hopefully I triggered a few snowflakes !!
And just what do you consider to be a “snowflake”?
Guys
The question is not who is what or how can I annoy someone - it’s a bit more fundamental - please don’t follow that line. (Or do it via private message)
What’s the point of a club such as the MGCGB if Guzzisti don’t bother to post here, but for whatever reason, choose Facebook?
And, more pertinently, what, if anything, can we do about it - because if we don’t do something, there won’t be a club, because those who want a forum (and don’t want to pay for it) will go to Facebook, and those who don’t want Facebook will not be sufficient to keep the club running.
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I would suggest there is a lot more to the club than the forum. Which a minute element.
These are questions that really should be directed to committee and or at an AGM
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There are some very knowledgeable people in the club, and some very helpful people,
when I had major problems after some moron messed my bike up, the club came forward and gave me honest advice
result
my machine came back all shiny and better than new ( top marks Nigel )
my Nephew purchased his bike from a lovely member near Sandringham, who also threw in a load of riding gear
and my brother purchased a Tutto Terreno V35 from another member sight unseen, and loved it
I often meet other members on the road, and do my bit to get peeps to join
and unlike some other one make clubs, you will not get the cold shoulder, if you dont wear rukka, or leather jackets with tassles and denim back patches
the club is very democratic, they even let me a poor labourer come along to Italy, and Bob the cheese gave me directions
Bob the Cheese knows everybody !
Also after many years of motorcycling, often for work at all sorts of hours and weather
nothing would induce me to change make
I had a collection of new high end machines stashed here while a friend had building work done, I had the keys to all of them and insurance to ride them all
they did not inspire me to even sit on the things
For my tuppenceworth, I too reject that well known social media platform as mentioned earlier.
I cannot reconcile the fact that anything and everything written on a fb page is or can be scanned by that corporation for their own financial advantage. The only platform I use is WhatsApp as it is Peer to Peer without a midway server storing the messages and was using it long before Mr MZ acquired it.
I think that people join the bandwagon (of the latest social media craze) without really understanding what or why they want it. Saw it with Friends Reunited, Armed Forces Reunited, fb, twitter, et al.
On this forum you can do everything, and more, than is offered by fb.
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I hope the committee read threads like this, and considers the situation.
The forum might only be a minute part of the club experience, but equally it might be the key part. Many of us don’t regularly do rallies, don’t need the dating service, etc.
We keep in touch through the forum and Gambalunga.
My question remains, “how do we attract those that post relevant and interesting content on social media to do it here instead?”
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but WhatsApp messages are stored on a third party server (Amazon Web Services, which is Amazon’s main business not actually the shopping website) and are not peer to peer.
I agree that the club is more than the forum or even the website and the forum, but since Uki no longer is on the committee I fear that there is little enthusiasm for the forum on the committee.
The club has three main components, magazine, branches and rallies, the forum I believe is considered as a sideshow. I hope I get proved wrong and an equally enthusiastic replacement for Uki is found who can speak up for this place at committee meetings.
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Agree with @Chris950s 100% I’ve been there and got the t-shirt 
The best approach to make a difference is to take on the Web Officer role.
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Didn’t know there was a dating service too, but I don’t do tinder either 
There’s also a ‘Singles Rally’… 
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Don’t forget the forum also has chat capabilities now too.
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A bit left field, but howsabout deleting the Faceache page?
It does have its uses but these are easily replicated elsewhere, and I suspect that most of the traffic is superficial anyway. Branches could set up their own pages if it suits them. I get irked by groups that tell me all their contact is on FB as I wouldn’t touch MZ sites with anyone’s bargepole. Open source is the answer - but not quite yet😏
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why not delete the FB Group?
because it is not an ‘official MGCGB’ facility. it is a facility that many members of the MGCGB choose to use, along with many non-members (and in that, potentially acting as a draw to the MGCGB). many branches also already choose to have their own ‘Facebook Group’ to supplement other forms of communication.
it’s not either/or. there is no “convince members” to xxxxx. people will choose to use what they prefer to use. all that can be done “by the club” is to make MGCGB members aware of this facility (which is done), and for the users of this forum to make it attractive to others.
there may be some mileage in asking the membership if they are aware of this forum, asking if there are any barriers that prevent usage, but even then one would only be addressing a subset of the membership: many don’t “do online” as many don’t “do rallies or camping or touring” and etc. we’re all different and we all have choices.
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Well put Barry, keep up the good work!
I know a lot of the Essex branch organisation happens on Facebook but it is replicated on here. I still think this forum is a valuable resorce and I will keep updating the Essex meetings map and diary so that others who do not use Facebook, like me, are keept informed.
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Ok Barry, hadn’t realised it wasn’t an MGCGB page, so that wouldn’t work.
I hope the forum grows; I’ll try to use it more myself….
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I hope it grows, too, although usage is increasing. Personally, I believe the only way to make a forum desirable is to fill it with good content, and to make it welcoming from the first post - something only the users of the forum can “make happen”.
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I agree, we can’t “force” anyone to do anything, but we can encourage the membership to use the forum - by
Firstly making sure that everybody knows the resource is here by promoting it in Gambalunga and in communications from the club to the membership, and
Secondly, making everybody welcome (I think Uki did a fine job of this) and
Thirdly, generating lots of useful and interesting content - this is of course a virtuous circle - the better the content, the more users, the more content is generated.
Atb
Simon
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Hi Barry,
Just to let you know that the MGCGB FB page is the official Club page for which I as a committee member have responsibility for. We have a great team of moderators all of whom are club members. It is very much a promotional tool it has the usual content plus I, and any other Club member can use it to advertise Club activities. We keep it strictly Guzzi and signs are that it does attract new members and, as it costs nothing its a bit of a no brainer. The forum is more intimate and lends itself to more in-depth discussions the first step in developing it further will be to appoint a new Web Officer which we a advertising for. So if anyone thinks that they can carry on Uki’s great work we would love to hear from them.
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