How quickly an idea is processed is dependent on a number of issues and the most important [after "Is it relevant?"] is "how easy is it to implement?" Adding a link is a matter of seconds, adding a new section to the forums probably only takes a couple of minutes. Other ideas, such as online entries [which I do my best to push] are more time consuming and probably a lot more awkward to work out the logistics.

Not confidential, Matt, no, but some of it was more relevant to this topic than others. I think we might be getting a General Chat section for the Forum - though I'm not quite sure what's envisaged under General Chat... A lot of what we talked about was the forthcoming launch of the LDPs area of the site, which Paul Lawrence has done an enormous amount of work on and looks great. We also talked about getting some form of e-Strider going.

But it is all about to change !

One suggestion for a LDP section on the forum and Garfield is on the case as soon as it is posted. Pity nearly all other suggestions appear to have been ignored over the previous year.

What did get decided at the web site meeting the other day Julie? Or is it all confidential? Matt.

Strange: I have just noticed that a posting I made last April Appears as if it was this months, maybe this says a lot about this forum. Nothing has changed in a year.
David H

So Merrian, tell us about the elephant droppings!!! and I'll tell you about dung beatles in Provence. Jane

And, of course, you can't sing on this Forum. Well, you can, I suppose, but no one can join in.

At the top of the Members' Forum it says we can share news, views and ideas with other LDWA Members. I think folk do that. I look at the forum nearly every day, reading new posts but rarely adding to them. They're a source of information for me. From the numbers under the "views" totals, it looks like people are reading the posts. I've looked at several of the BBC "have your say" message boards. Messages appear thick and fast, banter and opinion bouncing back and forth. It can be fun and interesting to read. We haven't used our forum like that, so far. I joined 27 people on a 25 mile social walk on Saturday. We walked and we talked; discussing blisters, events, the weather, cricket, walking poles, elephant droppings, the price of petrol, football, training, knickers, litter, beer, etc etc. There was certainly a lot of banter and we had a few songs. Maybe that's our discussion forum.

Julie you've summed up what I do sometimes!

I wonder if some people think of replying then change their minds because they feel no one will be interested or their views will be regarded as silly/unimportant.

Not over 2 hours, but you get my meaning.

A new item was added to the "kit" forum at 14:40 this afternoon. If I understand the information correctly, it has been viewed 8 times in just over 2 hours since then. So folk are reading the posts.

Sometimes I think of general things related to walking that I could ask about on the forum, but I'm not sure where to put them. If they're about kit, fitness, food, beer, maps, etc., where do they go? I suppose it would be daft to have a "general" section. What do you think?

Could be that those who don't post are happy with things as they are. Those I know who are sufficiently interested or computer literate in Norfolk and Suffolk group would be no more than five, and most of those are too busy with work/family/walking/organising walks to spend time on these forums. If that's scaled up then only about 200 LDWA members in the country would even consider posting, and more like 50 would. So how things appear is probably a true reflection. Similar to the challenge walk organiser statistics (I may have it a bit wrong, but 6000 members, 1/3 in local groups = 2000, 1/3 of those help organise things = 666, that's about 12 active helpers per group - sound familiar ?). I'd say that the forums have their place, like the letters pages in Strider, and about as active...

Looking at the postings and replys on the variouse forums, it would seem the L D W A membership has little interest in the webb forums, or what goes on within the L D W A outside of the events page. Maybe this points to the need for fudamental changes in our thinking both in the webb pages and our organisation as a whole.
David Hammond