Not to detract away from the value of the discussion boards! I have decided to post a twitter MicroForum on the front page.
Still in Alpha testing!
It is currently hooked up to my personal Twitter account " dailypush". In the next few days I plan on hooking up “rcsailing” twitter account to it to make it easier to follow.
Let me know if names I should follow…below
Regards,
Chad
Gidday Chad, sorry mate but you have lost me before you begin.
There may be a few others like me who only know enough to be dangerous.
I have of course heard of “Twitter” but have never visited there and so have never even heard of “MicroForum”.
So a few questions if I may. :witch:
What is a MicroForum?
Does one need a Twitter account to participate?
How will it assist the community you have built here?
Am I missing out on something worthwhile? :scared:
Thank you for your continuing care and feeding of this most wonderful asset of the model yachting community, many of us visit here every day just to keep up to date with the thoughts and inspirations of some very clever people who are generous in their sharing of the experience they have attained over a lifetime of modelling.
It is fascinating to observe the different feeling and culture of the various forums as you move from one to the other and I have to admit yours is my favourite. :zbeer:
Best wishes, long may you continue.
And regardless of those AMYA members that I may offend (or take offense) let me add that this site and the Windpower site (Matt White - administrator) provide far more information and help to builders and interested parties than the AMYA web site and forum could think to do.
As Ian notes, this site has continued to grow and expand through your efforts. It is a known place where many lurk and especially those who only “wish” the AMYA web forum was this good, had this variety and had this amount of subscriber participation.
Please keep in mind that as a former AMYA member, my suggestion of supplementing (not replacing) the Model Yachting publication was akin to suggesting all r/c boats be confiscated by local governments. I pointed out how many young folks ( and maybe not-so-young ) got much of their information from 2x3 inch screens on data cell phones, yet we continued to cling to print media for the AMYA - even if newspapers with far more profit/readership were moving to the web.
I think Ian makes a good point - can we demonstrate what improvements we will see by this method of communication? If it is merely a notice of new posts announcements, it may work, but if limited in number of characters to a post, and being unable to see those magnificent build photos that Claudio posted, it could be a technology that has limited appeal - at least for now.
Just my opinion, and I want to be sure you understand how valuable the current site has become for the exchange of ideas, questions opinions, and suggestions. Please be careful those aren’t ruined.
I am always open to new technology and guess I need to look into Twitter and learn how to use it. I am one of those that use the small screen of a smartphone alot This post and 95% of all others are done with my Palm Pilot Centro. I am watching the Geology of the Great Lakes on the Science Channel as I type away with the thumbs. I believe it is good to keep the Forum discussions focused on the technical aspects of RC Sailing.
I formed the “Facebook” Footy Group in hopes of learning more about the Skippers behind the controls of Footys World Wide and those that post on the Forums. You can easily post information, photos about yourself, and your boats on FB and it is avail if you know someones name. In Facebook, you have the option of selecting only those that you want to see your info.
The Forums do not give much insite into individuals which is fine. I have made Internet Friends from all over the world and it is really interesting to find out more about their other hobibies and interests.
If any Footy Skippers out there are on Facebook, lookup the Footy Group. It is totally open.
Very good questions. Again, this is just another way to help the community to connect with one another maybe on a more personal level.
What is a MicroForum?
A 140 character limit “chat like environment” that will thread discussions. Integrated through the use of twitter. Very easy to use on smart phones or small screens.
Does one need a Twitter account to participate?
Yes, http://www.twitter.com to get your account
How will it assist the community you have built here?
I am hoping to see if it will help to engage a (younger / mobile) generation along with helping us, as a community to strength relationships and introduce the hobby to others outside of rcsailing.
*I will also send out tweets from our announcment area of upcoming events.
Am I missing out on something worthwhile? :scared:
Maybe… “Once you drink the koolaid you usually can’t stop”
I find it fun to interact with other people and have learned quite a bit from a technical perspective. I find people use twitter to announce posts to good discussions happening on discussion boards.
I can envision impromtu sailing events. Realtime race results and updates to those of us stuck at our desks. 
With any of the new technologies. I take the approach of lets try it and see if it floats .
Chad,
gpzy is now following you on Twitter.
Manny