Thames River Conditions

[boatone]

Whilst upriver last week I stumbled on a rather useful way of us being able to set up our own realtime information system for current river conditions.

At the foot of each thread in the Extra Information panel there is an option to make the thread a 'Favourite Topic'.
If you do this, ANY post to that thread will automatically be emailed to your registered email address.
Provided you have a mobile with email capability you will then receive messages as they are posted without needing to visit the website.

It would be important to stay with the same thread for the duration of the current river difficulties period and only add valid info posts (no sillies !!!)

Once the river returns to normality, the thread would be left to die and a new one started when needed - which you would then add to your Favourite Topics.

I did this last week and it worked a treat. You do , obviously, need to log in to the website if you wish to add a post.

I have had a word with Dan Foley who will try and assist if needed.

All in favour say 'Aye'.....

 

[Brayman]

Aye, but would prefer to receive a txt message, am I asking TOO much?

 

[Chris_d]

I'd prefer a text message too, can Dan sort that? we can't all afford them blueberries like you B1 /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Chris_d]

Actualy looking out the window of my office right now, last time it rained this much in one day was July last year, I reckon the river will flood up here on Thursday /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[DogsBody]

Sounds a good idea and would be happy with receiving via email (most phones can do it now days) but text messages would be a nice bonus.

Incidentally, the option to have replies to your favourite topics emailed to you was turned off in my profile, not sure if that is the default setting or if I have previously turned it off myself.

Of course, even better would be the EA updating the info for us so that it doesn't rely on forumites with laptops doing all the work but guess that aint gonna happen.

Darren.

 

[boatone]

Don't think text messages is possible but maybe Dan will comment?

 

[Captain Coochie]

Sounds like a good idea B1 .

 

[rickp]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't think text messages is possible but maybe Dan will comment?

[/ QUOTE ]

I imagine that would only be possible if you were paying for it. Someone is going to have to pay to have the SMS messages delivered...

Rick

 

[Richard Shead]

Texts are not possible as it will fall under data protection and you lot will have to sign your life away to IPC so we can use your number...

 

[Flashheart]

Good idea. Can't we have a thread permanently at the top like the one currently there about images?
If its made to only hold only a small number of messages in the thread and automatically delete older ones surely that would work. Or is it not possible?

 

[Doolittle]

Sounds like a good idea.

I've tried all sorts of methods to determine the actual river speed here. I've drifted down river with my GPS, helds station mid river and read the knots off the fish finder, triangulated the distance between the mooring posts and timed flotsam. It would be neat to set up a simple webcam showing height and speed and I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult but alas I haven't done it yet.

The most reliable way nowadays is for me to close my left eye, squint with my right, draw in breath through pursed lips but I'm still not sure how I can relay this to the 'net with reliable frequency!

 

[Brayman]

[ QUOTE ]
Texts are not possible as it will fall under data protection and you lot will have to sign your life away to IPC so we can use your number...

[/ QUOTE ]
You mean I signed my life away to the EA last July when they eventually got round to doing it?
Are you sure it's Data Protection and not Health & Safety, I get them mixed up /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[rr_123]

[ QUOTE ]
Texts are not possible as it will fall under data protection and you lot will have to sign your life away to IPC so we can use your number...

[/ QUOTE ]

so do mobile numbers come under DP but not email addresses?

 

[apollo]

[ QUOTE ]
Are you sure it's Data Protection and not Health & Safety, I get them mixed up

[/ QUOTE ]

nah, "health & safety" means they just dont do it, "data protection" means they cok it up and then appologise to you.

 

[Richard Shead]

Both do we would need your permission to use both of those for any correspondence and as Rick says there is a cost involved in SMS.

 

[DogsBody]

I've been thinking a little more about this and it occurs to me that while the forum is a good place to see the information, it is not necessarily the easiest place to post to when out and about.

Browsing the forum when out and about is easy but I (and I suspect others) find it difficult to post from my mobile, so need to find a wireless hotspot for the laptop or come home, sending a text or email to update the river conditions thread is easier (and cheaper if you are paying for your data usage) and might encourage more frequent updates.

So, if a thread was created entirely for river conditions information updates, would it be possible to have a number we could send a text message to, to have the information appear in said thread? I suspect this would again entail some cost in the text to forum gateway so probably not doable. In which case, could we have something similar but with an email address we send to rather than a text message?

Of course, the other option is to abandon the idea of a forum thread and create a separate email mailing list that you sign up to and then you receive all messages sent to the list's address. Very simple but you loose the history and general availability that a forum thread provides.

I guess we also need to consider that YBW is a commercial entity and how much we can expect / ask from them in supporting their forum users with what is really a task belonging to (and I gather being worked on by) the EA.

Any thoughts guys?

Darren.

 

[boatone]

I've considered all he options you suggest and they all fall down somewhere along the line.

I could (and have considered) set up a dedicated email list so that any email sent to the list address is automatically forwarded to all subscribers.That needs some management unless we allow unrestricted signup in which case it wouldnt be long before it became a spam magnet.

There appears to be no easy route to go from text to email or viccy versa without cost becoming an issue.

As a Blackberry user I probably have the best email capability available but many conventional mobiles now offer push email as a standard service so email delivery seems the most satisfactory route.

The problem of posting to the forum without web capability remains and I suspect there are many who do not have web capabilty on their phones anyway.
However, it appears that some forum members are monitoring the forum pretty much 24/7 (!) and able to post any info received.

Not perfect by any means, but at least a lot better than nothing. Maybe running with it for a while will raise some new ideas until the EA implement something better?

One final thought.....I think one of the most magic benifits of this forum is the way it is beginning to provide a one stop shop for Thames issues. I think it would be a pity to set up seperate information routes if we can avoid it.

 

[jecuk]

How about:

Just set up a sticky thread for river updates only and moderate rubbish out. People can subscribe. Leave it as one ie don't change it for each flood.

 

[boatone]

[ QUOTE ]
How about:

Just set up a sticky thread for river updates only and moderate rubbish out. People can subscribe. Leave it as one ie don't change it for each flood.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that would be best - if folks could be persuaded to keep it strictly on topic.

Would need moderating and emptying out from time to time though or would get unweildy.

 

[DogsBody]

Agree with what you say about keeping the forum a central place to find all Thames information, was just looking at alternative ways to distribute the info.

If we exclude texting, then what you proposed seems sensible as it is easy to set up and run with, just thinking that if we could make it easier to send the information in we might get it from more sources instead of having to rely on the forumites who live near the river. For instance, several of us were out and about last weekend but other than ringing / texting a few friends had no easy way to get the information on the current state of the river out to the wider audience.

Of course, if the weather improves, all this becomes a moot point as it wont matter - until we start getting warnings of a draught and low water levels causing restrictions!

Darren.