I know, I know, it's only a website. But after months of trial and error, stops and starts,( and a lot of beer and pizzas), we've finally come up with a web site we can be proud of releasing. The best part of this is that we're not done! :)
Seriously, we've only just begun...to blog...(I'm feeling a little nostalgic). Really, what we've done is build the foundation for what will be a true online cycling community. And that means we need you - to get into the conversation. Because you're our community. You guys are the reason we're in the bike business. Okay, the club kits are a pretty good reason, but we still need you guys to wear 'em. Alas I digress...
This site is built on a community platform called, oddly enough, Community Server. It has all the building blocks for creating and maintaining an online community by giving every member a voice - in the blogs, in the forums, in the photo galleries. It's in the telling of our stories, taking part in forum discussions and sharing photos that we all get to know about each others' experiences and maybe a little of who we are. Community Server makes it easy - for one thing, you only have to log in once for everything (what a relief).
Here are a few cool ways you can get into the conversation:
- First and foremost, complete your profile! In particular, upload your photo (also called an "Avatar") and write a few lines in your bio. Also, make sure to update your contact info and your emergency contact info. To do that, log into the site, then click on the link called "Edit Profile" located at the top of every page or in your profile box on the home page.
- Participate in the Portland Velo Forum. There are a lot of great discussions going on every day in the forum and this is a great place get and give information on the club and our sport. You can also report issues with the site here. Mostly, though, its a lot of fun and if you read through some of the posts you'll experience the camaraderie that makes this club the #1 bike club in the Northwest (a shameless plug, I know, but well-deserved!).
- Post Photos of Your Rides. A picture says a thousand ka-jillion words. That's why you'll see me occasionally trolling for shots while I'm leading a ride. I promise I'm being safe! Anyway, some of you guys tote digital cameras on our rides; please don't be shy about uploading a few once in a while. There is nothing more satisfying than flipping through a slide show and remembering the last sunny riding days in a long time (except, of course, for riding on those sunny days).
- Start a Blog. We have a lot of talented writers in the club - Heidi Swift, David Rowe, Lynne Fitzsimmons, to name a few - and they have their own blogs we point to from our web site. The great thing about our new site is that every member can have their own blog. Blogging is really no big deal, its just an online journal of sorts. We'll show you how to do it, all you need is the willingness to post your thoughts once in a while. We'll take care of the rest. Oh yeah, and if you don't feel like writing your own blog, please leave comments and ratings for your fellow blogsters.
- Tag Posts, Rate Content and Leave Comments. We already have a veritable plethora of blog and forum posts, photos and news articles. As stellar as this website is (heh, heh), after a while it will become hard to find stuff. So whenever you write a blog or forum post, please add tags (aka "keywords" for those of you stuck in the 90's). There is always a place at the bottom of the post or photo for you to add tags. Then when you want to find stuff related to "tandeming", you can click on that tag in a "tag cloud" (hint: there's a tag cloud on the home page). Also, if you haven't noticed, some posts have stars next to their titles. This is a great way for you to express how how liked (or disliked) the article, post or photo. Just hover over the number of stars you want to give the post. The author will appreciate your feedback! Finally, please don't be shy about leaving comments on blog and photo posts.
I'll be writing "how-to's" for all this in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please feel free to ping me at carlo@portlandvelo.net if you have questions.
So you might be asking yourself "what's in it for me?" You'll notice that there something called "points" associated with your profile. Well, every time you post something - a photo, a forum post, a reply to a forum post, etc. - every time you make a contribution - you will accumulate points. At the end of every month, we'll take the top 5 point-getters of the month and give each one a $20 gift certificate to a local business (bike shop, pub, restaurant, etc.). We'll even send it to ya! BTW, folks like me, Ty,Traci, Genny, and John - club officers who will most likely post more than anyone else - are exempt from the competition.
Even if you choose to be a casual observer, you are most welcome. Please take a little time to get to know the club online and at our rides and help us keep our community alive and vibrant. After all, "It's All About The Ride"!