Ideas for improvement of the website

[Ian S]

If your posting to this thread, please keep it concise.


A board for the Espace Turbo and new Clio Turbo? maybe we COULD include a board for every new turbo'd Renault, but it would detract from the tuning stuff, so the way may be to create a separate boards cars section for, say pre '91 cars and those with pre-91 engines, but include the sport versions of later models, and create one for the newer eco turbo'd models.


What about Classic and Current?

Classic
-- 5 GT Turbo
-- 9 Turbo
-- 11 Turbo
-- 21 Turbo
etc

Current

-- RenaultSport 1x2
-- RenaultSport 197/200
-- RenaultSport Megane

[Ian S]

the option to "Thank" and "Like" posts
MultiQuote
Share a thread to FaceBook if it's in the non members section?

[Ian S]

Mouse over to larger version of avatar photos on the threads views.

[andybond]

easier use of mobile devices. Items such as tapatalk

[ScottKinnear]

Sub sections within sections to make searching that much easier.

easier use of mobile devices. Items such as tapatalk

[Guybrush]

Android/iOS app that notifies you when classifieds get listed (if tapatalk does this, then great).

Better search options, for posts and members.

Better calendar with "I'm attending/not attending" functionality

Gallery view of classified ad's to easily see picture of car/part and price without actual uat clicking into the ad.

Reputation points for answering technical questions

The option to hide sub forums and posts in them. Eg; I don't own that car, and I don't want to read about it. This is probably more useful for non- gt turbo owners.

Better advertisement of new technical articles that get written.
Reputation points for writing good technical articles.

[Matt Cole]

The upcoming events page in your face with a list of attendees like we had on the old site
The home page updated monthly with news and events and anything club related (almost a live link to it from members but approved by committee)

[Ian S]

I used to do that homepage news. It needs to be done manually but there's only the lack of someone to do it. Do you want to do that Matt?

The old Mark Philips site did work better with that aspect and I also lament the loss his events calender. Even though Scoff really put a lot of time and effort into the one we have built into the vB.

It's not impossible that one could be written outside the vB forum and work like the old one. Even if this was temporary until something like that could be incorporated with a forum software package. Again it just needs someone to find a programmer, and perhaps another to specify what's needed.

[Ian S]

I know this is stating the obvious and is the most basics of day to day planning and web stuff that we've been already doing for many years especially each time we've evolved the forum or site. In about 2006 I had a 40 point list of tasks like this that we were going through.

But I post it here so that people who don't know what goes on behind the scenes can know that we know this already

>>Upgrade to latest version
>>Find someone capable
>>Trial site for look/functionality
>>Cutover plan, communicate downtime, contingency planning (Systemic and People)
>>Independent backup in case of failures (Copy everything so its never lost)
>>Promote to live at communicated time

>Stabilise and bug reporting
>>Fix bugs (if any)
>>Discuss plug-ins and additional enhancements (This thread)

>Upgrades
>>Start to introduce plug ins and additions. One at a time so we can attribute issues to a single change
>>Feed back and opinion
>>Monitor usage (And going forward unused features can be removed again)

[andybond]

If you are looking for a fully featured CMS ( content management system ) then I am not sure vbulletin is the one ?

In its current iteration v5.x.x it doesnt have a CMS. Its rumored to be released at 5.1.x release.

Have you ever used wordpress ? Thats a truly stunning tool that can have the forums linked in with it.

[Guybrush]

I love WordPress, I use it for my blag.

[andybond]

I use wordpress on giraffeit.com , http://www.countryscapeslandscaping.co.uk/ , giraffeit.com/football ..

Awesome tool

[Matt Cole]

I used to do that homepage news. It needs to be done manually but there's only the lack of someone to do it. Do you want to do that Matt?

The old Mark Philips site did work better with that aspect and I also lament the loss his events calender. Even though Scoff really put a lot of time and effort into the one we have built into the vB.

It's not impossible that one could be written outside the vB forum and work like the old one. Even if this was temporary until something like that could be incorporated with a forum software package. Again it just needs someone to find a programmer, and perhaps another to specify what needed.

Ian. Im sure I could spare the time to update the front page with news etc. As long as im fed the information or I pull info from the club threads/committee discussions?

If its easy to do make it from immediate effect, if not then I guess will have to wait untill the new revision of the site?

[Logg]

Dear god all these threads are making my piss boil.

I don't comment or express my opinions on these threads normally as I'm a firm believer if your not willing to step up and help don't comment.

It's not even 10% of the club that's causing this ground hog day complaining!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyBSrBqogPY

I've been here with the club for over 14 years now and have seen what has happened with Rach, then Bruce and now repeatedly with Miller (I can understand why he keeps such a back seat from all the argro he receives).

We are a small club that for the last 6 years or so have had two exclusive club events a year, at the pod and our track day. Not forgetting our numerous euro trips which is punching well above what most clubs our size can do. Thanks to the committee for organising these events and I'm thankful for all your work.

Things are on a downward spiral its inevitable car numbers are going down and no matter how we repackage this club to promote it, we are mostly GT turbo owners. Numbers have settled to around 500 paying members a year, this is decreasing to less members which have Renault turbo's but who stay with the club due to friendships and our cracking events when organised. It would be great to grab a new generation of Renault turbo's into the club but until members start buying those cars or competing with other cars and developing a repore with them at events we will not increase our numbers. This is what the club should be more concerned about not silly politics amongst people.

Peace out long live RTOC

[jesus in the seat of a 5]

these

What he said.....

[car.crash]

Nice one Logg. These threads are turning into bull****.

[DaveL485]

Things are on a downward spiral its inevitable car numbers are going down and no matter how we repackage this club to promote it, we are mostly GT turbo owners.

Currently, yes, but I (and I hope others too) think that the new breed of FI RenaultSport kit is a plausible and attractive market for expansion. Very, very few clubs like this have the opportunity....for example the R5GTT OC, the R19 club, the 21Toc are all model specific. Unless Renault restart producing them there is no more market opportunity. This club is lucky enough to have new models being made within its current scope (Renault and Turbo'd), which is very well known and embedded. Not only that but these is even more opportunity to pick up the dying model specific clubs to fortify the ranks even more so.

IF you could tempt, attract or bribe some of the new-regime guys in here with some tasty treats then the RTOC could see a second wind, maybe even back toward 4-figure membership. Doesn't that sound plausible?

[Ian S]

the entire site was lost not long back in a migration

Wrong.

Obviously no independent backup was taken, which is an amateur mistake.

Wrong.

The old site was lost together with about 30 of Mark Philips other sites when the hosting company he'd passed us all to deleted them all. Email servers too. Only they know what happened. RTOC may have had limited control or server access at that period. We never the less had two backups, all be it not with up to date forum posts, one Gordon had taken and one Mark Philips had taken which was used to restore the site and data base which still run on another server. During that time when we paid another company to eventually recreate the old site, Scoff, in parallel, created this site and the decision was taken to use it instead.

What was lost were the members files and photos. I expected they had been independently backed up and was very surprised to find they had not, but it was a lot of data at the time and evidently some programmers don't value that stuff.

You evidently have nil knowledge of these events. Many of the members here do have, so what do you expect they are thinking about you after making such statements.

And I am an amateur. It was professionals who fcuked up.

The committee will be deleting these posts from this thread.

[5teve L]

He is the one giving me a hard time more like. He's copied my post without credit (in fact, for the second time in this thread he's taken content of mine) and included a snide dig to boot. Considering the entire site was lost not long back in a migration, it's also hypocrisy. Obviously no independent backup was taken, which is an amateur mistake.

Add to that the disappearing threads where I have been quite badly insulted and I think I've been rather calm and pleasant.

I've actually had enough of reading your pathetic posts now Dave. Move on & shut he **** up.

[Adey aka Ewok]

how about someone willing to take results, pics and small write up of the events that do happen, however big or small? Would be good for those who cant make events to see what goes on, or even entice newer members into going to them. Scoffs rr is a good example. id loved to of gone but had other comitments but im really interested to see who got what and see some pics of the day?

[Ian S]

Please someone volunteer to do it

And feed items to magazines. I have this running https://www.rtoc.org/boards/showthread.php?t=21185 and whilst there were a few people respond and we were often getting a piece into 'readers yard', interest stopped two years ago.

I can't do this any more; write articles for mags in each mags own vernacular. But it might help to keep the RTOC in the press.

I do keep the ads going in PFC. The person who was taking that over from me seems to have had to back off from active roles. So yet another thing that either I do it or it doesn't get done. I want more people involved to share the work load and optimise all aspects of the club.

[Scoff]

I'm sorry to say I havn't been keeping track of this discussion much, but I think it's worth me adding that if folk really wanted to keep the add-ons I wrote (live, wizard, contacts, files, banners, and some of the admin) then they might not need much modification to work with later versions of vB.

Those add-ons use the vB database to retieve data on the user accessing the page - to establish who they are, what their privilages are, etc. If those elements of the database havn't changed much then it should not be hard to make them work.

But a lot has happened to the WWW in the last 5 years and this site really should not be using my old code when going forward. Instead it should be re-created in something modern, CMS or whatever. So it should be a last option. I guess it *should* be easier to find an individual or company willing to do that then write or modify my old code ? I wouldn't know. My web developing skills were a couple years out of date in 2008, let alone now !

[Andrew Cooke]

I'm sat in the same part of the Venn Diagram as Logg, I'm grateful that anyone takes on anything that keeps this show on the road.

Anyway, my sort of related point is, who are these people? There must be a list of them somewhere on the site but I can't find it. Someone help this old duffer out

[Adey aka Ewok]

Please someone volunteer to do it

I'd be happy to do it for the events I attend but they are few, if someone would volunteer at each event it would be better, I don't mind doing it if people wanted to just email me the pictures, could upload them to the home page and maybe create a completed/past events thread so pics and rolling road results could be listed for all to see?

[robx1r]

how about a how too section?

[car.crash]

how about a how too section?

https://www.rtoc.org/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=17

[Hammer]

I'm sat in the same part of the Venn Diagram as Logg, I'm grateful that anyone takes on anything that keeps this show on the road.

Anyway, my sort of related point is, who are these people? There must be a list of them somewhere on the site but I can't find it. Someone help this old duffer out

Good point mate. I only rejoined the club this year; the last time I was a member was back in the early to mid 90's. I have no idea who are behind the club, nor what they do for it.

[robx1r]

https://www.rtoc.org/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=17

if only the site had something like that, it would be great so it would

[Ian S]

A common theme seems to be members old and new not realising that there are parts other than the forum.

They are linked to from the home page so I guess few people go to that: https://www.rtoc.org/home.php

They are linked to in the blue bar near the page top. Maybe that's not distinctive enough on people view screens?

[robx1r]

maybe loose some of the stuff on the blue bar? and rename the articles to guides?

[James5]

Tapatalk has got to be high on the list majority of other forums use it and its so conveniant

[robx1r]

I honestly don't like tapa talk I'd rather use the desktop version

[Junglist]

Boobs.

[Penfold aka The Dealer]

Boobs.

preferably decent female boobs... Don't want man boobs or anything haha

[JRP]

preferably decent female boobs... Don't want man boobs or anything haha

Errrgh deffo female please...

[Nottswoody]

Boobs.

Sounds like a plan to me.

[Guybrush]

Sounds like a plan to me.

here you go

[Penfold aka The Dealer]

Where is the classic one of the bird showing her breasts off in front a T2 in a museum/ car showroom haha...

Edit please don't post due to kids seeing

[Junglist]

preferably decent female boobs... Don't want man boobs or anything haha

You see enough man boobs.

[Junglist]

On a serious note in referring to the thread topic more boards for newer cars gets my vote.
It will encourage more members.

[Nottswoody]

A button that says hide ****ty threads you no longer want to see.

[clee]

Even better than that ...we do have an option to ignore any post by a certain member ...I'm gonna put Dave on there now ...so I won't see if he's bothered
https://www.rtoc.org/boards/profile.php?do=ignorelist

[Nottswoody]

Already is one. It's on your mouse, left hand side. Simply hover over the thread in question and don't click it

Im on iphone bud so i can see them all on the live screen

[DaveL485]

Im on iphone bud so i can see them all on the live screen

Doh!

[Dre5gtt]

I got one
No more Bitching !!!!

[Nottswoody]

I got one
No more Bitching !!!!

Or a private room/screen away from the live walls?

[Ian S]

[5teve L]

Something needs to be done to bring the club forward out of this slump, a revamped forum/& or committee might help, but then some don't like change, you can't win them all

You might need to move the next lot as it is, & isn't relevant to the website...

ND is going to be another flop by the looks of it as well, Sangliers was sorted ages before FCS was mentioned & FCS has a stigma attached to it, I hope it is better than previous years, but I bet it's not, chavvy saxo fest is how I always see it unfortunately & most of us are past bodykits & loud stereo's/big wheels.

Understandably we probably do need to tag onto events at the moment, as hire costs are up & membership is down, the years when we could plough cash into Brunters/pod/trackdays etc.. are gone. We just look daft hiring big venues now & have to offload tickets on other sites to break even (or just to re-coup some losses)

I don't know the answer to the ND thing, it's a shame as it was/is a big part of the club. It would be nice to be able to arrange a large gathering somewhere that had hard standing, where you could chat, look over cars, meet new members & have something else to keep you busy if you wanted to, fair, stalls, poss a 0-60 or something, show & shine (yes I did go there ) Trackdays are good, i love them, but I also love pod/drag racing. Thats not what ND is about though, is it ?? It's about a load of Renault turbo enthusiasts meeting up ? Hell I own an Espace now (it's still a turbo ) & haven't had a Renault turbo (petrol) for years & I still re-join every year, this year is the only time I have started to question the renewal

[Goobie]

I would like if possible a section in users profile to enter a easy option "click me" link to personal restore/project thread's.

I know not everyone has one and I did post about this before, but I do think this is a good idea and possibly help keep that section a little more lively when members are being noses on others profiles.

One other thing I do miss off the old site was the ability to have a few pictures display'd in the profile without having to have a separate album. Was a nice feature for me personally.

[Ian S]

Or a private room/screen away from the live walls?

Done