Re: (ET) Replacement of the Elec-Trak.com site

[Charlie <medievalist gmail com>]

George, I hope you will keep your site separate from the Elec-Trak site.

I have been involved in high tech since I was a child, since well
before the Elec-Trak was built... I was using computer networks years
before the Internet existed.  In that time I've come up with some
pretty good rules of thumb, but most of them are just modern
restatements of old chestnuts.

Your site is great, and does what it does incredibly well.  The
Elec-Trak site has a different focus, and the email list and Facebook
pages have different audiences.  If you were to combine any of these
you would just decrease the variety and availability of resources
available to people who want to work with these tractors.  Or to put
it another way, "don't reinvent the wheel" and "don't put all your
eggs in one basket."

I will never visit the Facebook page (I won't try heroin, either).  I
will never visit a web forum with any regularity.  The email list is
the best fit for me, and it's great for getting help, but your site
fills a completely different need - it's the definitive photo and
manual source site, organized for rapid access.

So, OK, if you want to reimplement the forum site, that doesn't seem
unreasonable.  But please don't move it to Facebook or combine it with
your site.  Preserve Elec-Trak site diversity!  ;)

--Charlie



On Wed, Dec 12, 2012 at 2:11 PM, George Beckett
<irishbeckett hotmail com> wrote:
> For some time people have been trying to contact Don Barry who 
> administers
> the Elec-Trak.com site.  It does not appears he has logged on in months 
> and
> months.  I myself have tried several ways to contact him in the last 
> couple
> months with no luck.  Does anyone here know how to contact him?  The 
> site is
> unstable and is experiencing problems.
>
> I'm afraid Mr. Barry might have fallen on some bad luck along the way. I
> hate to say it but I personally and several others who frequent that site
> now do believe it's time to build a new home. A lot of odd things have 
> been
> happening lately and it seems we are getting some odd visitors as well. 
> We
> really don't know when the site will expire and the software is 
> dreadfully
> out of date. The new software has a lot more features and I think in 
> general
> it would be nice to have some more functionality, protection, and 
> attention
> to it.
>
> That being said I thought I would post a poll on that site to see the
> general consensus of the members. Please share your thoughts both on the
> poll and in posts if you are so inclined.
>
> If the decision is to find a new home, I'll be glad to organize a 
> conference
> call with some other techies and help with the site planning and design 
> but
> we will need a new administrator and I really think we should consider
> moderators-we have been living too well for too long. At a minimum, the
> start-up costs as well is something that should be shared and at least a
> place to allow donations for on-going expenses. I'm still trying to find
> time to finish the refresh on my own site and doing the things to it I 
> want
> to do on it is more than enough to keep me busy. I will volunteer if 
> folks
> think it is a good idea to integrate the forum software and picture 
> gallerys
> into my site to make a more "one stop" experience for members and 
> visitors
> to find information on ET's but I personally do not have time to 
> administer
> it. One of the biggest jobs will be preserving the threads so we can keep
> all that history contained within.  I have some ideas how but would 
> welcome
> others.
>
> Please participate in the poll and if it is decided to move to a new home
> I'll be glad to organize the first meeting of volunteers.
>
> Meantime, if anyone knows how to get a hold of Don, please do and let me
> know as well.  Thanks!!!!
>
> __________________
> Geo
> www.myelec-traks.com
>
> ________________________________
>
>
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