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UKAT future #

Posted by Sean Savage on June 8, 2017, 12:21 pm
Edited by board administrator June 16, 2017, 1:49 pm

Hi Peter
I have been wondering with the huge increase in facebook etc no one seems to post on here alately and i know this site must take up a lot of your time. There was a time when i would be logging in 3/4 times a day but now its just maybe once a week. what are your thoughts?? I was thinking how about you set up a facebook group for UKAT with all of us members on there and im sure it would all spring to life again and give you a lot more free time.
i mean this post in the nicest way as i have been with you from almost the start.

sean

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Peter Warman on June 8, 2017, 12:50 pm, in reply to "UKAT future"
Peter Warman

Hi Sean

I am on holiday at the moment until next Thursday so will reply in more detail when I return

Peter

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Peter Mutlow on June 8, 2017, 1:17 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Peter Mutlow

I still log on most days and scour through all the different sections for items of interest although I have been retired for 2 years.

I am not sure how setting up a fb group would breath life back into UKAT unless I am missing something. If a member wishes to obtain advice on a problem then he will post irrespective of the portal used for UKAT. However maybe a fb group would be a good idea to be used in addition to what we have here now.

It may be that for whatever reason there are not as many members now for whatever reason. I have noticed that some of the more luminary guys appear to have gone missing also. Retired maybe?

One thought that did cross my mind was to condense the sections to about 3 or 4 subjects for ease of reference.

Interesting subject... I look forward to many other responses.

Regards

Pete M

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Phil Cake on June 8, 2017, 2:32 pm, in reply to "UKAT future"

I still look on a regular basis. Perhaps members are not experiencing so many problems jobs.I find all forums helpful and interesting and cant stand fb

Re: UKAT future

Posted by jim croft on June 8, 2017, 10:35 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Jim Croft

I look every day. I do not use facebook it's sad finding out what people have had for lunch !

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Mark Duhigg on June 9, 2017, 6:56 am, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"

I have been a member since UKAT started..
I find it one of the best tools in my box and look everyday.

I do no use facebook and will never want to..

Mark

Re: UKAT future

Posted by John Ritchie on June 9, 2017, 9:35 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"

I'm not a Facebook fan but the tech forums are good, I don't see the problem adding FB to UKAT as response times are quick from users.
Also adding pics etc is much easier.
As we all know forums like UKAT rely on the input of the experienced techs, for some reason they aren't doing it on here as much but are on FB.
Maybe they are fed up answering questions from people asking for help but haven't bothered doing the basics or want to keep information to themselves for various reasons?

Regards
John

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Steve Harvey on June 12, 2017, 7:45 am, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Steve Harvey

I am in the same position as Mark. I check in every day and have no interest in the FB world.
Regards Steve Harvey

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Simon Kefford on June 12, 2017, 12:48 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Simon Kefford

This is a closed professional forum. If it went on to FB I for on would never use it.

A number of reasons why there is less use....

1 We are all getting better at fixing cars...

2 We are all more protective of knowledge and data...

3 Half the cars go for scrap due to being too expensive to repair...

Si

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Peter Warman on June 12, 2017, 1:12 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Peter Warman

Good post Simon

I will certainly pick up on the points you have raised Wednesday / Thursday (on holiday still until then)

Many thanks for all the positive feedback so far, I still believe the forum environment has a future

Peter

Re: UKAT future

Posted by sean savage on June 13, 2017, 12:22 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Sean Savage

Like i say i wasnt knocking this site for one second its superb but from seeing how we used to post very regular they have dropped by i would guess 70%. facebook was just a suggestion. facebook groups are closed and monitored so only approved people have access to post and view, there is a group i am in which is VERY good james dillion and numerous other highly skilled people on there and people post regular because of the ease of adding pictures etc and almost instant response times. Its only a suggestion, i know a lot of you are "set in your ways" but a good facebook group is priceless to be fair for information, purchases and generally keeping up. Also as before we dont see very many "fixes" again on here which is a big factor to why people dont reply. as for not sharing our knowledge and skills on here, if your not willing to share these things why be a member, surely thats the main reason this site exists??
peter you do a superb job and all i am doing is giving an observation and so food for thought.
regards

sean

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Peter Warman on June 13, 2017, 12:50 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Peter Warman

Hi Sean

I know you are not knocking the site, you are a respected long standing member

All suggestions and feedback are welcome, I will comment more when I am back

One quick comment about Facebook Groups, I was given an insight about 12 months ago from a software engineer from an internet company, the groups and the very useful info you post may not be as secure as you think

Peter

UKAT future

Posted by Peter Warman on June 14, 2017, 6:39 pm, in reply to "UKAT future"

Hi Sean

I still think there is a future for the forum, judging from the feedback there are quite a few members checking in daily, even some re-joining from a few years back. Its seems that many are not keen on Facebook in general, so to launch a Facebook Group may be counterproductive to our loyal following

If we did launch a Facebook Group it would also create more work for me as I would have to check everyone joining against our database, if someone does not re-subscribe to UKAT then that would mean I would have to block them from using that group, thus possibly causing friction between that person and me, as you are fully aware it can get ugly on Facebook very quickly

There are still thousands of forums for every type of vehicle out there, many closed, many open, but they have loyal followers that share useful information. How many times do you Google a fault code or sensor problem and you are nearly always directed to a FORUM post (sometimes in Russian ect) and invariably you will get your answer or a link to more info on that problem

I hope that we may persuade a few long standing members to post more, share more and get involved more. We are all in a trade that is changing so quickly, many like me are starting to find it hard to keep up, so it would be great to hear more from those who have been with us for some time

John Ritchie pointed out that some members think that some other members perhaps do not always carry out the basics (but who has not done this, including me, jumped in at the deep end) or perhaps do not want to share valuable tips or info with other garage owners or technicians on a closed forum......this seem ironic really when Techs using Facebook Groups

-------------------------------
Closed Facebook Groups:

I was given an insight about a year ago by a software engineer that had worked for a Diagnostic Company

What you have to remember is that Facebook is now one of the richest companies on the planet, originally designed for college students to chat and share experiences, but has now become a web machine that gathers and sells DATA for commercial gain

In the old days a diagnostic company (one of the largest) would get workshops to feedback fault code reports, tips, tricks and fixes which would then be included in your subscription to aid diagnosis....but that was back then

Now Facebook Software Engineers (some of the cleverest on the planet) can write algorithms for companies that will analyse the raw data picking out fault codes, descriptions, sensor names, vehicle makes and models (plus many more key words) and turn this into extremely valuable information for any automotive scan tool manufacturer or technical data supplier. It does not discriminate between closed or open groups, once you post you valuable knowledge that you have taken years to acquire it becomes the properly of Facebook, we are talking hundreds of thousands of Automotive Facebook Groups worldwide with probably millions of posts every day (imagine that amount of helpful info being posted)

So the irony is that some techs will not share on a closed forum with other like minded techs but are happy to post on Facebook Groups, to make things worse they will end up paying for Techs Tips and Fixes on scan tools and Workshop Data, some of which they probably supplied in the first place FOC

I was also told that many diagnostic and tech data companies have employees set up Groups specifically for drawing out information with maybe some original or fake posts, along with fake technicians entering into groups

I am sorry for the long post but it's not always easy to get your thoughts out in a few words. I have the greatest respect for all our members whether they post on UKAT or Facebook Group...... but for now a UKAT Facebook Group is on hold

Peter

Re: UKAT future

Posted by John Ritchie on June 14, 2017, 11:01 pm, in reply to "UKAT future"
John Ritchie

Good post Peter.

Like Sean, I check UKAT most days & click on the various subjects for new information & try to absorb the changing world of automotive electronics.
I have noticed some forums have a new post icon on the respected subjects which can save time checking out the daily updates?
Looking to the future, It might be worth looking into an app if that was viable option

Just thinking out loud

Regards
John

Re: UKAT future

Posted by sean savage on June 15, 2017, 12:17 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Sean Savage

Good reply peter. keep up the good work!!

sean

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Job Gevers on June 16, 2017, 8:08 am, in reply to "UKAT future"
Job Gevers

I agree with your very well put reply.

I think that Facebook and Google have the capability to sell very specific info to the various diagnostic companies. However, I also think that it is part of the current world and I think we probably have no choice other than to accept this.

Just like I have accepted that retail on-line companies like Autodoc, Oscaro and MisterAuto (with a combined turnover last year of over 1 billion Euros) now have huge say at parts manufacturers resulting in that they can retail the same car parts much cheaper than we can buy them at our factors. I use them for my garage now as well. I do realise that, long term, this model of parts supply is not good for our business but not good for parts manufacturers either. Hence I suspect we will see more vertical links growing;
http://partsdb.com.au/press/automotive/new-auto-parts-manufacturer-workshop-vertical/

But I digress...

Maybe a possible solution for you, Peter, could be to start a Facebook group as an add-on to UKAutotalk. But only if a few like minded members would help with the admin. I for one would be very willing to help.
I do see UKAutotalk as one of the original communication channels that allowed UK techs to talk to each other. It would be a huge shame if that premier status got lost only because of the changes of the way people prefer to communicate.

I do appreciate enormously the effort you have made over the years! I am sure that there will be quite a few members who'd be very happy to help to make sure the future of UKAutotalk is secured.

Cheers,

Job

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Peter Warman on June 16, 2017, 12:42 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"

Hi Job

I think many would like a Facebook Group because it becomes easier to keep checking for new posts and give a quick response. Different automotive subjects would all be lumped together in one group, such as diagnostics, general discussion, garage management etc. As posts move down the page they will quickly become overlooked or forgotten. How many post have been brought back to the top of the forum because people want to add to the discussion or just refresh their memory......no archiving of good information

The UKAT forum was modeled on iATN which has been running since 1995 with 85,000 members, I still look in there every few days, even though it has also slowed (still plenty of new posts) it's still easy reading of the threads. iATN have also resisted the Facebook Group route as they probably feel that this will take members away from their own forums, plus useful info will be lost (not entered into their Fixed Database)

Our members probably login in the morning, tea breaks and lunchtime maybe before they go home on a full screen or laptop, just makes post viewing and reading easier

My own opinion is that I have been trading over 40 years and by the end of the day I would like to switch off from it a bit, I do not want to spend the next 4 hours at home trawling through Facebook Groups browsing through stuff that I will forget about 5 minutes later or trying to be the first to reply because I know the answer

But thank you for the offer of helping out if we did decide to go down the Facebook Group route

Peter

PS: Just to say that I may want to switch off from it when I get home, but I have not lost my enthusiasm for the job, I am 62 now but have no plans to retire for the foreseeable future (so long as I can still grip a spanner )

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Job Gevers on June 16, 2017, 2:25 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Job Gevers

Thanks for a very good response. I know exactly what you mean, and trying to add facebook post to the forum retrospectively is probably a huge amount of work...

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Simon Kefford on June 19, 2017, 8:32 am, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Simon Kefford

This forum works well - what is so attractive about FB.

I will never join it.

I have a social "life" don't need social media.

Another "tech" forum will dilute the pool even further.

Look how "TopTechnicians" forum bombed.

We have UKAT - BBA - Pico - AutoNerds plus hundreds of open public vehicle specific forums.

FaceBook's for people who selfie alot and want their lives on show....

lol - IMHO

Simon

Re: UKAT future

Posted by sean savage on June 19, 2017, 12:12 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Sean Savage

Facebook is what you make it Simon you would be VERY surprised what usefull groups are on there mate. and you get to see what everyone has had for lunch etc etc :-)

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Damian Daize on June 19, 2017, 1:45 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Damian Daize

Hi Peter,

Would just like to say a massive thank you for starting this great site and continuing to run it as it is!!

Kind Regards as always.

Damian

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Simon on June 19, 2017, 4:49 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Simon Kefford

Cheers Sean - I am sure you are right. I cant stand the premiss of it.

But being a hypocrite, I am on Linked-In which is the same thing without the pouting 'babes' and lunches.

This forum is a bit clunky and could do with being brought up to date with a better inteface. But it is closed which means we don't have numpties boring us with stories of how their boot lock failed on holiday and how it was fixed which cost the £400 then another telling him he was ripped off as a new lock is only £54 on ebay...

Keep up the good work - one and all....

Simon

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Peter Warman on June 20, 2017, 7:59 am, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Peter Warman

Hi Simon

We did look at a more modern interface a few years back but were warned by Boardhost that converting the 12 years of data to the new style boards could be very risky. Around that time another well known forum tried to update theirs, they did not lose the data but it rendered into an unreadable format and would have taken forever to put it right so it closed

Many companies still run old software such as XP so they are in the same position, converting 20 years of files and data to a new system is virtually impossible, you end up running the old alongside the new

Peter

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Simon Kefford on June 20, 2017, 8:17 am, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Simon Kefford

Hi Pete,

Well - if it ain't broke......

Simon

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Shane Marc Gray on July 16, 2017, 11:53 am, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Shane Gray

Hi,
Great forum, but I do think the groups can be reduced. Snap on and autocom have very few posts same as a/c !
But I do enjoy to see what garage equipment Rob is selling LOL !

Regards

Shane

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Peter Warman on July 17, 2017, 1:01 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"

Hi Shane

Yes we are looking to reduce the amount of forums, bringing the Snap on and Autocom under the Diagnostic Equipment, one that never really got going is the Trucks and CV

Peter

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Alan Lange on July 18, 2017, 11:35 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Alan Lange

Hello Peter, is there a way of saving the historic posts from any shut down forums (if that happens) or would they be lost forever?

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Peter Warman on July 19, 2017, 7:34 am, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Peter Warman

Hi Alan

The forums will not be lost, I will make an archive link available, they will just not appear in the main list of forums. I will just ask members to post any future queries about Snap on and Autocom on the Diagnostic Equipment forum, I am sure members will post any Truck CV queries on one of the other appropriate forums

Peter

Re: UKAT future

Posted by Colin Bunn on September 21, 2017, 10:29 pm, in reply to "Re: UKAT future"
Colin Bunn

Please please please don't put UKAT on Facebook.I for one will not be able to use it anymore as I am Facebook intollerant. I am pleased to see that others on here are not so keen on it either. It is a great resource and has helped me loads of times. Well done Peter for keeping it all together and easy to use.

Colin

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