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CK & AK
24-03-2005, 10:18 PM
Having seen the following answer to a question as to how many S4R's there were in the club:


Originally Posted by fatbloke
In UKMOC? 85 so far

I went on to answer:


"Is that people who ever use the site Terry tho? - as members - or guests?" (if guests, then they aint members?)

Having spent an idle few minutes looking into the members lists, there are many many people who have never posted.
Look closer at these same people, and they were 'last active' on the day they registered - and many of these 'registrations' are more than a year old - if not more than 2 years old.

There are a dozen or more that I can recall - having known them slightly - who dont now have a monster - and havent used this site since they sold their bike.

I know this has been a thorny subject on & off (innit GT from AGM 2 years ago?) - but any chance it could now be considered to do some 'spring cleaning' - and remove people from the members list? :eek:

The only criterion would be those who have got zero posts combined with the factor of whose last activity was in excess of more than 1 year?

This is the type of thing I mean:

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/member.php?u=1190

This one above, joined & has never posted or been back on forum since the day he registered. There is at least one like this per page (taken from a random selection of pages) that I have found.

In most other clubs (Ok, the UKMOC isnt 'most other clubs' - I know, I know!) you have to renew membership annually, but surely someone who hasnt used the boards & also never posted in 2 years, couldnt really be considered to be a member now?

At present, whilst giving a 'healthy' look to the number of members, this is not portraying an accurate account of numbers at all, and when you remove the aliases too.....

Your thoughts members?

C :)

fatbloke
24-03-2005, 10:36 PM
I agree in priciple Charlotte but some people who join just don't post but are active
in other ways.
In fact the member you have used in your example "S4Rthebest" although does no
t post has booked 2 places on the trackday for himself and his partner who rides an M1000.
But I agree some "members" register and never come back but its hard to know who.
On the other hand if we do have a small percetage of way ward members does it
really matter ?
After all they are using up no UKMOC resources ie web space is it worth the time
and effort to go on a which hunt for them?

Chappers
24-03-2005, 10:50 PM
I was just about to post a reply agreeing that we need a springclean but as Terry's just pointed out that that chappy and his missus have booked up for the trackday...well I'm not so sure now as it would be a shame to have lost that member had he have been blocked ie. he may not of been bothered to have to re-register as a member and start all over again and then thought sod it and didn't bother booking the trackday.

Do you get what I mean? :confused:

(I've got verbal diarrhoea tonight - excuse the poorly worded post :o )

marchesini
25-03-2005, 12:07 AM
After all they are using up no UKMOC resources ie web space is it worth the time and effort to go on a which hunt for them?

I totally agree - live and let live. Some may be really shy and don't like to post but if they glean even one ounce of information from 'lurking' then that's got to be worth something. I was a member years ago but only posted on the forum perhaps 12 (ish) months ago - does that mean I would have been kicked off because I didn't post?

And really I don't know who "S4Rthebest" actually is (and I take it that you don't either), if he/she is a 'lurker', what impression would this post give to him and other quiet members. I'm sure you can make your point without dragging innocent parties into it who have done nothing wrong other than not to post any questions. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and speak on a public forum and I don't see why they should be made to post - stand up for the little man I say.

Now apologies in advance if the activity monitor works differently to how I think -does it show when you last visited or when you last posted? Sometimes, when I log in from other computers, I don't sign in because I just want to read and then it wouldn't show that I had visited - maybe that's what a lot of other non-posters do. Perhaps some joined and then didn't like it. Yes, perhaps a renewal reply e-mail on an annual basis would trim the chaff but again, someone would have to do this and this is a totally free forum with no membership fees and no red tape - which I think is one of the most endearing things about this place.

Best regards all (including the lurkers)

simon

Banshee
25-03-2005, 12:09 AM
Oh a hard one.... At the end of the day it is a forum.. I say kick em out, and if they want to stay they can post "hello" in test area once a year... :rolleyes:

marchesini
25-03-2005, 12:26 AM
Oh a hard one.... At the end of the day it is a forum.. I say kick em out, and if they want to stay they can post "hello" in test area once a year... :rolleyes:

Is the criteria for being here that you have to post. Surely not? I'm sure some come for the technical advice and get their bike fixed or look for recommendations on dealers or workshops or to get custom ideas for their bike. Even though many (including myself from time to time) like to have a bit of banter, many aren't interested in talking boll ocks - should they be excluded aswell?

best regards

simon

BoozyBOB
25-03-2005, 12:28 AM
I'm with Simon on this one..(and el Tel)..
we all know who rides and who posts..some of my Hants rides have had 'members' join in but they dont post ...they view the forum for info and if they have a Sunday free they can join a ride or just drop in to the meet point and say hello...

BoozyBOB
25-03-2005, 12:30 AM
oops..posted at the same time as Simon....
...and we think the same...

CK & AK
25-03-2005, 08:53 AM
Ok, Simon & Boozy, I do see where you are coming from :) equally so, there are, as FB says, people who go to the trackday who are not users of here (well, not publicly)
Terry, I wasn't saying to have a 'witch hunt' :rolleyes: but merely to tidy up the figures - to give a more accurate number in the club. As you say, the club is a web-based one, not operated by any other means (eg payment etc) - but surely this forum should reflect a reasonably accurate figure? :confused:

To return:

However,there ARE people registered on this site, who do not use it, who dont have a monster any more.
Also for example:3 people who I meet on an occasional basis admit to having re-registered with a different name, different ISP too when they had been 'lapsed' for a while.
Some have purely registered to sell an item.
Some have registered to ask a few questions about monsters prior to a possible purchase - and then not got one :(

I do think that it is a fallacy to publish incorrect figures for membership, based purely on the amount of people who have registered since the forum went live in August 2002.

C, waiting to be shot down in flames again, :rolleyes:

Didge
25-03-2005, 09:08 AM
Well Charlotte, I agree with you up to a point. As time goes on, there will be more and more people who are no longer members, for whatever reason.
There are many for instance, who eventually get fed up with a particular bike, and want to change.
I for one, would not insist that anyone has to be active on the forum,(each to his/her own), but CK does have a point. Where will the cut-off be for those that have dropped out? How many ex-members will there be in 2-5 or 7 years time?
Maybe some sort of system where a member is sent an e-mail after say 2 years inactivity, just to confirm that they are still members?
There will come a time in the future, when something will have to be done about it I believe, and it must be the same for any type of club.

queen_gpants
25-03-2005, 09:23 AM
When I was the manager of the London Bikers once a year I would have a "spring clean" - I would get together with the moderators and we would go through the membership list making a list of people who hadn't posted in the last 6 months. We would drop them an email asking them if they wanted to stay on the forum or be removed, we gave them 14 days to reply.

Quite often we found that the email address was no longer valid, people who had registered and forgotten their log in details would start using the forum again.

It's a bit time consuming but at the end, the members list gets tidied up, we get a true membership figure.

Didge
25-03-2005, 09:27 AM
My point exactly Celeste.

A Yerbury
25-03-2005, 09:40 AM
I really dont see the point in a spring clean? and why do we need accurate figures? surely if the site wants sponsorship "eyeballs on monitors" numbers or leverage with the gangsters...sorry Olympian Gods at Ducati then a higher number is better even if skewed? in any case all figures are skewed to a point and the trick is to skew them in ones favour. "welcome to the ukmoc" active members...a bit less than a hundred!" The really splendid features of this club are its knockabout ding dong manner, lack of fees and on the whole a very "live and let live" attitude. After the recent furore (cabin fever mainly) I did have a look at a few other forums but they were pretty dry...and had teeny avatars....oh and Berto was on one of them...the tit.
Alex.
ps. feel free to spread some of my post count amongst the invisibles, they need it more than me, in fact a weeks disqualification like upstart Richard_S would bring it down to zero again!

Richard_S
25-03-2005, 09:57 AM
upstart? you little monkey!

Personally I can't see the problem but as this topic keeps rearing its ugly head perhaps it would be best to put it to bed, thus satisfying the few who need to know exactly how many people use this place.
I prefer to concern myself with other things but hey whatever. It doesn’t really matter either way.

Paranoid Dave
25-03-2005, 11:25 AM
Such a hard one this, One one hand I back CK and say that a tidy up is a good idea, it'd be good to see some accuracy in the figures to know how big and far reaching the club is. On the other hand I can see Terry and others point of view.
Saying that names should be removed when the bike is sold is wrong as on other sites built for single meakes of bikes, the friends you make are still friends regardless of what you ride and you keep posting because of that. And when we have members who log on and never owned a monster like Zimbo, Brolly Dolly or Fodder then why should they be allowed to stay when someone who has sold up be booted? Can you really see a good reason for waving goodbye to Overipe and Keen, or Billy Bigwheels.
What this could need is a compromise between the two, at the moment a user of this site is either a member or a user, can we not get a better clarification between the two so the MEMBERS are counted and the users are not. Maybe those who sell will be users just like those who want but never get round to buying one surely are. If you were to send a yearly mail out to people who have not visited the site in that time, rather than boot them they could just have Member status turned to User, and on return be asked the question do they still own... and if so back to Member they become. I'm no computer whizz so I dont know how hard any of this would be but it would make it a lot clearer as we could see 1500 people on the site but know 400 are MEMBERS. Why not some change of colour to their name surround too, not to discriminate but again it would make it so much clearer for Reps to see when searching their counties lists of names to see who could be contacted for a Ride etc.

What you think???

PD :D

Didge
25-03-2005, 12:12 PM
PD, you may have got the wrong idea about what I was saying.
I was suggesting that every 2 years the inactive ones were contacted by email to see if they still wanted to stay on or not.
Nothing to do with owning a Monster, it's just that some people DO lose interest after a while for whatever reason.
Maybe I should have made that a bit clearer.

Elmo
25-03-2005, 05:17 PM
Zimbo now owns a monster my old M900 :)

A Yerbury
25-03-2005, 05:22 PM
maybe we should all have membership badges? more email notifications? a newsletter? an honourary membership scheme? bigger spareshack discounts for the highest post count....I could go on, and I would! but my legs have just fallen off......
bye.
ps well done zimbo, If you get stuck I have a very fine manual to help you out a bit, I am a handy little monkey with allens keys.

Fodder
25-03-2005, 05:34 PM
Damn!! no one told me you needed to own a monster. That was kept quiet at the dozens of events and rideouts I have attended. I have slept on peoples floors, people have slept on mine, dined with them and got pissed with them in my few years here and not once did someone point out that I was riding the wrong bike!!! :D

CK & AK
25-03-2005, 06:16 PM
you prune Fodder!! :D

Its just that having been told that this club has the largest amount of members in a single marque club, & the fact constantly bandied about, I do think the figures should be reasonably accurate.

Alex - we dont need prizes/badges etc, you twit :p - all I was asking for, was as I have written in the last sentance above.

Otherwise, as Didge concurrs, maybe in 2007 we could have 5000+ members on the list.
This could actually be realised down to 200, or maybe 2000+/- IF those who had 'left the fold' for what ever reason were deleted.

C, still peering over the top of the parapet :D

Collie_dog
25-03-2005, 06:44 PM
Well if you want to start getting really selective, remeber this is the UK Moc, so maybe all of us over seas chaps should bugger off as well :eek: unless we form our own fraction the World Wide MOC....ahhh i can see the stickers and t-shirts now!!!! But i guess the weekend meeting for a cup of tea would be a bit of a logistical nightmare!!!

Vive la UKMOC,
Vive la Monster

But everyone else can naff off :D :rolleyes:

Didge
26-03-2005, 12:23 AM
Well if you want to start getting really selective, remeber this is the UK Moc, so maybe all of us over seas chaps should bugger off as well :eek: unless we form our own fraction the World Wide MOC....ahhh i can see the stickers and t-shirts now!!!! But i guess the weekend meeting for a cup of tea would be a bit of a logistical nightmare!!!

Vive la UKMOC,
Vive la Monster

But everyone else can naff off :D :rolleyes:

OOOOH! 'Ark at her. Buggers off to Vegas, swanning around in her own swimming pool like a Hollywood starlet with 'Fodding' Fods, then gets all hoity toity.
Well just remember this my jiggling little strumpet, we will be at the Weekender, and you won't. So stick that in yer pseudo-Yank wrong side of the road lifestyle.

P.S. Tell Fods to rub some cream on his head, it's looking a bit burnt.

james t
26-03-2005, 03:06 PM
Personally speaking I don't really care how many members there are "In the club".

What matters to me is the members I have met and will meet in the future.

The ability to look at the forums and decide where to go or not to go.

To be able to join in with the banter or not.

To find out any useful facts about Monsters.

And to feel included and informed about the things that are going on in my county or any other county. (Thanks to my Rep)

I also feel sure that if (God forbid) I ever sold my Monster and bought something else I would also be welome to go to any ride-out with my mates from UKMOK.

The moral of this story?

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Regards James t.

nik_the_brief
26-03-2005, 04:13 PM
Personally speaking I don't really care how many members there are "In the club".

What matters to me is the members I have met and will meet in the future.

The ability to look at the forums and decide where to go or not to go.

To be able to join in with the banter or not.

To find out any useful facts about Monsters.

And to feel included and informed about the things that are going on in my county or any other county. (Thanks to my Rep)

I also feel sure that if (God forbid) I ever sold my Monster and bought something else I would also be welome to go to any ride-out with my mates from UKMOK.

The moral of this story?

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Regards James t.

I couldn't agree more nor could I have put it any better (although perhaps I'd have been a trifle more long-winded!).

MistaMonsta
26-03-2005, 06:46 PM
Have to agree with Nick and James here. All this "how many members", "who's a legitimate member" etc doesn't really matter. What does matter is when the job of running the site becomes difficult for whoever gives up their time/resources to keep it alive. Housekeeping can be more trouble than it's worth!

I just paid a visit to my old mates in the SV forum (www.sv650.org). They have 3,387 members listed :eek: Not all post (I didn't for ages). To make Yerbs feel better; someone has posted 11,535 times since Sep 03 :eek: :eek: and someone posted 8,149 times since June 04. They go through the same sort of discussions/rants/arguments (don't mention tyres!!). But one hell of a good community, especially useful as so many SV riders are new to bikes. I also think the word "club" often has different meanings to different people: are you "in" or "out"? Can put somepeople off. UKMOC and SV650.org are very much the same. So my advice would be to keep it all as open and helpful as possible with as few rules as possible.

Maybe Terry Fatbloke, John Tapley at sv650.org and other bike site administrators should have a get together sometime to have a collective whinge about their "pain in the ar*e members". All websites shut for the day so their members/users realise how much they appreciate them.

Ian

S4 MAD
27-03-2005, 09:18 PM
i agree with james, i thought enjoying a good bimble a bite
to eat and a good time out with friends was the genral idea
behind the the club.
PEOPLE stop grumbling and look forwards to a lovely hot summer for bikeing .fingers crossed. ;) ;)

gary tompkins
28-03-2005, 12:23 PM
Got shouted down on this one last time - so I'm saying nowt more :p

Paranoid Dave
28-03-2005, 01:30 PM
I think I speak for us all when I say we do appreciate the hard work put in to keep this club and forum going, when it's been 'down' before the day just doesn't seem the same.
yes seeing thousands of registered names on the list can only be good for publicity and bargaining tools with Ducati, but it would still be nice to know how many monster owners there are in this country signed onto this board?

Don't get me wrong having members without monsters and those with but from overseas is a great benefit to us as a means of comparison and to unite the biking world. But theres still that little niggle in the back of my head that says "I wonder how many of them...."

CK - is there room for two in your parapet? ;)

CK & AK
28-03-2005, 06:17 PM
PD - room for a couple or so :D .
I think a few have got the wrong end of a stick on this, as there is def no complaining from me about the club/meets etc (looks at yesterdays meet for example, and the dozen or so impromptu ones I've been at since the start of the year)

- its merely the accuracy of figure keeping I have a problem with :rolleyes:

If I had more time for anoraking, I'd go & check out the 'last date logged in for each user' but it might take a while :rolleyes:

C :)

GT? - shush :p

Collie_dog
28-03-2005, 06:59 PM
Well just remember this my jiggling little strumpet, we will be at the Weekender, and you won't.

Ahhh but my darling Didge, while you will be getting soggy on the ride up to the mill, i will be sitting with Pootle under a palm tree supping a cold beer and proposing a toast to the Monsters back home :rolleyes: :D

fatbloke
28-03-2005, 07:10 PM
Ahhh but my darling Didge, while you will be getting soggy on the ride up to the mill, i will be sitting with Pootle under a palm tree supping a cold beer and proposing a toast to the Monsters back home :rolleyes: :D
Ahhh but my darling Jiggles ON YOUR OWN!!

Collie_dog
28-03-2005, 07:38 PM
I will be with one other monster a yellow 600 (whos owned by another ex-brit) so it may be a small gathering, but it's still a gathering none the less!!!

So who's going to set up a webcam in the bar, so i can join in from over here? Or would that be so i can keep an eye on everyone?!!!! :eek:

gary tompkins
28-03-2005, 09:41 PM
I'm sure we can rig Didge up with a trouser-cam, so you don't miss out on the hotel bars evening entertainment :twisted:

Albie
28-03-2005, 09:45 PM
I'm sure we can rig Didge up with a trouser-cam, so you don't miss out on the hotel bars evening entertainment :twisted:
Is this the cam your using for ride outs. Wont tell Simon then. What you gonna mount it on then :eek: :eek: :D

Collie_dog
28-03-2005, 09:46 PM
That's just nasty, and i'm sure we all saw too much of Didges' thong last year!!!

Didge
28-03-2005, 10:18 PM
Is this the cam your using for ride outs. Wont tell Simon then. What you gonna mount it on then :eek: :eek: :D

Albie, what ever Gary means to mount it on, I hope it's got at least two anti-clag charcoal filters, because I don't reckon Simon will be too pleased at cleaning out his cam-corder by hand and utilizing the odd cotton bud.

gary tompkins
30-03-2005, 07:46 PM
I was thinking more along the lines of a hospital endoscope? Only it would have to have a very long remote operating lead, as I'm planning on being a safe distance away - maybe the hotel carpark? :lol:

Nonnie
30-03-2005, 08:31 PM
You know the more I hear about Mr Didge and his amazing colon activities, the more I think "Sheesh, did I really shell out £140 for a t-shirt, a couple of ride outs and a buffet?" :D

Collie_dog
30-03-2005, 08:41 PM
Nooo the $140 (sorry don't have pound sign) also covers you in the event of Didgeification, if you get trapped in the corner of a bar with the aforementioned Didge and he has a case of rectal prolapse, we are able to send in a highly qualified team of recovery experts, to recover you and any other parties. The service includes a big fan to blow the marsh gas in the opposite direction, a newspaper in which to waft the residual discharge, a bottle of pure oxygen to recover the nasel cavaties and a brown paper bag to throw up in if the rectal flakes are above EU standard.

Hope this soothes any doubts about the weekend!!! :D

Nonnie
30-03-2005, 08:56 PM
Is there a correct answer here? :confused:

It's good to know there is a back up crew on hand though.

Didge
30-03-2005, 09:44 PM
Nooo the $140 (sorry don't have pound sign) also covers you in the event of Didgeification, :D
Didgeification is like defacation, but gone nuclear. There is the initial blast and heat wave, then comes the fall-out.

if you get trapped in the corner of a bar with the aforementioned Didge :D
And you probably will, because Collie was my 2004 victim, but she's now left the country, so I'll be on the look-out for someone to replace her, and you know what? I think Nonnie sounds like she'll be a very good replacement.

and a brown paper bag to throw up in if the rectal flakes are above EU standard.:D
I don't wish to boast, but it goes without saying................

Hope this soothes any doubts about the weekend!!! :D
I'm sure she can hardly wait.

Nonnie
30-03-2005, 09:56 PM
Jesus H Christ. Collie allow me to pay for your flight to the UK, hell, I'll even let you have my room.

Didge
30-03-2005, 10:01 PM
Jesus H Christ. Collie allow me to pay for your flight to the UK, hell, I'll even let you have my room.

See! She's really excited about it, aren't you Nonnie? I'm SOOOOO looking forward to stinki.......er...I mean, meeting you.

Collie_dog
30-03-2005, 10:27 PM
I was almost tempted there Nonnie, but i'm still in recovery from last year, and i feel that Didge is on the look out for a new victi...i..i mean friend of course!!! :D

grunter
30-03-2005, 10:41 PM
£ :d :d

Collie_dog
31-03-2005, 01:54 AM
£ :d :d

Ahhh it's like going home again!! :rolleyes: