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Access to the Boat Buzz

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Don Ayers
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Access to the Boat Buzz

Post by Don Ayers » Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:03 pm

All CCABC members: (those who bother to log in as you are the only ones who will see this message)

I would like to put a question out to the membership in particular those that frequent the Buzz.

As you are aware the CCABC has many membership benefits both physical and electronic.

While many (dare I say most) enjoy the Brass Bell that is not our only membership benefit and I think a lot of people would agree that the Boat Buzz is a major asset to members.

That being said most are aware that you do not have to be a member of the Club to access the Buzz and read all the great information and pictures our members post about.

The question becomes, how can we better leverage this great benefit to ensure our continued growth and expansion of benefits????

One thing that I would like for membership to consider is the fact that anyone can access the Buzz without being a member.

I've never heard of anyone wanting to close down public access but there is an option that few know about.

What I'm talking about is the ability to limit the access to posted pictures to non-members. It is simple as checking a box. The idea here is that many non-members might visit the Buzz and see all the valuable talk but also want full access to see pictures and post. This would entice them to join up.

Yes, there is only one downside to this option and that is all the members who visit the Buzz and never log in would not see pics. All anyone has to do (and should anyway) is to log in.

Thoughts???
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Don Ayers
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Post by tuobanur » Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:19 pm

I agree that as a member we should have a few more options (benefits) than non-members and it could give the non-members incentives to join which would definitely be good for the club.
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Post by Jim Bell » Mon Oct 15, 2012 3:57 pm

Don, We are definitely on the same page here. :wink:

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Post by JohnKadimik » Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:08 pm

No $, No Buzz.

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Post by Horstuff » Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:16 pm

I have always thought the site below was pretty smart about how they handle this issue...

If you come in from Google or wherever after asking a question, you see the initial info related to your search at the top, but then they put a whole bunch of "join us" stuff in.

It *appears* as if you have to join to get the answer you want, but a little known secret is if you scroll allll the way to the bottom, you can see the entire thread.

Seems to be a good balance between giving everything away and locking people out completely.

Example, as if you were searching for info about Microsoft SQL 2005 in Google:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Microso ... 64739.html
1948 27' Super DeLuxe Enclosed Cruiser

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Horstuff
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Post by Horstuff » Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:21 pm

btw, just noticed something about that site... if you click the link directly, it does not show the answers at bottom of page. You have to enter via Google or any other search engine (which is all we really care about anyway). Either way, they don't get sumtin for nutin.
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Post by jfischer » Mon Oct 15, 2012 8:03 pm

I was surfing the site last night and noticed that my account was expired. That said, I was still able to post over the past month or so without renewing my membership (believe me, it was not intentional). Rest assured, I renewed last night and I'm good for another year.

I wonder how many others are simply unaware their membership has lapsed. Is there a way to put a reminder setting into the system? I know it won't help grow membership but might at least make sure the club gets what it should from those of us who want to be here.
John "In the Dog House" Fischer
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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:12 pm

Thanks for renewing John.

Our website attracts a large number of our new members. I have to wonder how many of them may be influenced to join based on what they may see when they visit Boat Buzz. They can't participate in discussions unless they join.

On the other hand, it appears that once a member has registered for Boat Buzz, that member doesn't expire from it if they fail to renew their Club membership. We certainly need to look closer at this and coordinate it with the member's expiration date.

As for renewal notices, we have been sending them by email and by inserting notices in with The Brass Bell in an attempt to avoid the cost of printing and postage. We're new at this and are learning by trial & error. There certainly is much room for improvement in our efforts to notify members to renew on time.
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Post by jfischer » Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:16 pm

For what it's worth Al, I joined a year ago solely on what the Buzz has to offer. It has been well worth the membership! Thanks to all who help keep this going!
John "In the Dog House" Fischer
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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:52 pm

John, that's good to know. Now the question remains; Would limiting access to posted photos by visitors present a better incentive for them to join? Could it backfire? Would a visitor be more likely or less likely to join if they lacked the ability to view the photos until they are one of us?

Our Archives are set up this way; a visitor can browse through our collections but can not view the pages in hi-res, downloadable, printable versions until they join.

Oh, while it's on my mind; Classic Boat Wiki is back online. Check it out!
Al
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parroteyes
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Post by parroteyes » Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:59 am

I think Buzz is the premier recruiting tool.

My first thought is leave it alone. Above suggestion to limit photo access is desireable only if there is a need to do something.
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Post by John Justice » Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:09 am

I feel that making information and pictures available to anyone interested is promoting our best interest.

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Post by NOT Firewood » Tue Oct 16, 2012 5:20 pm

I feel that a system that allows more access as a person pays more might work. Such as $5y to read the buzz, $10y to read and reply and so on. The executive will have access to the numbers of how many site vistes per day and if this will create more revenue. You could have a newbie section that allows access for x time to get them hooked.:D

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Post by Horstuff » Tue Oct 16, 2012 5:37 pm

I signed up because I had questions which needed answers, and I could see this was the best place by far to get those answers.

Same thing happened when I joined the IT site I mentioned above, btw.

Bobby
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Post by dreed » Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:07 pm

You get what you pay for in life. No pay, no see. No more free rides. Just my opinion.
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Don Ayers
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Post by Don Ayers » Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:54 pm

Appreciate everyone's response. Keep them coming.

It is a fact that the Buzz is a free ride for many.

I can see both sides. Perhaps we can find a compromise
Don Ayers
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Post by parroteyes » Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:37 am

I remain in favor of "I it ain't broke .....", but a possible compromise:

Make all visitors log in either as members or visitors.

Send visitors to a " we are really cool, join us screen" before they can view the rest.

(May be it is already that way. I am auto logged in from all my devces so never see what strangers see. Also, some "visitors" may be unlogged in members.
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Don Ayers
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Post by Don Ayers » Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:53 am

Currently there is no marketing done to non-members on the Buzz or our home page.

Anyone can come to this site and view everything (except Club business section).

Your idea of a pop up is not bad but I have no idea the work to execute that from a programming side of things.

The first thing we are planning is a full upgrade to this discussion board. The software version we are running on is 2005. This means we have not updated the software since then and there are many new version with added features we do not have.

I run the Rivaforum.org site and it is set up so that non-members can't see pics. So far that has worked well because all you have to do it log in and you see all.

The value of this Discussion Board and all the information contained here is WAY Undervalued. People learn more here than they ever will in getting Brass Bells. The Bell is entertainment, the Buzz is knowledge and community.

We are giving away our most prized asset that has huge value to those who know about it.

let's continue the discussion

Thanks
Don Ayers
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Don Ayers
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Post by Don Ayers » Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:00 am

Also;

You will notice that I posted this under the Club Business section. You have to be a member AND log in to see this section.

So far only 183 views. This is a problem as a vast majority of our members are not logging in to look at the Buzz. I find that a serious issue from a communication standpoint.

The BOD can and will have serious information to post for the benefit of members.

Those who are not in the habit (because they never have to) of logging in miss valuable information about the Club, what's going on and their benefits.

Flipping the switch on the pics will cause many to log in in the future and that IMHO is a good thing.

Also, there should be no complaining about having to log in. All you have to do it have the browser remember the password and you will auto log in every time. I mean really, surely we can teach people how to do that if they complain.
Don Ayers
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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:34 am

Don, all excellent thoughts.

Unless you are logged in you are a "Visitor" on Boat Buzz, even if you are a member. If you want to leave a post you must then log in. For example, now there are 25 users but only 6 of them are logged in. The other 19 may be members but are simply not logged in. Some of them may not be members. Odds are that some of them are non-members.

Woody Boater provides a "feed" to Boat Buzz that non-members can take advantage of and see what we are about. If we change Boat Buzz so that only "logged-in members" can see it, this link would serve no purpose and would go away. That "Link" is great and I would not want it to go away.

It would be interesting to know just how effective having Boat Buzz viewable to visitors has been to attracting members such as Horstuff.

As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words". It's possible that we could have the best of both worlds by requiring even members to log in to see the pictures. As Don mentioned we can help them with getting logged in. If they're logged in they will be encouraged to participate.

The other "world" is that non-members would be encouraged to join in order to see the full picture of what Boat Buzz is all about.

Any other thoughts???
Al
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Post by Al Benton » Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:42 am

Another thought is to provide other topic areas that is limited to "Members Only" similar to the current CCABC Business area (this one). Have them visible on the "Forum Index" but not accessible unless you are a logged in member. The curious visitor may just join to see what we're talking about.
Al
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Horstuff
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Post by Horstuff » Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:57 pm

Al,

When I bought my boat, I had many questions. In a Google search, I could see that the CCABC site was by far the definitive place to go for answers. Therein lies the rub… if I wanted answers to MY questions about MY boat, I had to join.

Unless we do something like people have suggested here (lots of good suggestions), I think the problem may take care of itself. Think about it… anybody who finds this site that DOESN’T have a need for specific answers to their own questions probably wouldn’t be much of a contributor anyway, and they may not even be willing to plunk down the fee. That’s what did it for me… I found this site in a G search, I could tell it was the definitive place for info about my boat, and I had many questions needing answers.

I think most actual CC owners are more inclined to pay the fee to get the specific answers they need, rather than to search through pages and pages of previous articles only to still be unclear regarding answers to their specific situations.
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Post by parroteyes » Wed Oct 24, 2012 3:01 pm

I'll bet nearly all members come from being attracred to buzz, so I'd be careful of screwing up our main recruitment tool.

It does not bother me that some are getting a lot of value for nothing. It doesn't cost us anything to give it to them. (More accurately, we will not save anything by shutting them out.)

The only issue is how to get and keep members.

Seems we ought to at least ask free riders to join.
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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:04 pm

You guys are probably right.

Here's something that I haven't done in a few years now; Boat Buzz Stats:

4,891 Total Members - That's 1,683 more than Active Club Members today and not all current members have activated their Online Membership.
3,438 No Posts
741 Only One Post
280 With 5 to 9 posts
212 With 10 to 24 Posts
90 With 25 to 49 Posts
47 With 50 to 99 Posts
77 With 100 to 999 Posts
6 With 1,000 or more Posts

Not sure what this shows except that less than 10% of the Boat Buzz members might be considered as true users. (I admit; I was an addict with 3,348 posts).

My hope is that we can spark more interest from our Active Membership to participate here on the Buzz. It's one of our Online Benefits that could and should be useful for communicating more than we do. Those of us that use it regularly love what we do. How do we make it even more useful and popular for the rest (majority) of us?
Al
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Post by Captain Nemo » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:22 pm

I don't think blocking the Buzz will accomplish anything. It seems to me a good hook for possible new members, it was for me. :)
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Post by Peter M Jardine » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:46 pm

For the most part, social media has gained ground based on inclusivity, and the fact that it's free. Advertising on the site pays for the network itself, and there are many ways to generate revenue when you have a lot of followers.

One thing I would encourage is for paid members to make sure they post threads, with pictures, with resource contacts. This is the reason people will come here, and if there is a lot of activity on the site, there is more reason to join.

The internet is like a restaurant, a sports arena or a store.... if a crowd starts to gather, everyone else wonders what's happening, and wanders over.
On the net, more people=success.

The sell on this site is to try and get as many partners in the vintage (and modern!!!!) Chris Craft boat business and hobby to participate.... whether as an advertiser, poster, etc.

How about making a section where an expert in a given field does a thread.... for instant, Dave Van Ness doing a thread on vintage engine rebuilding, only available to paid members... or an expert refinisher doing the same. It would advertise that business, while creating an exclusive benefit for members. Win win.

It's important for this site to become THE authority and meeting place for Chris craft owners, but also for other vintage brands. The more people who frequent this site provides more opportunity for advertisers, club merchandise, paid members.. well you know that. The problem is time.... building a website monetarily takes somebodys time... but all the requirements for success are already here.

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Post by Peter M Jardine » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:58 pm

One last thing, and this might be controversial :shock:

Forget about publishing a paper based newsletter. It's expensive, and you can't compete for advertising against the mainstream magazines. I like the Brass Bell, but it's a loser from a profit standpoint...moving to a web based Brass bell would be the answer, only available to members, and the possibilities for advertising on a web based magazine is quite a bit wider. You can sell traditional style print advertising, web links, interactive video advertising... there is enough possibilities that you could hire someone to seek out advertisers and build the web mag.

You can archive the Brass Bells online, and people can access it immediately... immediacy is one of the big lures of online shopping and information. Pay the money, boom, you're in.

Just my .02
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Horstuff
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Post by Horstuff » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:58 pm

Along the lines of what Peter just said as far as internet relevance…

As I mentioned in an earlier post, an IT site which always came up high in Google results is expertsexchange.com (I know, looks like expert sex change). Upon entering the site, it looked as if I couldn’t see the answer to the question I had searched with, but it was there, all the way at the bottom. The middle of the page was lots of “Sign Up” “Were great”

I signed up on that for the same reason I signed up here… since that site ALWAYS seemed to contain the answer I sought, I joined so I could ask questions myself.

Having said that, our efforts may be best applied to making sure that we are ALWAYS at the top of search results for CC questions. How to do that can and does fill thousands of books, but if we are not thinking about that, we should be.

The more people we get coming in (whether we entice them with methods like the site I listed above or otherwise), the more people will sign up. There can be no doubt that an actual CC owner won’t have their own questions to ask…. Therefore they will sign up sooner rather than later after discovering us.

Bobby
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Membership bennys

Post by doubleboater » Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:29 pm

When i bought my boat i wanted no needed, a place i could look at and ask questions i still havent finished my boat(5yrs) but i have learned a lot. I mostly look at boat buzz but i do use the archive,hull regs,etc. Woody boater is a great site with great stories and some nice photos but i cant get any technical questions answered ( except where to buy the correct zippers lol ) i also enjoy getting a printed brass bell c ause reading and typing on a smartphone isnt always easy ......keep it the way it is unless were losing LOTS of money thanks

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Re: Access to the Boat Buzz

Post by whamm511 » Fri May 17, 2013 11:10 pm

Okay, I bet I'm not alone in this. Joined in July of 2011. Didn't know I had to log on to post in Boat Buzz. Didn't know I had to register as an online user. Don't know if I am a registered online user.

II have tried several times to post pictures from my iPhone and have never been successful. There ought to be an App available to solve these problems with access etc. The trend is for Internet access to be via smartphones so we ought to on board with that.

We shouldn't limit access to Boat Buzz because it's our best recruitment tool. Access to pictures as an incentive....Okay, but there'd better be an instant join button (redirect). We're Great, Join Us hoopla?....better idea. I think any nonmember visitor to BB ought to be sent an automatic "Thanks for visiting BB, Click Here to join CCABC" reply.

Last idea; Any member that visits anywhere on CCABC ought to be automatically logged on. We should always be able to know how many non-member visitors we have at any one time. Automatic login of members would give us this information.

One other thing; Where's the Constellation Enthusiasts Group? It's not on the list. I've requested to join quite some time ago and not heard anything.

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