Another new home for Scottish Elises?

[Ferg]

Albeit there are some tech nuggets still to be found in here. Mostly the people

Love that, Off to rename the section to 'Tech Nuggets'

[Mr Momo]

Discord already annoying me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[campbell]

Tell us a bit more - we need the insight

[Shug]

My 2C on the Discord thing is if we're looking for a 100% analogue of the forum setup, it's the tool for the job. But for most people who don't use it anyway (and I'd suggest that's most people who aren't gamers, tech focused or had a specific reason to use it for something else) it's just ANOTHER app to install and won't get checked.

What got me enthused about WA groups was the fact that I'd bet 99% of people on here use WA anyway, it would be in that list of regular contacts and might actually see some life. Another niche app won't really achieve that - and I appreciate Discord is way better than WA groups at replicating the forum functionality. I don't think we'll have a livelier group by moving forums to Discord, is the basic impression.

I speak from personal experience of having used it for some gaming stuff, plus some work stuff, but largely it goes unopened and un-checked even as someone who's got it installed. However, I'll make a point of jumping in this weekend and trying - as C says, it's about what works best for most people rather than getting stuck in personal preference.

[campbell]

Nicely put

I’m leaning towards WA Communities already but we don’t have a pilot set up for that.

I will try to have a go. Ferg has done a fine job of the Discord pilot

[Shug]

I agree with the keep it simple and maybe discord is forcing a community in the same way phpbb does. What's resistance to using Facebook? I'd be totally happy with that. It has threading, but it's not really searchable medium. This is the issue with some pure social media solutions. They are fleeting by nature. Same reason WhatsApp is limited because things pass by if you are not in the chat.

For those who don't like FB, WhatsApp is Meta too. You could have an FB login and only use it for SE.

We have three options. Maybe need to summarise?

Issue with FB, as discussed earlier, nothing to do with it being Meta, but everything to to with any useful content being buried under waves of advertising. At least with WA, the chat you are looking for will be where you left it and not swamped in terrible advertising. I'm pulling away more and more from FB for that reason and will likely dump it before too much longer. WA is a communication platform, FB is an ad platform.

[rossybee]

My 2C on the Discord thing is if we're looking for a 100% analogue of the forum setup, it's the tool for the job. But for most people who don't use it anyway (and I'd suggest that's most people who aren't gamers, tech focused or had a specific reason to use it for something else) it's just ANOTHER app to install and won't get checked.

What got me enthused about WA groups was the fact that I'd bet 99% of people on here use WA anyway, it would be in that list of regular contacts and might actually see some life. Another niche app won't really achieve that - and I appreciate Discord is way better than WA groups at replicating the forum functionality. I don't think we'll have a livelier group by moving forums to Discord, is the basic impression.

I speak from personal experience of having used it for some gaming stuff, plus some work stuff, but largely it goes unopened and un-checked even as someone who's got it installed. However, I'll make a point of jumping in this weekend and trying - as C says, it's about what works best for most people rather than getting stuck in personal preference.

Middle paragraph nails my take on the situation.

And having had a brief go on discord I'm not loving it, but then I'm now old and relatively non-techy

[Dominic]

My 2C on the Discord thing is if we're looking for a 100% analogue of the forum setup, it's the tool for the job. But for most people who don't use it anyway (and I'd suggest that's most people who aren't gamers, tech focused or had a specific reason to use it for something else) it's just ANOTHER app to install and won't get checked.

What got me enthused about WA groups was the fact that I'd bet 99% of people on here use WA anyway, it would be in that list of regular contacts and might actually see some life. Another niche app won't really achieve that - and I appreciate Discord is way better than WA groups at replicating the forum functionality. I don't think we'll have a livelier group by moving forums to Discord, is the basic impression.

I speak from personal experience of having used it for some gaming stuff, plus some work stuff, but largely it goes unopened and un-checked even as someone who's got it installed. However, I'll make a point of jumping in this weekend and trying - as C says, it's about what works best for most people rather than getting stuck in personal preference.

Middle paragraph nails my take on the situation.

And having had a brief go on discord I'm not loving it, but then I'm now old and relatively non-techy

Agree

[rossybee]

I honestly know no one* who doesn't use WA.


*Caveat is folk without mobiles

[Corranga]

I love a forum more than all of the other suggestions but a forum with no folk on it is a waste, and as has been said most folk don’t do forums these days. It’s a real shame as most alternatives I think seem to be most focuses on lines of discussion rather than clear and searchable content / longer posts.

I’ve never used WA communities but very much fit into the group that don’t want to use Meta, but since everyone else does, I do.

I’m a gamer, and a relatively techy person and I don’t like Discord

TBH, I’m up for trying anything that brings back that SE of old.

I have a few thoughts, or suggestions that I expect are dead in the water, but feel worth mentioning…

/flamesuit
SELOC has regional forums, though I don’t think it has a Scottish one, could we reach out and shift there. We can retain some identity / a separate area, but the car chat bit has more posters, and the technical bit is decent. I admit I’ve never really spent much time there despite being a paid up member!
Insert other forums above as appropriate.

Our name, or perhaps it’s our purpose. Obviously we’re Scottish Elises and it’s long been said you don’t have to be Scottish nor have an Elise, but no new member is searching for that!! Lotus aren’t selling any more Elise’s, and most don’t have one these days either. If we want to encourage new users, I think we need to be findable to people interested in whatever it is that we actually are! Be it Scottish Sports Cars or Lotus, or Camping with cars and Track Days Scotland or whatever, who knows!?


Above all else, what can’t be said enough is that Facebook definitely isn’t the answer

[campbell]

Great points those

The SELOC regional angle is interesting. Hadn’t thought of that. Still a forum though and thought maybe we needed a fresher platform.

Remember though, the present SE forum can remain (hosters and domain owners permitting!) as a read only resource for all.

[Ferg]

I agree with much of the above. Discord as it's set up, or as it should be setup, is a forum replacement, it's not a new paradigm.

The main loss for me is the loss of threading.
. Busy channels in what's app you have to be engaged in or things just pass you by. I find it easy to feel like points and info gets lost in the flow of conversation.

Where is the middle ground?

Dare I say it, is it Slack? Has threads etc. but also more Freeform chat

[campbell]

Slack is an interesting angle. I’m a “light user” and it’s fairly pleasant.

But perhaps a bit “businessy” if that’s a word!

And it’s yet another app.

If we assume the heady times of 100 posts a day are long gone, then a WA Community may be a suitable middle ground?

Picture this. We get a few subgroups set up, and even the lurkers will be able to scroll / search for things they need (I already do this with some existing regular groups especially if I’ve been “offline” for a wee while) but with the “anchor” of categorisation of chatter by basic subgroup topic.

And remember that it’s fairly easy to look at historic pictures, docs and links within WA. Crucially, we keep together all those still actively “posting” through a range of WA splinter groups which have emerged in the last 10 years … and can also signpost to the rest of the SE Forum membership that we have a collective home on WA Communiities going forward.

I think the answer here is to do as you have done already Ferg (most laudibly) and set up a pilot, this time for a WA Community. I’ll see if I can give this a go over the weekend

Equally … it may simply be that our “community” has run its course and folks will simply remain connected the way they currently are. Across the platforms we already have in place.

26 years ain’t bad. Longer than many marriages…

[rossybee]

Equally … it may simply be that our “community” has run its course and folks will simply remain connected the way they currently are. Across the platforms we already have in place.

Good point there

26 years ain’t bad. Longer than most marriages…

FTFY

[Ferg]

I got a consultant in (my son) to setup Discord properly. Apparently Dad had not done it properly.

Updated non expiring link is here https://discord.gg/WgaccXNNW5

If you don't like Discord then Slack isn't much different. I agree it's not really offering anything the forum doesn't do already, although it's a little simpler.

I like the idea of the sub section at SELOC, maybe supported with a WA group if the Discord approach is not a goer.