I'll try and list these in broad catagories, and some points may well end up with specific topics to deal with them.
The main issues I see (very broadly) at the moment are as follows:
- Site name and URL
Right, basically, as everyone knows, this name and address are temporary, and merely intended as a handy reference for past Club-XM users. For a vareity of reasons, we can't keep the Club-XM name. Unfortunately the available names are a bit limited, so, current suggestions are as follows:
XMOwners.com
XMForum.net /.org / .co.uk (.com is taken sadly)
CitroenXM.co.uk / .eu (.com, .org and .net taken)
CitroenXMForum.com / .net / .co.uk / .eu
I'm currently leaning towards XMOwners.com or XMForum.net, on the basis of the international .com / .net extensions. The .co.uk ones are easier come by (such as CitroenXM.co.uk), however they don't signify the global appeal we're looking for IMO.
Thoughts. I figure if we whittle it down to two names then we can have a poll to determine which one is used. Personally, I prefer XMOwners.com. If anyone has any other name suggestions, please post them here. Ideally they should be as short and XM related as possible, while still being 'snazzy' and recognisable.
When the naming is confirmed we can work on proper logos, forum styles, etc. - Forum layout and content
The current list of forums are by no means binding, I simply added a few broad catagories, while being mindful of overdoing it and having far too many sub catagories. The one area I can't decide on, is how to handle the 'How to' / 'Self help' guides written by members. Should we have one general forum to contain all of these, like Club-XM did, or should we have a subforum of each category, containing self help guides for that particular subject. It would be helpful to have input from the main contributers of the material, i.e John, Peter, Derek etc (sorry if I overlooked anyone), on this.
This also links me into the next point: - Staffing / Administration
While I should be around on the forum most days, we cannot repeat the 'absentee landlord' scenario of Club-XM, therefore I think there is a need to have at least 2-3 additional staff members initially. This may change as things grow.
The main issue, will be obvious things such as the swift removal of spam from the board, assisting users with registration and posting problems, and perhaps most notably, the correct catagorisation and 'purification' of our important technical content.
Not to rule anyone out, but the task of forum administration does require a modicum of technical mindedness (is that even a word? it is now! ), though that's not to say if you're new to this that you can't learn the ropes, however if you do find yourself a bit perplexed with using the forum for everyday posts etc, then moderation tasks may not be something that you'd feel comfortable doing. As said, not meaning to offend anyone, but do think about what’s entailed before you think about putting yourself forward for this.
Paul I believe has expressed an interest already, so if he's willing we have one person for this. If we could get 3 more, that would be a good even number for now, especially considering the board's small size at the moment. I do think it would be helpful if one or more of the main technical content contributors (John & Co) would be involved in this, as it would ensure technical data threads are well maintained.
If we get a whole deluge of people wanting to do this, I guess we'll have to try and find some way to whittle them down.
Ciarán