Unwelcoming Owners' websites

[GrahamM376]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

do consider a more 'open' model for the technical stuff... and you can still keep members and the association's more personal stuff behind closed doors of course.

It's for "the technical stuff" many of us joined the association but there may be a case for being a little more helpful with information to those considering buying a Moody.

We have many years of owners maintenance experience and people have spent hundreds of hours compiling the library which also contains production drawings from Marine Projects, who built many of the boats. Although we don't join in the social events being away from the "organised" locations, I enjoy membership and think £20 is well worth it.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

The one thing we are very firm about is that we don't allow personal abuse on our website and to help we insist on people posting using their real names - I really don't hold with this "handle" idea (mine is NeilE on this site but my real name in Neil Eccles). We believe there is no place for that in the boating world.

It would be mildly interesting to know who "we" are in this case. It's clear that the overwhelming majority of ybw.com forumites prefer to use pseudonyms, and I wonder if Moody owners are so different.

Then we looked again at our offering to the potential Moody purchaser. We established a free guest login which was entitled "Thinking about buying a Moody" which allows access only to that particular forum, but only allows the guest to post a general question like "I'm thinking about buying a Moody 346, are there any generic issues I should look out for?"
It does not allow specific technical questions like "the Moody 346 I'm looking at needs a new rudder shaft, please can you tell me the diameter, the approximate cost and where I might obtain one?".

That seems like a quite spectacularly unhelpful and petty distinction. Helpful advice on buying a Moody, as long as it doesn't relate to a particular Moody you are thinking of buying, eh? Who, precisely, benefits from that?

When I was restoring my Hunter 490, and before I knew him from here, I contacted Andy/Seajet as the Anderson 22 webmaster because the designs are extremely similar and because the A22 buyer's guide raised some issues I wanted to check. He relied in extremely helpful detail, for which I was very grateful. I haven't - yet - bought and A22, but the openness and helpfulness made me think very highly of the owners' association.

 

[deejmac]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

It's for "the technical stuff" many of us joined the association but there may be a case for being a little more helpful with information to those considering buying a Moody.

We have many years of owners maintenance experience and people have spent hundreds of hours compiling the library which also contains production drawings from Marine Projects, who built many of the boats. Although we don't join in the social events being away from the "organised" locations, I enjoy membership and think £20 is well worth it.

Absolutely agree with this, and the previous comments sticking up for MOA, for an first time owner new to boat ownership, its been invaluable. Might be able to contribute to it's library in a few years..

 

[[3889]]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

Having been a member of a paid-for owners association (Hunter Association) and the free Jeanneau Owners Network, there is no doubt in my mind that the latter is a far more active and helpful resource. I suspect this is mostly due to the dedicated Jeanneau "Webmaster" but equally, I feel the overly-bureaucratic associations stifle members' enthusiasm.

 

[MoodySabre]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

It would be mildly interesting to know who "we" are in this case. It's clear that the overwhelming majority of ybw.com forumites prefer to use pseudonyms, and I wonder if Moody owners are so different.

I am a Moody owner and use a forum name by which my boat can be recognised in the locale in which I sail. On the MOA I use my real name which is Roger Smith.
Ybw would be a better place if people used their real names IMO.

 

[MoodySabre]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

It would be mildly interesting to know who "we" are in this case. It's clear that the overwhelming majority of ybw.com forumites prefer to use pseudonyms, and I wonder if Moody owners are so different.

I am a Moody owner and use a forum name by which my boat can be recognised in the locale in which I sail. On the MOA I use my real name which is Roger Smith.
Ybw would be a better place if people used their real names IMO.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

Ybw would be a better place if people used their real names IMO.

Because ... ?

 

[gallan947]

You should worry. I asked a question once on the Moody Owners website and I had some pompous prat of an official phone me at home at night and give me a telling off. I was so surprised I didnt even tell him to go away in short jerky movements.

Strange, when I asked a question on the prospective owners questions on the Moody site, I got lots of answers and information, and an offer to come view a Moody model I was interested in that was local to me in Langstone harbour.. ended up doing an evenings race with the chap, and have kept in contact with him.

Yes you had to register first, but it was free.. and it stops trollbots just filling the forum with spam - which incidentally is the issue with the Hunter owners website - it got spammed or hacked a couple of times, so sadly they had to increase the security - but AFAIK there is still a public section with boats / bits for sale.

 

[GrahamM376]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

Because ... ?

Because a minority of those who hide behind pseudonyms but would have to be more careful what they said if they could easily be identified.

 

[silver-fox]

I am a Moody owner, have been for 10 years, and been in the Moody Owners for the same length of time.

I cannot overstate the kindness and assistance I have received and the readiness of members to help. Neil Eccles does a remarkable job and we are lucky to have him. The web site he has nurtured and modernised, giving freely of his own time and expertise, is a major factor in the success of MOA and the high proportion of Moody owners they attract. This and the other benefits are well worth £20 a year

Sometime ago the membership was consulted on access policy and voted for the system we now have. That may explain why it has never been a controversial subject with the association.

That's all from me folks!

 

[aquaplane]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

Because a minority of those who hide behind pseudonyms but would have to be more careful what they said if they could easily be identified.

Yer but plenty of folk who use their boat name, or another name, actually want to meet and greet other sailors who they encounter when they are out and about, so aren't the keyboard warriors who you are afraid of.

Numerous times I have been chatting to someone on a pontoon and mentioned YBW and my screen name, often the reply is "oh, I'm XYZ on there".

 

[TheEcho]

But where does the £20/annum actually go? I would assume an owners' association would be not for profit. Do the people contributing their hours to asking member's questions get paid - I can't imagine that hosting costs would go that high, especially as the target market could attract a few unobtrusive ads.

I must admit some reluctance of belief in the paid model - the Internet's strengths lie in very low cost dissemination of information, and the removal of price barriers leads to a win-win situation due to collaboration and so on.

 

[Seajet]

I ask £10 PA for snail mail, internet charges and printer ink, and continually run at a significant loss, as if I was running a steam powered Rolls Royce traction engine or similar.

There are some ungrateful gits about who don't appreciate what a labour of love Owners' Associations are.

Thank you, Jumbleduck ! :encouragement:

 

[JumbleDuck]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

Because a minority of those who hide behind pseudonyms but would have to be more careful what they said if they could easily be identified.

Why is that a bad thing?

 

[TheEcho]

Yeah, physically printing things and sending them out gets expensive as well as time consuming. Is that what most people want? I am happiest all-electronic, but I probably am younger than the average member. Each to their own!

 

[rwoofer]

I used to be a Moody owner and MOA member. I sold my Moody, but still offered advice on the MOA forum to other/prospective owners as I had done a lot of upgrades. When they locked out non-members I could no longer help others. I thought at the time it was a rather shortsighted move and still do. While a few people take unfair advantage the internet is what it is because so many give freely.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

I used to be a Moody owner and MOA member. I sold my Moody, but still offered advice on the MOA forum to other/prospective owners as I had done a lot of upgrades. When they locked out non-members I could no longer help others...

Do you mean you can only be a member of the MOA if you actually an active owner? Maybe the clue is in the name but if you're happy to keep on paying the subs then I can't see how it's to anyone's benefit if you're locked out.

 

[silver-fox]

I am a Moody owner, have been for 10 years, and been in the Moody Owners for the same length of time.

I cannot overstate the kindness and assistance I have received via the Moody Owners site and the readiness of members to help. Neil Eccles does a remarkable job and we are lucky to have him. The web site which he has grown and modernised, giving freely of his own time and expertise, is a major factor in the continued growth and success of MOA and the high proportion of Moody owners they attract. This and the other benefits are well worth £20 a year. The money gets reinvested back in the service


Sometime ago the membership was consulted on access policy and voted for the system we now have.

Pay yer £20 and yer gets the benefits.
That may explain why it has never been a controversial subject with the association.

 

[Bow42]

Re: Unwelcoming Owners' websites - not true???

Yer but plenty of folk who use their boat name, or another name, actually want to meet and greet other sailors who they encounter when they are out and about, so aren't the keyboard warriors who you are afraid of.

Numerous times I have been chatting to someone on a pontoon and mentioned YBW and my screen name, often the reply is "oh, I'm XYZ on there".

I don't think you have to give too much info about your self to be known to others or meet other member of YBW ,

 

[aquaplane]

I used to be a Moody owner and MOA member. I sold my Moody, but still offered advice on the MOA forum to other/prospective owners as I had done a lot of upgrades. When they locked out non-members I could no longer help others. I thought at the time it was a rather shortsighted move and still do. While a few people take unfair advantage the internet is what it is because so many give freely.

I have just sold my Westerly and am going to cancel my membership, I'm not an owner. There are a few contributors to the forum but I bet you could count the regulars on digits, if you took your socks off. I can see the point in dissuading parasites who only come to take and never give, how do you treat folk who wish to contribute but don't have any need?

I may still look in to the forum and contribute if I can, but I won't be allowed on the pay bit, not that I go there much as I don't like the philosophy.