Website forum V real club
 

I am not trying to provoke any historical argument but.......................


This firum is dead, as in totallly dodo dead. There is a new much younger forum in existence which far outstrips the usage of our DSC website. Why is it, what puts people of using this space. I think a fair few DSc members frequent that place and even answer questions about tax discs in a most eloquent manner.

There is no buzz on here, and at times it feels like a private club within the club exists. Now I know the DSC is much more than a forum, so I maybe missing a lot of the off site stuff. For me thow its DD racing, a bit of banter and the forum. The DD racing is going from strength to strength, off site stuff could be busy (but not up north it aint) cand the forum is mainly a DD forum, with a few steady private sales ads to keep my interest too.


I know Antonye puts a lot of work in here, so I am NOT moaning at him.Is there any way we can get more foorfall on our webforum. waht do we need to do.

and as an aside, IF skids's old position is stil vacant I would be more than willing to try and fulfill it.

Mike.

Tired and sunburnt after a good days testing at Anglesey.

The DOCGB web forum has even less traffic. Forum wise we have DSC, DOCGB, UKMOC, DUN, Ducati World, the new that's taken Ducatistis mantel, ISBC etc. When once there was one forum there's now loads that's the real reason. This is the better of all the forums don't judge value by volume. FWIW I spend most my time on TDR.

I have noticed that Facebook seems at times to be more popular with DSC members myself included. Is it possible to be linked directly with this forum so any traffic on Facebook appears on here aswell?

I know what you mean, but believe me when I say that the Club is not all about the website, nor DD either!

Looking at the stats, around half of our Club members are registered (or have been registered) on the forum at some point - but that means that half of them haven't! I don't know why this is - and each time a Pronto goes out I try to encourage members to join the forum and participate. Some members don't even have email addresses!

Similarly, the DD entrants make up less than 20% of the Club membership, so it's not the be-all of the Club either. For this year we looked at the way DD was run and we've actually moved to it be more independant with a budget being given to the RC and they spend the £20 DD fees on all the DD (ie, non-Club) related items as they see fit.

Getting back to Pronto, time and time again I ask for feedback but it just doesn't happen. I am calling in favours left-right-and-centre to get articles in, and we're rapidly running out of Essex region members to do bike features on!! For the issue currently with the printers (to arrive shortly) I have had to approach people to write stuff rather than it being offered, and that includes DD.

We set out to revamp the Regions because this is where people said that they wanted more to happen. I asked for people to volunteer (and remind them each time in Pronto) but we've not had anyone offer, despite incentives to do so. I read about people getting together for rideouts, and all that needs to happen is someone has to post it on the website and make it regular, even if they don't want to attend each time, and it becomes official! It's no harder than that, and is actually a great way to meet people.

There is a plethora of forums out there right now, some Ducati specific and others more generic. When Ducatisti was dying/died I expected that these people would go elsewhere but that doesn't appear to have happened - there was no massive jump in any of the Usual Suspects websites, almost as if those people stayed in limbo. The new Ducati Forum seems to have attracted all the old Ducatisti people back, but I still see the same names that post elsewhere - it's not really filled a void, just become another place to post. It is all new and exciting but does it really offer anything (other than shiny) that anywhere else doesn't offer?

Is it a DSC stigma? I really don't think so. There are still some rather bitter people posting on other forums which are good for a giggle, but you'd be amazed at the number of people we talked to at the Excel show who didn't even know there were Ducati owners clubs let alone about the DSC. It's funny that talking to some ex-members they even wished us luck with the Club as they acknowledged that things had changed!

We'll soon be having a change in management team as I for one will be stepping down, having drained my soul over the last 2 years or whatever it has been! The Club needs people to fill the spaces on the MT so people need to step up and participate otherwise the Club could well disappear through lack of interest in running the Club more than people wanting to be members!

So any thoughts that people have to get people involved are more than welcome.

Well said Antonye.

I am willing to participate officially in some form or function.

I always found on the 'Mass Market Joe Pulic site" i.e. Ducatisti; if I ever asked a question that the reply answers to the OP were usually 90% sheer guess work, 5% off topic, 4.9% urban myth and 0.1% of part use. Bascially I had to wade through the crap before I got anything of use out of the replies.

However, on here (DSC) 100% of replies are of use.

I am not interested in idle banter so that is why Ducati wise I know only post on here, this is my dedicated Ducati port of call. It is still a very good/club site after all these years.