Now before anyone says 'What's he on about now?'. Bear with me.... :dry:
Many of you will have seen that I have been building an infrastructure into Club Motorhome that encourages members to interact as a community, this is a ‘club’ environment after all. Traditionally this is done via forums and we have an excellent one of those - but posting topics and replies on there is not as easy and quick as happens with our new chat and activity software.
For members to be able to use this and communicate/share stuff with each other outside the forums or private message - they need to ‘connect’ with other members.
“Connections’ are just that, they could equally be called ‘friends', ‘acquaintances', ‘buddies', 'fellow members’ etc but our system calls these connected other members ‘Connections’
Connections are simple to create, just visit another member’s profile and click on ‘Request Connection’ as others will do to you. The opposite party then has the choice to accept that connection or not, so its all fair to everyone as not everyone is, or wants to be, an active member of this community. They (or you) may have only joined to use the Pub Stopovers, European Stopovers, Classifieds etc - and that’s fine :lol:
An example of a member's profile:
Who do you connect with?
As many members as you like really. Obviously anyone that you actually already know or have communicated with on the forums would be a good start but really in an ideal world all members would connect with all other members so - just as many as you like.
Connecting with other members does NOT allow them or you access to any private data, like password etc so it’s completely safe. It is also easy to disconnect should you have connected with someone in error.
This Connections feature is for those who want to help build Club Motorhome into a more social group of fellow motorhome enthusiasts.
Once connections are made, each members activity knits with their connected members own activities as follows:
Activity is based around your own profile page or ‘wall’. So anything you post appears there and people you are ‘connected’ with can post there too. They could share a link or photo with you (as you could with them). Your wall also keeps track and displays photos you personally upload as your avatar and canvas images, also any personal 'gallery' images you upload.
All this activity on each members’ profile page also combines with others and shows on the main chat and activity timeline page.
Your profile, or that main page for activity are the pages that you could check each time you visit the site to see if anything new is relevant, or of interest, to you.
This all sounds far more complicated written out than the actual process is!
I will prepare a video tutorial on this sometime soon but in the meantime please try it and make some ‘Connections’ B) .
Many of you will have seen that I have been building an infrastructure into Club Motorhome that encourages members to interact as a community, this is a ‘club’ environment after all. Traditionally this is done via forums and we have an excellent one of those - but posting topics and replies on there is not as easy and quick as happens with our new chat and activity software.
For members to be able to use this and communicate/share stuff with each other outside the forums or private message - they need to ‘connect’ with other members.
“Connections’ are just that, they could equally be called ‘friends', ‘acquaintances', ‘buddies', 'fellow members’ etc but our system calls these connected other members ‘Connections’
Connections are simple to create, just visit another member’s profile and click on ‘Request Connection’ as others will do to you. The opposite party then has the choice to accept that connection or not, so its all fair to everyone as not everyone is, or wants to be, an active member of this community. They (or you) may have only joined to use the Pub Stopovers, European Stopovers, Classifieds etc - and that’s fine :lol:
An example of a member's profile:
Who do you connect with?
As many members as you like really. Obviously anyone that you actually already know or have communicated with on the forums would be a good start but really in an ideal world all members would connect with all other members so - just as many as you like.
Connecting with other members does NOT allow them or you access to any private data, like password etc so it’s completely safe. It is also easy to disconnect should you have connected with someone in error.
This Connections feature is for those who want to help build Club Motorhome into a more social group of fellow motorhome enthusiasts.
Once connections are made, each members activity knits with their connected members own activities as follows:
Activity is based around your own profile page or ‘wall’. So anything you post appears there and people you are ‘connected’ with can post there too. They could share a link or photo with you (as you could with them). Your wall also keeps track and displays photos you personally upload as your avatar and canvas images, also any personal 'gallery' images you upload.
All this activity on each members’ profile page also combines with others and shows on the main chat and activity timeline page.
Your profile, or that main page for activity are the pages that you could check each time you visit the site to see if anything new is relevant, or of interest, to you.
This all sounds far more complicated written out than the actual process is!
I will prepare a video tutorial on this sometime soon but in the meantime please try it and make some ‘Connections’ B) .
If it ain't broke..... Don't fix it!
[size=4]What is it? How does it work? Why have it?[/size]
To explain this I've put together the following. I think it makes sense and I hope you do too.
[size=4]Scenario[/size]
A large number of people all enter the same room, because the room is especially for people with the same interest or hobby. Hardly any of them know each other so its basically a room full of strangers.
There is a lot of helpful information up on all the walls of the room and the people look around a lot of it gathering knowledge as they go. Some people stay doing that but many others congregate to the space in the middle of the room and stand around looking at each other, only knowing who each other is by the name tags they display.
Now if it stays like that it’s a bit like being at an awkward wedding!
hmy: But human nature being what it is people like to communicate and different people will deal with this in different ways and they do all, at least, have something in common. There is usually some sort of greeting or handshake when people first meet.
Because people are different you would see this work in different ways. Some would circulate around the room meeting everyone they could, whilst others might just overhear something that’s said and then introduce themselves to the person who said it so that they can talk to them about it themselves. There will be those who only want to speak if someone else makes the first move and there will also be some who don’t really want to meet others they just came for the information they could gather.
Whilst this is happening new people are entering the room wondering what its all about and keen to learn from those already there. Inevitably a few who have been there a while leave because its not for them of they have decided to give up their hobby.
With the people already being in the room and enthusiastic about their interest, it would be natural for some of them to say hello to the new people and start talking to them too.
[size=4]So, in the real world….[/size]
Hopefully you can see by that scenario, there are similarities to the ‘virtual’ club that is Club Motorhome. The website provides that ‘room’ and you, the members, are the 'people’. Now because there isn’t a physical presence of people its easy to remain quiet and isolated behind a keyboard. You may even identify with a type of person in the scenario. Whatever type is absolutely fine, what’s important is that all are members and most are interested in what’s going on, but its not as easy to meet and get chatting….. or is it?
[size=4]It’s actually very easy - a handshake greeting with another member is just a ‘click’ away.[/size]
Every member has a ‘profile’ and these can be looked at by other members. These profiles provide some (some more than others) relevant information about the member themselves. You get to the profiles by clicking any members name that is highlighted on various parts of the website or you can look through a list of them in our membership list. Each profile has a button to ‘Request Connection’ by clicking that you are saying hello and offering a handshake just as you would to someone in the ‘room’.
[size=4]Key to the 'scenario'[/size]
room = club
interest or hobby = motorhoming
people = members
information on the walls = stopovers, classifieds, articles, reviews etc etc
people’s name tags = usernames
greeting or handshake = ‘Connection'
[size=4]What’s the difference between ‘Chat’ and the ‘Forums’ ?[/size]
Simply ‘Chat’ is just that, more one to one but others who are connected can join in whereas a ‘Forum’, to use the ‘room’ scenario is like someone standing up in front of everyone and saying what they want and then others standing up in the room and giving their individual answer or comment - while everyone else looks on.
Each type of communication has its own uses and both help to bring members together.
Now, in answer to the original questions....
[size=4]What is it?[/size]
The 'Chat' facility is a way for fellow members to make friends and communicate with others easily.
[size=4]How does it work?[/size]
Members simply 'connect' with each other - they use the feature to say 'Hi!' and offer a virtual handshake. Being connected allows them to communicate via the 'Chat' facility.
[size=4]Why have it?[/size]
The 'scenario' explains this :dry:
As more features are developed and added to this facility I will put together a more detailed guide as to how to use it and by then more members will be using it anyway.
In the meantime please just carry on and get connected with your fellow members B)
To explain this I've put together the following. I think it makes sense and I hope you do too.
[size=4]Scenario[/size]
A large number of people all enter the same room, because the room is especially for people with the same interest or hobby. Hardly any of them know each other so its basically a room full of strangers.
There is a lot of helpful information up on all the walls of the room and the people look around a lot of it gathering knowledge as they go. Some people stay doing that but many others congregate to the space in the middle of the room and stand around looking at each other, only knowing who each other is by the name tags they display.
Now if it stays like that it’s a bit like being at an awkward wedding!
hmy: But human nature being what it is people like to communicate and different people will deal with this in different ways and they do all, at least, have something in common. There is usually some sort of greeting or handshake when people first meet.Because people are different you would see this work in different ways. Some would circulate around the room meeting everyone they could, whilst others might just overhear something that’s said and then introduce themselves to the person who said it so that they can talk to them about it themselves. There will be those who only want to speak if someone else makes the first move and there will also be some who don’t really want to meet others they just came for the information they could gather.
Whilst this is happening new people are entering the room wondering what its all about and keen to learn from those already there. Inevitably a few who have been there a while leave because its not for them of they have decided to give up their hobby.
With the people already being in the room and enthusiastic about their interest, it would be natural for some of them to say hello to the new people and start talking to them too.
[size=4]So, in the real world….[/size]
Hopefully you can see by that scenario, there are similarities to the ‘virtual’ club that is Club Motorhome. The website provides that ‘room’ and you, the members, are the 'people’. Now because there isn’t a physical presence of people its easy to remain quiet and isolated behind a keyboard. You may even identify with a type of person in the scenario. Whatever type is absolutely fine, what’s important is that all are members and most are interested in what’s going on, but its not as easy to meet and get chatting….. or is it?
[size=4]It’s actually very easy - a handshake greeting with another member is just a ‘click’ away.[/size]
Every member has a ‘profile’ and these can be looked at by other members. These profiles provide some (some more than others) relevant information about the member themselves. You get to the profiles by clicking any members name that is highlighted on various parts of the website or you can look through a list of them in our membership list. Each profile has a button to ‘Request Connection’ by clicking that you are saying hello and offering a handshake just as you would to someone in the ‘room’.
[size=4]Key to the 'scenario'[/size]
room = club
interest or hobby = motorhoming
people = members
information on the walls = stopovers, classifieds, articles, reviews etc etc
people’s name tags = usernames
greeting or handshake = ‘Connection'
[size=4]What’s the difference between ‘Chat’ and the ‘Forums’ ?[/size]
Simply ‘Chat’ is just that, more one to one but others who are connected can join in whereas a ‘Forum’, to use the ‘room’ scenario is like someone standing up in front of everyone and saying what they want and then others standing up in the room and giving their individual answer or comment - while everyone else looks on.
Each type of communication has its own uses and both help to bring members together.
Now, in answer to the original questions....
[size=4]What is it?[/size]
The 'Chat' facility is a way for fellow members to make friends and communicate with others easily.
[size=4]How does it work?[/size]
Members simply 'connect' with each other - they use the feature to say 'Hi!' and offer a virtual handshake. Being connected allows them to communicate via the 'Chat' facility.
[size=4]Why have it?[/size]
The 'scenario' explains this :dry:
As more features are developed and added to this facility I will put together a more detailed guide as to how to use it and by then more members will be using it anyway.
In the meantime please just carry on and get connected with your fellow members B)
If it ain't broke..... Don't fix it!
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