422 replies to this topic

[Shifty]

Sorry but that argument makes no sense whatsoever.

To contribute to the forum and make a differnce you actually have to post, a forum filled with people who just lurk and watch is doomed to failure.

What actually makes a forum worth watching is the people who post, the people who watch and take note must generally agree with those peoples posts otherwise they'd go elsewhere and watch.

And there forms my argument.

[mab01uk]

Why would members leave?

We are already very tolerent to other varients, metros/gtm/marcos etc, so why not extend our hospitallity?

What ever we do then Bini is here to stay and as I've already said the prices are falling to the the point that they make a good 2nd hand buy. This situation can only get more favourable to the 2nd hand buyer.

We can sit here on our rocking chairs, guns at the ready but the the onslaught will become even worse as the years go on.

As the prices drop they will fall into the hands of people who are more like us(enthusiasts).

I'm not a huge fan but I do find my opinion has mellowed over the years, I have mates who have bought them, we have them in our club. I don't see the point in being hostile to other enthusiasts?

Very well put ...............as you said "Whatever we do the MINI is here to stay" we should use the extra interest, potential new members and publicity it generates to our advantage to strengthen and grow the classic Mini scene/forums/shows into the future, as has already happened in other countries like the USA, where classic Minis were always a rare sight on the roads.......and as they are now becoming here.

[WRLondon]

fair point but occasionally they do post, and set up project threads etc.
they dont have to have a massive post count to contribute to the forum

there are plenty of people who have been here alot longer than me and have a smaller post count

but still contribute to the forum

many people will look at this thread but not post

im just saying that everyone should get an input not just people who have a mill posts |

if people want or dont want a bini section than the poll is the easiest way to find out

[Shifty]

fair point but occasionally they do post, and set up project threads etc.
they dont have to have a massive post count to contribute to the forum

there are plenty of people who have been here alot longer than me and have a smaller post count

but still contribute to the forum

many people will look at this thread but not post

im just saying that everyone should get an input not just people who have a mill posts |

if people want or dont want a bini section than the poll is the easiest way to find out

No its not, not all the options have been discussed, there's a lot of ways of going about this.

To be brutal, why should a bunch of bini haters who have a very low post count have a say on this subject?

Equally why should a bunch of bini lovers who have only just joined have a major say?

To have a poll that accurately reflects the true view of the users needs setting up properly.

Like I said before its not a decison that should be taken lightly and thats why I closed your poll thead.

[WRLondon]

true
right, thanks for this evenings entertainment but i've done all my christmas wrapping now
so shall retire for a cuppa tea

I look forward to seeing how this matter is going to be decided in the coming weeks

but its been brought up plenty over the last year or so and nothings happened so far so i wont count on it

Good Night and Merry Christmas!

[GTIAlex06]

A MINI section would be good.
Id love to have a MINI as well as my Mini, and id like to use this forum for both.
Having a MINI section would allow the forum to grow and become more vibrant and youthful. Might even attract some females aha

Dont see the point...its a different car, theres already another massive forum on a different website, why do we need one?

lol found that funny aswell

I share my account with someone else in my household so i dont know why you find that funny?

[Scallywag630]

Sorry but that argument makes no sense whatsoever.

To contribute to the forum and make a differnce you actually have to post, a forum filled with people who just lurk and watch is doomed to failure.

What actually makes a forum worth watching is the people who post, the people who watch and take note must generally agree with those peoples posts otherwise they'd go elsewhere and watch.

And there forms my argument.

You missed the most important reason for watching a forum....content. TMF is all about the CLASSIC mini which is why the majority of members are here. I see no reason why we should not have a vote on whether to include the bini unless there is something we are not being told.

[Shifty]

Sorry but that argument makes no sense whatsoever.

To contribute to the forum and make a differnce you actually have to post, a forum filled with people who just lurk and watch is doomed to failure.

What actually makes a forum worth watching is the people who post, the people who watch and take note must generally agree with those peoples posts otherwise they'd go elsewhere and watch.

And there forms my argument.

You missed the most important reason for watching a forum....content. TMF is all about the CLASSIC mini which is why the majority of members are here. I see no reason why we should not have a vote on whether to include the bini unless there is something we are not being told.

I'm not the one who asked for a vote, so you're asking the wrong person. I just gave my reason as to why I felt a vote would be flawed.

[Scallywag630]

I'm not the one who asked for a vote, so you're asking the wrong person. I just gave my reason as to why I felt a vote would be flawed.

But you are a member of the TEAM and could organise it.

[Shifty]

Please sir, you flatter me!!

My point is that to make a vote valid it would need to be weighted correctly, its a big undertaking and needs to be given the correct consideration.

[E.L.M.O]

There are a very few members on this forum intent on trying to change TMF. We, the majority of members, are NOT anti MINI just as we are not anti VW, Mercedes or anyother car maker. We enjoy a forum which is specific to our cars...the classic mini. Why should we change anything for the benefit of non classic owners? I am sure that 99.9% of members are perfectly polite to MINI owners and correctly suggest that they might be better on a MINI dedicated forum.

Well said, and I for one am... most of the time

No one is trying to change anything at all!

Err... But you/they are. The first (and normally only thing I do when I come onto the forum is hit the "NEW POSTS" button. I dont seek out threads through each section. Who does that?! Once in a blue moon I might head onto the local section or classified section but other than that, its the NEW POSTS button for me.
If a BINI section was added, then hitting the NEW POSTS button would show up all of the BMW BINI threads, therefore meaning I have to sort through all those to find the Classic mini related topics......... No matter how you look at it, plan and simple that IS changing the forum.

if the headline page had the word classic in it then there would be no confusuion at all.

I think thats a good idea. Drill home the fact that this is a forum for Classic owners a little more. I am tolerant of the BINI honestly, I just dont want it shoved in my face all the time.

I own an Audi, and know a few classic mini owners who also own Audis, but I dont want an Audi section on TMF. thats what the Audi forums are for.
TMF for Classics, Mini2 for BMW Minis

I would expect most Audi forums have recently added a section for the new A1, even though it is a newly launched model based on the VW Polo and will continue to do so as new models are launched?

(Mini2 does have a small classic Mini section but you have to be a member to see it)

Actually, sorry but I dont use a generic Audi forum! The forum I use is ONLY for Audi A8 or S8 Owners! I use it because it is a forum specifically designed for the car I drive. I dont want to use generic forums so will only go to specific related forums. Why would I want to read about the A1 when I have no interest in that car what so ever? So your point about the A1 isnt really that valid.

I use this forum because it is said to be aimed at the classic driver and MINI tolerant, which is fine by me. However if it did become a more permanent place for MINI owners it would no longer be the forum of my choice, as I honestly do only want to use specific forums that are relevant. And I have a feeling that I wouldn't be alone in finding else where to chat about classic minis and socialize with OTHER OWNERS, after all, I utilize the forum to do what I thought forums were designed for, to put people in touch with people who have something in common with, ie people who have an interest in Classic Minis. For me, that what its all about, Socializing with other Classic mini owners. This isn't something I have in common with a Bini driver, so if the BINI aspect was fully introduced into the forum the whole relevance of the forum would fall apart for me, as it perhaps would for many other users?

If the BMW Mini section was introduced, and I decided to find somewhere else to hang my digital Mini keys It would be a huge shame, as I have been happy to call TMF my forum of choice, and my electronic home for many years. But If I did leave for what ever reason I have little doubt that it would go unnoticed, or even cause anyone to bat an eyelid.Perhaps because this forum seems to have a higher than normal member turn over recently, and valued long serving and/or those who contribute to the forum don't really seem to be very.... valued. I know many members have pushed their luck a bit to far, and over stepped the mark once to often but bans or people walking away seems to be the norm and happening far to frequently, that cant be right?

We dont have a dedicated section for Metro drivers, and thats more of a Mini than the BINI will EVER BE. I dont mean it as a dig, just my view.

The thing is about the BMW MINI Forum meets Classic Mini forum subject, If people didnt harp on about their views so much or even at all then perhaps the powers that be may not understand what the majority of users want. It would seem that the majority of TMF users dont want TMF to be a joint forum. Classics for classics New for New. So, even though these NO BMW posts are annoying to have cluttering up the place perhaps people harping on about what they want is a necessary evil to get the point across?

If there is any doubt about what the members want, and there was actually a decision to be made about how to push this forum forward and put this subject to rest and the powers that be wanted the members to decide, perhaps it should be put to a vote? I know I may be surprised and not get the outcome I hope for, but what will be will be and at least the subject can be put to rest once and for all.

Sorry but that argument makes no sense whatsoever.

To contribute to the forum and make a differnce you actually have to post, a forum filled with people who just lurk and watch is doomed to failure.

What actually makes a forum worth watching is the people who post, the people who watch and take note must generally agree with those peoples posts otherwise they'd go elsewhere and watch.

And there forms my argument.

You missed the most important reason for watching a forum....content. TMF is all about the CLASSIC mini which is why the majority of members are here. I see no reason why we should not have a vote on whether to include the bini unless there is something we are not being told.

I'm not the one who asked for a vote, so you're asking the wrong person. I just gave my reason as to why I felt a vote would be flawed.

When I initially suggested a vote, I thought perhaps one of the fair ways to do it would be only people who have been members for at least a year and / or have a certain post count can vote?

It would be nice to be able to put it to rest once and for all.......?

Edited by E.L.M.O, 25 December 2010 - 12:21 AM.

[Shifty]

Yes it would, but theres also ways of making the change acceptable to the die hard, what if we offered you a user group that meant you never needed to even see any reference to the Bini section.

By joining this group TMF would appear as it always did?

[panelbeaterpeter]

Just my two pence here, I think TMF should be purely classic mini. I have nothing against the BMW MINI, in fact I think it's bloody fantastic in its own right, but there is a world of difference between that and the classic mini which we all drive and in which we have a vast collected knowledge. The two could not be entirely combined successfully, a separate section for the BMW might work, but I think even that would be silly.

There is a forum for BMW MINIs, and a forum for classic minis, nice and simple, keep it that way.

If there was a vote, I have no doubt that the result would echo my thoughts, I think it would be a sensible idea to get an opinion representative of the whole forum, eg; leave the vote open for a month or so.

[Bungle]

Just my two pence here, I think TMF should be purely classic mini. I have nothing against the BMW MINI, in fact I think it's bloody fantastic in its own right, but there is a world of difference between that and the classic mini which we all drive and in which we have a vast collected knowledge. The two could not be entirely combined successfully, a separate section for the BMW might work, but I think even that would be silly.

There is a forum for BMW MINIs, and a forum for classic minis, nice and simple, keep it that way.

i'm with Pete

it's not as if BINI people don't have some where else to go

[mab01uk]

Yes it would, but theres also ways of making the change acceptable to the die hard, what if we offered you a user group that meant you never needed to even see any reference to the Bini section.

By joining this group TMF would appear as it always did?

Sounds like the perfect solution...............the other option to do nothing, as some seem to prefer, means we must accept that the frequency of the annoying (to some) MINI posts appearing randomly in the classic forums will only increase as time goes by. As has already been pointed out by others, the early MINI's are now 10 years old and becoming a cheap entry level small car for both enthusiasts and everyday owners looking for help, ideas and advice on their cars now long out of warranty. Either we welcome and help them out as part of the general Mini community, as some other classic forums have successfully done, or choose to stay insular and keep sending them away elsewhere.