While reading the latest Journal (which I have yet to review along side the Railfan) my ever fertile mind (its all the Bullsh*t it gets feed) wandered off to pastures newish.
There was mention of a new Guild website that is due to go live 'soon'. Now, given this was discussed at Easter, obviously 'soon' is a precise measurement up there with 'whatever' and destined to join the metre, kilogram and candela in the international system of measurement. 3 months on and there's been nay a peep on this topic. Now I know that the guild runs on the picture of the smell of an oily rag (I think some times it wishes it could have a look at a picture of the smell of an oily rag) and still manages to produce a world quality print magazine that is the journal, but there are times where I think that it could be a bit more forward looking. My thinking is that maybe there needs to be a rethink of the communication routes of information. There are items that are suited to the journal (station data, how-to articles etc) and things that may well be better suited to the net like product announcements and reviews, and also other Internet links. The latter is a current bugbear of mine in that my single article on the history of our illustrious scale was cut into 3 parts, and the links to our forum and this blog will be published 6 months after the start of the article series. If I had known I would have written it completely differently.
The other question is; where are the S scale modelers online then? This is the strongest scale in the country and from what I'm aware has 2 active website/blogs online (Grant Morells site and the reactivated NZfinescale). Is S scale just for the older modeler? Where are the 9mm guys in all of this?
I will admit that I'm not counting the Yahoo E-mail lists here, but these seem to be only really used by the same people, with a large mass of lurkers suffering in silence.
In comparison to this, Nz120 has a forum (thanks entirely to the efforts of Wes) and several active blogs. How did we manage to lead the charge further into cyber space. Where are the rest of the countries modelers? I guess there would be an argument of 'Oh, but we are too busy modeling to share what we are doing'. Some how we manage to do it here week in and out, even if there isn't a lot going on. You don't have to post a lot, just the occasional update on what you are doing with a few pictures to demonstrate whats going on. Its really not that hard.
Sort of on topic, the local group currently seems to consist of a handful of chaps who are actively modeling, and the rest of the group. I'm trying to come up with an idea of some sort of challenge for them to get some of the armchair modelers back at the bench burning their fingers like the rest of us (well, maybe just me, but I'm getting to like the smell of burning flesh, which is a good and bad thing depending on how you look at it).
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3 comments:
I agree entirely MD.
It would be interesting to get an indication of the % of Guild members that DO NOT have access to the web.
I suspect the % would be small but significant nonetheless.
I have not seen an article in the Journal of recent times (Rod M did one back in 90's ?) that would assist/encourage members onto the web and show them how to make best use of this invaluable resource for their modelling.
It also appears that many Clubs don't make the use of the Guild site for advertising their events and activities.(there is a reference to an N120 Group in the S I Clubs listing).
If the Guild site is to be more effective as a communication medium supplementing the Journal, the webmaster needs more current information supplied by Clubs and individuals.
e.g - The Events Calendar is sadly lacking in current exhibitions!
Arrgh !!!! did the Bell Tea man put some bismuth in your last cuppa (see Blog - Saturday Morning).
Just to comment on a couple of points raised in this blog original post & GFG's addendum.
I think you definitely have raised a worthwhile point re the ability of the TTn3.5 crowd to utilise the electronic communications format far more 'effectively" than other NZ rail modelling groups - maybe it has a direct correlation to the average age of the modellers in NZ120, who I would hazard a guess are probably 20 yrs younger than the bulk of eslers or P34 ers.
On another couple of points I offer the following observations, based on my "six years before the mast" as "hon.sec." of said "Guild" : -
The Guild will publish in the Journal & on our current website, any model railway show, given we receive it before the show actually occurs - we have listed many events and will continue to do so, as long as we get the notice from the organiser - we disposed of our crystal ball quite some years back I am told..
The Guild is in reality a "club" albeit 500+ members strong, but in those six years I can count on my two hands (& yes I only have eight fingers & two thumbs like most of you)the number of letters I have received from members suggesting articles, columns, material, volunteering to do something to further the hobby.
In those same six years, per my phone logs I have had precisely three phone calls from members - yes just three (& that includes the one today from a chap in Gisborne who wants to get into modelling NZR & is subscribing to the Journal).
Emails, well if you discount the ones complaining about "soggy" journals left in their mailbox, again the princely sum of emails with suggestions & volunteering info/articles (yes MD you are excused this castigation) would be less than the ten digits already noted re snail mail correspondence.
Similarly, no-one has provided any comment or feedback to me at any of the model rail shows which I frequent each year.
AGM feedback from members - ha ha - in the non-Convention years, where meetings are in Auckland with over 1/3 of the financial members living there, then we struggle to get the quorum of 15 needed for the bl***y thing - Convention years we may get to the princely total of about 40.
The only suggestion from members which has been received in the past six years, has led to the excellent "Cedric Green Series" plan books which Trev. Cheer has devoted a massive amount of time to with the ability to order these sets of plans - intially of cars - in a couple of months.
The new website, which is in final beta testing mode now, is an Exec initiative; it will include thumnails of plans to assist members with their ordering, and will include E-Commerce solutions to enable enrollment, payment, on-line ordering etc - patience please.
One observation I will make is the ongoing and mildly disturbing continuation of the "rip-off" trend which the electronic medium lends itself to - by that comment I refer to the cavalier disregard afforded to the hard work of other modellers who have prepared artciles, plans etc, which the Guild then publishes - all it would take is a simple email to the Guild about the plan in question - the author can then be contacted to ok the use of the plan/article &/or shock - horror the person could spend a couple of bucks and buy a back copy with the plan in it.
In those same six years never a one request on these lines.
I sponsored a competition in the Jouranl five years ago for a 9MM scale minimum size layout per the successfu; European GEMME concept - despite extending the period we got just ONE entry, which of course duly won the first prize offerred.
So like the Government, if no-one is using the old two way communications channels, you sort of think then maybe things are going along ok
and you get on with your own life.
gentlemen ( & ladies) the future is in your hands entirely.
Well said Greg! I don't know why as a group of modellers (generally speaking and including myself) we are so apathetic when it comes to being involved. Maybe its because we are all in our own little cliques and feel safer with what we know.
The age thing is also I feel partly to blame. The younger members are and always have been in the more "modelling aggresive" mode, and part of this electronic era as a default.
One of the original concepts of the Guild and its 'branchs' was to foster guild meetings. Auckland has its 3/16th group, as does Christchurch, but do other centres have these sort of groups to foster NZR modelling.
One region I lived in for 15 years had, apart from the weekly local club meeting (defacto NZR modellers meet!) only one Guild promoted meeting in that whole time.
Here in my present residence, the NZR modellers seem to be divided by various reasons (and apathy on my part is one of them!).
Not sure what the answer is!
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