It has been my experience that websites designed only for those already inside an interest group don't do very well, because people are always at different places even in a very tightly defined interest group (such as S scale train modeling,) and because an "insiders only" website tends to put up a lot of jargon that newbies don't understand. As a result, it actually drives people away, rather than bringing them in. Unless what you want is an Infranet, only available to those already inside the infrastructure, I think you HAVE to include drawing new members as one of the primary purposes. This would be true even if 90% of the content would be of interest only to those already committed. That is partly because of the reasons above; partly it is because even the dedicated need to be reminded from time to time of why it is a good group to be in. Mostly, however, it is because it will be an exceptionally rare member who encompasses ALL of the basic aspects of what you love. One will be an expert in kit bashing, but not care anything about hand-laid track. Another will know everything there is to know about rail sizes, but know nothing about DCC. There are gaps everywhere, and selling from the most basic level lets you most effectively bring people in, as well as keep people informed, even if much of what you will be doing is "preaching to the choir." Having said that, it is also essential that the site continually change for those who come by regularly, so they don't become bored and mentally write-off going to the site as a waste of their time. Always having something new is the most difficult aspect of hosting any website. Doing so with quality is what makes some websites stand out. Amazon.com doesn't just put those recommendations for you on the home page to sell you stuff; they also put them there because that makes the page more dynamic and interesting. For me, personally, the appealing aspect of this would be to put all the articles which have been done over the years in one searchable, accessible place. When I subscribed to MR and RMC back in the 60s and 70s, I read every article and kept every issue. I still have most of them, tied up in string somewhere, because I couldn't bear to throw them out, but I'll probably never have the time to search through them again. People who write articles probably all dream of becoming rich and famous for their writing -- I know I did (and still do, in my less lucid moments.) Unfortunately, the size of this community probably means that you will never be able to earn any significant money writing just for this community. Those who heroically tried to put together slicks can probably attest to this. The community is just too small for a subscription magazine format. Given the size of this list (~800), I would say you are at an ideal size, however, for a web-based magazine format. Once you have it established, it doesn't take much to keep it running, believe it or not. It DOES take an ongoing commitment from the community to keep the content fresh, but you DO have a large enough community to manage that. It takes a LOT of effort to get the site going in the first place. The question is, is that something the group would want? Is it redundant with what is already out there, or would it be useful enough to be worth the effort? Looking at some of the things referenced by others, maybe you can get all you need at trainweb.org and railsearch.com, and maybe this idea would detract from that. What do you all think? Brian
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Pieter Roos Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:31 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} S Scale website Hi Brian; As you suggest, there are a lot of varied S scale sites out there. With out meaning to slight anyone, two of the most extensive are the "S Scale Model Railroading Homepage" Site by Craig O'Connell http://trainweb. <http://trainweb.org/crocon/sscale.html> org/crocon/sscale.html and Paul York's S-Trains site http://www.trainweb <http://www.trainweb.org/s-trains/> .org/s-trains/ Both have some article type materials, but mostly are links to other sites and vendors. Very useful, but a bit different from what you describe. Another excellent on-line format is the the Proto48 Modeler site. http://www.proto48. <http://www.proto48.org/index.htm> org/index.htm The layout is particularly clear, and there are some excellent articles (including some that can be used pretty directly in S scale)! An online magazine format site might be very useful, although the question remains: does it serve existing S Scale modelers or server to draw new people. If the latter, how? Pieter Roos Vivamus <[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:Vivamus%40TaprootTech.com> .com> wrote: This puzzles me. Aren't there a bunch of S websites already? Or, are you talking about a magazine-type website, with articles? <SNIP> So, is there not something that already does that out there? If there isn't, is it something that would be helpful? Brian Groover aka Vivamus [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
