Hello all,

The most recent NGS Committee meeting was last weekend (15th April) and although I had to leave early I am pretty sure N Gauge Forum was not on the agenda or discussed.

The NGS has invested in improving its website, and this is proceeding well, however every time discussion focusses on the internet (for website improvements, or new product announcements, or online shop ordering etc etc) the point is always made that many NGS members are not online.   Indeed, of my local area group fewer than half use the internet, at least as part of their model railway hobbying.

Also, this forum functions very well as far as I can tell, and should relish its independence from any partisan sector or commercially minded organisation.

Indeed, if the NGS were to somehow become involved and institute an "NGS members only" area, I am sure it would cause digruntlement among forum members who are not in the NGS and have no wish to join!

cheers

Ben A.

Hi Ben A,

The meeting was in early August 2011 I believe.  I quite agree with your points about private areas of the forum for NGS members not working well for the forum as a whole, but this wouldn't have been how we would have wanted it to work.

I think we are all very impressed with how the NGS website has changed, and I think it's fantastic.  I'm looking forward to seeing the online shop. 

I seem to remember Andy on RMweb saying he didn't want to create separate areas for different scales, as a lot of the inspiration and techniques are indepndent of scale.  I don't agree 100% with that, as it sometimes results in 00 people posting without mentioning their scale, and some topics under Dapol for example are quite confused whether they are discussing 00, N or both. 

It has recently sprouted a set of "groups" which I think anybody can create to cover any railway topic.  I find these quite confusing and the only way to keep track of it is to view new content and just click on anything that looks interesting whichever part of the forum it claims to be in! 

I don't think it would be a good idea for NGS to create a forum - the more forums we have the more time it takes to check them and the more likely you will miss something interesting! 

Ben,

Actually I've been thinking about this in the last hour or so and actually asking the NGS to run the NGF isn't quite right.

If the NGF is run by the NGS then that will be unfair to Non-NGS members. Therefore can't the NGF be sponsored by the NGS and maybe used as a route into membership of the NGS.

Surely the NGS is all about the promotion of N Gauge Modelling for all and not just it's members, as we already know the virtues of N Gauge modelling.

Just a thought.

Neal.

Although I've been a member of the NGS for years, I would like to see the N Gauge Forum remaining independant and impartial. It would be great to forge closer links with the likes of the NGS, Dapol and Bachmann but the forum should remain open and free for all.

Quote from: captainelectra on April 22, 2012, 02:09:51 PM
Although I've been a member of the NGS for years, I would like to see the N Gauge Forum remaining independant and impartial. It would be great to forge closer links with the likes of the NGS, Dapol and Bachmann but the forum should remain open and free for all.

I agree! 
gerard

Quote from: captainelectra on April 22, 2012, 02:09:51 PM
Although I've been a member of the NGS for years, I would like to see the N Gauge Forum remaining independant and impartial. It would be great to forge closer links with the likes of the NGS, Dapol and Bachmann but the forum should remain open and free for all.

You hit the nail on the head there Adam!

I think this is being seen in the wrong way.    The NGF would never be run by the NGS at all, or have any influence in NGF decisions.  I would have been happy for the forum to be used for the NGS to get feedback, ideas on future projects, and to sell their products (with pictures!) - although they have their own shop on the way now, so that doesn't matter.  It was purely an idea to work together for the whole N Gauge community.  I've always wanted the forum to be a central place for N Gauge, but the manufacturers don't respond to emails about working together.  Communication, or lack of, is always the problem!!!

Quote from: Ben A on April 22, 2012, 11:50:01 AM




Also, this forum functions very well as far as I can tell, and should relish its independence from any partisan sector or commercially minded organisation.

Quite right......."If it ain't broke.......Don't try and fix it".........

Quote from: Tank on April 22, 2012, 03:11:57 PM
I think this is being seen in the wrong way.    The NGF would never be run by the NGS at all, or have any influence in NGF decisions.  I would have been happy for the forum to be used for the NGS to get feedback, ideas on future projects, and to sell their products (with pictures!) - although they have their own shop on the way now, so that doesn't matter.  It was purely an idea to work together for the whole N Gauge community.  I've always wanted the forum to be a central place for N Gauge, but the manufacturers don't respond to emails about working together.  Communication, or lack of, is always the problem!!!

Nicely explained Chris. I think you have some very loyal members who were getting slightly worried unnecessarily there. Glad you have now reassured them 

Marty

RMWEB shows all the threads but gives an error when you try to look at any,anyone else having problems?

Allan

Yep getting the same here can see the threads but not the content in them 

also i am getting some weird script at the top of the home page 

dave 

Yep something about breadcrumbs.  Maybe they got into the hard disk? 

The latest update from twitter.com/rmweb is that it's likely to be down until tomorrow afternoon at least. 

Quote from: captainelectra on April 22, 2012, 02:09:51 PM
Although I've been a member of the NGS for years, I would like to see the N Gauge Forum remaining independant and impartial. It would be great to forge closer links with the likes of the NGS, Dapol and Bachmann but the forum should remain open and free for all.

as they say accross the ditch "Vous avez frappez le nail sur le tete mate"! 

Andy of rmweb has stated on the Facebook feed he can't get any support  on the forum's  software till Monday. Sounds like a patch/upgrade hasn't gone to plan.