjohnv said:

apexcone is/was evotell .. does that go someway towards explaining why he's now jumped on to the L7C / blatchat slagging off bandwagon with both feet ..?

Ah. All is klar