Re: It is time to take the Qlist to the next level

[Robert Houk - WorkGroup Server Firmware <Robert.Houk@East.Sun.COM>]

   I think it's time we all get together and take the Quattro List to the next
   level.  I've been visiting the A4.org and VWvortex.com sites for a while now
   and am very impressed with how professional their sites are.  Dan is pretty
   busy it seems, so we should farm the web site out to someone on the list who
   is known for making professional web sites (Darin Nederhoff, Eric Renneisen,
   Jeff Goggin, and many many others on the list).

   We can build a proper classified section that divides the cars up by model and
   year with picture and email links.  Have a separate "parts/Cars wanted"
   section and even have some featured columns written by some of our listers.  A
   calendar section would list all the upcoming QCUSA events and Qlist events
   (such as Audifest), and reviews of each past one.

   I would like to see it modeled after the VW Vortex site, they really have
   their act together.  This shouldn't be hard if we start having people
   contribute to the cause rather than have 1 guy try and do the whole thing.

   IF this means we have to let in some advertising, maybe it's time as long as
   we make strict rules to adhere to.  There's nothing wrong with have a web page
   that lists all some advertisers for Audi parts companies....as long as
   everyone on the list is happy with their service.

   What do you say guys?

The A4 site is a very tidy little site, and I am impressed with it overall.
Very snazzy (although that background olive with purple/lavender buttons/
boxes is vaguely nauseating). Overall, very nicely laid out and integrated.
(it's http://www.a4.org in case anyone doesn't know it...worth a looksee;
of course right now I am getting a buncha proxy access errors. Sigh.)

However, the bulletin board approach sucks the big hairy one. I spend more
time clicking, and sliding and generally mousing around than I do actually
reading the usually trivial content. More often than not, the initial
screen doesn't even get to the juicy part. And the constant breaking/
archiving/restarting of threads modulo weeks really breaks the chain
of thought (for me, anyways).

I use emacs to read email, and most messages take about 1.5 total
keystrokes to read -- "d" when I've read it (or as much as I intend to
read), and for "long" messages a " " to scroll down a screen (very few
messages are both longer than two screens and worth more than two
screens...most fit handily in one screen). All [email] messages are
directly downloaded on my local machine and ready for me when *I* want
to read them. Instantly. I can do a half-dozen QList messages in the
time I spend trying to find the BB message text.

I *STRONGLY* support and vote for the current email distribution of
individual (or digestified) messages irrespective of Whizzy WEBerie.

I'd love to see the collective QList wisdom no more than 3 clicks
away via the perfect/intuitive GUI, but that is a LOT**2 of work.
It is an INCREDIBLE amount of work. (It was a damn lot of effort
to put together my near-braindead little home page, and it's just
a braindump collated into plaintext, for the most part...of course
there are probably automated tools to facilitate that sort of stuff
these days.) Laudible goal, fer sur.

I will happily contribute to keeping that poor person properly lubri-
cated and happy . . .

					-RDH