...a recent email I received....
Quote:
Dear Friends of the Great Scale Model Train Show,
I write to you all with news of a recent innovation to our web presence which I hope you will like, and to ask for your help.
THE XCHANGE: At the behest of many of you, and show vendors and exhibitors, we have created a free web site called “The Great Scale Model Train Show Xchange Classifieds.”
BUY, SELL, POST SHOW DATES, NEWS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS, GET HELP, AND MORE: Styled after a newspaper’s “Classified Ads” section, the Xchange is much more. Buy, sell, and trade the same kinds of items you see at our shows. But there is more: Sections for announcing events and meets, and pages for advice, instruction, and news. Think of it as a “perpetual” train show.
SOPHISTICATED BUT SIMPLE: The Xchange is simple to use, yet more organized than the various alternatives such as Yahoo Groups. Like the newspaper’s classifieds, categories logically organize material so you can easily browse to find what you want to buy or list what you want to sell. If you want to find something quickly, an advanced Search feature does the job.
WHAT? NO PAYMENTS? In the interest of simplicity and ease of administration, the site allows buyers and sellers to arrange payments on their own. Parties communicate with one another through a private messaging system within the site or by phone or email as best suits them. This most closely reflects the way people do business at the train show. Not face-to-face, but as close as we can make it, “virtually.”
WHY WE ARE DOING THIS, AND WHY NOW: First of all, I am not aware of any similar alternative with the same functionality and scope as the Xchange. Some things come close: There are numerous “swap groups” on Yahoo or elsewhere. And there is RailServe, which most people use to list and find show dates. And there is Joe Fugate’s marvelous Model Railroad Hobbyist web site with its excellent instructional material. But there is nothing I know of that embraces a free marketplace, a listing of events, news, and “how to” functionality in one place, for free.
Covid has had much to do with our initiative. “Virtual” shows were a creative approach to replacing physical shows, and our hat goes off to those who presented them. But virtual shows have their obvious limits and, of course, they disappear. We want to capture some of the train show experience and functionality without ever “closing the doors.” And we also believe that Covid will have a lasting impact in terms of how we do business (and how everyone does business) far into the future. We believe the Xchange anticipates the way many will want to interact with one another in the coming months and years.
WHY WE THINK OUR NEW SITE WILL BE POPULAR: We have a HUGE advantage: YOU. All of you, an actual community of thousands of rail enthusiasts who have a long history with us. And many of you are connected, in one way or another, with others who share your interest. This is vastly different from just creating a web presence and waiting for “something to happen.”
WE WANT YOUR HELP! At this moment, the Xchange is brand new and we are still learning how to use the enabling software. Consequently, we are soliciting volunteers to actually use the web site, report their experience to us, and make recommendations. In this way, we hope to reflect the real-world preferences of the people who will use the Xchange.
REQUIREMENTS: Minimal. There is no particular time requirement on your part, you can explore and experiment as much or as little as you please. We are mainly interested in your reaction to “look and feel” and ease of use. Until we formally announce and launch the site, practically all the users will be volunteer testers like you. Thus it should be understood that much of the material listed (including anything you post) during the testing phase can be, “just pretend.”
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER, please let me know by response to this email, or your call to me at 410-551-6131, and tell me the following:
Your full name:
Your email:
Your Zip:
Your age:
Your gender:
Your occupation:
Using the above information, we will select a group of volunteers which is a good cross-section of all our attendees and exhibitors. Selected volunteers will receive further instruction on how to get started.
As a “thank you” for your participation, we will give you a free pass to any of our future shows.
I look forward to hearing from you.
John “Scott” Geare
