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What's Next for the Monacoers' Website


Scotty Hutto

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Looking over how far we've come in the last two years, I wanted to reach out to everyone and ask for your thoughts on "what's next"?

- We've been able to make major improvements to the search functionality of the site.  If you haven't tried it in the last month or two, try again and I think you'll find the results much more useful.

- There is a mobile app under development, but I can't give you a definite date when we will get it.  I got to play with the "beta" version last summer, but it was pulled to make final improvements before release. 

- There is a feature called "Clubs" in our website that we don't use.  Clubs are sort of a website within a website, with their own membership, forums, etc.

Do you see value in having different "Clubs" within the site? That could play out a few different ways:

  • Monaco Club, Beaver Club, Safari Club, etc...  to focus on specific brands under the Monaco umbrella.  Is there enough difference or special discussion that would make that worthwhile?
  • Clubs by coach: Knight Club, Diplomat, Dynasty, Executive, Signature, etc...  I've seen a few of these on other sites and social media and wondered if there is any desire for them here.  Again, are they enough topics unique to your model coach that would make this useful?

- There is a Commerce component to the site that we don't currently use.  (i.e., We have the capability of having a store and selling stuff.)  Any desire for that? I've thought about apparel items, camping flags, tags, etc., and have done this with other organizations I've been involved with.  Any interest there?

What else could we do that would make this site more useful to you?  I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

Sincerely,
Scotty

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First, I don't like change.  That said . . . .

Even though I don't have Aquahot, Smartwheel or Alladin I like reading about those issues in the main topic areas.  If those topics got funneled into a sub-forum unique to those coaches then I wouldn't be smart enough to know I don't want one of those coaches (lots of problems).  Just kidding . . . sort of. 

Same for clubs.  A third option is for clubs by social connection.  Different people are attracted by different things, and end up forming cliques (or open chat rooms).  I don't have a problem with that but I would probably alienate myself (I'm anti-social for the most part).

You could use clubs for major events, like the FL gathering and the FL RV SuperShow.  There's a big gathering in IN . . . . in May?  Each "club" would be a different event. 

I do like the unique appearance and "feel" of this site.  There's a lot of forums that are very cookie-cutter coming from the same mold (template). 

My 2c

- bob

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Going to get a huge amount of opinions on this one. I use this site for technical and repair help mostly. If I can help someone else in a subject, I’ll respond.   Not a” Club “ guy. Don’t do rallies. Travel solo ( no groups. They’re almost military).  Thanks for the great site Scotty, best one I know of for Monaco owners.    

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Scotty, I was gonna ask about a mobile app because everytime I add a shortcut to my phone it disappears from my home screen after a day or two. I'm just starting out on this journey and i love this site....a classified section would be helpful but for the most part, a fantastic site for the monaco owner. 

I wish I could go to the meeting this year and meet you guys. I've received so much useful info from different users and I can't thank you guys enough for your wisdom and experience.......

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Scotty, you have done a Fantastic Job of building and maintaining the Monacoers.org website. With the help of Larry and Frank and others we have a Unique and Friendly place for folks to join and become part of a very big family.

When Bill D and Fred W founded the Monacoers Group, it was their Vision to have a place where Owners of Monaco Brand coaches could come to get Help, Information and Technical Advice for issues they were having with their Coaches. The one thing Bill did not want was the Monacoers Group to become a Social Club.

There are plenty of Clubs already on the Social Networks such as Face Book and You Tube that Owners/Members can join as well as being a Member of the Monacoers.org and they can share their experiences or information with those groups and with members of our group.

In many discussion with Bill, Fred and Rex over the years, we were very clear that the Monacoers Group would not become a Social Group and I intend to Honor their wishes and carry that Vision Forward. I do not believe that we would have anything to gain by establishing separate clubs for individual Makes or Models. There are plenty of sections on the Forum for posting different topics and discussions.

In 2010 Fred and I decided to have a get together and the format would be geared towards maintenance, parts, technical and services where members could come and meet with the manufacturers and service people that support our coaches. They would have the opportunity to put faces with names and enjoy meeting other members. Thus the Gathering was born and has been somewhat successful. The Social Component was the evening meals where we all would sit down together and share our stories.

The Monacoers.org Group is all Inclusive and we Welcome all owners of all the different Monaco makes and models to our club. Going to a Format of Individual Clubs diminishes that reality.

The Monacoers.org Group is Unique and with the help of our members we are way ahead of any other Group or Forum with the Content and Expertise that our Forum has. We just need to keep improving the product we already have.

A Mobile App may be a convenient component to be added for the members and may be worth pursuing.

A Commerce Component might be nice, but then we would have issues with Taxes and other Government Regulations and interference to make it a worthwhile venture.

I am open to any Improvements to our website that will be a benefit to all the members. I just do not want to diminish what we have built.

Keep up the great work!

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Scotty 

I know it is a tremendous effort to keep things rolling,in saying that, thank you.

The site is great, I am busy with business, training and family, I don't have the time to spend searching for specific items,I like the general dash board ,in the am with my coffee in hand I can have a quick glance and keep up with what's going on.

Thanks again 

Wayne 

1999 Signature ceaser 

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I too am very happy with the site.  We all know there is tons of information on it.  So much, that at times it's difficult to search and revisit a topic that has been previously discussed.   If any of your proposed suggestions would help "narrow the field" when searching for any given topic, that might be worth considering.

Thanks for all you do.

Bill

'05 Diplomat DST

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I wholeheartedly agree with Bob! The subject might not apply to me so I may or may not peruse the discussion. If these discussions were compartmentalized, I might miss something that would be very beneficial to me! Our Windsor may have a similar problem as another Cheetah. And together the membership offers possibilities for ALL of the different models. This is what makes this site so great!

That being said, I do believe that I would give the app a try, The question is the functionality compared to the website. For a quick read of the daily newsletter- cool! Will it then link to the complete discussion just as the daily email does?

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK GENTLEMEN and thank you for your work!!!

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Scotty,

As a "newbie" I am still learning this site as it is.  So I don't have much to offer on "what's next", but other than what is existing is already plenty for me as it has been invaluable so far.

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Very happy the way this site is , its simple, helpful and friendly ( both people and issues).

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If anything, I find there are already too many sub-forums for the amount of traffic the site receives. I usually just search the whole site if I'm looking for a specific topic, or monitor the unread activity every couple of days for interesting new stuff.

Thanks for providing this site, btw, it's a real game-changer for owners of these older coaches to be able to tap into the community expertise.  👍

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Guest Ray Davis

There is one thing I have been wondering about on here.  Occasionally someone posts and their post is entirely different.  The post I'm referring to presently is by Bobbyboy to Scotty about his emails.  What are they doing different to make their post that way?

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I am new and enjoy this website, it is my "go to" for info about the Beaver. I was surprised to find the section that had all the tech tips. It seemed a bit buried but was right in front of my face the whole time. Good website, nice people!!!

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