OK, Gayle got me thinking - ways to better the board.

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

I'm asking for 5 volunteers. One for each of the archive caregories.

Suspension & Steering
Wheels, Tires & Brakes
Engine & Drivetrain
Body & Interior
Electronics & Lights plus A/C

I will provide a free Bimmer.info T-Shirt and a Free Bimmer.info Baseball Cap to each of the volunteers, I will give them Administrative access to manage the specific Archive Forum, and this is what I'd like them to do:

Search the regular forum and move at least 10 pertinant and good threads from the regular forum to the topic specific archive forum.
Watch the regular forum for additional threads that may be moved to the specific archive forum.

I also ask others to suggest posts that can/should be moved to those other forums.

First Come First Serve, post to this thread if you want one of the categories.

[billb]

I'm asking for 5 volunteers. One for each of the archive caregories.

Suspension & Steering
Wheels, Tires & Brakes
Engine & Drivetrain
Body & Interior
Electronics & Lights plus A/C

I will provide a free Bimmer.info T-Shirt and a Free Bimmer.info Baseball Cap to each of the volunteers, I will give them Administrative access to manage the specific Archive Forum, and this is what I'd like them to do:

Search the regular forum and move at least 10 pertinant and good threads from the regular forum to the topic specific archive forum.
Watch the regular forum for additional threads that may be moved to the specific archive forum.

I also ask others to suggest posts that can/should be moved to those other forums.

First Come First Serve, post to this thread if you want one of the categories.

I'll even do it for half-price (T-shirt only) :D

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

Suspension & Steering - billb
Wheels, Tires & Brakes
Engine & Drivetrain
Body & Interior
Electronics & Lights plus A/C

[liquidtiger720]

I would do it- for free even, but I am a noob and don't know anything. :)

[93-525i]

I'm asking for 5 volunteers. One for each of the archive caregories.

Suspension & Steering
Wheels, Tires & Brakes
Engine & Drivetrain
Body & Interior
Electronics & Lights plus A/C

I will provide a free Bimmer.info T-Shirt and a Free Bimmer.info Baseball Cap to each of the volunteers, I will give them Administrative access to manage the specific Archive Forum, and this is what I'd like them to do:

Search the regular forum and move at least 10 pertinant and good threads from the regular forum to the topic specific archive forum.
Watch the regular forum for additional threads that may be moved to the specific archive forum.

I also ask others to suggest posts that can/should be moved to those other forums.

First Come First Serve, post to this thread if you want one of the categories.


I'll take Electronics & Lights plus A/C.

[dacoyote]

I'm asking for 5 volunteers. One for each of the archive caregories.

Suspension & Steering
Wheels, Tires & Brakes
Engine & Drivetrain
Body & Interior
Electronics & Lights plus A/C

I will provide a free Bimmer.info T-Shirt and a Free Bimmer.info Baseball Cap to each of the volunteers, I will give them Administrative access to manage the specific Archive Forum, and this is what I'd like them to do:

Search the regular forum and move at least 10 pertinant and good threads from the regular forum to the topic specific archive forum.
Watch the regular forum for additional threads that may be moved to the specific archive forum.

I also ask others to suggest posts that can/should be moved to those other forums.

First Come First Serve, post to this thread if you want one of the categories.

I will take Engine & Drivetrain if noone else wants it.

[Gayle]

You did not suggest this and may not want this category for reasons I am too new and too clueless to understand but what about a category

"Great moments in the history of the board"

One that could capture things like the A team poster?


Here is an even stupider suggestion. If you decide to do it, I (a newbie) would take that category. I would obviously take suggestions.

[pyro]

Hey ill take wheels tires and breaks... let me know

[Gayle]

This is a continuation from my thoughts about board improvement that I expressed in the other thread "this has got to stop "

I think we need a way to encourage high quality posting and not just posting. I think we need a way to reward the really knowledgable people on this board who make this a special place by providing information and suggestions that are beyond most diy types.

I don't know how the technology for this would work but I would suggest a poll like format that gathered votes for special recognition for special help. Sort of like a help hall of fame. Not just ordinary help that we all say thank you for in the posts on the thread.

I can best explain what I mean by an example. I have gotten lots of help here that I have appreciated but the help that stands out as being the most meaningful was Bill R's suggestion that helped me with my little nitrous oxide problem (blush). Having stratospheric NO levels and the CA smog test was the equivalent of automotive hell. He gave me a key to get

OUT OF AUTOMOTIVE HELL. Not all appreciated suggestions are the release from pergatory type. Some special advice results in the creation of automotive ecstasy--that blessed experience where you and your car are united in joy. Some are keys to AUTOMOTIVE ORGASM.

Hence the coveted "Keys to the Big O Award".

When I suggest a poll like format, I don't mean a contest. Just a visual so people who give the really special stuff get recognized for it. I think it would be cool if it operated like polls in that there were bars that get longer as people get more votes and so you could see who voted for people. (We would need that to keep Jeff from voting for himself repeatedly). Probably the first time someone gets a vote the moderator would have to put there name on. The Keys to the Big O Award would be a public and lasting way to say thank you to the people who are the real heavy lifters of the board.

I know I have given you lots of openings to make fun of me here, so have at it guys. Let the double entendres fly.

[Kalevera]

Shucks, I spend so much time here, I might as well help out. Ed, I'll do whatever nobody else wants, if nobody else wants anything.


best, whit

[dacoyote]

Gayle,

This is a good idea, not that I would get a lot of votes :-), however the people that know their stuff that keep us DIY'ers outa trouble make the board worthwhile.

-Charles

[mattyb]

i'll do body and interior if its not gone. im not an IT wizard but if i need help can i ask u? im sure if im allready here i should know enough to do the archiving.

[Zeuk in Oz]

I'm not sure if I understand this potential restructure completely but I am concerned that it might fracture the homogeneous nature of posts on this forum.
I frequent a mercedes forum at www.mercedesshop.com but due to its fragmented, compartmentalised nature I find nowhere as user friendly because you have to keep changing from one section to another.
I also find the same at an F250 forum that I use, www.thedieselstop.com which suffers from the same problem.
My opinion, for what it is worth, is change nothing. The balance is just right !
By the way, may I take this opportunity to say thank you for providing it ! :)
May I also commend the quality of the members of this board. Cheers ! :D

[Gayle]

I'm not sure if I understand this potential restructure completely but I am concerned that it might fracture the homogeneous nature of posts on this forum.
I frequent a mercedes forum at www.mercedesshop.com but due to its fragmented, compartmentalised nature I find nowhere as user friendly because you have to keep changing from one section to another.
I also find the same at an F250 forum that I use, www.thedieselstop.com which suffers from the same problem.
My opinion, for what it is worth, is change nothing. The balance is just right !
By the way, may I take this opportunity to say thank you for providing it ! :)
May I also commend the quality of the members of this board. Cheers ! :D

Aren't we talking about archives here? Not new posts. If the current posting system stayed the same would you have the same concerns?

[mattyb]

i must say i agree with zeuk on this. will archiving affect how we use the board, its brilliant the way it is. will archiving be more an exercise in just keeping all the older but eternally relevant posts easily available and the general day to day way we use the board remain the same? anthow good morning zeuk, lovely day here at terrigal, hows it down ur way?

[uscharalph]

I'm not sure if I understand this potential restructure completely but I am concerned that it might fracture the homogeneous nature of posts on this forum.
I frequent a mercedes forum at www.mercedesshop.com but due to its fragmented, compartmentalised nature I find nowhere as user friendly because you have to keep changing from one section to another.
I also find the same at an F250 forum that I use, www.thedieselstop.com which suffers from the same problem.
My opinion, for what it is worth, is change nothing. The balance is just right !
By the way, may I take this opportunity to say thank you for providing it ! :)
May I also commend the quality of the members of this board. Cheers ! :D
Actually moving threads that haven't been touched in say a month wouldn't be so bad.

[Zeuk in Oz]

hows it down ur way?

Bloody dry !

[BigKriss]

I would like to see a members section or noob section where existing members can show off their ride and describe / introduce themselves to other board members.

Other imporvements could be a permananet irc or chat channels where members could go on and chat (or improve the existing chat facility on here - i think it's pretty dodgy, i don't like it). I've been on www.e34.de a few times and I like their layout / format of things. too bad it's mostly in german.

Maybe there could be another 2 archive categories

- modifications and how to's - all the writeups around
- common faults / problems with the car and their fixes. I understand that some links maybe cross-posted.

[Gayle]

I would like to see a members section or noob section where existing members can show off their ride and describe / introduce themselves to other board members.

Other imporvements could be a permananet irc or chat channels where members could go on and chat (or improve the existing chat facility on here - i think it's pretty dodgy, i don't like it). I've been on www.e34.de a few times and I like their layout / format of things. too bad it's mostly in german.

Maybe there could be another 2 archive categories

- modifications and how to's - all the writeups around
- common faults / problems with the car and their fixes. I understand that some links maybe cross-posted.


Good ideas BigKriss

[dacoyote]

mye34.org chat (http://www.mye34.org/tinc?key=2etbiu9N&channel=100971)

We could use this... it's my site (with nothing yet)

It's up to Ed.

-Charles

[BigKriss]

mye34.org chat (http://www.mye34.org/tinc?key=2etbiu9N&channel=100971)

We could use this... it's my site (with nothing yet)

It's up to Ed.

-Charles
It's not bad mate, i don't mind it at all.

[dacoyote]

mye34.org chat (http://www.mye34.org/tinc?key=2etbiu9N&channel=100971)

We could use this... it's my site (with nothing yet)

It's up to Ed.

-Charles

Yeah... it does kinda suck.... it's better then what we got now... depending on intrest I would be willing to spend time getting a real irc java out there...

-Charles

[Alexlind123]

I can host large pictures and videos on my server if anyone emails them to me. this wouldnt happen an awful lot so my 1.5mbit line should be able to handle it. If it gets out of hand i can just put a limit. But regardless, i can host pistures and videos.

[mattyb]

i think kriss hit the nail on the head with that idea. we all use the threads to chat cause were chatter boxes and have a common interst and ussually we just rant on in the thread cause thats were we all are.

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

Suspension & Steering - billb
Wheels, Tires & Brakes - pyro
Engine & Drivetrain - dacoyote
Body & Interior - mattyb
Electronics & Lights plus A/C - 93-525i
Miscellaneous Bimmer Nuggets - Gayle


lowell
liquidtiger720
Thanks for volunteering, we'll find something for the two of you for sure. How about moving Jokes Threads to the Jokes Archive for either of you? For the others mentioned above, I accepted those that were specific with there requests. And Gayle for the Misc. Nuggets & Great Momements Category

You guys are great.

Gayle, lots more good ideas. You're officially the Idea Man.

So, all those mentioned in this email, all those in BOLD, please PM me your address and shirt size. You are now official Field Representatives of Bimmer.info and will receive your official "AllanS" designed uniform!


And yes Gayle, current posting remains unchanged. We're just capturing some of the good stuff in an organized place. So "no worries" Zeuk, all's good.

And yeah, let's think about BigKriss's suggestions. They are good but I'm not sure we need a separate category, but maybe we do. Also Bruno's site has that data. But anyway, lets start here and consider the BigKriss suggestions for the second round.

Again, you guys are great......Ed

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

I will provide those in BOLD the authority to update the archives this weekend unless there's any major objections, or even better ideas. For now, off to bed I go to go sell some Bimmer tomorrow, wish me luck......Ed

Oh, it feels so good to be putting more bimmers on the road. Especially the manual tranny ones that may end up in my hands as a used car some day! What a job! What a country!

[Gayle]

Suspension & Steering - billb
Wheels, Tires & Brakes - pyro
Engine & Drivetrain - dacoyote
Body & Interior - mattyb
Electronics & Lights plus A/C - 93-525i
Miscellaneous Bimmer Nuggets - Gayle




Gayle, lots more good ideas. You're officially the Idea Man.


Again, you guys are great......Ed

Please Ed, I am the Idea Woman. It don't mind the mix up. Not the first. I rather like it cause then I don't worry you guys are blowing off my posts as more hair dryer talk.

[brodee]

Ed, I run a couple of servers and have a degree and work in IT. IF you need anything on the computer end just let me know, I'd be more than willing to help out.

[Jon K]

I am game Ed

[liquidtiger720]

lowell
liquidtiger720
Thanks for volunteering, we'll find something for the two of you for sure. How about moving Jokes Threads to the Jokes Archive for either of you? For the ot



I guess I'll take it. Give me something to do since I am always online on this board.

[Gayle]

I guess I'll take it. Give me something to do since I am always online on this board.


What about being the designated person to field questions from newbies? I have gotten private messages from people with questions that they didn't think were worth a thread or when they had procedural or technical questions. You could be the Official Goodwill Ambassador to Noobia.

[liquidtiger720]

What about being the designated person to field questions from newbies? I have gotten private messages from people with questions that they didn't think were worth a thread or when they had procedural or technical questions. You could be the Official Goodwill Ambassador to Noobia.


Thats cool too. A noob helping fellow noobs. :p

[pyro]

you arnt a noob any more and btw your car is VERY nice

[632 Regal]

Im a noob, iz there anything eye can dew?

[liquidtiger720]

Im a noob, iz there anything eye can dew?


You can start by making some decals for the forum.


Pyro- Thanks for the comment. :D

[Gayle]

You can start by making some decals for the forum.


Pyro- Thanks for the comment. :D


And after that you can print the e34 calendars. :D

[rickm]

How about a "new users" area that links to the archives and FAQs?

[Gayle]

How about a "new users" area that links to the archives and FAQs?


Yes.

[brodee]

Might be able to draw some ideas from R3VLimited.com (http://www.r3vlimited.com/phpBB2/index.php) it's a board dedicated just to the e30.

[BobHarris]

I turn my back for a moment and miss all the excitement.

I am generally here every day, albeit in a different time zone to the majority.

If there is anything I can do to help, I would be proud to.

All the best

Bob

[Bill R.]

a number of you to quote something i heard frequently from my dad "can't separate the wheat from the chaff" my point being if your not intimately familiar with the category or process of each area how can you make a judgement as to which posts to be archived are accurate and actually know what they are talking about? No offense to anyone intended but there are a lot of new people here who may or may not know what they are doing ... and the whole intention is to have a quick easily accesible area where people can find the solution to the problem they are working on...
Richard Nott's site is an example of this, he saved every post and repair that he thought was relevant but a number of them are B.S. But the average guy or gal who's trying to fix a problem and really doesn't know that much won't have a clue that this is not correct info....
The same thing applies here, A number of people here are mechanics or have worked around cars or in a similar field long enough that your own B.S. meter starts buzzing away when reading some posts and you know better but people who don't really do this don't have that same warning system , so something may sound correct but won't be.... By the same token I have no clue about IT some IT guy make be BSUMA about some computer repair and like a dummy i'll do what he says because i don't know any better until everything crashes and then i find out that was wrong
This is one of the few really big problems with the internet in general imho is that x amount of the info out there is B.S
So as much as i hate to say it you really need someone to vette these posts for accuracy that are going to be archived as a fix or procedure for something..









Suspension & Steering - billb
Wheels, Tires & Brakes - pyro
Engine & Drivetrain - dacoyote
Body & Interior - mattyb
Electronics & Lights plus A/C - 93-525i
Miscellaneous Bimmer Nuggets - Gayle


lowell
liquidtiger720
Thanks for volunteering, we'll find something for the two of you for sure. How about moving Jokes Threads to the Jokes Archive for either of you? For the others mentioned above, I accepted those that were specific with there requests. And Gayle for the Misc. Nuggets & Great Momements Category

You guys are great.

Gayle, lots more good ideas. You're officially the Idea Man.

So, all those mentioned in this email, all those in BOLD, please PM me your address and shirt size. You are now official Field Representatives of Bimmer.info and will receive your official "AllanS" designed uniform!


And yes Gayle, current posting remains unchanged. We're just capturing some of the good stuff in an organized place. So "no worries" Zeuk, all's good.

And yeah, let's think about BigKriss's suggestions. They are good but I'm not sure we need a separate category, but maybe we do. Also Bruno's site has that data. But anyway, lets start here and consider the BigKriss suggestions for the second round.

Again, you guys are great......Ed

[Jeff N.]

I agree with Bill here. Need Subject Matter Experts if you will to manage these sections. I think I might have some reasonable knowledge to help manage a 535/M30 section. I'd be glad to offer help in some manner.




a number of you to quote something i heard frequently from my dad "can't separate the wheat from the chaff" my point being if your not intimately familiar with the category or process of each area how can you make a judgement as to which posts to be archived are accurate and actually know what they are talking about? No offense to anyone intended but there are a lot of new people here who may or may not know what they are doing ... and the whole intention is to have a quick easily accesible area where people can find the solution to the problem they are working on...
Richard Nott's site is an example of this, he saved every post and repair that he thought was relevant but a number of them are B.S. But the average guy or gal who's trying to fix a problem and really doesn't know that much won't have a clue that this is not correct info....
The same thing applies here, A number of people here are mechanics or have worked around cars or in a similar field long enough that your own B.S. meter starts buzzing away when reading some posts and you know better but people who don't really do this don't have that same warning system , so something may sound correct but won't be.... By the same token I have no clue about IT some IT guy make be BSUMA about some computer repair and like a dummy i'll do what he says because i don't know any better until everything crashes and then i find out that was wrong
This is one of the few really big problems with the internet in general imho is that x amount of the info out there is B.S
So as much as i hate to say it you really need someone to vette these posts for accuracy that are going to be archived as a fix or procedure for something..

[Gayle]

I agree with Bill here. Need Subject Matter Experts if you will to manage these sections. I think I might have some reasonable knowledge to help manage a 535/M30 section. I'd be glad to offer help in some manner.


I agree on the subject matter experts. Does that mean I can't manage the great moments/history section :( I was already dreaming of changing my tagline to Minister of Culture.

[Gayle]

my point being if your not intimately familiar with the category or process of each area how can you make a judgement as to which posts to be archived are accurate and actually know what they are talking about?
The same thing applies here, A number of people here are mechanics or have worked around cars or in a similar field long enough that your own B.S. meter starts buzzing away when reading some posts and you know better but people who don't really do this don't have that same warning system , so something may sound correct but won't be.... So as much as i hate to say it you really need someone to vette these posts for accuracy that are going to be archived as a fix or procedure for something..


What about assigning two people to each area? The noob with the energy and enthusiam to search and the expert to vette and make the final selections?

Bill Which area would you like to be the vetting expert in?

Other people that come to mind to do vetting are Winfred, Whit, and Paul. I am sure that there are other I am overlooking. Other suggestions?

[Bill R.]

mention this:).......There's no one area i would like to vette, i don't consider myself an expert in bmw. If anybody wants to list the posts though that they are considering for the archives i'd be glad to look at it and give my opinion(for what thats worth) As far as people to vette, Bill B. knows the area he chose well enough, Winfred, Jeff N, Martin, Jr., and Whit seems to be coming along now rather well, especially since he has access to an info source that most of us wish for. Don Gale comes to mind but he's not here that often. I'm not sure which Paul you're referring to , there are a number of Pauls here..
As far as assigning a noob and expert thats fine but there's also a few flaws that will have to be worked on there as well.
Alot of the old timers (at least thats the way it works for me) poke around on the net alot seeking info, and in my case and i suspect alot of others function the same way, I'll see a post and remember something from years ago that i saw on a site somewhere, usually i can remember what site i saw it at and pull it up and post the info.... the noob won't have this because he hasn't been actively looking for this stuff forever.
But the idea you have is better than nothing. Also are the archives only going to be for posts on here or are you going to archive links to posts on other sites that answer the question?






What about assigning two people to each area? The noob with the energy and enthusiam to search and the expert to vette and make the final selections?

Bill Which area would you like to be the vetting expert in?

Other people that come to mind to do vetting are Winfred, Whit, and Paul. I am sure that there are other I am overlooking. Other suggestions?

[632 Regal]

Decals will be cut next week, when done I'll ask for a sticky and we can further promote the site. Just starting with "Bimmer.info" and if anyone wants something else they will have to contact me by email or PM.

[mattyb]

i agree that an expert to vette the archive is great, i volunteered because i want to contribute to the site however i can. i can see that me looking through the info i have to and making partly educated guesses has a few flaws in it. i am open to amentor or a more knowledgable person stepping in and either vetting my work or repalcing me if it is felt i am unable to complete the task assigned. its why i chose body and interior not engine etc. cause i know **** about these things compared to most of u guys. however i can spend heaps of time looking and reading and do have some knowledge in the area i chose, just not heaps. if there is some one out there who wants to do it and has incredible depths of knowledge to contribute then i dont have a problem standing aside or making it a team effort .

[liquidtiger720]

i agree that an expert to vette the archive is great, i volunteered because i want to contribute to the site however i can. i can see that me looking through the info i have to and making partly educated guesses has a few flaws in it. i am open to amentor or a more knowledgable person stepping in and either vetting my work or repalcing me if it is felt i am unable to complete the task assigned. its why i chose body and interior not engine etc. cause i know **** about these things compared to most of u guys. however i can spend heaps of time looking and reading and do have some knowledge in the area i chose, just not heaps. if there is some one out there who wants to do it and has incredible depths of knowledge to contribute then i dont have a problem standing aside or making it a team effort .


Ditto- Who's the best nub helper here?

[emw525E34]

Great ideas,

Would be terrific if you can translate the German DIY pdfs. They are good, I kept guessing what the heck some details are about. My German friends would only tranlate one or two paragraphs, not while docs. Takes too long but if some forumners can do a better job than a machine translator, I would certainly appreciate it.

I am sure that German chap who runs the .de site would be glad to help fellow E34 fans from other countries. Heck, they might learn a trick or two outside of Germany.

[billb]

Bill B. knows the area he chose well enough,

Thanks, Bill!! I don't claim to be the expert, but my BS meter is pretty dialed-in. I've been under the 525 enough to know when something ain't right. Kept her goin' for 80k miles of my own so far, with a LOT of help from this forum and its predecessors, as well as other sites, Bentley, ETK, TIS, etc, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

Will give it my best shot, cap'n!