The Guide

[aricus654]

The Guide is great.  It covers everything.

I think that there's an opportunity to make more of it!

I think that there are two discrete publications:

Planning Guide - I think that there's a role for a publication to aid Le Mans trip planning - it could be made available in the autumn/winter - about now, for serious preparation over the Christmas break.  This would include the history, campsites, route planning etc.  This could also include the blog material from the race itself - a reminder of last year's race.

Event Guide - the material that you need when you are there, including the teams, drivers as well as the material on the local area.

If we created two, we could publicise them in two parts, get the Winter Part One Edition, provide a donation, get the Summer Part Two when it's available.

The way it is at the moment, the updated guide is available a short while before the race itself leaving little time to raise it's profile.  There's no point trying to publicise last year's guide, that's not what people want.  If we made the Part One available for the Christmas break, we could get it mentioned in motorsport blogs, podcasts and on forums from December on.


What are your thoughts?


Aricus

[Si H]

I like the idea of the Planning Guide as it'd mean any newbies (got a few coming with me this time) would be able to get a copy to help them in the build up and working out what to take.

Also, if it was something updated each year it would help people like myself who are returning after a few years break reacquaint ourselves with the what/where/when's of the event as I'm sure things have changed in the last 6years.

It would probably take a fair bit of organising to get it set up for this year though?? At the moment I'm just planning on taking the stuff I remember from the last time and hoping Carrefour haven't sold out of the rest!

Simon

[Grand_Fromage]

Top idea!

I would include the previous year's race report in both, and somehow make sure that people know to download both parts of the guide.

[aricus654]

I'll take a look at the Wiki and see what could be in each part.

Just a thought, but could we capture email addresses of people who have downloaded part one, or say they have donated, and then send them an email when part two is available?

Aricus

[dukla]

Absolutely agree. A couple of years ago worked with Werner to pull all the "Before you go" stuff into a section at the end of the guide so it could be left at home. From about 2014 it has been left in the wiki and should be a fair basis for the Christmas publication.

[DelBoy]

Just a thought, but could we capture email addresses of people who have downloaded part one, or say they have donated, and then send them an email when part two is available?

Aricus

Ian

Don't forget that I know exactly who has donated what, and this information I keep strictly to myself.  If a person has donated via Paypal, the details include the sender's email address.  I'm not sure where we (I) stand re the Data Protection Act if some of this data is then used for other purposes.  I would also be loathe to make any statement saying that we would use the data for marketing purposes - I believe that this would put some people off making a donation at all.

E-address information is not provided when donations are made via direct Bank transfer.

Del

[Si H]

It might be an unworkable thought, but i'll share it anyway. If its being suggested that a donation for Part1 will mean no donation needed for Part2, is it possible to have a secured area that those in the know can use to download Part2 

Then all you'd need is to include a password/code in the Part1 document that can be used when Part2 is available. Or a code to stick in the donation section when downloading Part2?? (I've not been on here for a while so am not familiar with how it all works)

Probably a silly idea that means too much effort and hassle, but it might spark a workable thought out there somewhere.

[Werner]

Hi all,

I don't want to be a killjoy - but does the world really need a printable "Planning Guide"? The printable CA Guide in it's current format (without planning information) makes sense, because people can use it at the track and not everyone has a smartphone with an internet connection at Le Mans. And I think it makes also sense to publish it not earlier than start of the race week - so drivers list and entry list are as up-to-date as possible.


However, planning and preparing the Le Mans trip usually happens in an environment where I do have internet access, i.e. at home - and all the planning information CA has to offer can be found in our wiki. Why should I print out a planning guide when I can look it up (probably even more up-to-date) in the CA wiki or other sources? Creating a printable edition of a planning guide will be lots of work. Shouldn't we better invest this time/effort in keeping the wiki up-to-date and thus offer an "Online Planning Guide" -may be in a better, more attractive format than now?

Just a thought.

Werner

[Kev_mk3]

Planning guide would be great. I do what I can for my newbies but they can be a little akward 

[aricus654]

Hi all,

I don't want to be a killjoy - but does the world really need a printable "Planning Guide"? The printable CA Guide in it's current format (without planning information) makes sense, because people can use it at the track and not everyone has a smartphone with an internet connection at Le Mans. And I think it makes also sense to publish it not earlier than start of the race week - so drivers list and entry list are as up-to-date as possible.


However, planning and preparing the Le Mans trip usually happens in an environment where I do have internet access, i.e. at home - and all the planning information CA has to offer can be found in our wiki. Why should I print out a planning guide when I can look it up (probably even more up-to-date) in the CA wiki or other sources? Creating a printable edition of a planning guide will be lots of work. Shouldn't we better invest this time/effort in keeping the wiki up-to-date and thus offer an "Online Planning Guide" -may be in a better, more attractive format than now?

Just a thought.

Werner

Werner,

I can see your point, but many people quite like the idea of paper.  It is a "mixed economy" where digital and paper coexist.  Book shops and magazine outlets seem to be more popular than ever, but I don't know if sales back that up.

Personally I use digital when I get an advantage - lots of books without additional weight or searching or animation or video.

The first part could be the planning and fireside companion. I didn't see it as much work, rather a pulling together of material from the wiki into a single PDF.

The second part can then include the up to date and late breaking news, the teams, pictures etc. as well as the material that you need like when's the last tram, the route of the drivers parade, and of course, getting away after the race.

I will look through the wiki and make a suggestion of what could go in each.

Aricus

[Jason]

Didn't we try seperate chapters a years or so ago? Each chapter a different pdf. At the end of the day, as Werner says, the onfo is there to be found.

The basic information does not change year on year, just the fine details, Aricus, I get where you're coming from, but Werner and the team who contribute and double check the guide each year do so in our free time for the love of it.

[aricus654]

Sorry, I think I've given the wrong messages.  I wasn't thinking of a huge amount of work, quite the opposite.

We all know that the information in the Guide and the additional stuff in the Wiki make up a very valuable resource as it is.

So good in fact that I'm not sure that I make full use of it all.  I always try to read it on the ferry and whilst my team mate is undertaking his lengthy oblutions (long queues for the showers and loos).  We pull out the pages useful for trackside viewing, but often take the whole thing for the times when there are long safety car stints.

So I think that there is enough for a CA Fireside Campanion and a Trackside Campanion.

I just think that it's a repurposing of what we already have.  I think that I could pull material from the wiki to create the Fireside Companion. Then it's just a case of making it downloadable and telling people it's there.

I think that The Guide is the core of CA, well apart from the rambling on this forum, but I suspect that the forum (and FB) is only regularly used by a small handful of people.  I would go as far to say that The Guide sustains CA.  It's our public face, and effectively our public brand.

I think that we should use The Guide to promote CA to actively attract new people.

What do other people think? Should we be promoting CA? Do we want new people?

Aricus

[DelBoy]

We tried promoting the club and the guide in a single sheet, double sided flyer back in 2008.  I handed these out to people to give out/leave around on the various ferries that year - see image below. Sorry, I can only display the Front as the whole flyer is too big for the forum s/w.  The back had a few more topical pics and explained the Guide in more detail eg a pic of the table-of-contents.

There was no significant surge in membership - in fact in the 3 months June/July/Aug, there were 165 new members in 2007 but only 137 in 2008. 

In any organisation there will be a small minority of members who are active, and in the current membership of 2300, many are totally inactive, and the majority have signed up and made less than 5 posts.  I know some of that 2300 are no longer with us, and others have signed on simply to try to buy tickets being sold by members.

Personally, I do not think that the Guide is the core of CA, nor does it sustain CA.  The core and sustainability is the friendships and relationships (yes, even marriages) that have been made over the years, whilst the guide is a service provided by a few of the members.

I do agree, however, that the guide is (now) the only 'public' face we have, but to use it to actively promote the club and attract new members - I do not think so.  What is the purpose of CA??  In its heyday (in the noughties), CA was the social networking between like-minded people.  Unfortunately, other systems like FB came on stream, and many people now use that as the 'audience' is a lot wider than the sportscar-oriented folk on CA.  Having said that, some people post the same information on both CA and FB.

To me, CA is still the hub of information regarding endurance racing, and is the main contact and reference point with the many people I have got to know over the years. 

Very few of the new members actually 'stay' and get involved - you, Aricus, are an exception, and more power to your elbow.  New, active members are more than welcome, but the main question is what benefit does the club get out of increased membership?

Del

[aricus654]

Del,

I didn't know.  Sometimes when an idea is good, it's good.  Its success is about timing And execution.

The Guide and the knowledge of the people in CA can attract people, but you are quite right, that in itself is not CA, nor will it sustain it, for that it needs the relationships and the social interaction.

I have a vision of what CA should be.  This is it.

I think that CA should be recognised as the place to go for trusted expert knowledge about the race the 24 hour race.  I would like to see this knowledge as the hook to bring people in. Marketing to potentials needs CA to be promoted when people want the information, which I think is at planning and trackside.  We can do this by exploiting what we already have through using social media and strategic partnerships.  I believe that this can be done with minimal effort.

I agree that of the people who come for information only a small number will want to take any kind of active part, either on the forum, on FB or at LM, but that's the way it is I think. 

My thoughts on the Fireside and Trackside Companions are that these are ideas that can help to promote CA.

But I am the newbie, and only speak for myself, so what are other people's views on the vision for CA?

Aricus

[mgmark]

As far as a vision for CA goes, at our "time of need" in 2007 to raise funds to replace/sustain the server, we produced a form of words (the CA constitution thread in the Fundraising section) that included a statement about the purpose and aim of CA.

"The purpose of Club Arnage is to provide a web-based forum, that is renowned for friendship, openness, humour, honest information and the absence of advertising and commercial gain, as a home for any individuals who share many and various dreams and interests that make up the Le Mans 24-hour race, and much else that takes their fancy besides". 

CA isn't just about the race - it's about all the other sh**te that gets expounded about on the site and the advice on any subject under the sun etc as well as the social connection at Le Mans.  While the reason that drove the need to produce that document was fixed and the financial provision is there to prevent a recurrence, the statement above still holds good for me today.     

MG Mark