MTFCA Forum

As we get regular postings of old / period photos, and these are GREAT, can we have a separate forum section dedicated just to these so that they do not get 'lost' over time in the regular posting threads?
It may make a very good resource library

Many thanks
Adrian Whiteman

I have made that suggestion to Chris also.

I respectfully disagree. I am a member of multiple forums with this format and they all have so many different categories, it becomes a real pain to navigate them all. I'm just afraid of beginning to make separate forums this early in the game, as I can see it easily becoming 4, then 8 then 16 then......A forum for just this. A forum for just that. And then there are the ones who get their feathers in a bunch when someone puts something on the wrong forum and......dang it's a pain in the rear.

But that's just my opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it.

I agree with Hal on this one. My first online experience (pre-internet) was on Compuserve forums. Each forum was divided into 18 (later 24) sections. The idea was that you posted in the appropriate section for the subject you were discussing. Unfortunately, there was also a phenomenon called "thread drift." To use this MTFCA forum as a hypothetical example, let's say we have a separate section for vintage photos. Someone posts a photo of an interesting old carburetor, which prompts someone else to note that he had a carb like that once but it had a particular problem that he couldn't solve. Someone else posts a solution to the problem and before long there is a long, detailed discussion in the photo section about carburetor repair techniques. After a couple of months, the section titles become meaningless.

I have noticed that users on this new forum seem to have abandoned the "OT" indicator when a subject is off-topic for Model Ts. Using "OT" is helpful for those forum members who are seriously averse to seeing anything other than Model T topics brought up on the forum.

Besides the problems mentioned above about having numerous separate categories, it ends up that some of the other categories are seldom visited. Some will go for days before anyone posts on them. An example of this is the AACA forum.

I’m for keeping it simple and uncluttered with unnecessary categories.

Just my 2¢ before inflation - While it's inevitable an occasional post will be made in the wrong place, sub forums can be very helpful for "housekeeping" on both ends. Just for examples, One for Forum Use questions and "testing", One for Trucks/Commercial, one for Speedsters/Modified and another just for T-buckets/Hot Rods. With so many overlapping issues, separating Brass, Blacks and Improved cars - might work out - might not but many forums do separate Engine, Drive Train, Electrical and Body Work issues. Guess it all depends on how many volunteers with experience in those areas you can get to help moderate.

It doesn't have to be a separate section. It can be a sticky - placed at the top of the Forum where it always stays.

I have to admit,i am already seeing a need for some further division.Perhaps a Tech section, a photo section and on.The threads do not change color when read and at the moment I am going thru about 150 post to see which to read and pass over.
Not a complaint ,just a observation.

I’d like to see a section, maybe not necessarily a forum style, but a place with factory photos divided by year. Whenever somebody has a factory photo they could upload it with a caption. I like period photos but I like the factory photos to see what is on a particular model when new. I know people buy new cars and immediately start customizing them and I’m sure it was the same back then but factory photos have to be correct. I’ve searched and searched before trying to find pictures I’ve seen before but couldn’t remember where trying to figure out how or where something was attached originally or if a nut was brass plated or painted etc.

I really like the idea of a sticky at the top for photos.

If you just use the back button it will not change colors and and say if you are on page 2 it will go back to page 2. If you use the 2019 forum tab it will change from red to black but if you are on page 2 it goes back to page one.

Let's say you do have multiple categories. Brass, 17 to 22, 23 to 27, Engine, Chassis, Body, Speedster, Truck. Say I have a question about the carb on a '22 TT. Does it go in the engine section? After all, it IS an engine question. Does it go in the 17 to 22 section? After all, it IS a '22. Does it go in the Truck section? After all, it IS a truck. Say later some visitor to the sight is searching for info on a carb and this previous thread had a lot of good info on it, but it was in the Truck section and he has a car. Is he gonna know to search the Truck section for carb info on a car? After all, they DO have the same carb, but he may be new to T's and may have no idea the carbs are the same. Sorry guys, I can see problems with this idea and this is exactly what I was afraid of when going to the new software. AND it didn't take long, did it?

Hal wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:27 am

Let's say you do have multiple categories. Brass, 17 to 22, 23 to 27, Engine, Chassis, Body, Speedster, Truck. Say I have a question about the carb on a '22 TT. Does it go in the engine section?

Basically the answer would be yes - if it's a technical question. If more along the lines of what is correct for a 22 is when 17-22 or the truck sections come into play. Also the search feature here is more sophisticated than the old one. You can choose which forums to search or search all of them at the same time. If you choose the latter it will be no different than what you're accustomed to using no matter the number of divisions.

Please, no more categories, those posting pics are diligent in adding descriptive titles, so if looking for, or looking to avoid pic posts, that's easy.

Thanks Chris for turning the old sow's ear forum into this new silk purse. jb

Flivverfan,

And there you go.....We have not even implemented this and already we have inadvertently put a hypothetical post into the wrong category. See what I mean?

AdminJeff wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:17 pm

We're looking at a minor reorg of the topics, perhaps a dedicated Support Forum where folks (even guests can post if you cant log in) can ask for help and it keeps the clutter off the main Forum. Possibly even a dedicated OT (Off Topic) Forum.
Jeff

I think more organization to the forum is a great idea! A dedicated (Support Forum) an OT (Off Topic) Forum and even an (Old Photo) Forum would be great! I think having the technical questions and general Model T discussion separated from other topics will help the forum grow. A small percent of the current 1,500+ registered users participate on the forum. With a little organization I think more would join in.

AdminJeff wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 25, 2019 10:44 am

I totally agree and fortunately, I have firsthand experience that can attest to these assumptions. This isn't my first rodeo as most can probably tell. I ran another car club forum many years with well over 1000 users and as soon as we did a little organizing of the forums (we were using Yahoo groups before I put in phpBB), users came out of the woodwork and started participating. In droves. There will always be those who don't want change, however, since one of the stated goals of this club as well as all the local regions is more participation, then we have to try a few new things. Not go crazy, just test some new ideas. It's what I do as a successful CEO, and when things work, we pour gas on those ideas. When they don't, we kill them. Quickly.

I'm willing to try anything within reason that will generate more interest to attract more users to participate by interacting more and asking more questions here. Hopefully my in-depth tutorials and FAQ's will help those who might be a little unsure of how to do something.

Jeff

Thank you Jeff for all you have done for the forum. Looking forward to seeing the forum grow!

Mack Cole

If you "log in", the threads will change color after you've read them. They will go from red to blue. If you do not log in they start blue and remain blue.

I’ve already stared this process. You now have a dedicated place to ask questions. It’s called Support of all things. The forum is now free of that clutter and chatter about how to do something. Chris and I monitor that forum and answer questions. Others can do the same.

old photos would be much better served up in a photo gallery. Hmmm.... I like looking at them but wading through dozens of pages is cumbersome at best.

Jeff

AdminJeff wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:48 am

old photos would be much better served up in a photo gallery. Hmmm.... I like looking at them but wading through dozens of pages is cumbersome at best.

Jeff

I agree, just leave it be for now, "old photo" threads are just fine. The long, multiple pages photo threads take forever to load on my iPhone.

...but factory photos have to be correct.

Yes, if they show cars being assembled. But I've seen some that showed pre-production cars with features that didn't make it into actual use. That's just an observation, not an argument for or against a factory photo section.

Not that we are voting, but if we were, I'd cast mine for a few separate sections. The technical from the classifieds to the OT stuff, wither it is photos or conversations, would be a nice start.

There is a fine line between too many separate boards and having to sort through dozens of OT posts to read technical topics of interest. Perhaps a gut check is that if a thread needs to start with the letters "OT" or the words "Old Photo", then it could use a separate board.

JMO

Don't know what the record is for longest continuing thread on a message board is - but this one might be in the running - 6086 pages from 2009-today.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/thr ... by.428585/

I have probably already lost the argument on this, but I like to browse lots of topics across the Model T spectrum, and more categories just means more places to have to look each day to see what's new.

Marc Roberts wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:57 pm

I have probably already lost the argument on this, but I like to browse lots of topics across the Model T spectrum, and more categories just means more places to have to look each day to see what's new.

My wife calls it losing time - “haven’t you read everything by now? Come to bed...”
Don’t worry.... we’re not going to go crazy. Chris and I both subscribe to the KISS principle. Keep It Simple Stupid. My life in a nutshell.

Jeff