Member posting requirements

swifty

Member
Mar 7, 2013
39
11
8
Hi all and especially Mods

I would like to put forward the idea of all members having a minimum amount of info in their signatures and profiles. I am a member of a particular brand of tow vehicle forum and they are fairly strict with their requirements. At first I though I'd walked into a Third Reich meeting but now I understand, and I think it applies even more here.

1. I propose that at a minimum you post in your profile your state, even better the location or city - this is so members can see if you live nearby you may be able to help with localised details (good/bad service etc) or even on-site assistance (eg 'shed nights')

2. In your sig post your van model year and designation (eg mine is a 16.49-1B) and whether Outback or not. In my case I would post 'Soft Lid'. Reason for these requirements is you can zoom in on conversations that are more specific to your setup and you have an apples and apples discussion, or just move on to the next thread

3. Not as important, but your tow vehicle would be a nice to have for the same reasons above

Happy to hear other's thoughts but as the site numbers grow then the needle will remain a bit larger in the haystack!

Cheers, and go the Roosters, Brumbies, Packers and NSW Blues!!
 

andrea

Active Member
Nov 9, 2011
567
81
28
Brisbane
could understand stricter rules if this was a private forum but as at any given time we have more guests than members I personally don't see the point.
 

Four of us

Active Member
Apr 27, 2011
386
133
43
Ipswich QLD
Hi all and especially Mods

I would like to put forward the idea of all members having a minimum amount of info in their signatures and profiles. I am a member of a particular brand of tow vehicle forum and they are fairly strict with their requirements. At first I though I'd walked into a Third Reich meeting but now I understand, and I think it applies even more here.

1. I propose that at a minimum you post in your profile your state, even better the location or city - this is so members can see if you live nearby you may be able to help with localised details (good/bad service etc) or even on-site assistance (eg 'shed nights')

2. In your sig post your van model year and designation (eg mine is a 16.49-1B) and whether Outback or not. In my case I would post 'Soft Lid'. Reason for these requirements is you can zoom in on conversations that are more specific to your setup and you have an apples and apples discussion, or just move on to the next thread

3. Not as important, but your tow vehicle would be a nice to have for the same reasons above

Happy to hear other's thoughts but as the site numbers grow then the needle will remain a bit larger in the haystack!

Cheers, and go the Roosters, Brumbies, Packers and NSW Blues!!

i agree with Andrea most of us have this info in our profile. The only change I think needs some consideration is the 'for sale' section...we seem to always have the 'one offs' who list to sell.
 

Antman

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2012
870
311
63
Brisbane
almcrae.blogspot.com.au
I find that I usually read the signature to see what the poster tows / drives etc. I don't know about enforcing and become strict on it however. I do like the idea of the information but i don't like the strictness that these type of rules portray.
 
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TTBRIDGE

Well-Known Member
Mar 12, 2013
382
348
63
Brisbane - Northside (North Lakes)
I know of the particular forum you speak of. I believe they are heavy handed in there drive for the requirement, great source of info but i cringe every time i see a new member get a "friendly" reminder. Nothing worse than feeling attacked in the early days. I speak from very recent experience on another site.

As a new member here (2 months), I find the feel of this place & people far better and more friendly I think for the most part, forum regulars or experienced forum surfers would understand the etiquette that applies and would update the info accordingly.

I too look at the info in the signature for reference, but if it is not there i can quickly attain if it is for my interest. I just think some times things become over policed to the determent to the experience enjoyed by those trying to contribute.
 

expanda

Site Founder
Staff member
Dec 22, 2009
3,892
1,961
113
43
Western, Sydney....
www.expandasdownunder.com
Hi all, thought I would chime in......

First, great idea and something I have seen done on other forums.

Our main goal has always been that any person can simply sign up with what ever information they choose to provide without any penalty.

From that point I personally wouldn't feel comfortable in making you provide any information that you may or may not want to provide.

Would it be good to get it first up? Yes definitely but it would possibly make you think twice about signing up and that is the position I don't want to be in.

The forum is, has and always will be a free resource where you are free to share what ever information you want.

To play devils advocate -

1) What if you don't have a van yet and are just browsing?

2) What if you have a non Jayco van and are reluctant to provide a competitor brand in your profile?

3) What if your lazy just like me and haven't chucked a signature up? (I think most people probably know me better by filtering through my posts than looking at a couple of facts :) lol!)

All of those really would make you think twice about signing up just as you did when you signed up on that other forum and that is not a position I want us to be in.

It should be simple to sign up and your choice with what you share, in most cases by not forcing this information straight up it relaxes people gets them involved with things and the flow of the forum as Brad mentioned.....

You'll see when a new member says hi we all bamboozle them anyway with questions about who they are and that we like pics :) so in most cases this is what opens the door for a good chat and puts the mind at ease.

I have seen quite a few people who have started out as new comers to the forum world and then as we go through the process of getting to know them it changes the perspective.

Yes we do get alot of one timers from that in the for sale thread and one off questions etc but it actually helps us as a forum grow.

One other aspect of it is in search, no not the search on the forum but google, bing etc as every time some one posts a for sale thread, a question, an intro etc it helps us with these search engine so personally I don't see it as a bad thing and in fact its great if it gets us more search traffic :)!

Also often what you will find is people come here list a for sale thread and then link back to our site with the add on others and this helps even more for search traffic!

People will often also find this for sale thread when search the internet and stumble across the forum and then get involved.

So if it means we get some one timers or people just cruising it all really adds up to the bigger picture and that is keeping the forum growing as organically as we can through participation with out seclusion.

Some things we have done and can all do as a forum to speed this process up -

1) When some one logs in for the first time they are prompted to post a welcome message in the member introductions and I will expand this to include more profile info if they choose

2) We have filters on some forums like the tech forum so if you are only interested in a particular model you can filter based on that. We never forced you to add this when posting but everyone can tag there threads if relevant to assist in this.

3) We can all if we see a new member posts for the first time so simply say gday and ask them to put an intro so we can get to know them better. We already do this but lets keep on the pulse :)!

Finally not trying to discount the idea it has its place but I wouldn't want to push people away in any way and want to keep it simple to sign up and participate as its that one person we could loose that I would rather keep!

If you have any other suggestions happy to here them....
 

AndrewC

Active Member
Mar 20, 2013
207
233
43
Murrumba Downs, Brisbane
I am or "was" a part of some other caravan forums, and felt I had valid things to add to help people out or show what I have done.

However, there was always many people and generally the same people, willing to shoot you down and treat you like a 5 year old over the smallest of things. There were also so many rules on the site that it felt like you could not do anything with out some one telling you have done something wrong.

Then I came across this forum. Everyone is helpful and no one is here to have a go at you or start a childrens playground arguement or tell you how many professions they have had in life that make them an expert in everything!

I always believe that if its not broken, don't fix it.
 

Lara

Active Member
Jan 23, 2013
728
223
43
46
Manly NSW
I am or "was" a part of some other caravan forums, and felt I had valid things to add to help people out or show what I have done.

However, there was always many people and generally the same people, willing to shoot you down and treat you like a 5 year old over the smallest of things. There were also so many rules on the site that it felt like you could not do anything with out some one telling you have done something wrong.

Then I came across this forum. Everyone is helful and no one is here to have a go at you or start a childrens playground arguement or tell you how many professions they have had in life that make them an expert in everything!

I always believe that if its not broken, don't fix it.

Well said AndrewC, I feel exactly the same way, and couldn't have put it any better myself! :)
 
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greynt

Active Member
Dec 15, 2012
245
171
43
Yarra Valley
Right on the money expanda. I have to agree with most, i was a browser for a while before i joined. I really enjoy the free flowing nature of the site, the fantastic people and that's what really made my mind up to sign on. As stated, the sharing of info works well at the moment and I think that it may take away from the great vibe that we have here if it becomes more regimented.
Cheers
greynt