VW T4 Forum - VW T5 Forum banner

This Forum...moving forward!!

46K views 249 replies 61 participants last post by  24084 
#1 · (Edited)
Folks

This announcement is to let you know that the future of the forum is bigger, brighter and stronger than it’s been so far! Why?

Because we’ve partnered with a company called Autoguide.com – you might be familiar with them if you're on other car type forums.

There are a number of reasons for this.

Over the years the forum has grown beyond all expectations! I got involved in about 2003 (ish I think) and at that time there were about 700 members. You could read everything everybody had posted throughout a whole day in a couple of hours. Now there are over 130 thousand members and about 800 posts a day. Every day between 3500 and 4000 members log into the forum! Whilst we’re really proud of the success of the forum unfortunately it now takes an incredible amount of time to administrate it properly – from membership and trade enquires to password resets, legal challenges and trying to sort out disputes, the list of things required in running this place is massive and with full time jobs and families in the background we are simply struggling to make it work as well as it needs to.

Another big problem for us is the technical development of the site. We’ve been promising a mobile suite or compatibility with a forum reader app for YEARS and even though work has been progressing on them we’re still not there. Our forum platform, vBulletin requires upgrading to help with the mobile side of things and for many other reasons too, and Jim Doodle has been working on this for a long long time but again, he has to balance the time he puts into the forum with the time he puts into his family and his day job.

So the answer has finally presented itself in the form of Autoguide.com. In moving the site across to their management the daily administration and the technical development of the forum are both assured. The mobile suite or forum reader compatibility that will be such a great benefit to the members in todays mobile age is already in place with them because they have established the same for many other forums. The daily management and administration can be tended to in a timely manner because they already have teams in place undertaking these tasks. And all of the benefits of having a professional organisation running the forum (rather than the piecemeal efforts that we provide at the moment) won’t actually change the way you use the forum right now. In fact you’ll see very little difference in the forum from the way it is today.

Personally, I think this is what the forum really needs! It will allow Jimbo, Jim Doodle and myself to actually focus a little bit more on what we all came here for in the first place; our vans and the community that’s grown up around them, and whilst the responsibility for the management of the forum administration will be elsewhere, we’ll still be here – but without the stress of dealing with everything ourselves!

The forum rules will still apply in the main and the “Family Friendly” ethos, which I hold wholly responsible for the success of the forum, will still be expected to be complied with. The moderators, who’ve been the saviours of the community on so many occasions will remain moderators for as long as they want and there’ll probably be some new moderators joining the team as well.

While I’m on that point I just want to thank all the moderators for everything they’ve done over the years. Moderating can be a thankless task which many of the more ‘testing’ members fail to appreciate and it’s done because moderators enjoy and appreciate the community as it is and want to do something to keep it the way it is. They’re amazing people and deserve real recognition and thanks for their efforts – even if you might not agree with their decisions the fact is they’re making them for the right reasons and at the end of the day, someone has to. A virtual round of applause is due!

I hope you, the community, will welcome these changes and understand that they will actually be beneficial to the future of the forum. You, as individual members coming together to form the greatest VW community in the UK should feel as proud of this place as we do and give yourselves the credit for its past, its present and the success of its future. As a group of people together in one place you’re unique and you have created a social environment that is diverse, welcoming, caring and helpful, and a pleasure to be a part of.

Thank you for what you’ve been and I’m sure what you’ll be in future years – it’s been a pleasure to help bring the forum this far, despite what I might have thought of as some tough times…I’m sure there’s going to be more of the same in store!

Simon :)
 
See less See more
#99 ·
I wanted to mention we do have a mobile option that is pretty easy for me to get implemented on here. We have an in-house developed mobile view of the site that works with phones right now. The tablet version of this is in development.

If you wanted to have a look we have it running right now on multiple sites on our network.

Examples you can check out are JettaJunkie.com and forums.motorhomefacts.com. <-Make sure you add .forums to this url or it takes you to the non mobile responsive home page that is currently being redeveloped.

If this looks like an attractive option I can see about it being implemented.

-Philip
 
#105 ·
This has moved on?



If I may I'll make a few points from where I stand on the matter

I have been considering for some time the longevity of my tenure as a mod. I've been in the role since about 2009 I think. Which is quite a long time. I originally took the role becsuse i liked the forum and spent a great deal of time on here anyway.

Then my personal involvement evolved. I made friends, real good close life long bestest type friends. A few of them.
This forum gave me that, these people have been around during in some big changes in my life. The birth of my second child, changing of jobs, the break down of my marriage, massive depression, impending divorce, the picking myself up and moving on and he subsequent gallivanting and tarting about that I've been undertaking.

I'll re iterate, the forum gave me this, I've cried with them, I've drunk with them, I've travelled with them and most of all I've laughed with them.

The owners of the forum didn't really do it, the community spirit, the cameraderie, the friendliness. That did this amazing thing for me. So the fact the ownership has changed isnt really relevant

That hasn't changed.

Anyway I digress, my roll, I ended up modding on here for my good friends, which include Mr ferret, my life has changed dramatically during my tenure. But if I could be even remotely involved with providing the same opportunity for developing friendships such as I've found then that was reward enough for me.

However, my life moving in a different direction has changed my outlook on life, I still hold a great deal of affection for the forum and I'm aiming to stick around to see if I can help ease in the transition but I will be stepping down in the foreseeable future. That isn't a reflection on the new or former owners.


So the forum got sold. In all honesty who gives a flying ****.

The people that could even remotely feel they have had their noses put of joint would be the mods. They work tirelessly to help deliver your forum platform for no remuneration but I can honestly say I couldn't careless.

If Simon, Jim and Jim have garnered a modest nest egg from the sale then I say fair play and good bloody luck. I certainly hope they got a truckload of cash and retire to the forum island to spend quality time with the crack whores they've so lovingly nurtured all these years.

To all the naysayers. Take a step back and then give me an honest answer. Would you have done things so very different.

If for one second you reckon you would have I'm going to have to say

bollocks
 
#117 ·
Personally it doesnt really bother me who runs it or if it's been sold. Hopefully it will give the mods and jimbo more time to enjoy their interest rather then having to sort the forum all the time.
Only change I'd make is make sure that people's build threads are put all in one place rather having to look for them in lwbswb section, workshop or conversions. Find that gets a little frustrating. That's only a personally thing though and won't stop me coming on here making friends, getting tips and ideas. T:
 
#121 ·
No people have build threads from how they have converted their vans to day vans, campers or what ever they fancy. These build threads should all be in one place not currently spread around.

My other concern is if the subs go up how many people will stay around, enough people moan about them as it is and with Facebook which seems to becoming more and more popular as of late relating to T4s and 5s which is free I can see people just using that. And I know someone will say about the search and archive options but we all know what Facebook is like people will just ask again.
 
#119 ·
For anyone thinking of tossing in their name to be a Mod on the site. Take note, the current mods pick anyone being added to the team. They know all your skeletons so its better that if you are interested to take note of who they are and maybe offer to buy them a pint to talk about joining the team.

-Philip
 
#131 ·
You think that just because it started turning a profit that the morals and principles of the three changed mikey?

What would you have had them do? Look at it logically and try and give me a proper answer.

It was profitable because the concept was sound and the ethos was good.

Your biggest bugbear is that it changed form the intimate community of your friends and associates into the behemoth it is now. I can completely see your point of view. But things change. When I first joined I adored the smallness of the place and the fact you could interact with the majority of the members easily.

I don't think you're being fair, in fact i think your attempts to paint the boys as money grabbing whores is disengenious and downright childish.

But you know everyone's opinion is valid no matter how stupid it appears to be.
 
#135 ·
Meatball I am not going to be drawn into a keyboard battle. All I am doing is expressing my opinion which I think I am entitled to like everyone else. A lot of folks will agree with me a lot won't :* for me the forum changed when the directorship happened, not what happened the way it was done all underhand, you will remember the amount of bad feeling that there was at the time and all the posts threads etc. a lot of folks were not even on here then. From that point on because of the way it was done lots of folks could never trust them again. The sell out was on the cards a long time ago.
 
#133 ·
The ethos was taking the free information off members for self profit...!!!
When the whole £10 saga began. The honest and right way to handle it, was to come out and say we are changing how we run this place. Its not for members and the love of the community, its about making money. At least then there would have been less back biting and we all know where we stand.
It was inevitable what was happening. Some of us stopped paying our £10 a long time ago and with bl0 ody good reason.
 
#134 ·
Which is? Can't believe the £10 thing is still troubling people. I pissed that up the wall the other weekend and have nothing to show for it. I'm saved thousands from all the info on here, met some very good friends, had some brilliant laughs! The £10 is the last thing that enters my mind when I think of this place
 
#140 ·
The ethos - a place to chat, build friendships, have laughs, learn about vans, get help, be a geek.

The money was a side product albeit I expect a very welcome one.

And mikey you didn't answer my question. What would you have had them do.

In their position I'd have done the same thing.


The forum has grown beyond FWKs remit and control. It was beginning to suffer and flounder. Did you expect them to give it away???? Ppppffffftttt. Ridiculous.
 
#152 ·
Who actually really gives a 5hit? Does it really affect your life? It only really affects 3 peoples lives and in a positive way, so unless youre against good 5hit happening to good people then stop whining, whining is for children.

Bottom line
Nothing is changing.
If it does, so what?
If you dont like it leave!
Your opinion regardless of how relevant, doesnt count for 5hit. I joined British Gas, doesnt mean i get a say in what happens.
Its still the same bunch of good guys and 455holes, you can decided for yourself which group i belong in.
Nobody done anything underhand or sneaky, you werent told because its none of your business!!!!
Stop whining, whining is for children.
If you read this and think "is that aimed at me" it probably is.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top