New GMC Forum

I've been following this thread- I'm a newer owner, just finishing my 3rd season with a 78 Kingsley. I've used the forum and facebook. Also, I'm mid
40's and female.

I think the biggest benefit to something more "user friendly" is exposing the folks here on the forum who don't do facebook to the facebook crowd to
expand their knowledge/input/feedback. You're needed over there.
A number of people who are helpful and knowledgeable here are on facebook and just as knowledgable/helpful. And we all know-- the pictures...

I agree, the format on this forum is clunky, searching isn't always easy- from what I've experienced, if I can find thread where the title sums up
what I'm looking for- I'm golden. Otherwise- i read a bunch of threads that slowly morph off topic. Facebook groups are worse for searching

Email Aspect of this site
I read the digest emails, see if I want to read more (and more easily) and come to this forum. I've also had a number of people reach out to me via
email only (not posting their advice in the forum) and I don't want to lose that- they've been helpful and we've gone down email chains on topics.
While the email format is great, but the broken threads, split topics get really mucked up which is why I feel I have to come to the forum to read it
correctly. Also people quoting others, and then typing above/below- sometimes I'm not sure who's saying what. This is basically user
interface/you're only as good as the people using the tool.

Bonuses for facebook, lots of people there- lots of input. Posting photos, posting VIDEOS!!! Sometimes a simple video can relay what I'm doing so
much easier. With all the people- you do have to wade through dumb answers, topic creep.

I looked at the proposed format, overall I like it- but, I think it's too granular. Our topics are more than one thing, they shift around a lot. I
do like Boondocking/ Full Timer as topics, I think I'm worried about the GMC Maintenance, Repairs, Restoration, and Technical Information with all the
sub groups.
Honestly you can make the best site ever- but if people don't use it in a helpful manner it won't matter. If everyone here used the subject line
better (or had a cloud tag section) searching would be a breeze.

My two cents, simplify the topics to allow for creep. Is it possible to start broad and see how it goes?
Maybe take your sub forum topics and offer check boxes within a post? If checked it would show up in searches. "this thread includes: Front seats,
Upholstery/blinds"

minimalist topics for the Maintenance section:
Emergency-need help now

Chassis
mechanical, electrical, fluids, upgrades

Coach
electrical, upgrades, water system, heating/cooling

Selling/Marketplace

------

I'm a member of Ravelry, a site for knitters/crocheters. https://www.ravelry.com Their forums are super granular- and I never get into them. BUT,
aside from a fantastic search feature for new patterns, they have individual sites to post/save your work. If I make a sweater from a pattern i found
on Ravelry, others who want to make the sweater can click and see how mine came out. I can save and share what yarn i used, what needles, post
photos, these references benefit me and anyone else who is looking at my page. I would love something like that for us, let us post our
photos/projects. Make them searchable. Let us reference forum posts that helped us when we did something.

OK, I've said a lot. If you read it all thanks for listening

-kelly

--
1978 Kingsley
Putney VT
 
> I've been following this thread- I'm a newer owner, just finishing my 3rd season with a 78 Kingsley. I've used the forum and facebook. Also, I'm
> mid 40's and female.
>
> I think the biggest benefit to something more "user friendly" is exposing the folks here on the forum who don't do facebook to the facebook crowd
> to expand their knowledge/input/feedback. You're needed over there.
> A number of people who are helpful and knowledgeable here are on facebook and just as knowledgable/helpful. And we all know-- the pictures...
>
> I agree, the format on this forum is clunky, searching isn't always easy- from what I've experienced, if I can find thread where the title sums up
> what I'm looking for- I'm golden. Otherwise- i read a bunch of threads that slowly morph off topic. Facebook groups are worse for searching
>
> Email Aspect of this site
> I read the digest emails, see if I want to read more (and more easily) and come to this forum. I've also had a number of people reach out to me
> via email only (not posting their advice in the forum) and I don't want to lose that- they've been helpful and we've gone down email chains on
> topics.
> While the email format is great, but the broken threads, split topics get really mucked up which is why I feel I have to come to the forum to read
> it correctly. Also people quoting others, and then typing above/below- sometimes I'm not sure who's saying what. This is basically user
> interface/you're only as good as the people using the tool.
>
> Bonuses for facebook, lots of people there- lots of input. Posting photos, posting VIDEOS!!! Sometimes a simple video can relay what I'm doing
> so much easier. With all the people- you do have to wade through dumb answers, topic creep.
>
> I looked at the proposed format, overall I like it- but, I think it's too granular. Our topics are more than one thing, they shift around a lot.
> I do like Boondocking/ Full Timer as topics, I think I'm worried about the GMC Maintenance, Repairs, Restoration, and Technical Information with all
> the sub groups.
> Honestly you can make the best site ever- but if people don't use it in a helpful manner it won't matter. If everyone here used the subject line
> better (or had a cloud tag section) searching would be a breeze.
>
> My two cents, simplify the topics to allow for creep. Is it possible to start broad and see how it goes?
> Maybe take your sub forum topics and offer check boxes within a post? If checked it would show up in searches. "this thread includes: Front
> seats, Upholstery/blinds"
>
> minimalist topics for the Maintenance section:
> Emergency-need help now
>
> Chassis
> mechanical, electrical, fluids, upgrades
>
> Coach
> electrical, upgrades, water system, heating/cooling
>
> Selling/Marketplace
>
> ------
>
> I'm a member of Ravelry, a site for knitters/crocheters. https://www.ravelry.com Their forums are super granular- and I never get into them.
> BUT, aside from a fantastic search feature for new patterns, they have individual sites to post/save your work. If I make a sweater from a pattern
> i found on Ravelry, others who want to make the sweater can click and see how mine came out. I can save and share what yarn i used, what needles,
> post photos, these references benefit me and anyone else who is looking at my page. I would love something like that for us, let us post our
> photos/projects. Make them searchable. Let us reference forum posts that helped us when we did something.
>
> OK, I've said a lot. If you read it all thanks for listening
>
> -kelly

Kelly, all very good suggestions. I'm going to clean it up a bit over the next week. Make it a bit more streamlined. In fact, when the site gets
migrated over to its final formal, there may even be an option for person to person chat that could be useful for your "emergency help" suggestion.
The new site also allows for "tags", so yes, if we can get people to tag their posts, then a lot of the subforms can go away. It won't be perfectly
polished overnight, but it will get there, especially with the help of suggestions such as yours.
 
I appreciate the time it takes to do something like this (I only know how to type into a computer); let alone suggesting changes to the group. The
email aspect of this forum is probably the most daunting to include, and the most important to a lot of folks. Like I said, I peruse email to see if
I want to come see what' going on.

If there's the ability to setup the site and later make changes, i would suggest starting simple and adding as needed.
Tags seem like a great way to improve searching.

Some sort of agreed up on format for posting would be helpful. If quoting, new text at the top or the bottom (for example). Not everyone will follow
but if people see benefits from it they're more likely to follow them. I don't know how it works by default from the email replies, I come here to
type- but that could be the model for formatting.

And if we can have an emergency/help now section that would be great.

I think it's really important to have an "emergency, need help now" section I would love to see what stops people on the side of the road, what can I
try to be ready for, have on hand. Which makes me now think (and I think I read this somewhere in this thread) about having a "resolved" status.

If you can check something off as resolved and what you did- perhaps linking it to your own page where you documented your repair/upgrade. Maybe
during thread creep you can list your initial issue as "resolved" even if another pops up.

I hope others on the forum speak up, what's missing, what should stay the same? How can we incorporate positives from other formats, avoid the cons,
and make this THE place to come get info/help for all things GMC Motorhome

-kelly

--
1978 Kingsley
Putney VT
 
It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change. --Charles Darwin

This quote not only applies to making changes to this platform. It also applies to the users ability to adapt to the platform they need to access.

Les Burt
Montreal
'75 Eleganza 26'

>

>> I've been following this thread- I'm a newer owner, just finishing my 3rd season with a 78 Kingsley. I've used the forum and facebook. Also, I'm
>> mid 40's and female.
>>
>> I think the biggest benefit to something more "user friendly" is exposing the folks here on the forum who don't do facebook to the facebook crowd
>> to expand their knowledge/input/feedback. You're needed over there.
>> A number of people who are helpful and knowledgeable here are on facebook and just as knowledgable/helpful. And we all know-- the pictures...
>>
>> I agree, the format on this forum is clunky, searching isn't always easy- from what I've experienced, if I can find thread where the title sums up
>> what I'm looking for- I'm golden. Otherwise- i read a bunch of threads that slowly morph off topic. Facebook groups are worse for searching
>>
>> Email Aspect of this site
>> I read the digest emails, see if I want to read more (and more easily) and come to this forum. I've also had a number of people reach out to me
>> via email only (not posting their advice in the forum) and I don't want to lose that- they've been helpful and we've gone down email chains on
>> topics.
>> While the email format is great, but the broken threads, split topics get really mucked up which is why I feel I have to come to the forum to read
>> it correctly. Also people quoting others, and then typing above/below- sometimes I'm not sure who's saying what. This is basically user
>> interface/you're only as good as the people using the tool.
>>
>> Bonuses for facebook, lots of people there- lots of input. Posting photos, posting VIDEOS!!! Sometimes a simple video can relay what I'm doing
>> so much easier. With all the people- you do have to wade through dumb answers, topic creep.
>>
>> I looked at the proposed format, overall I like it- but, I think it's too granular. Our topics are more than one thing, they shift around a lot.
>> I do like Boondocking/ Full Timer as topics, I think I'm worried about the GMC Maintenance, Repairs, Restoration, and Technical Information with all
>> the sub groups.
>> Honestly you can make the best site ever- but if people don't use it in a helpful manner it won't matter. If everyone here used the subject line
>> better (or had a cloud tag section) searching would be a breeze.
>>
>> My two cents, simplify the topics to allow for creep. Is it possible to start broad and see how it goes?
>> Maybe take your sub forum topics and offer check boxes within a post? If checked it would show up in searches. "this thread includes: Front
>> seats, Upholstery/blinds"
>>
>> minimalist topics for the Maintenance section:
>> Emergency-need help now
>>
>> Chassis
>> mechanical, electrical, fluids, upgrades
>>
>> Coach
>> electrical, upgrades, water system, heating/cooling
>>
>> Selling/Marketplace
>>
>> ------
>>
>> I'm a member of Ravelry, a site for knitters/crocheters. https://www.ravelry.com Their forums are super granular- and I never get into them.
>> BUT, aside from a fantastic search feature for new patterns, they have individual sites to post/save your work. If I make a sweater from a pattern
>> i found on Ravelry, others who want to make the sweater can click and see how mine came out. I can save and share what yarn i used, what needles,
>> post photos, these references benefit me and anyone else who is looking at my page. I would love something like that for us, let us post our
>> photos/projects. Make them searchable. Let us reference forum posts that helped us when we did something.
>>
>> OK, I've said a lot. If you read it all thanks for listening
>>
>> -kelly
>
> Kelly, all very good suggestions. I'm going to clean it up a bit over the next week. Make it a bit more streamlined. In fact, when the site gets
> migrated over to its final formal, there may even be an option for person to person chat that could be useful for your "emergency help" suggestion.
> The new site also allows for "tags", so yes, if we can get people to tag their posts, then a lot of the subforms can go away. It won't be perfectly
> polished overnight, but it will get there, especially with the help of suggestions such as yours.
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Very interesting conversation.

I'm new here after just acquiring my 77' Birchaven. I've found this site extremely helpful. Quite a few folks have the answers and that's fantastic.

Searcing for specific issues seems very difficult to me. Wading through all sorts of off topic replies on threads is extremely time consuming.

Took me about 2 hours of reading to finally find a thread named "lower steering shaft complete new replacement" which answered my issue in the best
possible way. So glad I didn't give up.

IMO, after being here a few months, searching is the biggest issue for me.

Just thought I'd chime in for once.

JR Williams
--
JR Williams
St Petersburg FL
77 Birchaven
 
Thanks Kelly. Intelligent, well thought out, expertly communicated. No us
vs them content. Just helpful subject matter. Good job.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Sun, Oct 6, 2019, 8:32 AM Les Burt via Gmclist
wrote:

> It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those
> who can best manage change. --Charles Darwin
>
>
> This quote not only applies to making changes to this platform. It also
> applies to the users ability to adapt to the platform they need to access.
>
>
> Les Burt
> Montreal
> '75 Eleganza 26'
>
>
> > On Oct 6, 2019, at 10:09 AM, Mike Perez via Gmclist <

> >

> >> I've been following this thread- I'm a newer owner, just finishing my
> 3rd season with a 78 Kingsley. I've used the forum and facebook. Also, I'm
> >> mid 40's and female.
> >>
> >> I think the biggest benefit to something more "user friendly" is
> exposing the folks here on the forum who don't do facebook to the facebook
> crowd
> >> to expand their knowledge/input/feedback. You're needed over there.
> >> A number of people who are helpful and knowledgeable here are on
> facebook and just as knowledgable/helpful. And we all know-- the
> pictures...
> >>
> >> I agree, the format on this forum is clunky, searching isn't always
> easy- from what I've experienced, if I can find thread where the title sums
> up
> >> what I'm looking for- I'm golden. Otherwise- i read a bunch of threads
> that slowly morph off topic. Facebook groups are worse for searching
> >>
> >> Email Aspect of this site
> >> I read the digest emails, see if I want to read more (and more easily)
> and come to this forum. I've also had a number of people reach out to me
> >> via email only (not posting their advice in the forum) and I don't want
> to lose that- they've been helpful and we've gone down email chains on
> >> topics.
> >> While the email format is great, but the broken threads, split topics
> get really mucked up which is why I feel I have to come to the forum to read
> >> it correctly. Also people quoting others, and then typing above/below-
> sometimes I'm not sure who's saying what. This is basically user
> >> interface/you're only as good as the people using the tool.
> >>
> >> Bonuses for facebook, lots of people there- lots of input. Posting
> photos, posting VIDEOS!!! Sometimes a simple video can relay what I'm doing
> >> so much easier. With all the people- you do have to wade through dumb
> answers, topic creep.
> >>
> >> I looked at the proposed format, overall I like it- but, I think it's
> too granular. Our topics are more than one thing, they shift around a lot.
> >> I do like Boondocking/ Full Timer as topics, I think I'm worried about
> the GMC Maintenance, Repairs, Restoration, and Technical Information with
> all
> >> the sub groups.
> >> Honestly you can make the best site ever- but if people don't use it in
> a helpful manner it won't matter. If everyone here used the subject line
> >> better (or had a cloud tag section) searching would be a breeze.
> >>
> >> My two cents, simplify the topics to allow for creep. Is it possible
> to start broad and see how it goes?
> >> Maybe take your sub forum topics and offer check boxes within a post?
> If checked it would show up in searches. "this thread includes: Front
> >> seats, Upholstery/blinds"
> >>
> >> minimalist topics for the Maintenance section:
> >> Emergency-need help now
> >>
> >> Chassis
> >> mechanical, electrical, fluids, upgrades
> >>
> >> Coach
> >> electrical, upgrades, water system, heating/cooling
> >>
> >> Selling/Marketplace
> >>
> >> ------
> >>
> >> I'm a member of Ravelry, a site for knitters/crocheters.
> https://www.ravelry.com Their forums are super granular- and I never get
> into them.
> >> BUT, aside from a fantastic search feature for new patterns, they have
> individual sites to post/save your work. If I make a sweater from a pattern
> >> i found on Ravelry, others who want to make the sweater can click and
> see how mine came out. I can save and share what yarn i used, what needles,
> >> post photos, these references benefit me and anyone else who is looking
> at my page. I would love something like that for us, let us post our
> >> photos/projects. Make them searchable. Let us reference forum posts
> that helped us when we did something.
> >>
> >> OK, I've said a lot. If you read it all thanks for listening
> >>
> >> -kelly
> >
> > Kelly, all very good suggestions. I'm going to clean it up a bit over
> the next week. Make it a bit more streamlined. In fact, when the site gets
> > migrated over to its final formal, there may even be an option for
> person to person chat that could be useful for your "emergency help"
> suggestion.
> > The new site also allows for "tags", so yes, if we can get people to tag
> their posts, then a lot of the subforms can go away. It won't be perfectly
> > polished overnight, but it will get there, especially with the help of
> suggestions such as yours.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
I don't see any reason why both cant exist. Keep this. Start a new and different. People will do as they wish.

--johnny
--
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
 
Well that's about 100% the response I would expect around here :lol:

I've been saying the same thing from day 1.
This forum has great folks and great information. It's horrifically organized and nearly impossible to search/find anything after a few weeks.
Yes I know I can go through google or some random archive that someone has generated but that's not the point, the point is I can't even jump on here
and find MY OWN build thread. It's buried and gone.

The defensive attitude around here is nothing new, suggest a change and people come out of the woodwork angry.

My biggest issue is the same argument that everyone here wants to make "this is a technical forum"
Why? Why can't it be technical and friendly? That's why on a modern forum there are multiple sections.
This forum is good if you want to know how to change a ball joint, but what if I want to change a ball joint but also chit chat about my latest trip,
or discuss the best campgrounds in Iowa?
The biggest problem with this forum IMHO is that it's all business. Sure some like it that way but I personally don't and I don't think the majority
of people do. That's why the facebook group is wildly more populated and active than this forum.

This forum also has a very negative view of facebook users as idiots and not worthy of help because they don't come here to ask questions. I'm here to
tell you that there are idiots everywhere both here and there and you just have to either ignore them or buck up and be nice and try to help those
people that seemingly can't help themselves.

I think a big part of this is a lot of people think that the forum is for technical talk and the rallies are for socialization. Problem is for me that
I still work 60+hrs a week and have a lot of other hobbies, I don't get to the rallies. And I'm not the only one. I would love to get to know some of
you more than just knowing your oil preference or your skill at rebuilding a drag link. There's a whole new demographic of owners who are still hard
at work providing for their families and an inclusive forum where owners can gather and enjoy themselves in small time off will be much appreciated.

For the "I don't know how to work those fancy forums and I don't want to learn" crowd:

If you can use an email thread without screwing it up (only half of the email users can anyway, just look at the mess of 15 of the same topics on the
home page) then you're already way above the necessary skill set to use a modern forum.
You literally click on what you want to read, and then click "reply". That's it. No voodoo magic or incantations to utter.
Want to see other peoples interior mods? Click on the interiors section.
Want to talk about ball joints? Click on the technical suspension section.
Want to discuss EFI options? Click the EFI section.

And best of all, when you want to know what someone else did for their EFI 2 or 3 years later it's still there! Well organized in the same section,
ready to be accessed.
For a comparison, I just searched for my own build thread here and had to scroll through 120 topics before finding it. And that's searching for a
topic that I wrote and I know the exact name of the thread. If I wanted to scroll through and find it it would take days.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that this forum be closed or anything of the sort. Use what you like. All Mike was trying to do with this post was
give a friendly heads up that there's another option and we would really like for those of you with all the years of knowledge and experience to be a
part of it to help new owners and old owners alike. I for one am incredibly excited for this and it's been a long time coming. I've been wanting to do
it myself but never got around to it so kudos to Mike for taking the initiative!

If you're still anti modernization that's fine. But give it a year or so and go check it out again and I'll virtually guarantee your mind will change
and your eyes will open.

--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455
 
  • Like
Reactions: Christo
> Well that's about 100% the response I would expect around here :lol:
>
> I've been saying the same thing from day 1.
> This forum has great folks and great information. It's horrifically organized and nearly impossible to search/find anything after a few weeks.
> Yes I know I can go through google or some random archive that someone has generated but that's not the point, the point is I can't even jump on
> here and find MY OWN build thread. It's buried and gone.
>
> The defensive attitude around here is nothing new, suggest a change and people come out of the woodwork angry.
>
> My biggest issue is the same argument that everyone here wants to make "this is a technical forum"
> Why? Why can't it be technical and friendly? That's why on a modern forum there are multiple sections.
> This forum is good if you want to know how to change a ball joint, but what if I want to change a ball joint but also chit chat about my latest
> trip, or discuss the best campgrounds in Iowa?
> The biggest problem with this forum IMHO is that it's all business. Sure some like it that way but I personally don't and I don't think the
> majority of people do. That's why the facebook group is wildly more populated and active than this forum.
>
> This forum also has a very negative view of facebook users as idiots and not worthy of help because they don't come here to ask questions. I'm
> here to tell you that there are idiots everywhere both here and there and you just have to either ignore them or buck up and be nice and try to help
> those people that seemingly can't help themselves.
>
> I think a big part of this is a lot of people think that the forum is for technical talk and the rallies are for socialization. Problem is for me
> that I still work 60+hrs a week and have a lot of other hobbies, I don't get to the rallies. And I'm not the only one. I would love to get to know
> some of you more than just knowing your oil preference or your skill at rebuilding a drag link. There's a whole new demographic of owners who are
> still hard at work providing for their families and an inclusive forum where owners can gather and enjoy themselves in small time off will be much
> appreciated.
>
>
>
> For the "I don't know how to work those fancy forums and I don't want to learn" crowd:
>
> If you can use an email thread without screwing it up (only half of the email users can anyway, just look at the mess of 15 of the same topics on
> the home page) then you're already way above the necessary skill set to use a modern forum.
> You literally click on what you want to read, and then click "reply". That's it. No voodoo magic or incantations to utter.
> Want to see other peoples interior mods? Click on the interiors section.
> Want to talk about ball joints? Click on the technical suspension section.
> Want to discuss EFI options? Click the EFI section.
>
> And best of all, when you want to know what someone else did for their EFI 2 or 3 years later it's still there! Well organized in the same
> section, ready to be accessed.
> For a comparison, I just searched for my own build thread here and had to scroll through 120 topics before finding it. And that's searching for a
> topic that I wrote and I know the exact name of the thread. If I wanted to scroll through and find it it would take days.
>
>
> I don't think anyone is suggesting that this forum be closed or anything of the sort. Use what you like. All Mike was trying to do with this post
> was give a friendly heads up that there's another option and we would really like for those of you with all the years of knowledge and experience to
> be a part of it to help new owners and old owners alike. I for one am incredibly excited for this and it's been a long time coming. I've been
> wanting to do it myself but never got around to it so kudos to Mike for taking the initiative!
>
> If you're still anti modernization that's fine. But give it a year or so and go check it out again and I'll virtually guarantee your mind will
> change and your eyes will open.

Justin,
thank you for a well written and well-reasoned post.

This discussion has been turning around in my head the entire weekend. It almost feels like battle lines were drawn and offenses taken at any
suggestions that were not in-line with someone's expectations. I can't believe how rapidly good intentions got misconstrued and misinterpreted. The
OP made a good and genuine effort to create a more user friendly, more modern forum with additional diverse topics. Those efforts were taken by some
members as an attempted takeover of the gmcforum. I'm 100% sure that was not at all the OPs intent. I hope, that in the interests of this community,
it might be possible to use the expertise UND_Sioux clearly has, to upgrade and improve this forum and add those additional functionalities and
categories right here. I do realize that updating and upgrading something is often more difficult than starting with a clean slate, but I wonder if
it might work. I'd love for the OP and whoever manages this forum to get in touch and calmly explore this opportunity. There is no reason why things
must stay the same forever. Adapt, improve and grow this community instead of fracturing and antagonizing. We need both, a place for gearheads to
bash heads on Zinc content, filter media porosity, etc., as well as a place for an occasional traveler who needs help or wants to share a photo with
the community. Preferably this can be done on one forum instead of separate ones. I don't want to have separate "technical" forum and "people
friendly" forum...

Many people say that they use e-mail exclusively to check in on the posts. I'd say - whatever rocks your boat. I, on the other hand, can't even
imagine doing that. I have so much e-mail coming my way, that having every post on the forum send me a notification would drive me up the wall. At
the same time, I would love to have a section on the forum for Emergency response notices. If someone is in need of help in my neck of the woods, I'd
love for them to be able to post on the forum in some "Help needed now" section and for me to get an e-mail notification at that point. This would
give me a chance to offer assistance if I'm able.

All this said, I'd love to meet the technical gurus on this forum. I have greatest respect for the skill and vastness of knowledge you all have. But
just as Justin, both myself and my spouse work full time while raising two very busy kids. We don't have time or opportunity to go to rallies. We are
lucky if we can carve out a week of vacation that works with our work schedules and school breaks when we can get some camping and R&R. With that in
mind, a section of forum where people can share their experiences about campgrounds, trips etc. would be great. Same place might be a useful for a
post like hey we are planning to camp at such and such place... Anyone in the area available and wants to join? This might get more of us who are
not yet retired, but could make a short weekend trip, connected in personal ways.

As far as dealing with two different types of education, i.e. school of hard knocks vs. plain old schooling. One is no better than another. Both
have places in life and both have advantages and disadvantages. I'd say one is truly lucky to be able to have a 65 year carrier that they love.
These days carriers in one field not only don't happen, but it's not even an option for many of us. Instead, we must constantly adapt to the
surroundings, emerging technologies and the whims of the companies we work for. One doesn't have a luxury of learning the trade by hands-on study
over many years. These days we get thrown into the lion's den and are expected to learn and adapt to work demands on the fly. That is simply a sad
reality of current economy. Just as an example: In my first big job (fresh out of post graduate school), my mentor was going to work with me for
several moth prior to his retirement, in order to teach me the ropes of my new job. Instead, he happened to have a heart attack on the very morning I
showed up for day one... His heart attack and slow recovery had pushed him into retirement then and there. I've never had a chance to learn from a
master. Instead I had to rely on all my "official" schooling, training and improvisation skills to make things work. I managed to pull it off and
survived this trial by fire. That means, plain old schooling must not be that bad for you. Do I think that anyone not capable of doing the same is
not qualified for this job? Of course not. I wouldn't want anything like this to happen to anyone I know and love. Are there people who as you put
it, don't know 9/19" wrench form a hammer after who knows how many years of schooling? Of course. At the same time, I've seen my share of the all
sorts of certified and technical people who know as much about their trade as anyone with half a brain and access to Google.

All I'm trying to say - there is more than one way to learn and do things. The best results come when all approaches are respected, listened to and
especially, when decisions are made on something more than "I said so" basis.

Let's work together and make this forum better for all. With the quality of people on this forum, the vastness of their knowledge, proven skills, and
ability to learn, the sky is the limit. Let's reach for it.
--
Vadim Jitkov
'76 Glenbrook 26'
Pullman, WA
 
  • Like
Reactions: Christo
Civility is key on any forum, any time things drop to name calling or anger it's just no good for anyone. There's never a winner in an internet fight,
just two people making themselves look ridiculous.

The photo site is a treasure trove of GMC goodness, but it's also impossible to find much of anything and a pain to upload to with any meaningful
content (meaning useable captions). On top of that it doesn't play well with this forum or emails so you have to click over there to each individual
picture unless the OP takes the time to cross post every image as a link to both the emailers and the forum folks. In this day and age that's just
ridiculous when the majority of the internet using public are used to just adding photos to their posts and being done with it be it on a forum,
facebook, instagram etc.

I think overall the point of the new forum is to conglomerate this site, the multitude of blogs and tech websites, the photo site, and facebook into
one place. In the 90's when all of these things began there wasn't an option to keep it all in one place, but now there is so why are they still
separate?

To those of you who are saying that if people migrate over to the other forum you wont go over there on principle because it's a waste of your time
then that's fine, but ultimately you'll be missing out and more importantly so will the community be missing out on your knowledge input and
personality.

I've watched quite a few "hard" forum splits. Usually the result of a moderator taking too much power, restricting free speech, banning long time
members for personal crap,etc. In the end it always works out for the best because the majority of people are going to go where the action is and
those that don't are left behind to complain to eachother.
--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455
 
Just a quick thought......

It would be very convenient for those of us new to the GMCMH world, have more than likely a TO DO list a mile long and only a budget to do only a
fraction of the list, to be able to save a how to write up into a personal folder stored on the forum. Also this could include links to other web
pages. I know that even saving something to favorites doesn't guarantee it will be there when you need it if google crashes.

Just a thought......... ;)
--
1977 GMC Royale 403
 
I'd like to chime in again.

I would hate to see more splintering. My GMC forum dream is one that has benefits of facebook ease posting, have sections for technical and sections
for aesthetics, be searchable and be the goto place for all things GMC Motorhome

If we splinter off into old/new then we will all lose.
Even now there are at least 3 facebook groups for GMC motorhome- so you see someone cross post on 3 pages the same question.
Think of it as giving this site a tune up.

I'd like to post an example of what makes facebook great. Follow this link, videos, questions, answers, suggestions, minor thread creep. Maybe some
answers you don't agree with, but follow the dialogue, how the information/questions are presented, how they're answered. It's not all "look at my
retro shag carpet!".

https://www.facebook.com/groups/classicgmcmotorhomes/permalink/1591668684290996/

I think staying together should be really important. We're stewards for an endangered species of a vehicle.
-kelly

> I don't see any reason why both cant exist. Keep this. Start a new and different. People will do as they wish.
>
> --johnny

--
1978 Kingsley
Putney VT
 
The address for Mike's new forum has been changed from www.gmcrvforum.com TO: http://www.gmcmhforum.com
The original address will automatically forward you to the new one.

The forum is live, up and running. The result of someone seeing a need and filling it.

Hopefully the new forum has a successful co-existence with this one, and that they compliment each other rather than compete.

Les Burt
Montreal
 
> I'd like to chime in again.
> [Good}
> I would hate to see more splintering. My GMC forum dream is one that has benefits of facebook ease posting, have sections for technical and
> sections for aesthetics, be searchable and be the goto place for all things GMC Motorhome
>
> If we splinter off into old/new then we will all lose.
> Even now there are at least 3 facebook groups for GMC motorhome- so you see someone cross post on 3 pages the same question.
> Think of it as giving this site a tune up.
>
> I'd like to post an example of what makes facebook great. Follow this link, videos, questions, answers, suggestions, minor thread creep. Maybe
> some answers you don't agree with, but follow the dialogue, how the information/questions are presented, how they're answered. It's not all "look
> at my retro shag carpet!".
>
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/classicgmcmotorhomes/permalink/1591668684290996/
>
> I think staying together should be really important. We're stewards for an endangered species of a vehicle.
> -kelly

Kelly,

I seem to have a different view here about FB.
I do post there, but I try not to get too involved as it is very clear to me that FB is much more about talking than it is about listening.
I have witnessed two functional and salvageable coaches go to scrap because the FB reader had to take the wrong advice. (There is no FB function for
reach out and grad the writer by the shirt front and shake him.) It was hurtful to see this happen.

On the forum, I have been known to write full page carefully formatted and complete instructions for specific situations. That is simply impossible
for me to do an a narrow page format. Then again, if I were to bother, once I hit {Return}, it is gone and recovery is extremely difficult. Here, I
been able to either reference the original posting by giving the title to use for the search or recover and repost as I may choose.

I go involved in FB only because my wife was reading and told me that there seem to be a significant number of younger people reading the GMC groups
there. She was correct, I used to that to attract a number of younger and unconnected owners to the local owners network lunches that we try to hold
regularly in the off season. So, it worked for that but has otherwise been a waste of effort to do anything for the unconnected owners.

There another of these on the 19th, but it would be a little bit of a haul for you.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
> I'd like to chime in again.
>
> I would hate to see more splintering. My GMC forum dream is one that has benefits of facebook ease posting, have sections for technical and
> sections for aesthetics, be searchable and be the goto place for all things GMC Motorhome
>
> If we splinter off into old/new then we will all lose.
> Even now there are at least 3 facebook groups for GMC motorhome- so you see someone cross post on 3 pages the same question.
> Think of it as giving this site a tune up.
>
> I'd like to post an example of what makes facebook great. Follow this link, videos, questions, answers, suggestions, minor thread creep. Maybe
> some answers you don't agree with, but follow the dialogue, how the information/questions are presented, how they're answered. It's not all "look
> at my retro shag carpet!".
>
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/classicgmcmotorhomes/permalink/1591668684290996/
>
> I think staying together should be really important. We're stewards for an endangered species of a vehicle.
> -kelly
>
>

> > I don't see any reason why both cant exist. Keep this. Start a new and different. People will do as they wish.
> >
> > --johnny

Kelly,

I agree with much of what you are saying. I'll give you an example as to why I think we could use a fresh start. Let's just say 20 years ago a
discussion got started about "topic x". Over weeks, months, or years, the experts come to agree that the answer to the question is "answer y". Now a
new owner comes along and has the same question. Does that person want to read and sort and search through hundreds of pages to find "answer y"? I
certainly don't.

My thoughts for the forum was for it to be a combination of technical, social, documents, and photos. Justin Brady hit it all square on the head. It
was almost as he was reading my mind. It would be somewhat similar to what they have over at airforums.com which is the Airstream crowd.

What it needs to work the best is some good Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) that would be willing the be moderators. Those people who could answer
questions and go right to "answer y" without the 200 pages of arguing back and forth. I really hope some of the more experienced folks with these
machines will eventually come around. I guess we'll see.

Also, like Justin said....civility is key. If you can't be civil and respectful, don't bother showing up to the new forum.
 
I totally agree that it would be pretty awesome if at the very least we had a consensus on the top options on any given subject.

Even in the short time Ive owned my coach Ive come across differing opinions on which system is best on a variety of subjects. It would be very
helpful for those of us just beginning to learn the in's and out's of our GMCs to have things compiled so we can make an informed decision on what we
feel is best for our own coach.
--
1977 GMC Royale 403
 
When I attended GM service schools, A point that one of the
Engineer/Instructors made stuck with me for many years. It went something
like this.
"There is no such thing as perfection, it is a state of being that can
NEVER BE ACHIEVED, it is a goal to strive towards. Always just beyond the
reach of our outstretched fingertips. THE BEST THAT WE CAN EXPECT, IS
[WITHIN ALLOWABLE SPECIFICATIONS]. That is the reality that we work in
with mechanical devices.
So, with that said, your GMC only has to please you, not everyone
else. The changes you make, only have to make sense to you and your
circumstances. No matter what other's opinions of what you do, are.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Tue, Oct 8, 2019, 8:51 AM Kevin via Gmclist
wrote:

> I totally agree that it would be pretty awesome if at the very least we
> had a consensus on the top options on any given subject.
>
> Even in the short time Ive owned my coach Ive come across differing
> opinions on which system is best on a variety of subjects. It would be very
> helpful for those of us just beginning to learn the in's and out's of our
> GMCs to have things compiled so we can make an informed decision on what we
> feel is best for our own coach.
> --
> 1977 GMC Royale 403
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
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