The Forum – Announcement

[ClaytonSpeed]

The Forum – Announcement

Dear forum user,

I would like to explain to you about the recent issues with Fastmarinamagazine.com.
First of all I would like to thank all of the forum moderators the forum has had over the past 6 years, especially Chris Weedon. Without them I would have probably closed down the site a long time ago. Chris especially helped when I first launched the forum back in 2003 and gave me the much needed support that gave the users and the forum the much needed attention they deserved.

In recent years the forum has been through some tough times but has also seen its share of the good as well. I have made some fantastic friends on here and I would really like to thank those that have stuck with the site through its changes and supported both me and the entity that is the Morris Marina.

To run a forum is no easy task. Being the glue that holds a site like this together is a real bond of courage because after all, it is a very difficult job to keep the peace and to be that person in the middle.

I will be the first to admit that the forum has had its really low times. There have been times when I wanted to shut the site down; it has been like hitting your head against a brick wall. I have found that the easiest way to deal with these situations has been to stop caring and turn away from what is being written. It seems this has happened more and more often in recent months.

Chris has certainly been a pillar of strength and compromise. If it had not been for him then the forum could well have gone into melt down on more than one occasion. I want to apologise to Chris here and I will also be speaking with him to express my gratitude in his up keep and of his patience.

I have not been on the forum for quite some time and really this is mainly down to two things. Firstly time; After moving across to the Isle of Wight last year I have had less and less time to concentrate of club and forum life. My priorities have certainly had to change, but certainly for the better and I am very happy here. Secondly after my family and I were personally attacked on my own forum not long ago with abuse, doctored photos and a massive slating on my own project car I walked away. The time had come when to be quite honest I did not care about the running of the forum.

In June the renewal was due for the site. I have paid this with absolutely no contributions from members of the forum. Last year I had only two users pay into a pot that was used for the 12 month but the majority was paid from my own pocket. These costs are not mega but they are an amount that I have to budget for each year. I was going to set up a donations mod for the forum so that users could pay into that central pot but lately I have not bothered as I really don’t think that I would get anywhere with it. If you feel that you have been let down after contributing to last year’s renewal I will gladly refund you the money. Bearing in mind I count last year as June 08 – June 09.

On Wednesday I had a message from Chris to say that he has had enough. Chris locked the forum and added the message that Moderators were needed. I will whole heartedly admit that I let him down with my assistance but for the reasons above I could not bring myself to reopen the forum right away. When I did unlock the forum I noticed the “What happened” thread but chose not to write on this as I wanted to gather my thoughts together. I would like to say now that I DID NOT delete any of the posts within this thread, there seems to have been a problem with the forum and possibly a security leak that I have been investigating. I would not censor any of your posts unless they were either offensive or if it were requested by a third party. To show you that I have been completely honest I have attached three images of the logs within the forum. I have since changed all the administrator passwords on the forum and on the server.

In the past I have tried to help as many users as I can with issues they have with the forum. Unfortunately as with all IT helpdesk situations, if I am not told of a problem I can’t fix it. I have not been on the forum for some time and no one has ever emailed me to ask for help, most people seem to think that complaining about me or the forum on a thread will fix things. I am great believer in the phrase “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”

Like I have expressed before, I walked away from the forum when the minority of people that used it started to get personal and childish. I don’t think many of them really know how hard it is to moderate a forum at any level. To be that guy in between all of the arguments or opinions really can grate on you and after a while you lose the faith.

I cannot speak for Sam or Chris, but personally I honestly have grown tired of the “banter” and the nit picking of some people. There are a great many users that have the right attitude and the ability to know when something has gone a step too far. Others do not.

The forum is six years old. Some of you did not know it when it was called morrismarina.net but there have been those that have stuck with it and always stayed when the heat got a bit too much. To those I would like to thank you.

On a lot of forums on the internet there are teams of moderators and admins. I have never had such a team but the guys that were on board have done a fantastic job and a lot above the call of duty.

So is it time to call it a day? I would like to think that I could keep the forum going in the knowledge that those using it can use the resource safely and securely. I honestly do not have time to moderate day to day. I do not mind administering the servers and the backend of the site as this is really just making sure backups are completed and there are no attacks. I would also reinstate some add-ons from the old site, including the garage and gallery. Moderation would need to be delegated, it is not a hard job and most of the time it is an easy exercise as you would be on here daily anyway. If you feel that you want to do this then please PM or email me. If no moderators are found then I will have to rethink the way the forum could exist.

I don’t want to close the forum down; I don’t want to fall out with anyone over this. I think the personal attacks, speculation and back stabbing will have to stop and if you are provoked by another user then learn to stop yourself biting back. The internet is a big place and can be very useful to classic car owners all over the world that have a common interest to keep the cars on the road.

Best Regards,

Ben Clayton

PS
The forum name did not come from my own project; it was just a joke between friends that it would be amusing to see a magazine up on the shelves along with Fast Ford etc. That’s how Fast Marina Magazine came to life. Thanks to all that gave ideas on another thread about why I called it this.

[ado28]

Ben,

It’s good to finally hear from you with this statement. My concern is; can we take this statement serious if this sort of thing has happened many times in the past i.e. only certain postings vanishing when things get heated. It’s basically history repeating itself.

As a member of this board I would like to know why:

1. We have 1030+ alleged members and approx 90% of that membership are either inactive or have a post count of zero.
2. If the security has been breeched as you suggest then what measures are you (head administrator) going to take to safeguard the forum and its users from further possible attacks, PM’s and vicious emails.

This board used to be a good laugh but over the last year or so attitudes have changed. The board is excellent for techie advice and all sorts but at the same time members need to be able to relax and be able to chat about other things without the fear of being over moderated or even worse “Put on the naughty step”. If this board is to survive and retain its membership then things need to change otherwise people will just get bored and go elsewhere leaving fastmarina looking like a ghost ship.

Help has been offered by me and others in the past but never has it been taken up. Good fair moderation is all that's needed on internet forums and if this technique is used then forums tend to moderate themselves without too much intervention.

Just my thoughts for what it’s worth

Sean

[ClaytonSpeed]

Hi Sean,

Thank you for your prompt response.

I cannot comment on individual moderator’s actions but I will say that I fully support the roles of moderators on this forum and their actions. If a post has been deleted then it will be within the rules of the forum. Sometimes I admit that posts are deleted to help keep the peace between users or clubs. This is only as a last resort to keep any politics away from an independent forum and to make sure that any new members are not made feeling awkward. I think that this is a fair rule seeing as everybody has the right to use this forum without feeling they are standing in the middle of a battle ground.

If a new impartial moderator is found then they will be given the full backing of me and any other moderator. I think that the past moderators have done a fantastic job considering the abuse that they get from time to time. I also think that cooling off periods for some users would be acceptable if they persistently cause trouble. I wouldn’t say that is an unfair ruling. In most situations I would hope that we would never have to use such rulings but it is there as a safeguard if at all needed.

The amount of users on the board is so high as they have never been purged. That is not to say that I haven’t deactivated most of them to stop any potential security holes in the forum. I will be updating the server soon so these will be dropped if there has been no activity within the last 9 months.

If the security has been breached (I don’t think it has but I am still going through the server logs) then I will take action against whoever or whatever it was. The forum software has a new version out (V 3.0.5) that has ironed out some bugs where posts are deleted without warning. All I can do is run this update and any other server side actions necessary to stop future breaches.

From my knowledge there have not been any reports of vicious emails or PM’s in the last 12 months, but please correct me if I am wrong. The biggest problem I had was when we first went over to the new server and the amount of spam and dummy accounts were increased due to a bug in the new account pages. I have since stopped this but there are accounts being made each and every week. Most are probably people who would rather view a forums information than add to its content. I do not have an issue with this as all the articles on here are free of charge. This may also account for the high user numbers. You must also remember Sean that in December 2008 we were getting as many as 20 new user accounts per day due to us being thrown into the lime light on the BBC. Most of these were users that just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The forum is whatever a user makes of it. The content is here and so are the technical brains that help in the various areas.

It would be a shame to lose FMM since the content is second to none.

Ben


All moderator applicants to me via PM please. If anyone is interested then you will have to show willing and be totally impartial.

[JubileeNut]

Hi Ben, I think if you can limit the number of fake members which may be on here and provide a safe platform for all of the members then the site will continue to be good and help follows members.

I would love to moderate it but with my rebuild and family it would be difficult but maybe later on when my build is finished! I don't want my donation back as it is what it is - a donation!! Looks like you did not have many people help you on the cost then!

If you want me to help this year (Or for the last year as I am rubbish at working out when I paid you and what year it was for :roll: ) let me know and if you are at the National I will hand it to you personally Or paypal it to you. I think the site is fantastic for anyone who needs help with their Marina and most people get a response fast unless it is daft like can I have a 'X' part which is like rocking horse poo! But in those cases alternatives can be found.

Keep it going, I will support you as much as I can although I have no knowledge of running a site but I am sure there are others on here who no more and can help you out. The question is will they help and stick their head up and volunteer?

Long live the FMM 8)

[ClaytonSpeed]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the nice reply.

It is good of you to offer but I understand your situation! Your priorities come first!

The donations were very slim last year so I didn’t ask for anymore this time around. If we get the right moderators then I will consider adding a donations tab.

I will be there on Sunday selling some wares. My cars not running so I will be in the BMW. I look forward to catching up Paul.

Ben

[balmy]

Hi Ben, I think if you can limit the number of fake members which may be on here and provide a safe platform for all of the members then the site will continue to be good and help follows members.

I would love to moderate it but with my rebuild and family it would be difficult but maybe later on when my build is finished! I don't want my donation back as it is what it is - a donation!! Looks like you did not have many people help you on the cost then!

If you want me to help this year (Or for the last year as I am rubbish at working out when I paid you and what year it was for :roll: ) let me know and if you are at the National I will hand it to you personally Or paypal it to you. I think the site is fantastic for anyone who needs help with their Marina and most people get a response fast unless it is daft like can I have a 'X' part which is like rocking horse poo! But in those cases alternatives can be found.

Keep it going, I will support you as much as I can although I have no knowledge of running a site but I am sure there are others on here who no more and can help you out. The question is will they help and stick their head up and volunteer?

Long live the FMM 8)

As Paul said. Spot on. Agree totally.

[Number 63]

Agree also.

Did'nt know about the personal attacks on you & your family Ben which I think is deplorable. Not hard to understand why you've not been about much.

[Pont.skins]

Ben
As difficult as it may be,keep up the good work mate and "Don't let the B***ards grind you down".I get a great deal of enjoyment from this Forum and find it extremely useful,as do many people.It would be a great shame if the Forum ceased to be.It's the only viable forum that we have and should really be pulling together to keep it going.Clarkson and his hangers on will take great delight from such petty in fighting I'm sure.If the Forum upsets some people so much then they don't have to come on it.It really is a place for Marina/Ital enthusiasts.If you want to wind people up and take the p*ss then I'm sure there are other forums out there,or you can go out down the pub with your mates.I've had posts deleted and don't have a problem with that because I deserved it.Sometimes the "banter" goes too far and becomes personal which simply isn't on.I really think it's time for people to wind their necks in and realise what we've got before it's gone.I'm not saying the Forum is perfect but I think it's pretty good and certainly worth saving.


Matt

[wfb]

Hi Ben, its good to her you're still around. Its just a shame it is under these circumstances that you have come back to the forum. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people behind the scenes on this site for their hard work. Many of us less computer literate people are really unaware of the amount of work the you guys do and I for one tend to forget that there are people running the site and think that machines do all the work when thats not the case at all.

It is often the case that we don't know what we have got untill it has gone and i think that would very much be the case with this site. I have found it invaluable during the last two years I have been a member and a source of insparation on many occations during the current rebuild of my estate. The name fastmarinamagazine is just fine by me as that is exactly what i hope to acheive someday and find the modifed section a great place to bounce ideas around, I just wish there was a few more marina moddifiers out there. I am also itching for an update on your zetec powered TC, hopfully there will be a lot of progress to up date us on.

Please keep up the good work and keep the site alive because even the people the the critisise and bicker about it would saddly miss it if it was not hear. It would also be a great loss to the international marina community that has been created by it.

Barry

[The original northen boy]

Ben,

In reply to some of the points raised in earlier posts,

There seems to be a of level of membership solidarity going on at the moment that i find somewhat astounding to say the least,that the forum must be kept going at all costs,this seems in stark contrast to last year when financial assistance was asked for and the response from this very forum was far from positive.

On this very issue of funds,I was so i disappointed with this very forums response when the subject of money came up,in fact so disgusted by a total lack of financial commitment by membership of "fasmarinamagazine" i was willing to stand the entire site fees on my own (£50 i was informed) to keep the site going,the only contributors that had come forward to this request were Sean (ado 28) and at time when Sean was temporarily between jobs after he chose to wind up his business,Paul (Jubilee Nut) and Frank (Uncle Frank) who was willing to go fifty-fifty with me and split the operational costs straight down the middle and for this i thank him and Paul and Sean for putting their hands into their pockets,for as we all know "talk is cheap" very cheap.

Not once have i ever mentioned this,preferring the forum to operate as though nothing had happened,i did not want praise or glory or indeed i'm sure no one else did,but i feel some what put-out that this financial offer by myself that was there then and still is has been over looked completely with out the slightest mention.Never did i once ask for any involvement in the administration of fastmarinamagazine the cash i gave would have simply been a donation and that only but this now seems forgotten.

i feel that if commitment is an issue i am well justified in the claim that i have gone "above and beyond the call of duty" and this commitment makes me worthy of comment on the running of this forum.I again would say that Chris has had a hard task bestowed on him as the only moderator after everyone else seemingly bailed ship,giving him the unenviable task of being sole survivor or indeed a "captain on a sinking ship" he has i believe tried to moderate as well as could and under very difficult circumstances,for that i commend him.

Ben if you do on decide on the termination of the forum and that is the chosen course of action and it is time for you to move on,that is what you must do,i for one took a numbers of years away from Marinas and Itals as my life went in a different direction where the commitment to the cars and club was not there,and even now i am not a fraction as active as i was in the Top Gear Marina Special days my commitments lead me to take other paths that has arisen (and i hasten to add that by your lack of postings and the use of a 95 BMW as an avatar this seems to give clues to that the same has happened to you,but that's life,things change it's just the way it is) then offer the site to the membership,as this new found sense of kinsmanship,should make sure that fastmarinamagazine continues to carry on for many years to come,unless of course there is a financial cost to this,then if past history is anything to go by the site will fold like a Mumford roof,but again as "your baby" you may prefer to simply do just that,and now with your change of interests and this may be an option,but again this would be your choice.

The final point i would like to make is there is a very viable alternative to fastmarinamagazine and that is British Leland Classics not originaly set up to be a Marina/Ital Forum but to cater for all British Leyland enthusiasts,indeed many of this sites members are members on there too i for one am, this is a professional site that has many features that Fast Marina doesn't have,this site has a excellent blend of general interest issues and car related subjects as well as topical affairs,and audio and visual facilities,to address anyones fears that if Fast Marina was to cease that it would cause untold damage in the Marina/Ital community this simply would a short term problem at best and a new site would take its place even if this was not to be British Leyland classics a new forum would emerge to fill the void that's simply how things work.In conclusion Ben at the end of the day the choice to relinquish involvement,carry on or finish the forum,is yours.

Good luck with whatever you deiced to do,and whatever path you choose to follow.

Russ

Beckett Bros "Non, je ne regrette rien" :roll:

[ado28]

FMM has indeed had its share of issues over the years and at every crises Ben has sung the same song with regards to folding the forum and the forum is here for all the members blab bla bla. I’m not having a dig at Ben I’m just stating the facts.

It really amazes me to see the folk showing solidarity and support for Ben when he has a wobblier but where was the true support when he asked for a very small financial help to the costs of the forum? These members were nowhere to be seen when Ben asked for a very small token of help from his (so called) loyal membership.

I may come across as out spoken and have strong views and opinions on certain things especially at the defense of this forum and Marinas in general but at the end of the day I don’t have double standards and I always put my money where my mouth is. Maybe some people should actually think before they try and suck right up Bens arse and make themselves look good.

This forum is a credit to Ben, that I can't take away from him and all the hard work he has put into the Marina cause over the years and I solute the man for this. For as long as I’m a member on this board I won’t change. I will always defend this board and the humble Marina if need be but one of my complaints is the way it’s moderated, or has been in the past i.e. posts going missing, especially the juicy ones.

With me what you see is what you get it’s as simple as that and people who know me personally will vouch for that. I have seen and met all sorts of people in this game and it doesn’t take long to sift out the genuine people from the non genuine people.

Sean

[Martec]

Hi Ben,

Nice to see you are back, and I think Chris has done well to keep it going during the previous childish comments (post JC's attacks) posted on this Forum.

I have only been a Forum member for a short period and have enjoyed the the crack whilst attempting to help others with their technical problem. I have liked the friendly feeling and replys here compared to other sites.

For my pennyworth of input I feel it would be a shame if this site shut down as it has a lot going for it.

I don't have the ability or the time to be a moderator (I'm chairman of a local classic vehicle club) but I am quite happy to donate to the 'host' fees.

Brian

[The original northen boy]

May i take this opportunity to make a correction that i have inadvertently made there is an error on my list of financial contributors to the running costs of fastmarinamagazine for the June 2008-June 2009 the list must now include Matt (Pont Skins) who i was unaware of.

Last year I had only two users pay into a pot that was used for the 12 month but the majority was paid from my own pocket

This would make three members who have contributed,and not the two i believed to be the case and working from the above information,but if this is incorrect and your name is missing i apologise advance.

Russ

Beckett Bros "well we can't salute ya,can't find a flag" :roll:

[ClaytonSpeed]

Ben
As difficult as it may be,keep up the good work mate and "Don't let the B***ards grind you down".I get a great deal of enjoyment from this Forum and find it extremely useful,as do many people.It would be a great shame if the Forum ceased to be.It's the only viable forum that we have and should really be pulling together to keep it going.Clarkson and his hangers on will take great delight from such petty in fighting I'm sure.If the Forum upsets some people so much then they don't have to come on it.It really is a place for Marina/Ital enthusiasts.If you want to wind people up and take the p*ss then I'm sure there are other forums out there,or you can go out down the pub with your mates.I've had posts deleted and don't have a problem with that because I deserved it.Sometimes the "banter" goes too far and becomes personal which simply isn't on.I really think it's time for people to wind their necks in and realise what we've got before it's gone.I'm not saying the Forum is perfect but I think it's pretty good and certainly worth saving.


Matt

Thanks Matt!

[ClaytonSpeed]

Hi Ben, its good to her you're still around. Its just a shame it is under these circumstances that you have come back to the forum. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people behind the scenes on this site for their hard work. Many of us less computer literate people are really unaware of the amount of work the you guys do and I for one tend to forget that there are people running the site and think that machines do all the work when thats not the case at all.

It is often the case that we don't know what we have got untill it has gone and i think that would very much be the case with this site. I have found it invaluable during the last two years I have been a member and a source of insparation on many occations during the current rebuild of my estate. The name fastmarinamagazine is just fine by me as that is exactly what i hope to acheive someday and find the modifed section a great place to bounce ideas around, I just wish there was a few more marina moddifiers out there. I am also itching for an update on your zetec powered TC, hopfully there will be a lot of progress to up date us on.

Please keep up the good work and keep the site alive because even the people the the critisise and bicker about it would saddly miss it if it was not hear. It would also be a great loss to the international marina community that has been created by it.

Barry

Cheers Barry! Its ok the Zetec Marina is still alive. It's in storage at the moment awaiting funds. It's itching to be driven! Thanks for your support.

Ben