Request A Feature On The Website and Give Your Feedback
Dear fellow model engineers and workshop owners, this is your community, your website so please request a feature and/or explain what you would like to see on the website.
Here are some of the features I have been thinking about adding and I would welcome your comments either using the Comment Form below or by email using the Contact Us Form.
Contacting and Interaction with Other Subscribers and Visitors to the ModelEngineeringInThailand.com Website
Your Privacy Is Important – But Interaction With Others Is So Valuable
It is a matter of privacy for all the subscribers to the announcement list that I do not release their names or emails to the general public.
And yet I’m sure that many of the people on the announcement list would like to contact some of the others. This would allow the sharing of resources and information to the benefit of everyone.
I can think of a couple of ways this could be done:-
Email Contact
Subscribers could simply give me their permission to have their name and email distributed to the other subscribers. I would then circulate the details to everyone on the announcement list. I could probably add another Field to the subscription form to allow subscribers to opt in for this option.
The advantage for me is that it’s a simple thing to do.
The disadvantage for everyone is that the interaction and information would not be on the website for others to see, share and react to.
Forum
I could start a forum where people could interact but not necessarily have their email address disclosed.
The disadvantage for me is that some moderation would be required and I don’t want to spend my valuable time moderating a large forum. Perhaps someone would like to volunteer for that job?
The advantage is that all the interaction is there for all to see, not hidden away in private emails. (Although there would be a facility for private interaction through a Private Messaging feature.)
There is no reason why the Forum should not have all the features of the Forum at the Model Engineer website or even more features according to what people want.
Members’ Sections
This is another idea I have been intending to implement but since it will take a bit of setting up I have not done it until I’m sure there’s a demand for it.
Your Own Private Website on ModelEngineeringInThailand.com
How would you like your own private section of the ModelEngineeringInThailand.com website where you can write your own Posts, create your own Pages, upload your photos and videos, just like I do?
I would set up your own private section of the website where you could log in and basically do what you wish.
There would be some restrictions, of course to ensure security of the website.
Or maybe you think the Forum is adequate enough?
Please let me have your thoughts.
Users Corner
Maybe you have just one or two articles or pieces of advaice you want to post, but you don’t need a separate section of the website for yourself.
I could easily create a Users Corner on the website and I would upload your articles, photos videos etc for you.
Any thoughts on that, please?
Resource Database
The Resource section of the website is in it’s infancy (as is the whole site), and I am adding resource information that I have by hand.
My intention is to set up a resource Database that anyone can post to and upload photos or comments to. I’ll find a website that has a similar database and put the URL here.
Other Features and Ideas for the Website
If you can think of any other features you would like to see or have any particular idea about the way the website is set up and/or where it’s going please let me know.
Hello Alan,
I ran across your site looking for lathe and mill accessories on the web, and found it interesting.
I am American, also retired in Thailand and set up my garage with my woodworking equipment, but recently bought a Sieg Mini Lathe and Mini Mill. I am an Electrical Engineer but I love to dabble in Mechanical Engineering also.
Do you have a favorite place to acquire Lathe or Mill accessories?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Mike
Ban Chang, Rayong
Thailand
A means for members to edit their own posts would be nice.
And YES, the Resource Guide/database will likely prove to be one of the more useful features.
Mike (Nong Khae)
An email contact list would be great, or some other means of providing members to communicate with fellow members. Perhaps you could set up some way of auto-notifying all members that someone has made a comment, original or follow-up, that might work too; you could even allow members to opt-in or opt-out of these notifications. As it is now, when a member makes a comment, or follows up with an answer to a question, I believe that “admin” is the only one who knows. A forum might also fill this need, and until your membership grows to many, many folks, you likely wont need to moderate the forum as I believe that everyone here will remain civil with their posts.
I know that you’ve already invested a great deal of time and effort into creating this webpage, but I wonder if one of the “Facebook” or “MySpace” type sites might already have many of the features you want to incorporate?
A user corner would be good, but again, if a member reading the tip or shortcut has a question, it would be nice if the original poster were auto-notified via email,…sort of like Facebook sends me an email whenever someone makes a comment on one of my pics or posts.
A members corner would also be a nice addition; even with the small membership you have, once a few members post their projects, others will be encouraged to join in,….you have to start somewhere. But, you must provide for the up-loading of pictures; I doubt that a “text-only” members page would encourage much participation.
Whatever course you choose, and changes you elect to make,…Thank You for setting up this site!!! It’s a great way to bring like-minded folks together.
Mike (Nong Khae)
Hi Mike and thanks for your ideas – all good ones. You really have ‘hit the nail on the head’ with your suggestions by which I mean that they are exactly what the site needs.
I’ll see what can be done to accommodate your ideas. Any new feature must take account of:-
– Privacy and security of users’ personal details. (email address),
– Prevention of Spam postings which must be automatic.
– Minimum monitoring/action by myself.
I think that there are sufficient applications to freely available to incorporate most of your ideas.
Alan,
A few comments from me:
1. E-mail contact – no problem there, but please try to avoid the spams.
2. A forum would be good a bit later on once more model engineers have been ‘found’.
3. A users corner would also be welcome giving useful tips and shortcuts that work. Perhaps that could start before the forum.
4. For the Resources I will try to send you some more contacts later this month.
5. Member’s section – a bit optimistic at this early stage! 🙂
Best regards
Andrew
Hi Andrew and thanks for your suggestions.
Maybe I was being a bit enthusiastic but I have to know what people want and these things to take time to set up and fine-tune.
I’ll stat with the email feature that allows people to volunteer their email address to the community. There should not be any spam because only community members will be able to access each other’s email.
Having thought about the options for a while since I posted them I thing a Forum is the best place to start after the email feature.
I have another idea now and that is a Sale and Wanted section.
Thanks again for your valued comments.
Best Regards
Alan Brown