Author Topic: The show season and getting ourselves known  (Read 21704 times)

Offline Bernd

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #25 on: March 16, 2009, 07:22:01 PM »
Bogs,

I have to agree with what you said about memebers passing through. A good example is HMEM. I've noticed the core people are there petty much everyday. Same here.

Do we advertise? Good question.

What do you have in mind?

I'll add Madmodder to my website as soon as we get a nice logo.

Bernd
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ja2on

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #26 on: March 16, 2009, 08:00:55 PM »
nanna's been advertising all day
I think he needs a bigger sign though  :lol:

Offline John Stevenson

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #27 on: March 16, 2009, 08:30:36 PM »
Sergeant Kiljoy here, of the North Yorkshire Light Drag-ons

Anyway, the "Gears" logo is too similar to that of the Vespa (Scooter) Owners Club.
Salutations, Paul

Gears ?? GEARS ?? GEARS??

They only 'ad rubber bands..........

JS.
John Stevenson

Offline Serveta150

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #28 on: March 17, 2009, 06:39:54 PM »
Hi John,

I agree with your note re the rise & decline of (other) Forums and the "core contributors" ending-up talking between themselves. This manifestates into potential contributors being put-off from submitting anything and the effect just snowballs. That is why I have always held back from joining a Forum until I was introduced to this one and realized that it had more than a bit about it. As you say, some Forums have 1000's of members such that the subjects and posts become so many and varied, it just implodes.

One thing I like about Madmodder is that it is not specifically Miniature Model Engineering (as has been pointed-out) and it is open to anyone who is willing to have a go at engineering/crafting something and this must be considered when determining a Logo, prior to any advertising.

So before someone says, "Off Topic".

This Logo. As a Newbie I would leave the final decision to the Founder members, but doubtless they are open to suggestions.

I would like the Logo to be sensible and mature with a classic appearance (No, I am not talking about an iron-on transfer of Madame Whiplash!) Something that no-one else has done before (easy to say) and that sets itself up above the rest (even easier to say - I should have worked in PR)

One thing, a (young) colleague at work caught sight of "Madmodder" on my screen today and immediately assumed it was something to do with my interest in Lambretta Scooters and a connection to the "Mods & Rockers" era of the 1960's. Once again - enough said - but certainly here in England I hope we don't have to take this into consideration.

Anyway, food for thought.

Best regards, Paul
(Look forward to meeting you at Harrogate - you can't believe the amount of Grovelling I've had to do to get permission to go on the Saturday)

bogstandard

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #29 on: March 17, 2009, 08:00:56 PM »
Paul,
 
Unfortunately I won't be at Harrogate to meet anyone this year, and I was so looking forwards to it. :(

Another point I would also like to raise is that I don't have anything to do with decisions on MM. I have bad memories of being on the admin team of another site, and refused the invite on this one. I am a new-tral-bie

I just raise an issue, then keep it in everyones minds eye  :poke:, trying to get it to its final conclusion, where everyone decides on the issue raised. So this isn't my post, it is for all members of the forum to have a say about how we should show ourselves to the world.

So really we need a decision by Eric as to how the forum should go forwards, either a non specific brainstorming forum, where anything goes, or an engineering biased one. Then maybe we can get a few of our super graphic artists on the job.

As I said previously, the one Steve has come up with, maybe with slightly different wording across the middle, relevent to how the forum should be seen, really hits the nail for me. But of course, only two of us agree with it at this time.

A few more offerings would certainly make it a lot more interesting.

John

Offline Darren

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #30 on: March 17, 2009, 09:35:21 PM »
Personally I think the forum is doing just fine as it is. Seems to be attracting members quite well, esp recently. I assume google is helping people find us as more of our posts are indexed.

Forums are funny things, they attract like minded people whatever the subject. If a person is of "our" ilk they will no doubt find us.

But, I have noticed that as forums grow, so do the problems. Large numbers of members may not be a good thing. Some forums become locked, making them private clubs.
I'm not suggesting that of course, but before we go off actively seeking new members, we need to consider carefully just where we are going with this.

Just my tuppence.... :med:
You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

Offline zeusrekning

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #31 on: March 22, 2009, 08:57:27 PM »
Ditto, Darren

Offline SPiN Racing

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #32 on: March 24, 2009, 12:48:18 AM »
As I dont have any experience on the machining hobby side of shows and advertising.. my input is limited in that area.

However the Mazda Forums side I have been a part of for a very long time.

I think something interesting happened on the Mazda forums.... as they are for the most part Catering tot he Rotary.. there are a few sites devoted to them.
The largest is the RX-7 Club. Tht forum was for a long time the largest automotive forum on the net. (long ago passed I gather) and it had a huge ton of members, and a handful of advertisers, mostly comprised of the owners of the forum advertising thier own race shop, and covering the cost of the website and bandwidth hosting.
Over time though.. the very knowledgable posters who didnt post a lot.. got overrun by the "kids" in the lounge section who posted 234896 times on every single comment made by anyone. Then when there was a technical thread, the new kids would see that person with 348925387 posts chime in, and make the fault assumption that they know what they are doing, because they had read a lot of posts, and or were some sort of guru.
As time has passed and Forums on the internet have become commonplace, people have learned to read posts for content, not post counts. And Im talking about progression of the average forum reader covering more than a decade.

So another thing that happens... the knowledgable people get tired of arguing over semantics with some know it all high post loudmouth.. so they form thier own forum.
These come in two flavors.
Those that survive and those that dont.

Those that survive seem to have a core membership of knowledgable people who post eregularly, and a smattering of semi-regulars coming for advice.. and learning the right way to do things. They also have a random number of completely clueless people who show up and ask silly questions... 50 percent of those learn something.

Those that dont survive either have a handful of members who end up fighting and all leave. OR.. the people who form it do it out of spite for the board they came from.. and eventually end up lurking on the original board, or leave the hobby all together.

The only things I know that have hurt a forums are a couple things...

Ads that highlight words in everything and have popup things that drive everyone nuts. Lots of people leave forums from those things. (watched it happen)
Selling the forum to a management company that doesnt know the hobby. This is bound to cause a world of problems because you have admins who are paid to be on there, and could care less about the people on the board. And they ALSO dont have a clue as to who is right or wrong. They just wield a ban stick like a scythe.
Overly hyping a forum. By overly hyping, Im referring to what noe of the Rotary forums did about 5 years ago that lost them a TON of members. They were a smaller forum.. btu building a solid membership of hardcore techinical resources. The young college guys who started it decided to make purple shirts with a hideous logo, and they had all sorts of slogans... slamming the other types of engines and car makes. AS WELL AS FORUMS. They gave these shirts out to a large number of members who attended a very large car event, as well as talked a lot of trash openly about all the other forums to everyone at the event.... and the backlash was HUGE. A LOT of people deleted forum membership as they didnt want to be associated with the forum.


As far as shirts and logos and banners, and or advertising... I think the youtube links people make.. the links the site gets picked up from Google etc.. is a good start.
If there was a profit to be made.. I would say advertise in any way possible.
I think this forum will be a oak tree of a forum. It will continue to grow with content, and projects, ideas, and new members who also continue to bring in new projects and ideas.
The methods being used to make things are all the same. THe projects are always going to be similar.. but the flair for turning them out, and or the way in which they are cobbled together is what makes the Madmodder portion.
Otherwise this would just be another pigeonholed forum catering to one specific thing. We have wayy too much variety for that.
SPiN Racing

Offline Bernd

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #33 on: March 24, 2009, 09:34:58 AM »
Nice post SPiN.

Bernd
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Offline Brass_Machine

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #34 on: March 24, 2009, 09:53:44 AM »
Agreed.

Fortunately I didn't make this forum out of spite. More like out of a vacuum that existed in forums. All of them seemed pretty focused on individual items, such as model engines or model engineering etc... Nothing seemed to encompass our other interests. I regularly read sites like makezine.com and instructables. While there is some good info there, it is also overrun by immature kids.

We seem to be growing at a comfortable pace. We have a very good start on our core members.

Advertising (commercial) is a touchy subject. While I don't want heavy advertising on this site, I may in the long term try to do something that will benefit our members... such as freebies, products to review etc. I am not sure if I even want to do that. It depends on how tasteful and unobtrusive it can be. I will of course listen to you guys.

I am sure we will grow and evolve. Pretty much most stuff is fair game here. If you make it, modify it... it goes here.

This is our shop. Pull up a chair and crack one open.  :beer: Let's shoot the breeze. OR let me help you with something OR you show me how it is done.

Eric
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We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline zeusrekning

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #35 on: March 24, 2009, 09:31:44 PM »
Eric we have spoke about madmodders appeal to me before. I think the forums we all visit all have that same vauge tie. Most are aimed at a specific niche though and I usually move to the back and watch.

 As far as not being engineering related, ehhhh.  We may not be engineers or strive to but Im sure most all of us have that desire to make, build, modify, or destroy anything we can. I think this goes all the way back to the cavemen, it is a primordial thing with us. Maybe not considered engineering related but the engineers or wannabes like me will come to a forum about making things.
But it is awesome to have a place where I can post info about my latest hairbrained contraption and not get ran off.

I hope to post more as I finish off some of these spring projects, right now Im trying to get a garden started.
Its kinda like gardeners being survivalist. Im definatley no survivalist but it is in me to want to provide for myself if need be. And pitch forks ...... $35 for a pitch fork. F#$K that!!!!
Ill be making one soon. LOL

 :offtopic: :offtopic: :offtopic: :offtopic:
Sorry guys I get led off and dont even know my own point. LOL

Offline Serveta150

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #36 on: March 26, 2009, 05:02:14 PM »
Hi There,

Re the possibility of a Logo, Advertising and T-Shirts - going back to basics - if you "Google" Madmodder, UK pages alone, someone might think we are part of the Glasgow Mods, listening to R&B, Beat and Soul Muzak, for example. Just "Google" the web and see what appears. I am ok with the Forum as it is - but then as a Newbie, I would be. Reading all of the posts, there are more experienced members than me in this field, so I will not utter another mutter.

"Ingurlund swings like a pendalum do". Paul

Offline Bernd

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #37 on: March 26, 2009, 08:08:55 PM »
Serveta150,

Doesn't matter if your a newbie or not, all input is appreciated.

You never know somebody could hit the nail on the head  :hammer: and come up with the right logo.  :)

Bernd
Route of the Black Diamonds

Offline sbwhart

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #38 on: March 27, 2009, 02:13:16 AM »
Serveta150,

Doesn't matter if your a newbie or not, all input is appreciated.

You never know somebody could hit the nail on the head  :hammer: and come up with the right logo.  :)

Bernd

How about something based on this

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/cog_imposs1/index.html


Stew
A little bit of clearance never got in the road
 :wave:

Location:- Crewe Cheshire

Offline Bernd

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #39 on: March 27, 2009, 09:49:13 AM »
Stew,

My couple of brain cells are hurting after looking at that for a while. :clap:

Would be neat though.

Bernd
Route of the Black Diamonds

Offline sbwhart

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #40 on: March 27, 2009, 11:32:16 AM »
It makes perfect sense after a dozen beers

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol: :lol:  :lol:

Stew

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Offline CrewCab

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #41 on: May 10, 2009, 07:27:02 PM »
I've not been around a lot for the last few months for a variety of personal reasons, but it's good to be back and even better to see how the forum has grown  :med:

however, I have to say, for me ............... this quote from Eric sum's up why we all hang out here  :clap:



This is our shop. Pull up a chair and crack one open.  :beer: Let's shoot the breeze. OR let me help you with something OR you show me how it is done.


can we fit that sentiment on a logo  :coffee:

CC

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: The show season and getting ourselves known
« Reply #42 on: May 11, 2009, 02:20:51 AM »
........ this quote from Eric sum's up why we all hang out here  :clap:



This is our shop. Pull up a chair and crack one open.  :beer: Let's shoot the breeze. OR let me help you with something OR you show me how it is done.


can we fit that sentiment on a logo  :coffee:

CC

Well said CC!

I really do like that sentiment.......  :thumbup:

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!