New Registry Tech Data Section: Members Only?

[A26B]

Originally Posted by Aurora40

I guess I'll put my two cents out there. Not necessarily as a yes/no.

I think a formal tech section would be great. If it had accurate, up-to-date info, pictures that weren't red "x"s, was easy to search, etc. The forum is good to a point, and sticky type threads are good to a point. Dynomite's efforts are certainly appreciated, but limited a bit by the fact that it's a forum. If the info in a post needs to be updated, only the original poster can do that, etc.

I'd only point out that this is a difficult problem to solve, especially without an ongoing effort to keep articles up-to-date as information or methods to fix these cars change/improve. This is the kind of thing companies with huge resources struggle to do well.

The objective that I perceive, is very much as you describe. There is an article in the Oct 2011 issue of Corvette Magazine, titled "Water Pump Swap." It's for a C5 and used here as an example for discussion reference only. it contains step-by-step pictures. I think it would be even more effective if the text was directly under the associated photo.

That said, I share the thought that more information that is created by registry members should be a membership perk. You don't want to contrive the value of being a member by like moving posts or something, but if the registry had elegant solutions behind a paid wall, that sounds excellent.

I agree & support that concept as well.

My other thought is this: Whatever form this new information takes, people will need to authenticate if it is member's only. My suggestion is that the current form of this is pretty poor. This forum has one username/password for use that is different from the one used to access zr1netregistry.com/members.htm And then of course there is some different set of people that are on the registry vs open listservs.

I personally think that the authentication should be standardized and fixed before adding more properties that will utilize it. A single account would be great, single sign-on would be even better. I'd have to think this would make the membership director's job a bit easier too, as now there are at least 3 things you need to set/unset as a person joins or leaves, the forum, the listserv, and sending them the "shared" info (which you can't actually revoke from them if they leave).

Excellent point and well above my knowledge level!

So to summarize:

I think a more formal solutions/maintenance section for members only would be excellent.

I am concerned it would be a large effort to keep it up to date and useful, and I'm concerned that the current method of identifying yourself as a member would make for a clunky experience.

It would be a large project, but can be made managable if taken one procedure at a time and remain a work-in-progress. It will be easy to use if established in an outline/index manner, perhaps similar to the GM Service Manuals.

Thanks for your constructive input.

[FU]

Gentlmen.... can we have a cooling off preiod ? Period

Thank you.

[Aurora40]

Originally Posted by A26B

Excellent point and well above my knowledge level

I may have gotten ahead of myself. I was trying to stay agnostic to the final implementation, but in my head I picture something akin to a wiki, where members can modify the articles as they notice it has "aged" or gotten out of date with more current info/discoveries.

But if that's not the case, if editing/posting the articles would be centralized, the current method of authentication used for the Registry site member's area is no worse than the current scenario.

I don't know what would differentiate this new effort from the "Maintenance" section of the registry site. I'm sure that info was all great when first put out, but the value falls off as time passes and no one updates it.

I'm not saying that will happen, more asking what would differentiate this from past efforts?

Unrelated, I'd also toss out that what might be an easier/quicker win would be to take the many technical articles from the HotB newsletter and post them in a searchable/indexed article format. There is a lot of stuff in those newsletters, but it is hard to find it if you don't know exactly what article and issue you are looking for.

[A26B]

Bob,
I still think we are thinking along the same lines. It doesn't really matter where the origin of a particular tech subject comes from. Considering the legitimate suggestions in this thread, I will attempt to summarize.

Purpose:
1. Establish an easy to use index of maintenance procedures with major topic sections & sub-topics.

Example:I. LT5 Engine
A. Specifications
1. Clearances
2. Sealants & Adhesives
3. etc.

B. Mechanical Maintenance [Minor]
1. Secondary Port Throttle
2. Fuel Injectors
3. Starter
4. etc

C. Mechanical Maintenance [Major]
1. Engine Removal
2. Camshaft R&R
3. Cylinder Head R&R
6. etc

II. CLutch & Transmission

III. Driveline & Differential

IV. Suspension

V. Brakes

etc.

2. Establish a standard format (photos, captions, order, etc., for each article. Only one article per subject.

3. Edit existing maintenance articles on the Registry Forum. Add articles as needed, by creating from scratch, forum threads and all other useful resources.

The foregoing is just a rough outline of a possible starting point.

I may have gotten ahead of myself. I was trying to stay agnostic to the final implementation, but in my head I picture something akin to a wiki, where members can modify the articles as they notice it has "aged" or gotten out of date with more current info/discoveries.

I do not concur with the idea of a "wiki" with free access by the members. Suggestions for modifications, YES. Free access is what has made many of the forum tech articles "cluttered" and in some cases wrong & misleading.

But if that's not the case, if editing/posting the articles would be centralized, the current method of authentication used for the Registry site member's area is no worse than the current scenario.

You will have to help me with this.... not sure I understand. Can you elaborate a bit?

I don't know what would differentiate this new effort from the "Maintenance" section of the registry site. I'm sure that info was all great when first put out, but the value falls off as time passes and no one updates it.

I would suggest that the proposed tech data section (or whatever we ultimately call it) replace the existing Registry maintenance section. I do NOT recommend another similar section.

Unrelated, I'd also toss out that what might be an easier/quicker win would be to take the many technical articles from the HotB newsletter and post them in a searchable/indexed article format. There is a lot of stuff in those newsletters, but it is hard to find it if you don't know exactly what article and issue you are looking for.

Actually, I think it is related. However, the concept I envision is to eliminate "searching" Those articles can be edited to the standard format & placed appropriately in the index, without changing the essence of the article.

It is a big job, but not something that must be done all at once. It is part of the facelift needed on the Registry website and would be an advancement of accuracy & simplicity.

[MikeGolf]

Jerry, I like your outline but anything outside of stock maintenance would be subjective it would have to be generalized or based off of proven methods. Everyone would have an opion on which spark plug or oil is best. That is what is wrong with "wiki". So more than one article per subject may have to be written. Some people think you should use one sealant vs another.

[DaveK]

A wiki does not necessarily mean open access to editing. They can be set up to give varying levels to allow only 'authorized' accounts the ability to edit. This can avoid the 'clutter' normally associated with forum posts. You can also set them up so that any changes have to be authorized explicitly by the wiki admin (or another account).

On another point entirely, I'd be happy to 'donate' my writing skills, such as they are, to help put articles together and so on. I'm not the most technically knowledgeable, but I can usually manage to throw a few sentences together!

[Kevin]

speaking of wiki's here one that I found very helpful http://straightrazorplace.com/srpwik...zor_Place_Wiki perhaps we could use it as an example if we decide to go that way

[jcruz]

I like the idea of standardized, authoritative tech data & procedures, beyond what's already in the forum. I also like the idea that the content would be for members only.

I'm pretty junior league when it comes to car tech, but like DaveK, I'd be happy to assist in writing/assembling articles if needed. I'm also a web developer and could help to develop any web applications that might be beneficial.

John

[FU]

That's mighty kind of you to offer John

[A26B]

Originally Posted by MikeGolf

Jerry, I like your outline but anything outside of stock maintenance would be subjective it would have to be generalized or based off of proven methods. Everyone would have an opion on which spark plug or oil is best. That is what is wrong with "wiki". So more than one article per subject may have to be written. Some people think you should use one sealant vs another.

Mike,
You are correct regarding the subjective nature of plugs, sealants, injector brands, etc. Personally, I never envisioned that type of content in the proposed tech data articles. Specifications for Sealants and Adhesives as exampled, would refer to the same as specified in the Service manual for Loctite & Permabond. Use of alternatives would be best left to personal choice.

I am adament about one article per procedure, although some may overlap, such as "Fuel Injector R&R, Coils & Wires R&R and Starter R&R, etc.. I do however, believe each one of those example R&R's should include the complete process and could make use of the applicable section(s) in the others to maintain consistency.

Given my Marine history, I'm a "little" OCD about consistency, order & organization. Before any tech articles are written, it may be a good idea to develop a style & format template. Regarding the organization, we might consider a committee to establish the style & format, then prepare a couple of tech articles as examples. Then, Members desiring to help could choose a title from the outline/index and have good examples to follow.

The key here would be to not get caught up in pride of authorship so the articles submitted to the committee could be edited if necessary and not offend the author.