Dallara
01-13-2006, 04:48 PM
Hi, Guys!
Nice to see a whole bunch of the old crowd dropping in to see the new digs. As you can see it is not quite finished up just yet, and a lot of work still needs to be done before the Motorcyclist Cafe is ready for prime-time.
But while you're here checking in I think there are some things some of you newer folks really need to know...
This new discussion board started out as rather a bold new idea - a board where the Members owned and operated the site. That's right. The Paying Members are who own this board, not any one individual who might try and force his vision of morality or decorum onto a group that is paying him for the privilege. Now right now there are only a few Paid-up Members... Those who went through the discussions, arguments, debates, and correspondence to get this board where it is now. Each of those Founding Fathers (for want of a better term) then put up some money to capitalize the design, layout, and construction of this new board. Quite a bit was learned during this process, but more on that in a moment...
There may have been a bunch of us that put up the money to make this site happen, but it was really the hard work and tireless efforts of four individuals that made the whole thing happen... They did the "heavy lifting" while the rest of us just drove 'em crazy with our input. These four fantastic individuals are:
Ron - known to some as "Arkline"
Abhijeet - known to some as "Promethean"
Bob - known to some as "BobFV1"
Ken - known to some as "Tipstall"
Without them the simple fact is NONE of us would be here, period. So we all owe them a very large helping of gratitude and appreciation. They seized the moment, took it by the horns, and made something real and wonderful out of nothing more than an idea. Personally, I want to thank them one more time right here - Thanks Abhijeet, Bob, Ken, and Ron!
Now, all that said... They each still have a tremendous amount to do, and lots of cutting, pasting, programming, loading, sanding, polishing, and buffing on their plate to get this place finished like we all want it to be, and with the incredible potential that it has. However, the problem is there are now faced with the problem of trying to finish the hotel, bar, and grill all while people are coming in for drinks, food, and rooms...
The pages aren't finished yet... The logos are still being designed and finished up... Software is still being loaded... Configuration is still being done on the fly... Image sites are still being finalized... Access rights to certain areas is still being configured... A payment system is yet to be implemented... And on and on and on.
It's great that it is open for a TOUR, but it is not quite ready to house as many of the guests and staff as it will be shortly. Why am I mentioning this? Well, it's not to run anyone off, I assure you... It is only to make you aware that you have to walk around all the construction a bit carefully right now while the drywallers, paper hangers, painters, furniture movers, picture hangers, and interior decorators get the place finished out.
Take it a bit easy on the images for right now... Ron and Abhihjeet will let us all know when we can run wide-open. Try to post as little as possible in the "Back Room" for the time being. Get your profiles filled out... And get ready to pull your wallets out to join up.
Now you may be asking yourself "why" would you want to pull out some cash to join this site...
I'll tell you why - If you are a Paid Member of this site you will have a direct say in how it is owned and operated... Now think about that for a moment and let it sink in... YOU will be part of the decision making process of what this board becomes and where it will go. Administrators and moderators will be NOMINATED and ELECTED from the board paid membership, and they will serve specific terms... They will be here to SERVE the membership, not vice versa. Each will be fully accountable for his (or her) actions, and even impeachable should the need arise. The Paid Members will have direct and complete access to the financial records of this board so they can see for themselves what it costs to run this board and where their money is going... And if there is a surplus they will have an equal say in how that money should be allocated. Pretty neat, huh?
Remember when I said a bit ago that quite a bit was learned about the funding of one of these boards during its gestation? Well, I wasn't pulling your leg... The gentlemen who started this board learned that it shouldn't EVER be necessary for any one individual to have to put in more than his meager membership dues for this board to operate. You may have been told things like "You really don't know how much it costs to keep this site up, and how often so and so has to put money in over and above membership fees out of his own pocket just to subsidize it..."
Well, we do know now how much one of these costs, and we also know that anything like the story above is just so much fiction. Don't believe it. I am not saying it does not cost money to keep one of these up and running, but I am saying that membership dues should more than cover it.
Because of that new knowledge we want this board to be owned and operated by the paid membership. Why? Because if you pay your dues then you are who keeps this board up and running, and as such YOU should have a say in how it is administered and moderated.
Novel concept, eh?
Anyway, all of this is just part of the story... And the rest will come out, all in the open, in the very near future.
Yet, we all still have to be patient for just a bit and let Ron, Abhijeet, and the others get their work finished. Come and visit, by all means... Post and enjoy the banter and comaraderie... But try to keep it to a dull roar while the workers finish up.
We will all be better off for it in the end!
So, WELCOME, and stick around for the Grand Opening. It is going to be an event you don't want to miss!
Cheers!
Allan (Dallara)
Nice to see a whole bunch of the old crowd dropping in to see the new digs. As you can see it is not quite finished up just yet, and a lot of work still needs to be done before the Motorcyclist Cafe is ready for prime-time.
But while you're here checking in I think there are some things some of you newer folks really need to know...
This new discussion board started out as rather a bold new idea - a board where the Members owned and operated the site. That's right. The Paying Members are who own this board, not any one individual who might try and force his vision of morality or decorum onto a group that is paying him for the privilege. Now right now there are only a few Paid-up Members... Those who went through the discussions, arguments, debates, and correspondence to get this board where it is now. Each of those Founding Fathers (for want of a better term) then put up some money to capitalize the design, layout, and construction of this new board. Quite a bit was learned during this process, but more on that in a moment...
There may have been a bunch of us that put up the money to make this site happen, but it was really the hard work and tireless efforts of four individuals that made the whole thing happen... They did the "heavy lifting" while the rest of us just drove 'em crazy with our input. These four fantastic individuals are:
Ron - known to some as "Arkline"
Abhijeet - known to some as "Promethean"
Bob - known to some as "BobFV1"
Ken - known to some as "Tipstall"
Without them the simple fact is NONE of us would be here, period. So we all owe them a very large helping of gratitude and appreciation. They seized the moment, took it by the horns, and made something real and wonderful out of nothing more than an idea. Personally, I want to thank them one more time right here - Thanks Abhijeet, Bob, Ken, and Ron!
Now, all that said... They each still have a tremendous amount to do, and lots of cutting, pasting, programming, loading, sanding, polishing, and buffing on their plate to get this place finished like we all want it to be, and with the incredible potential that it has. However, the problem is there are now faced with the problem of trying to finish the hotel, bar, and grill all while people are coming in for drinks, food, and rooms...
The pages aren't finished yet... The logos are still being designed and finished up... Software is still being loaded... Configuration is still being done on the fly... Image sites are still being finalized... Access rights to certain areas is still being configured... A payment system is yet to be implemented... And on and on and on.
It's great that it is open for a TOUR, but it is not quite ready to house as many of the guests and staff as it will be shortly. Why am I mentioning this? Well, it's not to run anyone off, I assure you... It is only to make you aware that you have to walk around all the construction a bit carefully right now while the drywallers, paper hangers, painters, furniture movers, picture hangers, and interior decorators get the place finished out.
Take it a bit easy on the images for right now... Ron and Abhihjeet will let us all know when we can run wide-open. Try to post as little as possible in the "Back Room" for the time being. Get your profiles filled out... And get ready to pull your wallets out to join up.
Now you may be asking yourself "why" would you want to pull out some cash to join this site...
I'll tell you why - If you are a Paid Member of this site you will have a direct say in how it is owned and operated... Now think about that for a moment and let it sink in... YOU will be part of the decision making process of what this board becomes and where it will go. Administrators and moderators will be NOMINATED and ELECTED from the board paid membership, and they will serve specific terms... They will be here to SERVE the membership, not vice versa. Each will be fully accountable for his (or her) actions, and even impeachable should the need arise. The Paid Members will have direct and complete access to the financial records of this board so they can see for themselves what it costs to run this board and where their money is going... And if there is a surplus they will have an equal say in how that money should be allocated. Pretty neat, huh?
Remember when I said a bit ago that quite a bit was learned about the funding of one of these boards during its gestation? Well, I wasn't pulling your leg... The gentlemen who started this board learned that it shouldn't EVER be necessary for any one individual to have to put in more than his meager membership dues for this board to operate. You may have been told things like "You really don't know how much it costs to keep this site up, and how often so and so has to put money in over and above membership fees out of his own pocket just to subsidize it..."
Well, we do know now how much one of these costs, and we also know that anything like the story above is just so much fiction. Don't believe it. I am not saying it does not cost money to keep one of these up and running, but I am saying that membership dues should more than cover it.
Because of that new knowledge we want this board to be owned and operated by the paid membership. Why? Because if you pay your dues then you are who keeps this board up and running, and as such YOU should have a say in how it is administered and moderated.
Novel concept, eh?
Anyway, all of this is just part of the story... And the rest will come out, all in the open, in the very near future.
Yet, we all still have to be patient for just a bit and let Ron, Abhijeet, and the others get their work finished. Come and visit, by all means... Post and enjoy the banter and comaraderie... But try to keep it to a dull roar while the workers finish up.
We will all be better off for it in the end!
So, WELCOME, and stick around for the Grand Opening. It is going to be an event you don't want to miss!
Cheers!
Allan (Dallara)