Monoposto Racing Forum

I'm aware of the horrible task of maintaining a club website, and I know Stephen works hard to keep it all going, but I thought we could steal some stuff from the ARP/BRSCC/Club F3 website to make ours a little more... personal.

1. Registered drivers - with a little tiny graphic of the car livery/colour, and a few details about them. Perhaps they could be user submitted, although the vast variety of cars might make pictures too much work. e.g. http://www.clubf3.co.uk/drivers.htm

2. Contact details for some of the people on the committee page, if, of course, they are happy to have them divulged. e.g. http://www.clubf3.co.uk/contacts.htm

3. I've run out of ideas, but having just too looked silly, so this one is just to pad it out a bit.

I've just read Tristans suggestions and Stephen's reply.
Whilst I don't want my details, so to speak, spread all over the internet, I had a look at the F3 site following the Tristan link.
The 2009 driver table in there has only one entry at the moment with the driver to be confirmed but my first reaction was good.
Their table shows 7 columns.
Column 1 is the class entered. 2, I assume is a small car picture which might be difficult. Perhaps not. Column 3 is the race number. 4 is the drivers name. 5 is the entrants name. 6 is the chassis type. 7 is the engine type.
No telephone numbers or other information.

If we had a similiar table in the Mono site it might be handy for outside viewers. Particularly if we had an additional column giving chassis age. If more people realised that you don't need an almost new chassis to compete we might get a few more entries.
It would also be nice for the current members. If the table was updated when either an existing or new member subscribed.
The story would build up week after week until Snetterton but we could see before that who's coming out to play this year and in what.
I think it would be relatively easy to input, with the possible exception of the car picture and once in would only require updating for new members or for the next year. Even then not much work as the majority of us keep the same number and most the same car.

Stephen

Although it has to be confirmed most of the info is there already.
I know i'm in Mono 1600 and since I swapped numbers with you am 16. My car is a Reynard.
You're now 66 in a Speeds etc. If that's what you're doing this year.
But Simon gets the data when people rejoin the club. It's a simple excel spreadsheet other than the car photograph.
I think it would be worth doing.

Can be build up from the entry lists and race results, as well as known competing memberships in the club's files. The pictures are a little tricky, as we can't just colour in a generic Dallara picture, what with 95% of members having cars of very different sizes and shapes. But maybe that's not important - three or four 'versions' of the generic picture, for the different vague styles of car might be enough - could help the interested individual track down a driver they like in the Gallery without too much hassle (but do people actually do this?)

The club will know who is driving, what their number is, what their current car and engine is, and gleaming entrant isn't difficult either where applicable (see race entries).

I do understand that it's additional work, and that it probably wouldn't all be compiled in a day, but having the space for it, and adding some as we go along. The changes between each year are smaller, so it's not much work between seasons.

Anyway, it was just a thought, rather than an absolute request.

I think its a good idea...Tristan!

Stephen, If you need a hand with any of the website stuff, I am more than happy to help.

Is a 7 column table as described not just duplication of existing data in the form of entry lists which Stephen already posts before each event?

What you can't see from the F3 site is that, when operational, you are meant to be able to drill down into a whole host of driver details - years racing, favourite circuit, wins...the usual stuff. Effectively a commentary form online. Problem with it is, as Stephen has already alluded to, if the majority of drivers don't do it it becomes a detraction rather than a benefit. The CF3 site last year had approximately 5 profiles filled out from probably 30 entries. I can't see Mono being any better for a number of reasons, not least people don't like filling those things out and having them posted on the net.

All for making the show better and utilising any means to raise the profile of the Mono club and its competitors, just not sure this will actually achieve it and there is nothing more annoying than a website that appears out of date of incomplete.

Mark, it is a form of duplication, but instead of showing only those entered for a particular meeting it would show all registered for the championship. I don't think the second layer of information - years racing, favourite circuit is important at all, because as you say it'll never be updated, and only a few profiles would bother with it.

But I like the snazzy list CF3.co.uk has for the drivers, and have used it before when reading race reports or looking at the galleries to work out who is who (I'm not au fait with the participants of BRSCC F3 yet!)

A small biography wouldn't be difficult and doesn't need to contain any specific personal details - Name, Town, Car, class, race number etc which are all published in the race programme and a few details - any well known first owners of the car, first event, best event, things like that and a few easy stats. Makes things look a bit more personal and open.

Its also worthwhile filling in the commentator sheets as often they are stuck for words and have to pad things out and those that do fill out the sheets get a lot more airtime than those that do not!

Sorry chaps I don't share your enthusiasm for this project.

Viewed from the club perspective it will not be productive to have competitor's lists only composed out of those who are IT enthusiasts, remember that some competitors are not computer literate. The alternative is for someone (a director?) to spend an appreciable amount of time on the enterprise, an enterprise that I doubt will be of any real benefit to the club because some will not provide details just as they don't provide commentator's sheets.

As evidence I would offer the commentator's sheets. I have just checked and I still have the file, having collected it at Snetterton and forgotten to return it to Stephen. The club attempts to ease the commentator's task by providing a file of sheets. However, the file is incomplete, at least 50% of the competitors have no sheets, and some sheets date from earlier years. Being generous, some sheets are barely legible. On occasion sheets are out of date, describing competitors as novices when that term no longer applies, and some have changed classes. There may be some advantages to commentator sheets handed in on the day of the race!

If such a list is attempted it would be as well to integrate it with commentator's information. I know that Jedi and Club F3 have coloured in profiles of cars but they have advantages that we don't have, namely cars with similar silhouettes and fewer competitors. What we do have thanks to Andrew Cliffe is an extensive archive of photographs. With his permission it would be easier to select appropriate photographs than to start colouring in profiles of cars.

A photograph of my car will be published with this item, where is your car's photograph Dave?

A final thought and a relatively rapid way to get the process started. Why don't we add photographs of director's cars to their photographs on the Website?

I keep hearing that there are people who are not computer literate, well that is unfortunate. I am not talking about driver profiles here.

What is the problem and objections in making a presentable website for the club? Can be a good selling point if everything is professionally done. I would have thought association with TRC would be more reason to do so?

Those who wish to live in Fred Flinstone times can do so!

Certainly - use my photos where required.

samier wrote:I keep hearing that there are people who are not computer literate, well that is unfortunate. I am not talking about driver profiles here.

What is the problem and objections in making a presentable website for the club? Can be a good selling point if everything is professionally done. I would have thought association with TRC would be more reason to do so?

Those who wish to live in Fred Flinstone times can do so!

You've mentioned before your feeling that the Mono website isn't 'professional'. I was just wondering what gives you that impression, whether or not you have examples of websites you've made, and what your take on a new site would be.

Whilst the current website isn't 'perfect', it's more than adequate, quick to load, and works with the majority of computers our membership is likely to be using. But I'm also aware that Stephen is playing with a CMS (Content Management System for those not of a geeky disposition - it basically allows you to simply write content, and let the design of the site adjust automatically) system.

However, as with all things in life, Stephen would probably benefit from seeing what other people would do regards website. So may I suggest you spend a few evenings knocking up a website that is 'professional', easy to maintain, and works happily on Windows 95 - Vista and various Mac browsers.

Some people want to remain in the stoneage, others are just a bit slow at adapting, or don't have the need to upgrade their computers more than once per decade. But as those people make up a majority of the club it would be foolish to make a modern website that takes those people half an hour to load.

I look forward to seeing your version of the Mono website Samier.

Edit: Just realised that sounds like I'm saying Stephen would benefit from copying others in everything he does. I didn't mean that, so don't read it that way. I meant that everyone usually benefits from seeing what other people do in similar circumstances and with similar constraints - not Stephen in particular!

Forget driver profiles.
Forget driver experience.
Forget driver hometowns, favourite circuits, corners and colours etc.
I think it would be benificial to simply have a list of competing members for 2009.
A simple spreadsheet giving the class, the race number. the driver name, the chassis type and the year of manufacture.
If Andrew can add pictures of the cars from his what must be now a huge library then good.
As each new member joins or existing member re-joins all information required is with Simon.
In fact the photographs would be better after the first meeting to ensure they are the latest car, number etc.
This list would then be on the menu bar under drivers. Between News and gallery perhaps.
Prior to the snetterton meeting each member can check to see who's rejoined and what car they're driving. Is Michael Dale back. What class will Jeff Fern be in this year. Etc.

Exactly Dave. No need for any of the extra stuff, just the basic details all drivers have provided when registering for the championship.