Publicising non-P4 shows and the like

[Paul Willis]

There have been a few questions today about the various model railway shows that have been listed recently, and particularly the recent batch of small local shows.

The source of these adverts has been the Chiltern Model Railway Association, which is an umbrella organisation of clubs mostly, but not exclusively, in the south of England. The Scalefour Society has long been a member of the CMRA, and it has over the years given us a number of benefits.

The CMRA appears to have recently stepped up its efforts to promote the shows of its members, and in due course the various announcements and posters have been passed along to me as the Marketing Manager for the Scalefour Society.

Whilst I realise that the majority of these shows will not have a finescale emphasis, they are still part of our broader hobby, and perhaps the most clear example of the grass-roots that people engage in. On receiving the posters and information I have one of two choices:

- consign them to the (virtual) email bin and that is that; or

- place them on the Forum so that if someone lives in Lower Snodbury and sees that there is a show on just around the corner that they might pop by and visit it.

What I don't have the time to do is to track down each and every show's details and write a proper preview to enable a fully considered judgement to be made on the basis of perceived relevant content. Life is just too busy for that.

It appears that the views expressed are more in favour of option 1 than option 2, so unless there is a strong expression of interest for the publicity of these small shows to continue, I'll acknowledge that and not pass the details along on to the Forum.

Cheers
Paul Willis
Marketing Manager

[steamraiser]

Hi Paul,
Personally I favour the continued publicity of small local shows, perhaps listed under a specific heading.
I do support two or three small local shows around Bristol, time allowing, so I find it convenient to be reminded that they are on.
Hopefully for not too much effort the Society can make a contribution by assisting the CMRA in advertising the associations shows.

Gordon A
Bristol

[LesGros]

Flymo wrote:

... What I don't have the time to do is to track down each and every show's details and write a proper preview to enable a fully considered judgement to be made on the basis of perceived relevant content. Life is just too busy for that...

Paul,
Nor should anyone expect you to do that. I incline to the idea that flagging up "local" shows is probably worth allowing, if only to go some way in countering the charge of elitism sometimes levelled at the Society. I certainly do not think that we should get sniffy about them "because they have not seen the true (18.83) way"
However, in accepting Tim V's criticism, perhaps a qualifying yard-stick could be that such notices must include a website link; so that anyone local enough to be interested could decide for themselves if it is worth a visit.

Incidentally, the MMRS show at Elgin, which I posted yesterday, has in the past hosted P4 Hedleyhope (it took the best in show award last year) The MMRS members are good folk who deserve a bit of support from any of us who are able to attend.

[David Thorpe]

My view is that this is the forum of the Scalefour Society and that we should confine ourselves to publicising shows that have some P4 content or at least some sympathy with the concept of P4 modelling. There's already a perfect place to flag up other shows, ie RMWeb, which has a full exhibition calendar. I am increasingly sick and tired of going along to shows to find that there is no P4 content and no interest in having any, although that is, I'm afraid, one of the few downsides to living in Scotland.

DT.

[Will L]

I too think that, on balance, it is entirely reasonable to allow publicity here for shows where there is no specific P4 content. I suspect that the days comments were generated more by the sudden rash of such things rather than anything else. However, perhaps they don't deserve a separate thread for each one, and we should have just one thread, with an appropriate title, where they were all listed? Then anybody who didn't want to know need not look.

Will

[David B]

However, perhaps they don't deserve a separate thread for each one, and we should have just one thread, with an appropriate title, where they were all listed? Then anybody who didn't want to know need not look.

Will

I suggest such a thread be on the same footing as the Sales and Wants section, where the post is taken down after the event.

[wally]

You cannot become a missionary by staying home, you have to go out to spread the word!

I agree that if someone is willing to take the time to publicise non P4 shows they should be encouraged to do so, albeit in a separate thread.

There are a considerable (dare i say the majority) amount of modelling techniques which are not related to the distance between the wheels on the subject rolling stock and which can be interchanged between the scales at such shows.

Please continue to post these notifications, there is no compulsion on any individual to attend if they choose mot to do so, although as is intimated above any repeat of some of the thoughts expressed here if misreported elsewhere could reinforce the negative attitudes towards the Society held by some in the wider world,

Wally

[Re6/6]

Hi Paul,
Personally I favour the continued publicity of small local shows, perhaps listed under a specific heading.
I do support two or three small local shows around Bristol, time allowing, so I find it convenient to be reminded that they are on.
Hopefully for not too much effort the Society can make a contribution by assisting the CMRA in advertising the associations shows.

Gordon A
Bristol

Agreed.

[Andy W]

Yes I agree. Local show info is good, then if anyone has prior experience of the show they can post it beforehand.

[John McAleely]

All on one thread gets my vote. I personally use 'View Active Topics' to see what to read, and when 5-6 (25% or more) of the threads on that page are exhibits-from-lower-snodbury (I live in upper snodbury, and it's a long way), I have to do a lot more filtering that normal.

One thread 'Exhibitions from CMRA, 2013' (say) would be much more useful. I wouldn't delete them either - come 2014, I'm sure many will be on similar dates and locations, and it would be useful to look for the stuff in upper snodbury.

(PS, safari keeps wanting to change snodbury to snobbery. I like it when the computer knows me well!)

[Paul Willis]

However, perhaps they don't deserve a separate thread for each one, and we should have just one thread, with an appropriate title, where they were all listed? Then anybody who didn't want to know need not look.

Will

I suggest such a thread be on the same footing as the Sales and Wants section, where the post is taken down after the event.

Hi David,

That's a good proposal. However I don't have admin rights on the Forum, so it would be yet another task for our hard-working team (Keith, Rob, Danny) that do.

See you at Missenden later today? My spare desk is covered in wagon components

Cheers
P.

[Paul Willis]

All on one thread gets my vote. I personally use 'View Active Topics' to see what to read, and when 5-6 (25% or more) of the threads on that page are exhibits-from-lower-snodbury (I live in upper snodbury, and it's a long way), I have to do a lot more filtering that normal.

One thread 'Exhibitions from CMRA, 2013' (say) would be much more useful. I wouldn't delete them either - come 2014, I'm sure many will be on similar dates and locations, and it would be useful to look for the stuff in upper snodbury.

(PS, safari keeps wanting to change snodbury to snobbery. I like it when the computer knows me well!)

John, I couldn't possibly comment

Your proposal does sound the best one at reducing the amount of traffic from individual threads. It does reduce the visibility of any individual announcement, but that is better to me than ignoring the CMRA entirely.

I'll set it up in that way. Thanks to all of you that have read and contributed to the discussion.

Cheers
P.

[dcockling]

I have asked Rob to set up a sub forum for these "small or local shows".

For those that use 'view active topics' this won't make much, if any, difference, if a post in the new sub-forum is the most recent post it will still be at the top of the list; but for those sifting via the Forum Index you'll find all of these recent small show posts in the new sub-forum. We'll leave it to the poster as to whether they are deleted or not, a request to Rob or me to remove an out of date post, is all that's required if you want it taken down.

Don't forget that we do have a Calendar http://www.scalefour.org/calender/calender.shtml on the website. This is kept up to date by Mike Ainsworth, with occasional assistance from me. The Calendar only lists shows that feature any or all of: P4 layouts, the Society Stand, an Area Group presence, Demos by Society members etc. If you would like something listed here that isn't please e-mail diary@scalefour.org

All the Best
Danny

[David Thorpe]

You're all a lot more tolerant than me, that's all I can say! But Danny, the solution proposed by John and now adopted seems a good one in the circumstances.

DT

[Carlos]

My previous post was lost, not sure how...

I thanked Paul for his initiative publiciting that shows. Maybe in one post is better, but I don't care about that. If it is a show far away for me, I don't care of it, and if it is a close one, I check it.

Said that, I am a bit upset for not having car for going to the St Neots one this weekend. Its only 20 mins. from Cambridge, but nearly 2 hours by bus... maybe next year....

Carlos

[Paul Willis]

My previous post was lost, not sure how...

Said that, I am a bit upset for not having car for going to the St Neots one this weekend. Its only 20 mins. from Cambridge, but nearly 2 hours by bus... maybe next year....

Carlos

Hi Carlos,

Why don't you put an email out to the other members of CHEAG to see if there is anyone else going to St Neots? They may be able to give you a lift.

I'm afraid that I won't be around as I'll be with several other members of the Scalefour Society at Missenden this weekend.

Oh, and I have your email about Templot. I'm sorry that I haven't had time to deal with it yet. Definitely next week though as I'm on holiday.

Cheers
Flymo

[Carlos]

Hi Carlos,

Why don't you put an email out to the other members of CHEAG to see if there is anyone else going to St Neots? They may be able to give you a lift.
Flymo

Good idea, lets try!

I'm afraid that I won't be around as I'll be with several other members of the Scalefour Society at Missenden this weekend.

Oh, and I have your email about Templot. I'm sorry that I haven't had time to deal with it yet. Definitely next week though as I'm on holiday.
Flymo

Don't worry, many things to do, and so little time also here...

Thanks,
Carlos

[martin goodall]

Yes, publish them all.

It is nonsense to think that there is no interest in models in other scales and gauges. (Some of them are noticeably better than anything that has been done in P4!)

Just because my own models are built to 4mm scale and run on 18.83mm gauge track doesn't mean that I am not interested in anything else. From the previous comments, it seems that this is the majority view. Long may such broad-mindedness continue in the Society.

[David Thorpe]

It seems I stand rebuked. I do hope, however, Martin, that you will be sufficiently broad minded to accept that not everyone shares your views, and the fact that you may be interested in numerous other scales and gauges doesn't mean that everyone is - certainly I'm not. I have read nothing to change my view that the Scalefour Society's forum is not the proper place to advertise any and every local show regardless of content (there are plenty of other fora and media where, IMO, that would be more appropriate), but I do of course bow to what is clearly the will of the majority.

DT

[LesGros]

DaveyTee wrote:

It seems I stand rebuked. ...

Not so much rebuked Davey, as, perhaps, reminded of practical application of the Objects of the Society.
( Constitution refers) http://www.scalefour.org/membership/constitution.html

[dcockling]

There is also a practical aspect. The reason that we restrict Calendar entries to Exhibitions with P4 layouts isn't just the (I think) reasonable wish to promote P4 modelling, but simply the amount of time it would take to look out for and include all (or most) exhibitions. Believe me it takes up enough time just researching the P4 related ones for inclusion. The fact that Paul has been sent some other show information via the CMRA obviously makes it easy to post the details, and if anyone else has information on any of the smaller local type shows that they'd like to post, please feel free to use the new forum section to do so.

One of the main advantages of a forum, over an e-list, is that you only need to look at want you want to look at.

All the Best
Danny