mwkeefer
1 MW
Hello all,
I've been trying to figure out what were missing here on ES (not that these things are Super Important) but I have been thinking a while and decided to finally speak my mind and ask for everyone's feedback.
First we need real time chat, PMs are great with with real time chat similar to IRC we could engage in private or public discussions in real time with regards to technical issues or even just BS...
This would make assisting people in real time much easier for those of us willing to perform such services.
Also if you give people a RANT channel, FROCK channel, Newbie channel or #Help (actually I would point about 10 aliases out) - those would not be logged to the forum but rather sent to participants emails at conclusion for their records... but they would have a gripe outlet to get instant satisfaction.
We could encourage manufacturers to join if only for this IRC server - offering them their own real time, support system at no charge to them... this would get them onboard I guarantee it!
This would I hope also limit the flame outs if the manufacturers were reachable via a secure method by our members.
A side benefit is if we track traffic in rooms we can see which manufacturers are getting the most inquiries and traffic, even provide them bandwidth, unique visitors and such (all automated from thier admin page).
To this end, I hereby offer to setup a private IRC server for our use on two of my redundant clusters... I have the experience and even users without IRC are able to join via Java Applet or Ajax if needed, I would register it with root as irc.e-bikemike.com and then all the admins here on ES need to do is modify their DNS record (just one) pointing the CName (that's the part before the first .) irc or full name irc.endless-sphere.com so when users goto irc.endless-sphere.com they can be chatting real time within our own IRC offerings.
If endless-sphere ops / owners are not interested in this offer (I have the bandwidth to spare for this) then if I can get their blessings I will simply put this IRC server up at irc.e-bikemike.com and add it to my signature after promoting to a few of the gurus or those who don't mind asking questions.
I would also need to do, have the user login to the ES site first (cookie version or whatever) and have ES provide me (as part of the referral header) a unique id (lapses in 10 seconds) which is an OTP to authenticate the user as being one of us.... provide me via corbra, com, dcom, web service, xml service, propriatary protocol, http/https, ssl, via VPN tunnel with permissions to validate only user name and password and return fail or succeed... if succeed, assume session established or inject hidden username for duration of use.
Finally... the best bit I've come up with yet... I have discovered how to programmatically insert posts into various threads, this is about 2 days worth of work to have the Channels Marked Public and those marked Technical on the IRC to be (read only) updated in real time as new threads under IRC - presto instant and real time logs of our conversations and technical meetings (which we don't but should have).
For Virtual Meetings... there are packages out there, open source multicast streaming presentation systems... heck in theory we could utilize the btSwarmPlayer method to stream live video of the meetings at least from central or control outwards... The point is there are wonderful tools available - open source and fairly simple to do
For Online Education: And I for one would be willing to run the trackers, live streaming server (capable of 30+ mbit at this time but scaleable) for things like Online Howto Classes and such - even webinars - I will put them together (low production quality) but there are others far more experienced than I who could provide some wonderful solutions to all variety of issues...
Online Seminars - again open source to the rescue, a copy of dozens of commercia or free programs including VLC are capable of streaming the video embedded in a web page, add to this a flagging script (viewer has question, they simply enter the full question and press... send question. Not only will host try to get to the question in the time alloted but if not, someone (a few volunteers) should be willing to help at a basic level.
Consumer Education - We can't always agree on everything here, especically all of us who are still 17 at heart (you know the saying, if you want to know somthing... ask a 17 year old while they still know everything) but all jokes aside I would say our current membership is divided into the following distirbution just based on personal communications with others on here and reading nearly the entire forum:
[Consumer Type Breakdown Lowest Concentration to Highest]
1.) 2-5% - Trawlers or Trolls, people who haven't a clue or seem to be deliberatly thick and repeat themselves much (not language barriers mind you) - usually it seems (after you get to know the signs) they are either bolstering rank and perhaps sales / consumer perception of a given product or they are dissing / belittling it or making rude unbased comments... Lucky here that seems to account for 2-5% only (depending on the time of year) - Lost cause, if your sure - call them out
2.) 5-8% - Random visitors who either have no interest, or very little interest and will never make a purchase (not from you, if they can get a MX350 for 25.00 though it's theirs)
7% - 13% consumers covered so far
3.) 15%-20% - The worst, it will do you well to determine the signs... I haven't time to really put this up now in detail and there are exceptions even to these rules but 98% they are dead on. These are the ones who ask dozens of questions, inquire about inappropriate things such as your "cost" (if your a builder, dealer or wholesaler) they can waste 3-6 weeks and in the end perhaps 1% of this subset buys a bike or follows your advice in any way, often times to regret it later and then blame you... the next bike they get is sadly 99.5% of the time the first bike and setup I recommended with battery and all... because I take into account minimum requirements but also budget and try to fit my customers up with exactly what they need... still.
22% - 33% consumers covered so far
4.) 33% - The average Joe - good guy, can turn a wrench but electronics scare him to some extent. This is the primary target of things Like Online Seminars and IRC chatrooms... once these guys learn they will help other newbies!
55% - 66% consumers covered
5.) 20% Hard Core or Advanced
65% - 85%
7.) 35% - 15% - This is guys like Methods, Jermey Harris, YPedal, Luke, Hyena (welcome), Justin from e-bikes.ca and everyone else I am forgetting in this class.
Ok I am tired and time for bed but let me knwo if you think any of this makes sense or is just ramblings of an exhausted person?
Mike
I've been trying to figure out what were missing here on ES (not that these things are Super Important) but I have been thinking a while and decided to finally speak my mind and ask for everyone's feedback.
First we need real time chat, PMs are great with with real time chat similar to IRC we could engage in private or public discussions in real time with regards to technical issues or even just BS...
This would make assisting people in real time much easier for those of us willing to perform such services.
Also if you give people a RANT channel, FROCK channel, Newbie channel or #Help (actually I would point about 10 aliases out) - those would not be logged to the forum but rather sent to participants emails at conclusion for their records... but they would have a gripe outlet to get instant satisfaction.
We could encourage manufacturers to join if only for this IRC server - offering them their own real time, support system at no charge to them... this would get them onboard I guarantee it!
This would I hope also limit the flame outs if the manufacturers were reachable via a secure method by our members.
A side benefit is if we track traffic in rooms we can see which manufacturers are getting the most inquiries and traffic, even provide them bandwidth, unique visitors and such (all automated from thier admin page).
To this end, I hereby offer to setup a private IRC server for our use on two of my redundant clusters... I have the experience and even users without IRC are able to join via Java Applet or Ajax if needed, I would register it with root as irc.e-bikemike.com and then all the admins here on ES need to do is modify their DNS record (just one) pointing the CName (that's the part before the first .) irc or full name irc.endless-sphere.com so when users goto irc.endless-sphere.com they can be chatting real time within our own IRC offerings.
If endless-sphere ops / owners are not interested in this offer (I have the bandwidth to spare for this) then if I can get their blessings I will simply put this IRC server up at irc.e-bikemike.com and add it to my signature after promoting to a few of the gurus or those who don't mind asking questions.
I would also need to do, have the user login to the ES site first (cookie version or whatever) and have ES provide me (as part of the referral header) a unique id (lapses in 10 seconds) which is an OTP to authenticate the user as being one of us.... provide me via corbra, com, dcom, web service, xml service, propriatary protocol, http/https, ssl, via VPN tunnel with permissions to validate only user name and password and return fail or succeed... if succeed, assume session established or inject hidden username for duration of use.
Finally... the best bit I've come up with yet... I have discovered how to programmatically insert posts into various threads, this is about 2 days worth of work to have the Channels Marked Public and those marked Technical on the IRC to be (read only) updated in real time as new threads under IRC - presto instant and real time logs of our conversations and technical meetings (which we don't but should have).
For Virtual Meetings... there are packages out there, open source multicast streaming presentation systems... heck in theory we could utilize the btSwarmPlayer method to stream live video of the meetings at least from central or control outwards... The point is there are wonderful tools available - open source and fairly simple to do
For Online Education: And I for one would be willing to run the trackers, live streaming server (capable of 30+ mbit at this time but scaleable) for things like Online Howto Classes and such - even webinars - I will put them together (low production quality) but there are others far more experienced than I who could provide some wonderful solutions to all variety of issues...
Online Seminars - again open source to the rescue, a copy of dozens of commercia or free programs including VLC are capable of streaming the video embedded in a web page, add to this a flagging script (viewer has question, they simply enter the full question and press... send question. Not only will host try to get to the question in the time alloted but if not, someone (a few volunteers) should be willing to help at a basic level.
Consumer Education - We can't always agree on everything here, especically all of us who are still 17 at heart (you know the saying, if you want to know somthing... ask a 17 year old while they still know everything) but all jokes aside I would say our current membership is divided into the following distirbution just based on personal communications with others on here and reading nearly the entire forum:
[Consumer Type Breakdown Lowest Concentration to Highest]
1.) 2-5% - Trawlers or Trolls, people who haven't a clue or seem to be deliberatly thick and repeat themselves much (not language barriers mind you) - usually it seems (after you get to know the signs) they are either bolstering rank and perhaps sales / consumer perception of a given product or they are dissing / belittling it or making rude unbased comments... Lucky here that seems to account for 2-5% only (depending on the time of year) - Lost cause, if your sure - call them out
2.) 5-8% - Random visitors who either have no interest, or very little interest and will never make a purchase (not from you, if they can get a MX350 for 25.00 though it's theirs)
7% - 13% consumers covered so far
3.) 15%-20% - The worst, it will do you well to determine the signs... I haven't time to really put this up now in detail and there are exceptions even to these rules but 98% they are dead on. These are the ones who ask dozens of questions, inquire about inappropriate things such as your "cost" (if your a builder, dealer or wholesaler) they can waste 3-6 weeks and in the end perhaps 1% of this subset buys a bike or follows your advice in any way, often times to regret it later and then blame you... the next bike they get is sadly 99.5% of the time the first bike and setup I recommended with battery and all... because I take into account minimum requirements but also budget and try to fit my customers up with exactly what they need... still.
22% - 33% consumers covered so far
4.) 33% - The average Joe - good guy, can turn a wrench but electronics scare him to some extent. This is the primary target of things Like Online Seminars and IRC chatrooms... once these guys learn they will help other newbies!
55% - 66% consumers covered
5.) 20% Hard Core or Advanced
65% - 85%
7.) 35% - 15% - This is guys like Methods, Jermey Harris, YPedal, Luke, Hyena (welcome), Justin from e-bikes.ca and everyone else I am forgetting in this class.
Ok I am tired and time for bed but let me knwo if you think any of this makes sense or is just ramblings of an exhausted person?
Mike
(well, not all the time but often enough, and especiallly when i'm tired or stressed out). And if that isn't enough to put them off, if you think reading my walls of text is bad, you should try listening to them. :lol:
