Message Board colour scheme.

[JohnD]

The TSSC chose to use the same message board software as the TR Register.   No bad thing, as the TRR has used theirs for years and it has been most reliable, but why did the TSSC also choose to use the exact same colour scheme and board layout as the TRR?    

 

Others may not have noticed, but one such as I, who spreads themselves, Titan-like, across the Triumph world, will find this most confusing!  Did I post on that subject here or on TRR?  Where is that thread I want to find again?  When both sites look identical, it becomes more difficult to recall.  

 

And there is no need for the copy-cat appearance.  The board system is the Community Forum Software, by InvisionPower and it has its own website from which I quote:

"Fully customizable appearance, including per-forum theming

The IPS Community Suite includes incredibly powerful customization tools, allowing you to brand your community with almost limitless freedom. Match your existing website or develop an exciting new style.

IP.Board takes the customization further by allowing you to apply unique themes to individual forums within your community - useful if you have multiple brands that you're bringing together under one roof, or distinct subject areas that would be better served with their own styling."

See: http://www.invisionpower.com/apps/board/

 

Please, TSSC!   Revise the colour scheme and layout to another from the "limitless freedom" you have been given, and make the TSSC's message board as distinctive as the Club it represents to the World!

 

JOhn

[brucer]

John,

 

I totally agree I use both TSSC and TRR and it gets confusing.

 

Bruce

[Mike Crewes]

Guys

 

I thought the Forum was using 'Club Colours' keeping a corporate view.  I also understand that many other organisations use the same colours, including it seems, the TRR! 

 

The fact that the Forum is up and running is a good thing, what colour it is, I feel, is imaterial.

 

Sorry to disagree.

 

Regards

Mike

[JohnD]

"The colour is immaterial"

Gosh, Mike, if you are right, then the whole of the design and advertising industry is wrong.  Newspapers might as well all use the same layout and format, car makers all make the same model, and the fashion industry can close up shop.

 

I fear that you express the blind and self-satisfied attitude that threatens the TSSC with oblivion.

The Club website is distinctive, good!   But the messageboard is a copy, an exact copy, of another Triumph board.

What organisation that values its individuality would want to appear the same as another, as a competitor!

If the Club doesn't care about the message board, then the TSSC management still has the previously shown antagonism towards a club message board, thinks that this essential communication means with its members is trivial, and does not want to be bothered by the opinions of its members that post there.  

 

But this member of over thirty years does care, very much.    For the last two years there has been no TSSC board post to, but my life in Triumph has continued uninterruptedly, because there are at least four other boards, here and in the US, that are busy and thriving.   I only came back to contribute to the new board because it was the TSSC's but if your views, Mike, represent those of the new management, I am wasting my time.     TSSC has a much to offer its members, but unless it starts to actually listen to them, those members will give up on the Club.

 

John

[admin]

John / Bruce,

 

Thanks for bringing this to our attention; yes the scheme is the same as the TR Register, that's because it's the same Message Board Software, chosen because of it's reputable quality.  This is a default colour scheme which we decided to keep as, co-incidentally, it's pretty close to the TSSC Corporate colours.  I'm sure that had one of the alternative colour schemes been chosen, someone would have criticised that because it wasn't what they expected.  The Forums have been customised with the TSSC logo, address, phone number and strapline.

 

It is regrettable that you feel it's confusing, but for the time being anyway I feel things should stay as they are, as a change of colour scheme now could cause even more identity confusion.

Admin

[thescrapman]

Can it not be personalised to feature genuine TRiumph colours??

 

Perhaps Saffron text on a Java background.

 

Add some Magenta borders, and a Topaz highlights.

 

Now that would be cool!

 

:-)

[Mike Crewes]

John

 

You have a point! (or several).  ... but I would like to state for the record that I am neither a slave to fashion (you haven't seen my wardrobe) nor any member of the Club Management Team.  I am just an 'umble AO with, like you, over 30 years membership.

 

Simon's reply is good, but doesn't help you.  Maybe in the future we can change the colour scheme on a semi-regular basis to help spice things up.

 

Glad you're back on line on the Forum, I for one have missed your views. 

 

Regards

Mike

[thescrapman]

 nor any member of the Club Management Team.  I am just an 'umble AO with, like you, over 30 years membership.

Mike

 

You are more than just an 'umble AO, you are also a moderator (though not an administrator) on the forum, and also, unhelpfully, you are also identified as club "Staff" when you post.

 

Does there need to be a list of who is administering and who is moderating the forum, and what their roles are.

 

I note that there is also an anonymous admin lurking.

 

Cheers

 

Colin

[JohnD]

Thanks, Mike, especially for your forgiving attitude to my diatribes!

I worry for the TSSC - have you noticed opinions eslewhere?   The Club does not get a 'good press';  it's seen as a set of losers.

Copycatting TRR won't help that.

 

Admin cites "identity confusion" if the colour scheme is changed.    Once again, self-satisfaction rules!   I'm already confused, and so is Bruce, and in all fairness, the TRR was first!    But OK, leave the colour scheme.   The website offers layout options as well, and the colours could stay the same, it just looks different.   As an example, has the Club not noticed that Sidways also uses this software?     Their layout is distinctive and demonstrates those "Infinite posisibilites" that the software supplier boasts about!

 

Please, TSSC, wake up!    It was said before, but this message board is the shop window that the rest of the world uses to know about aand to gat an opinion on, the Club.   The Club must use it to promote itself, or die.

 

John

[admin]

Colin, there isn't an anonymous Admin lurking if you don't mind, I'm a real person and the Forum labels me as Admin because I set it up not because I choose to be anonymous.  As Mike Crews' hinted at you'll see I'm Simon Morgan (sialisplat) your Com IT advisor.

JohnD.  Please give us a break; the Club is providing this Forum for all Members to use free of charge to discuss thier cars not the colour scheme of the Forum or whether or not it looks like the TRR forum.  I look after it voluntarily as do our Moderators and frankly the colour scheme is pretty low on our list of challenges.  The colour scheme isn't going to be changed any time soon because I simply don't have any more time to spend on it so kindly give it a rest!  You won't give it rest of course because that's not your MO but I won't be monitoring this thread further as I have better and more interesting things to do ;-)  Now where's the TR keys ...

[thescrapman]

Colin, there isn't an anonymous Admin lurking if you don't mind, I'm a real person and the Forum labels me as Admin because I set it up not because I choose to be anonymous.  As Mike Crews' hinted at you'll see I'm Simon Morgan

Simon

 

Afternoon Simon

 

I had assumed it was either you, or someone at HQ, but it was not actually mentioned anywhere, well not that I could find.

 

I had hoped for a "sticky" thread or similar listing the admins / moderators / etc so that "key" posters could be identified.

 

At the moment there are lots of defaults set (not a problem, apart from perhaps to John, who fancies a bit of colour in his life) but it does seem to identify people with roles, for instance the moderators are flagged as club staff, and people may assume that they are posting in that capacity, as happened with Mike.

 

HAs the time now come, with the forum coming up for a month old, to setup an "administering" group, perhaps made up from some / all of the moderators, to look into personalising the forum, adding areas, splitting others etc, so removing the need for you to have sole responsibility for it, as you have better things to do elsewhere on the site. 

 

Cheers

 

Colin

[sialisplat]

Hi Colin.  I've had a play with settings and the Staff are now coloured Orange, the Moderators Green and the Administrators Red

 

I agree about the Administrators group but it may be a little early as we all on a steep learning curve with this software!  Definitely something for the not too distant future though.

 

Cheers,

Simon

[Peaks]

 the Club is providing this Forum for all Members to use free of charge 

An interesting point of view   I must say it's great to see the board back though, what ever colour.

 

I love the idea of having different triumph colours! Saffron, Java, Magenta & Topaz? You've forgotten Sienna Scrapman! Gotta love the '70's eh? 

[mishmosh]

Thanks for all the lively chat. I look forward to the improvements that we can all contribute towards. Forgive me as I am on a steep learning curve.

[Pete Davies]

JohnD,

 

I am disappointed that a member of "over thirty years" would use this "shop front" of the club to publicly denounce and criticise the work that has gone on so far. 

 

For crying out loud, in stating it is a club of "losers" you are trying to drag the club's character and that of it's members through the dirt in the very medium you have said should be the club's main representation.   As for hiding these scathing comments in an innocuous posting about the forum's colour scheme, I am sorry, but I believe you are in extreme danger of becoming the forum's "troll", and members (and guests for that matter) could swiftly learn to ignore your posts as the rantings of someone just trying to promote the forums of the other clubs and cause further damage the TSSC.

 

I really hope this is not your intention, I'm sure someone with your experiences and expertise can offer great support to members using the forum looking for a friendly advice and guidance.

 

Pete

[Mike Crewes]

Pete

 

I know that John often raises the temperature of debates, but as you can see from previous postings some changes have already happened as a result of his starting this thread, so I would respectufully ask that you not be too hard on him.  He was only reporting what others think about our Club!  Of course, they may not have experienced what we do and found what a great Club we have and that is their loss.  This type of comment has been leveled at the TSSC throughout my 33 years membership, so I just ignore it; it's usually comes from jealousy!

 

John

 

Please be aware that your comments re changes HAVE been noted and, as Simon has explained, will be looked at in due course.  We are all learning how this software works and when we are confident on what can be achieved we will inevitaly do more.  Please be patient a little longer, Rome wasn't built in a day; we have a Forum back at least and it can be developed, but we need time to learn how it all works.

 

Colin

 

If you have a look at posters profiles it should tell you who they are - mine certainly does.

 

Thanks everyone for your input on this, when we all have time (this is my first day off for over 2 weeks) we will look at how we can improve the experience here.

 

Sorry if some of this is teaching you to suck eggs, but it is also there for other less Forum literate to see as well.

 

Regards

Mike

[JohnD]

Pete,

You should read my posts again.  I am worried for the TSSC becasue of the attitude elsewhere, and I raise other sirtes to show how the TSSC could improve. Anyway, how else am I to raise my concerns for the Club?   A letter in the Courier?

 

Mike,

Thank you again, and for springing to my defence!  I will await improvement, not with bated breath as I do need to breath now and again.   It would be good to have a time table, rather than distant prospect of change.

 

Admin/Simon

"free of charge"?   "FREE OF CHARGE"??????  What do I pay my membership fee for?   I know you are not paid, but the message board is part of the service to mebers that the Cklub provides, from that income.

 

But once again, I fear that if the Club and CoM think that how it looks is unimportant, they entirely miss the point of the message board.  How do you think new members are born?    They think of buying a Triumph, look on the 'Net for advice at Triumph messageboards - and imediately get confused by the similarity between TSSC and TRR.  Gosh! they might make the mistake of buying a TR! [Joke] 

   The website and more than anything else on it, the message board, is the Club's, any club's, shop window.  It displays what the club deals with, how and who the people are who deal with it.   Why do you think that our high streets are so similar nowadays?    Because they are full of chain stores, from WHSmith to Kentucky Fried Chicken, which promote their brand image by looking the same from John o' Groats to Lands End.  Every car manufacturer promotes a brand image, such as BMW with its prominent 'propellor' badge and double nostril radiator grille, a Roller radiator, Citroen's edge-engineering (until recently, anyway).

 

For a car club, competing with other clubs for membership, to look the same as another club is just silly. especially when it is easy to change.

John

[Mike Crewes]

John

 

The Moderators are discussing this off line and support your views.  Whilst there is no timetable, atleast the discussion is happening.

 

Now BREATH!

 

Regards

Mike

[thescrapman]

 

If you have a look at posters profiles it should tell you who they are - mine certainly does.

Mike

 

Yours is one of the few profiles that does say who you are, not that it was too hard to guess from your forum user name!

 

Nearly all are bereft of information, take for instance "mishmosh", I know he is male and comes from Shrewsbury. And he owns a Bond and a Herald.

 

But not much else, but I do also know he is a moderator, because it says that.

 

Mine is no better I have to admit, but there is a clue in that it says I am the Suffolk AO... :-)

 

I have also noticed looking on the main site that a number of the profiles of COM members have yet to be updated from the default.

 

Perhaps someone needs to make something up, rather than have the default page showing.

 

Cheers

 

Colin

[KevinR]

Colin,

You obviously haven't looked at my profile

[mishmosh]

Aha. Well I will add to my profile! However mishmosh relates to my following of a band called The Mission .

Regards

Andy Brooker

[thescrapman]

Colin,

You obviously haven't looked at my profile

 

 A perfect example, but then I expected nothing less of you!

[mishmosh]

Mike

 

Yours is one of the few profiles that does say who you are, not that it was too hard to guess from your forum user name!

 

Nearly all are bereft of information, take for instance "mishmosh", I know he is male and comes from Shrewsbury. And he owns a Bond and a Herald.

 

But not much else, but I do also know he is a moderator, because it says that.

 

Mine is no better I have to admit, but there is a clue in that it says I am the Suffolk AO... :-)

 

I have also noticed looking on the main site that a number of the profiles of COM members have yet to be updated from the default.

 

Perhaps someone needs to make something up, rather than have the default page showing.

 

Cheers

 

Colin

I Like to be mysterious.....  To be honest, there are so few Bond Owning members, that a glance in the Courier will set you straight.   See XUM 461J in this Months, or the article in ( I think) Januarys