hi.

Which is the best class Associaton site that you have experienced? What factors do you think are important /necessary?  I would list quickness and quality of response as one important factor, together with good recent pics and a willingness to share technical info, and a good members forum.  Other factors might be a good market for boats and gear.  I've experienced the Streaker and Solo websites both of which I think are excellent.

So why can some Associations do it but others can't ? Is the underlying software to blame ?

djdhi

I don't think the software is to blame. Class associations, like most sailing clubs, are run by volunteers with limited amount of time and, in some cases, limited amount of web expertise.

If the club or the class is lucky enough to have people willing to spend some time updating sites, posting photos, making sure everything's up to date, promptly answering queries, you'll get a good service. If your club or class association doesn't provide that kind of service, perhaps it might be worth volunteeering to help...

*She says, looking towards Lancing SC quiet members, hehe...*

Out of interest, why did you leave such a big blank at the bottom of your post, djdhi? 

No particular reason---- just clumsiness !

djdhi

Are you talking websites or associations in general?

I found the Solo great in both respects, and it has huge membership. Not sure which way round that comes, but membership means money to spend, so it is possible to put on a good service, which then brings in more members...

Firefly association is great, but their web presence is only slowly coming up to speed, probebly for the reasons BNS put forward.

Int Moths REALLY need a forum as well as the yahoo group...

The Dart 18 website is excellent.  The active forum is a great resource and enthusiastic users are always quick to respond.

I'd agree with comments above - its the enthusiatic membership that makes it work.

I ran a class association website for a few years. It's about people, people, people. You need people to produce copy, open reports, photos. One or two stalwarts can't do it all, at least not for long. The tough thing isn't setting up a site, it's sustaining it over a period of years. It's got very little to do with software. Anyone with a bit of IT knowledge can setup a site and and (say) a phpBB forum which can be run for less than £100 a year, and most classes have a few people with those skills. 

I have expereince of a few CA sites.

First of all I think our Club Site at Lancing is excellent (but then BNS is the webmaster and I want dinner tonight)

The Contender Class is pretty good - it is regularily updated with reports and results and the for sale page is kept reasonably up to date. The only downside it the lack of photos.

The RS site is very good but I suspect this is run by professionals.

I find the Topper and Laser sites confusing with not very easy to use navigation.

It all down to the people who are willing to do the work and the members who make them feel appreciated so they carry on ...

The tools are irrelevant; but I do really rate phpBB fwiw ...

I must say the Laser class is great, it gives the information required by its members but isn't outstanding reflecting the number of Lasers sold. The members forum is inactive for a large class.

The RS one, is great, the format is the same across all the RS classes and is simple to navigate.

...... and your sailing club webmonkey!

The Mirror site is very disappointing.   Forsale/ wanted items are printed on horizantal bands which are either mid grey or dark gray. I' ve got good vision, nearly 20/20, but I can't read the items for sale on the dark bands !!! So if you put your boat up for sale  and it gets a dark band you may as well wave goodbye to any prospect of a sale. This class (Mirrors) HAS GOT A CONTEMPT FOR THE ORDINARY MEMBERSHIP as hints about this have been dropped but nothing is done.  But they simultaneously wring their hands about the lack  of Mirror sailors willing to pay up the £22 for single membership.

It has turned into a messaging service merely for National and Area coaches to inform Squad and Junior sailors about events.  It has become elitist and arrogant.

Why am I raising this rant here and not on the Mirror FORUM ?  because my emails to the club secretary and the webmonkey have gone unanswered, and my registration , alhtough I joined in early JUNE has still not been completed, so I can't raise it on the Mirror FORUM.  What a friendly welcome !! I THINK NOT !!

djdhi

Sorry to hear of your disappointment with the Mirror site,  it is currently going through a rebuild as the current version is creaking at the seams,  this is all taking longer than hoped

As highlighted several times here this all comes down to people being prepared to help,  at the moment we only have a handful of members actually helping on a siginificant level.  This means we are all covering several roles,  currently I am Class Secretary,  Webmaster,  event organiser,  publicity etc.  Also I have a day job and occasionaly get to go sailing

With regards the forum we have to close registration as the site was becoming overwhelmed by spam,  if you PM I will set up you an account,  sadly I cannot identify you in the membership list from your name here

We are a friendly bunch but with so much work involved in running the class it is not always easy to offer the level of service we would like

At the end of the day class associations are run by members for members,  if you want things improved,  rather than complain,  please offer to help.

djdhi, don't bother, we've already got our fair share of trolls on this forum, there's not much room for another one.

It's all too easy to say "They need to sort it out!" as though THEY was a impersonal entity, or a group of conspirators deliberately trying to sabotage the associations / sailing clubs.

If you're not happy and feel so strongly about it, stop moaning and HELP! You've probably been provided with a snail mail address to send your membership to, so get your crayons and pad out and explain your ideas for a better future.

If you're not prepared to do that, because you haven't got the time or the inclination, or because it's much easier to complain bitterly rather than pulling your finger out, you could have the decency to respect the work other people are doing, however inadequate you think it is.

Then again, you could try windsurfing.

Has the thought ever occurred to you that these are unpaid volunteers, with busy lives, and perhaps not entirely at your beck and call?

So how about volunteering to help with your class association?

Well said Isa   That's my girl ..

 (bit of a low blow re windsurfers and GRF there I thought )

I don't know, I've got sympathy with djdhi on this.  If he (she?) is new to the class, they can't be expected to volunteer straight away to help out on the committee.  The mirror is a large, international, class and as such should be better run than most.  The fact that the class seems to rely on the same poor soul to do the website, be the secretary, be Publicity Officer etc is not djdhi's fault.

The fact remains that djdhi had a bad experience and that, clearly, is offputting.  To suggest that one has no right to complain to a volunteer led organisation is not entirely fair (and very British!).  Bad service is bad service, and the feedback (even on public forum) should be welcomed.

That may be true, but there are ways of wording it. I don't know many volunteers who respond positively at being insulted on a public forum.

Well if this is the only way to get their voice heard???

However, there may be better ways.

Hats off to Simon Lovesey, the MIRROR secretary for doing all those jobs, but as 'Chew my RS' says they shouldn't be relying on one person to do everything.  In reply to B.N.S about selfish bystanders not prepared to help I would like to say I have submitted race reports, written articles and served on committees, laid concrete and driven piles aplenty in the winter months so -----not guilty.   Not  everyone who takes  up Mirror sailing is a beginner, in fact I have about 35 yrs experience of sailing, admittedly at a fairly low level of skill. I very much enjoy sailing the boat by the way.  Lets move on.

Fair enough. You had a grumpy moment and got it off your chest  

Maybe it's even going to help someone's CA in the long run, who knows...