ADUK Archive

Following a suggestion made on another thread on this site, I've set an Advanced Driving Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The URLs for these are:

https://www.facebook.com/advanceddrivinguk
and
https://twitter.com/addrivinguk

Neither are intended to compete with the ADUK forum, but will hopefully compliment it, increase its web presence and improve the ability to share pictures, conversations and other media.

I look forward to seeing your posts.

I've recently received a PM from the site owner of ADUK expressing concerns over the Facebook and Twitter pages I've created. Specifically in relation to the use of the term "Advanced Driving UK" which has become something of a brand name.

As such, I have rebranded these two pages and will in future run them as completely separate entities, to avoid any possible conflict.

It wouldn't be right to use this forum to publicise them in anyway, and as such, I haven't posted their new URLs on here. However, I'm sure you can locate them through Facebook and Twitter's search features if you're interested.

richie349 wrote:I've recently received a PM from the site owner of ADUK expressing concerns over the Facebook and Twitter pages I've created. Specifically in relation to the use of the term "Advanced Driving UK" which has become something of a brand name.

As such, I have rebranded these two pages and will in future run them as completely separate entities, to avoid any possible conflict.

It wouldn't be right to use this forum to publicise them in anyway, and as such, I haven't posted their new URLs on here. However, I'm sure you can locate them through Facebook and Twitter's search features if you're interested.

You can get more out of him than some of us..

Dom

dombooth wrote:

richie349 wrote:I've recently received a PM from the site owner of ADUK expressing concerns over the Facebook and Twitter pages I've created. Specifically in relation to the use of the term "Advanced Driving UK" which has become something of a brand name.

As such, I have rebranded these two pages and will in future run them as completely separate entities, to avoid any possible conflict.

It wouldn't be right to use this forum to publicise them in anyway, and as such, I haven't posted their new URLs on here. However, I'm sure you can locate them through Facebook and Twitter's search features if you're interested.

You can get more out of him than some of us..

Dom

To be honest, his email response times were far form speedy! That was one of the reasons I gave up trying to agree a way of integrating the sites and decided to "go it alone".

richie349 wrote:

dombooth wrote:

richie349 wrote:I've recently received a PM from the site owner of ADUK expressing concerns over the Facebook and Twitter pages I've created. Specifically in relation to the use of the term "Advanced Driving UK" which has become something of a brand name.

As such, I have rebranded these two pages and will in future run them as completely separate entities, to avoid any possible conflict.

It wouldn't be right to use this forum to publicise them in anyway, and as such, I haven't posted their new URLs on here. However, I'm sure you can locate them through Facebook and Twitter's search features if you're interested.

You can get more out of him than some of us..

Dom

To be honest, his email response times were far form speedy! That was one of the reasons I gave up trying to agree a way of integrating the sites and decided to "go it alone".

Speedy? Try waiting 18 months, and still waiting!

I've since given up trying to contact Darren.

Dom

dombooth wrote:
Speedy? Try waiting 18 months, and still waiting!

I've since given up trying to contact Darren.

Dom

That's pretty bad. I don't understand the point in being involved with something like this if you're not going to keep up with it and respond to messages.

richie349 wrote:

dombooth wrote:
Speedy? Try waiting 18 months, and still waiting!

I've since given up trying to contact Darren.

Dom

That's pretty bad. I don't understand the point in being involved with something like this if you're not going to keep up with it and respond to messages.

At one time Darren was a key part of running the IAM mailing list which preceded the IAM forum. Then he created this forum - and we saw him at some events. So for many years he was a very active facilitator of advanced driving discussion online. I am grateful. I guess his life has moved on.

As it happens, I suspect he may have been disappointed by the limited success of this site in finding new converts to advanced driving - which I seem to recall was a key aspect of his initial objectives.

waremark wrote:At one time Darren was a key part of running the IAM mailing list which preceded the IAM forum. Then he created this forum - and we saw him at some events. So for many years he was a very active facilitator of advanced driving discussion online. I am grateful. I guess his life has moved on.

As it happens, I suspect he may have been disappointed by the limited success of this site in finding new converts to advanced driving - which I seem to recall was a key aspect of his initial objectives.

That could well be the case. What I don't understand is that this site is clearly struggling, and he either doesn't have the time, or doesn't want to do anything about it, and yet when someone else acts proactively to improve things, he objects to it!

richie349 wrote:

waremark wrote:At one time Darren was a key part of running the IAM mailing list which preceded the IAM forum. Then he created this forum - and we saw him at some events. So for many years he was a very active facilitator of advanced driving discussion online. I am grateful. I guess his life has moved on.

As it happens, I suspect he may have been disappointed by the limited success of this site in finding new converts to advanced driving - which I seem to recall was a key aspect of his initial objectives.

That could well be the case. What I don't understand is that this site is clearly struggling, and he either doesn't have the time, or doesn't want to do anything about it, and yet when someone else acts proactively to improve things, he objects to it!

Since it was me who suggested, in the other thread, that 'linked' Fb & T accounts might be useful, I'm sorry for causing you grief.

waremark wrote:As it happens, I suspect he may have been disappointed by the limited success of this site in finding new converts to advanced driving - which I seem to recall was a key aspect of his initial objectives.

New converts, maybe not hugely (although it happens, e.g. the PH inclusion), but it keeps many people interested and engaged in something that would likely otherwise fall away after IAM passes etc.

There must be several here who would be interested in picking up the mantle, so can we do anything about it? I don't want to suggest setting up a new site, as splintering off almost never works, and we have a very good baseline to work from in what we already have. That leaves the ball in Darren's court - does anyone know him better in person and can breach the subject?

Horse wrote:

richie349 wrote:

waremark wrote:At one time Darren was a key part of running the IAM mailing list which preceded the IAM forum. Then he created this forum - and we saw him at some events. So for many years he was a very active facilitator of advanced driving discussion online. I am grateful. I guess his life has moved on.

As it happens, I suspect he may have been disappointed by the limited success of this site in finding new converts to advanced driving - which I seem to recall was a key aspect of his initial objectives.

That could well be the case. What I don't understand is that this site is clearly struggling, and he either doesn't have the time, or doesn't want to do anything about it, and yet when someone else acts proactively to improve things, he objects to it!

Since it was me who suggested, in the other thread, that 'linked' Fb & T accounts might be useful, I'm sorry for causing you grief.

No need to apologise. It was a good idea, and in any case, I didn't have to go away and act on the suggestion!

It's a shame Darren isn't interested in moving things forward and modernising, but it's his call. I've met people before who want to set up a site, stick some google ads on it, then largely walk away. I just like to be a bit more active than that.

The Facebook page is ticking away nicely on its own, and I'll continue to work on that, so thanks for the suggestion!

trashbat wrote:

waremark wrote:As it happens, I suspect he may have been disappointed by the limited success of this site in finding new converts to advanced driving - which I seem to recall was a key aspect of his initial objectives.

New converts, maybe not hugely (although it happens, e.g. the PH inclusion), but it keeps many people interested and engaged in something that would likely otherwise fall away after IAM passes etc.

There must be several here who would be interested in picking up the mantle, so can we do anything about it? I don't want to suggest setting up a new site, as splintering off almost never works, and we have a very good baseline to work from in what we already have. That leaves the ball in Darren's court - does anyone know him better in person and can breach the subject?

I think in situations where the users of a site are unhappy I both certain aspects of it, and the owner isn't open to listening or. Responding to suggestions, a new site probably is the best way forward.

So talking generally, and not about some sort of ADUK mutiny: a new community or forum might work if a critical mass get behind it, or there's sufficient pull (e.g. the technology is much better, or it runs loads of events), but otherwise it's difficult.

If you think about what the old site has, it has a load of content, an established set of happy-ish members, many more people that have heard of it, an established presence on Google and all the places that historically link to it, usually a better domain name, a fully working setup, etc etc

Unilaterally replicating that and then trying to eclipse the old one is very hard.

I think you're about right. Being well established is a benefit of this site. Lack of mobile compatibility is a big issue with this site though.

To avoid getting into trouble with the moderators or site owner, how about using the Facebook page to bounce some ideas around, see what people want, then decide ifam alternative site is the answer?

mefoster wrote:

richie349 wrote:To avoid getting into trouble with the moderators or site owner, how about using the Facebook page to bounce some ideas around, see what people want, then decide ifam alternative site is the answer?

I won't be using the Facebook page to bounce anything around because I don't have a Facebook account and have zero intention of creating one. Any move to "social media" would be the final nail in the coffin of ADUK for me. It's barely breathing now but Facebook would finish it off.

You must all do what you feel you must do.

You miserable bugger! So you acknowledge the site is dying but you're closed to alternative suggestions. Nice one.