Ready or not?

Re: Ready or not?

Martin wrote:We are all fully aware of the story behind the creation of UKW I trust? If not, no matter ’cos it has fuck all to do with its future, so I suggest we look forward rather than back from now on! 8)

UKW has always looked forward because, essentially, I drive it and I look to the future but am mindful of the past, an important point that should not be forgotten.

Martin wrote:Today at least the core and therefore the driving current force to see this forward is simply us (Ken, Dave, Kevin, Sean, Chris and yours truly) Service Engineers with perhaps more brawn than brains, skilled with our hands but a bit loose up top. Not a great formula for creating what could be the nucleus of the independent Whitegoods trade per se I’m sure you will agree? BUT that’s us* and we should try our best and if it all goes tits up, at least we tried eh?

Are you trying to insinuate that I’m a mental case, because that’s what I read in that? I might not be the brightest guy on the planet, but I ain’t the dumbest either.

What you’re missing in that is that, whilst there is a collective of ideas and a vast pool of knowledge Martin I still have to oversee a lot of this, push things, instigate discussions and thought and I don’t see anything wrong to be fixing?

What is it exactly that you’re frustrated about?

Martin wrote: :oops:(*or me at least, if you feel insulted by the analogy, I apologise) 😳

Then why use it?

Martin wrote:The sad part about this ‘Message Board’ type web site is overall control over the ‘content’ of postings. Some really good stuff mixed in with a whole mess of crap, enough to put off so many serious contributors and therefore regarded by the trade on the whole as just a novelty web site to view when the mood takes. Nonetheless and in spite of that negative comment, it has, can and will be (given time to develop) the number one, bang up to date, reference tool that ‘talks back to you with answers! For the trade AND public alike. 😀

No, no, no! You are missing the whole reason that UKW has evolved the way it has done. There is a very strong social and free post attitude to teh whole thing and that encourages many people TO post as it’s a more casual atmosphere, therefore less pressure on getting the p’s and q’s right. To go down that path would lead to the demise of it quite frankly.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

I don’t think that anyone serious about contributing would be put off at all due to the above, I feel that’s a falicy to even think that.

Martin wrote:We need now, more than ever before, to close ranks, to utilise ours thoughts and skills ever more closely to project a squeaky clean image to all quarters. To speak with one united, well informed voice, project a well managed team of experts to all out there that visit our site. In order this be achieved I propose the following: –

See, political correctness creeps in and I for one won’t have it, so no!

It’s fair enough to speak with one voice, I’ve no truck with that at all but these guys are engineers, not bloody politicians and to expect them to act as such is asking too much. Frankly, it won’t happen.

The site is incredibly well managed as it stands, one of the best on the internet in fact, one of the best run boards that I’ve ever seen and others have commented likewise. Why? Because the people running it care passionately about the site and the subjects, that’s why. As well as having the freedom to voice their own opinion.

Martin wrote:1). Refrain from berating DASA and its Committee and sit back and wait to see what develops. Constant and very often childish bickering on that subject only reflects badly on us as a whole, likened in my opinion little better than graffiti on a the wall of a public loo. Refrain also from replying to postings with ‘one liners’ such as :rotfl: “LMFAO” :rotfl: and such like. Just let others do that but not us, no matter how tempting and innocent the intention, we should from now on, PACK IT IN 😡 Leave it to the private forums by all means but not where we are likely to compromise our position in the face of those that may wish to criticise us!

DASA hasn’t been openly discussed in a poor light for some time. It’s a passionate subject that, form the outside may well look that way. The whole point of it is to push DASA into either doing what the hell it should have been doing a long time ago or to pack up and go home.

Either way, I care not. All I want is an end to it.

The one liners are a part of the social aspect of UKW and I see absolutely no need to change that. It gives the impression of a warm and open site that people can enjoy and have a laugh with as well as being deadly serious when required. Such things are absolutely vital within a community, which is what UKW has become. There is no way I’m going to jeapordise that air. So again, no, I will not pack it in and I don’t expect anyone else to do so either.

There is a huge element of fun on UKW and that’s a huge part of it’s appeal, including to me, do you really think that being a killjoy is going to win over people?

Martin wrote:2). Important issues should be discussed in this forum first and a unless agreed upon, should not be made public by any individual. E.g. “What to do with Subscribers Cash?” is not something to be dealt with lightly. In fact I dubbed that topic “Free Booze Flight Fiasco!” After all we have done to recruit members, we don’t know what to do with their money or where best to put it other than behind the bar, is a bloody travesty I reckon.

RUBBISH!

I can discuss pretty much what I want when I want, I’m old enough and responsible enough to gauge what is right for public or private consumption and I need seek no council if that is my wish. There are instances where that is desirable, this is not one of them.

You may see that as a travesty, but it made you bloody well think! If you feel so strongly about such things then get there first. Frankly I don’t know what we should be doing with the subscribers money but, as was said, it’s the subscriber’s money and not UKW’s money, what is done with it is up to the subscribers as a whole, not some elitist group in here. We have not the right to impose on that and I will defend that position till they hammer in the nails.

The point was to get some input on what we should be doing, you chose not to offer any suggestions other than having Kevin bend my ear about your free flight fiasco. If you want to have a go then feel free to do so, that’s why it was posted and I’m big and ugly enough to take a bit of stick, but I give as good as I get.

So, the question remains, what do we do with the loot?

Martin wrote:3). Our next meeting instead of a repeat of the last two, should have a more specific agenda. Not like setting a date first then trying to find some subject matter and perhaps a few speakers to fill in the day! Find out a need first, then formulate a possible solution before adding it to the subject matter for discussion at the meeting. What is the point of putting, say for example, CORGI on the agenda, when we call do sod all about it anyway?

We/I learn.

The next meeting has a few surprises in store that you don’t know about, I just need it all confirmed first.

As for CORGI, it’s an attitude like that that will get nothing done about it!

Again, you don’t know the half of what’s going on and shooting off on one Martin. MFI have had a meeting with CORGI partly as a result of that meeting and there is other stuff in the works too, including me being in direct contact with one of the major political parties.

Martin wrote:4). Capturing greater public attention must be our main aim, and it is going well so far I’m sure we are all agreed on that. BUT unless we can appeal to a wider spectrum of readers with a greater subject matter, we will still be just helping out someone year in year out with their errant Diplomat dishwasher. What we need to get is more product reviews on current appliances for a start, although that isn‘t so easy unless you have access to these from your own showroom. I would love to go into Currys with my toolbox and take them apart but I won’t see that beast for 2 or 3 years when the warranty runs out.

I would not disagree with that at all.

But media attention is also worth chasing, something you can see is starting to bear fruit.

Martin wrote:5). We need to sell ourselves to the trade in general through direct advertising. There is little point in waiting for them to come to us, although that has been the reliance so far, it is painfully slow nevertheless. Injecting some of that Subscriber cash into an advert in ERT is one idea, fine. There are others out there I am sure worth contacting directly, better still if we could get the UKW logo on a packet of Ariel coupled with someone making an appearance on ITV’s This Morning Show for a little chat with Fern Britten!

FFS, give me a chance! I have a business to run as well you know to put food on the table and that’s a full time job itself! Right now I’m working about 14 hours a day or more just to keep all this on the road.

Have you any idea what the cost of advertising is on a national basis? Why should we pay for it if we can get it for free? Thus far there’s about a grand in the kitty, that won’t even look at many an advert!

We will get there Martin, but it’s not going to happen overnight you will just have to have a little faith and a dollup of patience on the side.

Martin wrote:6). Finally, Kevin’s idea of a Engineers Bible is still very much a great idea in spite of my pointing out the valuable nature of the Haynes books. I accept it does not cover everything but what the hell does these days short of buying every product service manual that is still in print. Those CD ROMs and DVD’s have got it covered anyway and is the way forward for the most part. However, our problem at this late stage is that whatever we put in type on the subject sooner or later will be deemed by some as ‘Breach of Copy write’ and we cannot go there. It will be extraordinarily difficult therefore for us to bridge that gap and set up a shortened publication full of the vital information without referring to any previous publication. I would like someone to explain to me again as to what specifically we can do in this area?

Big grey areas there, we’ll see.

On Mark Garner, there’s no issue with me, I agree.

Martin wrote:There are other points I could mention but I don’t want to put you all to sleep, I do hope none of you felt insulted, patronised or demeaned by my comments? I am just telling it as I see it that’s all guy’s. So at this point I will just hit the ‘Submit’ button and see what happens ❓

What happens is that you get told that you do not solely run UKW and that making demands is not the way to approach me at all. 😉

Be nice, you’ll get results.

Just tone it down and have a bit of patience Martin and remember that UKW has only been around for 18 months, it’s only been a business for 6, it’s still very, very young and some things could still kill it. Going at it full-on as an association as I get the feeling that you are suggesting is one way to kill it, as is the suggestion that we start charging for the use of UKW, it’s not gonna happen, full stop.

There are many other ways to achieve what we want, they just take time, but going at it head-on will only lead to a crash and we’ll be back where we all started, alienated and alone. I don’t intend seeing that happen.

Also bear in mind that you are totally unaware of many of the things that are happening behind the scenes to move the whole thing forward and, trust me, we have gotten the attention of some very serious people indeed within the industry. What we’re still fighting at the moment is the initial impression that many had that UKW was to become some kind of trade union, that’s what has gotten the manufacturer’s spooked, not the one-liners. Again, you’re not liable to know this as you’re not talking to manufacturers on a daily basis as I do.

We’re doing nothing wrong apart from not communicating enough and by that I mean the people that don’t post. But in any mailing list/forums that I’ve been involved in about 10-15{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} will talk/post on it and the rest just read. Don’t ask me why, it just is and that seems to be a more or less universal statistic.

There’s some more for you to go off and think about. 😆

K.

No offence taken and none intended either, reasoned debate is better than knee-jerk reactions. It was merely the tone that made it out that way I suppose.

Hopefully some things are a little clearer now.

K.

Re: Ready or not?

LMFAO….opps

Re: Ready or not?

Proffesionalism is there for all and sundry to see in the vast majority of posts, both trade and public. I don’t think a few LMFAO postings will take anything whatsover away from that, and at the end of the day it shows that we are all human and have sense of humour.

If we suddenly become a “stiff upper lip” bunch of stalwarts, not only do our personalities not come across correctly but we will just become another, dare I say it, dinosuar like backroom secret handshake society.

Openness is what UKW is about, and a free and easy enviroment to air our views, long may it remain that way.

Keep ’em coming 😉

Dave.