New club Facebook page

[roger.fellows]

I guess you're aware that Bruce Longman is the Sq4 spares expert Allan, I think he's usually happy to get a phone call.

[allan.walker]

Yes Roger,
I have spoken to him (and bought a set of conrods from him.) I found him to be very helpful.

It's just that, these days, it is so simple to find what products are available by a few clicks of a mouse. I would have thought that it may be easier to have a list of available Square Four items on the Members' section, rather than members having to resort to the phone (and indeed, for Bruce to perhaps have to say, sorry, no...we haven't got that....)

I'm a great believer in trying to save time (mine and everyone else's!)

[tony.barnett]

Facebook vs forum - sounds like we have our very own Brexit conundrum. Hopefully it won't turn out as contentious as that though.

Really its your choice - use Facebook or not. I don't see anyone will lose out by not joining the FB group, but its a good and progressive thing the club is doing by starting it. If it doesn't suit you - fine. Don't use it but don't deny that to others. The forum has existed in parallel with a Yahoo Ariel group for years (the Yahoo group predated the Forum). I don't see the FB page being any different.

[dave.pitt]

Guys,
It was an AOMCC Committee decision taken last Saturday 9th November 2019 to open a Facebook page, following a suggestion from the floor at the AGM back in April. The AOMCC committee discussed it and came out in favour. Lee Mallabone kindly offered to kick-start it for us and we have a group of admin and moderators on there. As Lee says in a thread above, the idea is to be an advert for the AOMCC, remembering that there are at least 5000 Ariels out in the world and currently approximately 1700 in the AOMCC of which over a quarter are outside the UK, and usually declining year on year (but oddly not this year). We are trying to raise awareness of the marque and the existence of the club for the benefit of the existing membership. Consider this... you have an Ariel, you want some spare part that is not available, you ask the club spares organiser, he tells you it's unavailable but he'll see what he can do. It's discussed at committee. The viability of that spare part is only if we get 50 made, but 3 people want it. We don't mind putting a few on the shelf and waiting for customers, but I can tell you of spare parts urgently needed that the club had made 20 years ago and we still have some left... Now if the club had more members, more desire for that component, we might get that part made and keep your Ariel on the road.
As for Facebook having no value... I used to hear people say that about computers, SatNav, etc. Mostly these things prove their worth in time. Those not on Facebook can't really judge how useful it might be. I speak as one converted. I resisted for 10 years before joining only in May 2019 partly to investigate the current Ariel scene as a result of the question from the floor. It turns out that there are about 5 Ariel Facebook pages around the world, the largest of which has 3,800 members. Their members may or may not all own Ariels. Those who don't wish to join up don't need to. We have no intention of closing the Forum. It remains the right and only place to deposit large files of useful information. However, Facebook is easier to use and access, and photos appear on the front without hunting, etc. So I would predict that the AOMCC Facebook page will find and attract new members who will enjoy the benefits of club membership, Cheval, Forum, rallies, etc.
I cannot say what will happen for people selling bikes and spares, that's up to them. Ebay is an attraction, but Facebook Marketplace is taking Ebay business because it is free to advertise. Like it or not, it's here with us now. Your committee will not stand still and ignore possible useful platforms if there's a potential benefit to the AOMCC and members.
Although the Facebook page (and Forum) are open to non-members, the idea is that we demonstrate the benefits of club membership to non-members as an encouragement to join. We do not intend to sell AOMCC spare parts to non-members or reduce the benefits of current members.
To answer another question regarding the Spares Organisers publishing lists of stocks, some will and some won't. The AOMCC spares organisers have guidelines and financial restraints set by the AOMCC committee which they follow, but it must be remembered that they do this as volunteers and operate with a degree of autonomy, otherwise we would have great difficulty engaging and retaining these important club officer roles.

[allan.walker]

Thanks for the overview, Dave.

I would certainly not like to see the Members-only benefits opened-up to everyone. I do understand that, even with the good-will from all of the volunteers involved in running the Club, there are still many costs to be met.
I am very happy to pay my membership fee to support this.

I did not appreciate that the Spares Organisers had some freedom in the way they 'set out their stalls.' (I suppose that I looked at it all with some bias from my corporate background, before retirement.)
If any of them prefer to have a phone call enquiry, that's fine by me! I'm grateful that these guys make so much effort to help us keep our bikes on the road.

[paul_turner]

Thank you Dave and Tony, very well put. I'm sure many do not realise that the spares situation is mainly financed through membership subscriptions.

[john.whiting]

The Norton Owners have a system whereby the club spares is open to outside purchase,but at a premium ,or if you like ,members get a discount....certain NOS items are reserved to members.............However ,having said that ,I would never buy anything off them,their used spares are junkpile items,.....the other point being ,as they have trade sponsors ,(in two major suppliers ),they dont tread on sponsors toes......So ,to sum up ,the NOC spares scheme is well run ,efficient,all listed online,and thats about all I can say.

[malcolm.johnson]

Having been a BSA enthusiast until I bought my first Ariel (a dismantled 4G) nearly 10 years ago. I knew nothing about Ariels and largely that is still a fair description, so I joined the AOMCC. It was a great move as the club and forum were an essential source of help in the completion of that project 2 years later and looking at the activity and expertise of other members and Ariel enthusiasts around the world has continued to interest me since, resulting in regular visits to the forum and occasional input from myself. All well worth the membership fee. Some months ago I started to look at an Ariel FB site and found it quite enjoyable on my phone when away from home and the computer, which is where I view the forum. Then a few days ago I read of the new AOMCC FB page. I have deleted the old site I had been using, so the club version is where I now go and it seems to be doing well. I hope it prospers and brings new members and interest to the main club. To that end there MUST remain advantages in being an AOMCC member and when you consider that it costs approximately only 50 pence a week, that is some bargain.
ps I have now got 2 more Ariel projects on the go.

[dave.pitt]

Thanks folks for the positive responses.