OPEN DISCUSSION - Sub groups forums.

[ryan]

Hi all,

This is an open discussion for the community of BMW.SG.

We all know that each forum (out there) has various forms of niches and subgroups which form and we're currently open to the suggestions of forming various additional forums in the community folder to facilitate this.

AIM: To assist subgroup "leaders" to form their own groups and hold group related discussions, images, meetups, specific events and even model updates.

How will this look like: Example(call it what you want) - The informal "3 Series Brigade", " E30 Khakis", "5 Series brudders etc", "Sixers" eg. It can be even an informal non-model specific group.

These folders will be subfolders under the "Lounge" OR.. "BMW Singapore Motoring Life". Each group will appoint a leader, who will be in charge of moderating his/own group's folder, and can appoint a group moderator(s) to take care of the specific group ONLY.

Of course, current administrators / moderators will still police the general forum on the whole, however we want to hear your thoughts before proceeding or mooting this entire idea completely.

Post your thoughts.

Warning - OT on this thread and we will apply real infraction points on your account.

[centurion]

while sub groups don't work for ppl using the NEW POSTS button, it will work for forums with huge post count where pressing NEW POSTS is a stupid thing coz too much stuff comes in.

However, with separation, it will be easy for newbies to navigate this forum and thus less intimidating and hence attract more talent and fresh blood.

This has worked very very well at clublexus and MBworld.org forums though, separating the models thingie ....

What may be required is an extra room for `non-automotive Off Topic' for those so inclined to post there, and the new posts button should have a parameter to EXCLUDE NA-OT from the search.

[Mockngbrd]

i guess its a double edged sword thingy...
although each groups will have their own area and sub-folder contributing to their comadarie, newbies might feel left out being "out" of the sub-groups.

It might still work... If participation is not just confined to their own groups.
Just wondering, how many sub-groups are therE?

[kenntona]

Ryan,

The current state of our forum has already shown a few distinct sub-groups - examples E46ers, E90s, Club Sandy, 335 guys. The interests within each sub-group are the single common denominator binding themselves together. However, in the current "umbrella" set-up, I see mingling and participation of sorts. Example - lots of mixes and across-the-board participation in events such as charity drives and karaoke sessions. This is perhaps the most compelling factor to keep things status quo. Having sub-group folders will either alienate or segregate the forum members - it reinforces the identity WITHIN but not BETWEEN the groups.

My two cents.

[centurion]

As for being `left out' of the sub groups, I see no reason for that.

A new owner of an E92, for example, would just go to the E9X 3-series sub group, and post. why should he be left out at all? he can also browse on the E9X issues more easily than now ...

Perhaps, the separation of sub groups should be done by PLATFORM, ie E92, 93, M3 bunched together. That way the MODS can be integrated in the sub groups.

Keeping it simple is great.

And as for camaraderie, the regulars would usually use the new posts search button, so all this will not impact the regulars at all. It is only the regulars who would form any camaraderie, no? Most browsers will not be interested in that.

[totoseow]

the rest of us might as well just use the lounge folder and perhaps a new non-bmw folder. dun see the need for sub sub.....machiam like pap drawing GRC lines...

segregation of folders is needed to keep things orderly. too much of that and it becomes an exercise in berueacracy. it intimidates.

[TripleM]

My thot is this

we hv good number of members here but only a small fraction is active and mostly these active guys know each other anyway regardless of marques and the variants within.

This forum is far from those in the US/UK where the members are truly from all over the world. The segregation will work well when the group gets too big and the right thing to do I think is to do it by platform as outlined above....

So, seeing from eg like 6speedonline...the segregation is clear..the common interest is clear. It's fantastic.

Anyway, appreciate your initiative.

My chup gor cents

[TripleM]

Also, if u segregate..I dunno where people like me n toto will fit in....
Non BMW drivers folder?

[kenntona]

A new owner of an E92, for example, would just go to the E9X 3-series sub group, and post. why should he be left out at all? he can also browse on the E9X issues more easily than now ...

Do note that by doing so, the sub group segregation is inducing the forumer into a specific sub-group via the sub-folder arrangement. While information is better aggregated in a way, the camaraderie within the forum as a whole will decline.

For the active forumers, no difference, except to browse through few more folders.

However, for new or not-so-active forumers, the inclination to seek association within a sub-group is much stronger than the identity with the main forum. Hence, my suspicion will be smaller across-the-board participation in forum events such as morning drives and social events (as we have seen thusfar). I dun see the benefits of segregation, but I see the downside of further erosion of overall forum unity.

Perhaps, the separation of sub groups should be done by PLATFORM, ie E92, 93, M3 bunched together. That way the MODS can be integrated in the sub groups. Keeping it simple is great.

And we should have a Porsche platform as well? It does not make any sense except for techhnical discussions, which we already have in the current system. Why further split the BMW body up? For general topic such as grooming to specific topics like exhaust mods, I really do not see the need to allocate them into specific sub-groups. Advices could be given by anyone, or from a X model owner who has owned Y model before. Except in the new proposition, he has to browse the Y model folder to give that advice.

And as for camaraderie, the regulars would usually use the new posts search button, so all this will not impact the regulars at all. It is only the regulars who would form any camaraderie, no? Most browsers will not be interested in that.

Most browsers will not be interested in other marques like Porsche too, can I presume?

No. Even though this is a BMW forum.

So, it is presumptuous to assume it is only the regulars who would form any camaraderie. Real-life experience has told me even newbies seek to form camaraderie from events (paintball, futsal, drives, karaoke sessions) fostered by the forum on a generic level.

You should attend more of these events to feel the spirit of the forum from a aggregate level than from a segregated viewpoint.

[phil]

General forum for me. Otherwise it may get an "us and them" feel. And really, there isnt that much sub sub stuff happening, it's almost always a whole forum function that happens of some sort. The sub sub ones happen in secret anyway sometimes