NGS Webmaster

[spurno]

Hi Tim,you won't remember me but i met you a couple of years ago at Minehead and you was most helpful to me as i was a complete novice then.Congratulations on your new role and i hope you enjoy the challenge.One thing i would find usefull is pictures and i know this would be a nightmare to organise but i don't buy anything from any site if i can't see what i'm buying as i don't always know what things are just by the written description.I'm sure if this could be added at some time sales would increase.Good luck.

[Mirrlees]

Hi Tim,you won't remember me but i met you a couple of years ago at Minehead and you was most helpful to me as i was a complete novice then.Congratulations on your new role and i hope you enjoy the challenge.One thing i would find usefull is pictures and i know this would be a nightmare to organise but i don't buy anything from any site if i can't see what i'm buying as i don't always know what things are just by the written description.I'm sure if this could be added at some time sales would increase.Good luck.

Yes I do remember. We were there with 2 layouts.  Hedges Hill Cutting and Wessex Road.  I was living in Paignton at the time as well. 



for all the congratulations.

Tim

[H]

The only reason I joined the NGS was to obtain the Farish Inspection Saloon
Prior to this I was not impressed, as discussed before the lack of modern image content is poor
I have now received two booklets and it took me less than 5 minutes to find anything relevant
I have only found article about DCC in N gauge, and even that was just about how to insert a decoder into a PCB

If there is one thing that the Journal has that is excessive then it is the number of articles about converting some ancient lump of Farish equipment to DCC. Stick with it - you'll soon get bored of them. 

The handbook has nothing about DCC
Equally, there is very little about layout construction

I'm sure they would be very grateful for any contribution you could provide to make it more comprehensive. The Society is just as much about what you put in, as what you take out. That way everyone benefits a little more.

H.

[EtchedPixels]

I don't know if they declare it but they are not a profit making enterprise.  I understand most internet payment methods involve a cost which would have to be recouped from the customers.  I know many traders don't like credit cards, frex, because it costs them.

The NGS is a society. It's spent the last few years failing spectacularly to manage to turn itself into a company despite intending to do so. (There are good reasons for wanting to change). It does however most definitely make a profit on the whole if you look at the accounts. That profit goes back into new things like Inspection Saloons not to shareholders however.

Increasingly banks are adjusting the charges to make cheques unpalatable to traders. The big question IMHO is going to be when the Co-op decide to charge all small businesses and societies for cheque processing. Right now there are still business accounts with free cheque processing within limits (eg the Co-op FSB account).

I agree the handbook is very dated. Even some of the bits that were "updated" were not actually brought remotely up to date. That however needs volunteers prepared to write the material, edit it, proof it and review it.

Alan

[Mirrlees]

Could we keep this on topic please. Cheers Tim.

[mr magnolia]

sorry that you are becoming webmaster in such sad circumstances, Tim, but very best wishes, and thank you for accepting the challenge.


at the risk of continuing to be slightly o/t, I have of late wondered just what the society was going to plan to spend its growing pole of cash on.  I had a similar issue recently when on the board of a registered charity trading as a company, through volunteer staff, and making a profit. We moved premises and cut costs to the service users as steps1 & 2 of moving away from having a pile of cash in the bank.
Maybe the ngauge society can invest substantial sums in the web side of life?


cheers

Donald

[Mirrlees]

Well for those in the NGS, as announcement in February, this has been my last NGS AGM as webmaster.

I will be leaving the role shortly and I'll be passing on the reigns!

It has been fun.   

[Ben A]

Hi Tim,

I couldn't make the AGM yesterday but just wanted to register thanks for all the work you've put in.

Cheers

Ben A.
(NGS VP)

[Bealman]

Yes, thank you from me. Having done several stints in similar sorts of roles over my life, I realise what an isolated and sometimes lonely position that sort of thing is.

Cheers! 

George

[Tank]

Well done for all of your hard work on the website Tim.

[Mirrlees]

Webmaster Resignation

I have thought long and hard about this post.

Only one person on the committee asked me why I was leaving when I submitted my annual report.  I was then surprised that an email circulated asking me for my reasons and again only from a limited number of committee members.  However I will state them here and I will be posting this on the forums and email groups.

The Webmaster role, looks after emails.  It became apparent at Christmas 2014 that this was inconvenient for parts of the committee.  Following my disgust at the way I was treated I talked to the Chairman.  At a meeting with the Chairman and myself, he agreed that everything I said was true.  This was still not good enough for one committee member who took it upon himself to accuse me of snooping.  I have never received an apology, written or otherwise.

The Webmaster role also looks after the complete NGS website.  I have emailed the committee enough times stating that I was not in control of the complete NGS website.  This I feel is very important for a new Webmaster to know about.

Committee decisions.  While I have served on the committee, I have seen many committee decisions made and totally ignored by some members of the committee.  Last time I checked being on a committee means, that you follow the decisions whether you like it or not.  Again this has been in my reports so many times I forget.

I find it sad that, the good times that I have had on the committee have been overshadowed by these bad times.  I know that I was not the most technical person for the job but I did not think that I would be leaving under these circumstances.

As for a new Webmaster, I believe that it would be unethical for a person to take on this role without knowing the ins and outs that have happened to me in the last 2 years.

Regards

Tim Hitch
(17765)

Please no comments to this post.  Thank you.

[Caz]

To respect Tim's wishes and to save another endless discussion about the NGS I have locked this topic.