So... having been forced to give up my Saturday & poke around this place for longer than I usually do..... it seems to me it might be a good time to consider making a few changes. Nothing drastic (I've still got a document repository site on my TODO list), I'm thinking maybe rationalise and re-organise the boards a bit. Also, as the stationary-engine.net forum sadly ceased to exist following Peter's death, I'm also wondering if we should widen the remit a little, and provide a more diverse range of stationary engines a place...
Initially, I'm thinking the following:
- Move "Wall of Knowledge" to the bottom of the list, hopefully it'll be pensioned off and replaced by a document library instead.
- Move the General category to the top. Add an "announcements and notices" board above General Discussion. Add a "Funny Stuff/Things I found On The Internet" board.
- Add an "On-topic chat" board (suggestions for a name, please), re-classify General Discussion as Off-Topic discussion.
Now for something a bit more radical:
- Rename "Lister Engines" category to "Diesel Stationary Engines", merging in current "Slow Speed Diesel Engines" category
- Merge "Listeroid Engines", "Original Lister Cs Engines" and "Lister Based Generators" into one board: Lister Diesels and Clones
- Rename "Changfa Engines" to "Chinese/Indian Diesel Engines"
- Rename "Petteroids" to "Other Diesel Engines" (we can add names sub-boards if one turns out to be particularly popular)
- Merge all of the "Alternative Fuels" boards into one new board in this section, called "Diesel Fuel Alternatives". Drop the entire Alternative Fuels section
- Add a new section, "Petrol/Paraffin Stationary Engines"
- Add boards for Lister, Witte, and Other (suggestions for other manufacturers welcome)
Phew. My brain hurts. Onwards...
- Change "How To/DIY" to "Engine Driven Equipment
- Archive off "Engines" board (stuff to do with engines goes in the Engines boards)
- Change "Generators" to "Alternators and Dynamos"
- Keep "Everything Else"
OK, that's my thoughts. I now open the floor for your suggestions, alternative ideas, etc. If I've missed an engine make you think is important, let me know. Our main focus will remain Lister engines - and particularly the CS Diesel & its mainly Indian clones - but I want to broaden the base a bit.
Here's a snapshot of the layout, if I do all of the above - and a few other things I forgot to mention, but remembered as I wrote out the list:
General Discussion |
- Notice Board (Announcement, rules {because we ALL love rules, right?} etc. |
- Engine Chat (On Topic discussion) |
- Photo Gallery (Show us your rig!) |
- I Found This On The Internet (Anything but engines discussion) |
|
Diesel Stationary Engines |
- Lister CS Diesels and Clones (aka the Listeroid) |
- Other Lister Diesels (e.g. LD, LR, HW and so on) |
- Chinese/Indian Diesels (not CS Clones) |
- Other Diesel Engines and Clones (e.g. Petter, Blackstone, oilfield engines) |
- Diesel Fuel Alternatives (WVO, WMO, Biofuel, Fairy tears, etc.) |
|
Petrol/Paraffin Stationary Engines |
- Lister Engines and Clones (e.g type D, F, A or B, etc.) |
- American Engines and Clones (e.g Amanco, Witte, Fairbanks, etc.) |
- Other Petrol/Paraffin Engines (e.g Briggs & Stratton.) |
|
Engine Driven Equipment |
- Alternators and Dynamos (anything electrical) |
- Everything else (anything NOT electrical) |
|
Buy/Sell |
- Member's Marketplace (specifically for selling YOUR stuff, or posting Want To Buy ads) |
- Interesting Stuff on eBay (links to 3rd party sales likely to be interesting to members, other auction sites are available) |
|
Archive |
- Wall of Knowledge |
- How To/DIY: Engines |
That takes us from 20 boards now, down to 16 active and two to be pensioned off. What do you think?
PS: Some of those names are tongue-in-cheek and probably won't make it into the final version!