Changes to forums.

Due to the number of Xterra clubs in the USA, and the somewhat limited usage of the club forums here on XOC, I am thinking of redesigning how it works.

Instead of having forums for clubs, this area will be broken into regional forums (Midwest, Mountain, Pacific, etc.) where people not in clubs can ask about regional clubs and be pointed in the right direction.

This will impact some clubs (like AZXC for instance) who use their XOC forum as their main forum. The solution to that is simple using one of many free or open source forum software products on the market (PHPBB, IconBoard, InvisionBoard).

I would like some feedback on this matter from everyone who has anything to say.

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! SWXC.....

I don't think it would affect VAXC or GDXC at all - we use yahoogroups now...

How about a Club Directory instead?

Something like this: http://www.miata.net/clubs/

Although I am not crazy about the format...

sounds fine with me. It will make this place actually seem like a busy area. As is, there are forums that have been dormant for a month. it's sad. group them together and we won't seem like a sad bunch of losers.

http://www.xterraownersclub.com/links.html

I would have to agree... NCCX

But beggers can't be choosers.

Why not just drop the clubs with no or little useage?

But if you do split up the country into sections, how are you going to decide who goes with who?
It could get ugly. :p

Choice #1
[img]http://image.photoloft.com/opx-bin/OpxFIDISA.dll?s=cano&src=/Photoloft/Asset21/2003/07/14/10871/10871555_0_7432.fpx,0,0,1,1,350,226,FFFFFF[/img]

Choice #2
[img]http://image.photoloft.com/opx-bin/OpxFIDISA.dll?s=cano&src=/Photoloft/Asset21/2003/07/14/10871/10871562_0_2821.fpx,0,0,1,1,350,270,FFFFFF[/img]

Choice #3.......?

But you guys have a forum. You could upgrade it to PHPBB or something.

I'll probably us the US Census regions, which are based more on population.

Northeast
New England
Middle Atlantic
South
South Atlantic
East South Central
West South Central
Midwest
East North Central
West North Central
West
Mountain
Pacific

If it would have been called Clubs I would have probalby clicked it...

Cool!

VAXC isn't listed - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vaxc

but DUDE...
our forum is cool, we are active.
ian, is there a way we can just keep ours?
PLEASE?
i really like ours, and i am really stoked about CXC and it would suck to not have that little forum of ours, it's like a club within a club. I FINALLY FEEL ACCEPTED...
nah, i just really like having the general board for everyone and then a little specific regional local thing to call my home, you know?
anyway, there you go.
david

Check out the goneMOAB Forums

I set that up in 30 minutes, and it's free.

Then I'll just have one more forum to check out.

I love how Canada is completely ignored up there.

Sorry, OK new map -

How about you guys pony up some cash and pay Ian to set up a private club board for you.

Just a thought.

Second that.

Who? The Canadians?

How about they all use the RMXC board seeing as RMXC doesnt use it

No, any club that wants a club specific board.

I don't want cash. I want to cut back on the number of seldom used forums here.

Most of the club forums here simply have a thread that says 'Go to our real forum here...'

You, my friend, are too nice of a guy.
I'm not being sarcastic.

As you mentioned, AZXC uses the forums here. Are you going to remove AZXC's forum? I can throw something up on my overloaded server if I need to, but it'll need to be re-OSed first.

I vote for a club directory that links to each individual club's home website.

We've had one of those for 3 years.
People just don't bother to use it.

Ian, this is feedback, not criticism - nor am I trying to be a smart ass...

I never clicked on it because it was labled "Links". If it would have been labeled "Club Directory", I would have probably clicked on it. That's just me...

Same problem I have with the yellow pages - I'm sure that to the guy that set that up it made perfect sense - trouble is we don't all think alike (thank god! )

I also know I'm probably boardering on annoying pointing out the Miata club but I've had more experience with them. Gary (who runs miata.net and miataforum.com) just broke the whole club thing into Regions. In fact, he didn't even lable it clubs in the forum side of things:

http://www.miataforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

That would probably be a good compromise, and it would probably foster more discussion between clubs that are geographically close to each other.

Just thinking out loud....

Hmm, I just noticed something new - at the very bottom he has some read only forums with popular or particularly good threads saved - that's cool!

We (AZXC) had our own for awhile but it soon went by the wayside, everyone still used our forum here. It just isn't as much fun when it's just us communicating and others from around the country can't join in the coversation, we like having the interaction from the rest of the XOC community. We do our own internal club communication via email lists.

I understand trying to cut back on the unused forums and we can adjust to whatever you come up with Ian. Me personally, I hope you leave us with our own forum, we're probably one of only a few that actually use it for what it was intended.

Ok, I'll leave it the way it is.
Less work for me