Ranger Mods

I either open the Forum up a little bit more and scrap forcing users to do an introduction or I keep it in place.

I personally think it stops take and run a little and possibly even the exception some people have.

There is about a 10% sign up never post and never return ratio as they do not read the requirements. In an ideal world I would like to open it up but for people still to make an introduction, there is a fair percentage that are worth reading and it brings a warmer feel across.

With 2000 members now I think we could get at least 10 members input here?

Also any other thought or ideas.

Thanks.

If we look at the Introduction forum there are very few answered & Welcomed.

A lot are obviously coming for one thing, to get the info they want and disappear.

Maybe a 5 post minimum to get involved before some forums are allowed to be accessed.

Of course this means more work for Stewart with the forum layout.

If you remove the option of having to do an introduction then people can join, get what they want and leave & no one would know they were here.

Plus I think a little respect to the person who is giving all this info/help free is not asking too much.

I actually like introductions providing they offer us some information about the member, their ride and their background, location etc. However, many seem to just say Hi and not much else, just to jump the hurdle.

Maybe a message (automated?) to all newbies, asking them to introduce themselves and give them a link to do so if they choose?

I like reading proper intro's, but get a bit cheesed off going through a bunch of them when there's no information forthcoming.

I don't know if this feasible as an option or not, but instead of the 'sign up', say hi, get what they want then leave never to be seen again.

Would it work as an idea to put a 'time delay' into the signup process, mayby 'Signup', post an intro, but then only be able to access the main forum after a few days on a return visit........

Ross - As some will know I made a valiant effort to try and respond to every new member but as it started getting out of control with time as I have another life I had to pull nearly all the way back. I will try and give a thanks to members that do give a good intro as I enjoy reading them.

5 post is an option but at the same time there are a lot of new people to mods let alone that have had any experience to share something that I would call a valid contribution. 5 would bring us to the point of spam posts just to see the rest of the forum in my opinion and I think we have very low level of that at the moment, the changes you suggest are not difficult to implement though.

Respect is good to all involved the contribute.

Gerry - Good idea Gerry, an automated PM on sign up with this information would help a lot.

Rob - Number of days or a time limit would be a pain to implement on my end. A 2 post minimum may be an option.

I also understand that we are not all talkers and do not have a lot to say or have had no experience and have nothing valid to share. I can go for weeks without really wanting to talk to people out loud and sometimes even with typing although the weather is starting to warm up and my social level and motivation to follow up on some projects is starting to rise. May to September is a hard one for me and some of my responses will show in those months.

More opinion and more responses will go a long way from ALL.

saeb wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:10 pm Ross - As some will know I made a valiant effort to try and respond to every new member but as it started getting out of control with time as I have another life I had to pull nearly all the way back. I will try and give a thanks to members that do give a good intro as I enjoy reading them

Not aimed at anyone Stewart, I also stopped welcoming people for the same reason as Gerry.

Hi Stewart,
I believe you should keep the introduction option so that as the others have mentioned it allows you to see who are true believers of the work and effort you put in. I for one have benefitted from the effort you and others have put to give us the ability to mod our ranger.

Cheers

Conrad

The introduction requirement makes some sense IMHO. I don't think a hello is too much to ask for, given the resources you're providing here.

Sent from my SM-A320Y using Tapatalk

There should be a donation to join up to keep the site going, that's my thought anyway.

As I have seen on another forum another option could be to grant access to most areas on sign up but have the more "technical" topics restricted access only granted after a set number of posts have been made or after a monetary donation or a donation of information. People are thereby free to share information between themselves after joining. but only have access to the more involved and technical information after they have demonstrated they are willing to become involved in the site.

Donation to access the "good stuff". The way I look at it, Stu has put a lot of work into this forum and people will just jump on board to access this. At the end of the day a small financial loss for every member is nothing, I mean we all spent at least 35k on our vehicles so noone is that poor that they can't afford a dollar or 2!

I value everyone's input, thank you.

I do agree with Paramidget, most spend 35k plus on a vehicle then another 10k on accessories. The odd donation is enough to keep the site running at the moment. At the moment the site receives a donation every one to two months so it not going to make a profit and I never intended it too although there is one user in particular who has seen how much time I put in and has made a couple of substantial donations in comparison, he will know who he is and thank you!

I have a few ideas up my sleeve that may mean there may be a sister site that will be of benefit to most that do not feel they can contribute or do not feel confident with doing some thing. I also want to start moving on some major projects but its a matter of talking to the right people and also gaining more knowledge than I already have. Everyone will want them but it is a matter of being able to achieve them.

I'm lucky enough to have a few people to chat to around the world that may be able to help with some items, but time will tell.

I have also had the chance to talk to people that can offer the world or offer things I do not have but but when it comes to the crunch its just my knowledge they want.

Thanks for listening.

Hi Stewart
I've been a bit slow getting more posts on, as a new user. Too much skiing! This is a great site and I'm sure everyone really appreciates your efforts. I've been a bit slow to donate, will get onto it. I reckon donating needs to be encouraged a lot more, maybe some suggestions from people about how much etc.? I'm waiting for my dongles but intend to put some of your expertise to use - it's all worth quite a bit, really. I found a website the other day a place offering to mail a cellular dongle to you and mod the vehicle remotely, for a fee. Made me wonder if they are using your tech.
I'll make an effort to post more as I work out how to do it. Just a great site. Thanks for everything.
Glenn

I have made some small changes today.

Some areas of no relevance anymore have been removed.

I have added additional items for Tapatalk users in regards to registration. What to do and donations link are not visible with Tapatalk nor is anyone's custom signatures, I cannot do anything about the latter but have found works arounds for other things.

Every new user will now receive a PM, basic rules and how too.

From now the minimum post has been upped to 2 posts before members can see the rest of the forum.

I have some ideas that I'm working on which will be linked to this site that I'm also currently working on and will also look at doing some spring cleaning soon. If there are any areas that need a tidy up or items moved to appropriate areas, feel free to PM me.

Hi Stewart,

I have to admit 2 things, that my introduction was minimal AND that I did NOT even own a Ranger at the time I signed up!

I wanted to sign up because I'd been looking at purchasing a new 4x4 since the end of 2016 and had come across some of your posts on the newranger forum and the thought of being able to overcome some of the manufacturer shortcomings appealed greatly. Your site and its wealth of information actually tipped the balance to go with a new Ranger rather than one of its competitors.

I would guess there are MANY people out there researching vehicles, tossing coins in the air etc., right up until they come across sites like this that just make it easier to take that final step and buy a Ranger. Perhaps Ford should be sponsoring you or giving you a kickback on sales

Anyway, babbling on, just saying thanks, again...

DK

Hi Stewart,
I,m a newby and hope that my intro had enough detail to make it past Gerry and Pat.s scrutiny

Personally I would be in favour of some sort of nominal fee to gain access to the good stuff.
When I joined a previous forum, I was happy to pay for a life membership because I felt it was a contribution towards the upkeep of the forum.

Cheers all
Phil

Yeah I reckon a $5 fee would solve all the issues. It would turn around 95% of the lookers who contribute nothing but take a lot.

Maybe another option would be to have a minimum of a post every 3-6 months or you get de-registered.

I agree, too many must be taking and not giving. A small donation is not going to hurt that much considering what we spend on our vehicles.

Sent from my Mi A1 using Tapatalk

Hi Stewart,

I appreciate the time and effort that you spend on the site and providing your knowledge on making the Ranger a better vehicle than stock is greatly appreciated. I'd have no issues paying for 'access' to the site with the info that has been/is provided.

With your help and other users on here, I've managed to upgrade from SYNC 2 to SYNC 3 plus many other mods.

Cheers,
James

Hi Stewart
I signed up today, and yes, I did find your forum from a google search for Forscan info after having trouble with an OBDII interface.
I don't see any problem with requiring several interactions before getting full access to the site. I find it actually a very low bar, only needing an intro and asking a question gets you in. It's probably about right to filter out automated logins or bots, but still quite easy for real people.

My background is in embedded software development and I am very interested in getting involved in vehicle system mods for my own use and entertainment, so I think I have a lot of reading ahead of me here! I love pulling things apart to see how they work, and hopefully I will be able to contribute somewhere in the future.

Thanks for creating the forum

Another new member here
Previously suggested $5 donation (or even more) would work nicely.
There is plenty of brand specific message boards around who hide certain forum areas and you can gain access to, if you really want to.
Ranger enthusiastics will join!

Stewart,
Much to be gained for all by your enthusiasm and hard work, A minimum contribution is the least that should be expected to gain full access, in this other projects that you have in mind can be progressed with the same enthusiasm for the benefit of many, having previously been involved in a long term committed team of a few keeping an updated/current site takes a great deal of work, your contribution supported by a few is not lost on me.

Reaps

Sorry to be late to the party , some good ideas there. In previous Forums I have been associated with there would be a minimum contribution by means of a minimum number of posts to the forum before full access was allowed. I know it can be a pain to setup but it works well. A donation is a good idea but sometimes it can be construed as profiteering, however if that limits joining members its not always a bad thing. Open slather for access isn't always a positive unless you are running advertising on the site to cover server costs. I don't have a preference one way or the other, I have been happy to pay a contribution in the past for access to information, should be no different here with the hours the Stew puts in.