Malcolm Duckett wrote:

 I think we should be very proud/happy with what we have. It works, and  MOST importantly it gets used; with lots of contributions, content and lively discussion.

So personally I would concentrate on the content before the technology - but then maybe I am just getting old!

...and thankyou to those who keep it working!

Strongly supported, particularly the last line.  jds

Asst Webmaster wrote:

Yes I can tell it's not the easiest site to navigate or work with so definitely needs time to learn. 

Have been reading up a little about WA responsive templates for the future if people think it's worth while, but again easier if not. 

Responsiveness would surely be welcome but WA seems like a... hmm, let's say "weird" CMS, to be as kind as possible. Most people here probably don't know what "responsive" means in this context, but at the same time they would be happy to see the site work better on their mobile devices. :) 

Anything that would make the website less clunky and easier to navigate would, I'm sure, be welcomed by one and all.  However, a lot of people who use the website are not that used to computers and would be very confused if we suddenly had a 'new look' website, even if it were a lot better than the old one.  That being so, I think changes need to be made incrementally, with, perhaps, a notice at the top of the page saying what has been altered.

I can imagine that this will be rather frustrating to someone who is himself frustrated at the existing structure, but having watched people slowly and painfully getting used to what we have, I do realise how disconcerting it would be for them to go on line one day and find it all different!  But please don't get me wrong: I am not, in the slightest, trying to discourage changes and am looking forward to seeing what you and Chris can come up with, but I'm just reminding you about the people who (pay to) use this site.

Hi Andrew.

As the webmaster before the current one can I say it was great to see someone offering his services live on screen. It's also good to see that you've been quickly co-opted onto the committee. The work its members put in is exceptional. You sound full of ideas, and that's great too, but give it a while before you get stuck in to deep stuff: the site may look a old-fashioned in some ways, but it evolves rather than gets over-designed. A bit like the junk rig really. Plus it has to deal with subscriptions, banking, mail-outs, etc. Good luck in your post!

Brian

Andrew Eaves wrote:

Who outside of the JR community knows about JR's? I was recently working offshore in the marine seismic community and a chap I worked with had never heard of them. Seriously. He'd sailed since a boy and had lived on two boats all around Greece. Is this normal? I know JR are not popular as a general, but for sailors to not even be aware of them, is it really that closed?

I was waiting to see if anyone else would come back on this before responding.  But as no-one has, I'll give my personal opinion.  Frankly, I'm astonished that your acquaintance had never heard of junk rig, but I do think it rather depends on their nationality.  It seems to be most widely known among British, North American and French sailors, probably because boats with the rig have been designed in these places.  On the other hand, there are a lot of sailors who aren't particularly interested in boat design, and I dare say that these people would not have heard of the rig.  But in that case, they are unlikely to be interested in it, even if they do hear about it. 

I've just asked the webmaster if I can help out on the site. I have experience and am more than willing to lend a hand. One suggestion is, what about opening the 'Swap, Sell or Buy' section up to other vessels also?

I mean a free Apolloduck/Ebay syle section so that people will find vessels they are searching for and find this alien JR world that they didn't know of? Surely this must help increase the exposure of a small unique community. I was helping a chap out a few years ago who deleted all his product pages and information on older product he no longer sold. I said he was crazy to do so, he disagreed and thus the information was deleted for good. All that information no longer available for potential new customers.

One of the things we have to consider, when changing the website, it whether it benefits the membership.  I don't believe that running a free brokerage service for non junkies would do this.  On the other hand, if you were looking for a Corribee and Googled it, you would come across the JRA website, if one had been for sale.  All our for sale postings are still 'live' so if you go looking for a Contessa 26, you will come across 'Mariposa'.  So I think those seriously looking for a particular design, will probably encounter a junk-rigged version, if there is one, simply by Googling and that will probably lead them to this site.

If I get shot down here, I won't take it personally. I'll be needing your help soon most likely trying not to crash leaving the harbor. But whilst you guys know wind and waves, I know web and traffic :)

All suggestions gratefully received, but also bear in mind that a fair proportion of the membership doesn't use the website and that they might well object to our using a more expensive platform.  And also bear in mind that the website is run by a volunteer who might have a lot of other things to do with his/her time.  Another thing that we have to remember, is that webmasters come and go, so we have to keep things relatively simple to ensure that the handover from one to the other isn't too onerous and that would-be webmasters aren't daunted by a complex platform.