Last night we had a trial Zoom meeting of members in Scotland. The 'experiment' was a success with 18 members attending so we decided to set up another Zoom call in a couple of weeks time.
The meeting was set up following an email from Julian Evison, as our Chairman and sent out by our Membership Secretary Brian Ellsmore to all members of the Society for whom he had contact details. Many thanks to both of them for helping get the group established.
If you missed the original email and would like to take part then please email or PM me using the contact details in my profile on this forum.
Thanks too, to Bob Barnard and members of the North West group and to Hugh Norwood who contacted me, for kindly inviting me to take part in their recent Zoom meetings. They sowed the seed for trying a Scotland Group.
Thanks also to one of our number, Eric Branse-Instone who has a full Zoom account and was able to host the meeting without the usual 40 minute interruption that comes with the free version.
Unlike other and established Area Groups where Zoom meetings replace physical meetings, our first Zoom call was largely given over to introductions but there was still time for sharing photos and modelling discussions. The group has members with a good range of modelling (and Zoom) experience and interests so I think it should have a wide appeal for others thinking of joining in. We are looking forward to the next meeting which will we hope cover a range of activities.
Well done Greame! :)
Yes, well done, I'm glad it's got off the ground at last! :)
Good result Graeme! I am aware that you have been making attempts to set up a Scottish Group of some sort for a number of years. Now that the "ice has been broken" let's hope that your initiative and perseverance will finally pay dividends!
Best wishes for the future
Mick
A big thank you to Graeme for getting this going - it is great that there has been a successful start. A Scottish Area group has been on the 'want' list for a long time and people have tried hard before, but been defeated by geography. Zoom obviously gets around this.
Julian
Many thanks for your kind words, but I am a relative newcomer in trying to start a group if not a newcomer to the Society. There have been several goes at it in the past.
Touch wood, cross fingers and so on, what I think has happened this time is that it is an idea whose time has come. In the past the typical mode of operation of local groups involved physical gatherings. A quick look at Branchlines shows just how many have gone 'virtual' because of current circumstances. In the past I suspect there has been difficulty in getting sufficient 'critical mass' across Scotland to sustain regular meetings as it involved some members having to travel considerable distances. On the other hand trying to assemble peripatetic gatherings at exhibitions may have generated plenty of enthusiasm but was difficult to maintain between exhibitions.
Time will tell whether the enthusiasm for Zoom meetings can be maintained between members who were not already accustomed to gathering in person with fellow participants. However it is now almost a cultural norm with plenty of advertisements on the telly showing families going online so I am hopeful.
One thing in our favour going by our first meeting is we have a good range of interests and experience and it looks like we should be in a good position to help and encourage newcomers as well as share our modelling work with others.
As one of the participants of the Scottish Zoom last week, many thanks to Graeme for organising.
As Graeme said, as a first time of doing this and (I think) a first time of meeting in any way for almost all of us, it was largely given over to introductions. The fascinating range of skills and interests that emerged suggests that further meetings will be very enjoyable events. I got the feeling that for several participants, meetings like that would be an encouragement to do a bit more modelling (and I include myself in that category).
One thing that was discussed in the meeting was finding a way to exchange ideas in between meetings. A private Facebook group and a mailing list were mentioned, but it was noted that both suffer from not easily supporting discussion threads. It was only after the meeting that it dawned on me that we have a perfectly good piece of infrastructure right here in this forum. I mentioned this to Graeme and he suggested that I raise it myself here.
So, would it be possible to have a Scottish Area Group section here? It would be somewhere that we could indulge in discussions that don't fit tidily into the the existing forum sections. Of course it would be open to other non-Scottish members to browse or join in if they wish. We would of course have to be disciplined enough to put postings of more general interest in the appropriate sections so that others could find them. (Perhaps other area groups would like to do the same?)
Thoughts?
Ian
In another model railway society to which I belong they have a separate subsection (forum or sub-forum, I've never been certain of the correct terminology) for Area Groups, as there is here, but it in turn is divided up into sections (again a bit like here) but with a separate section for each Area Group.
I like the overarching Group Reports section here though, which is not present in the other society, as being a channel for the more 'official' reports from Area Groups. In essence, in this configuration there would be a separate Group Activities for each Area Group.
In the other society, the separate Area Groups are open to all to see and contribute to and there is an understanding that they stay on topic, relating to things that are specific to the Area Group. It does mean that local announcements such as the 'the next meeting will be on..." do not all get lumped together in a section common to all Area Groups.
Graeme, going back to your OP may I suggest that you also get a report published in the News as, as you said, not everyone gives their details so there could still be people who live up there who could have missed it as they didn't receive an email.
Quote from: Hobby on March 14, 2021, 21:26
Graeme, going back to your OP may I suggest that you also get a report published in the News as, as you said, not everyone gives their details so there could still be people who live up there who could have missed it as they didn't receive an email.
Yes, that's in hand.
Edit: now dispatched to 'contents' after repeated checking for my usual typos and mangled typing. :D
I also attended the recent Zoom meeting so a massive thanks to Graeme for getting this off the ground. I have only been with the 009 Society for a couple of years but have been a member of two other societies for many years and know how hard it is to get something going in Scotland because of the geography. It was also good to see we have adopted Dave's SCOONS title as he tried before in the days when Zoom referred to an ice lolly. To the members who received the e-mail but were not too sure to join the session I would certainly encourage to join the next one. To others who have not supplied an e-mail address, again I would encourage to get in contact with Graeme. So well done to Graeme, Eric, Julian and Brian for their efforts in getting this going.
Regards
John Galbraith
7925
Hi all,
Whilst I did not join the Zoom meeting - I am all for trying to do more with the members in Scotland.
Some of you will be aware that I've been taking a 'Mini-stand' showcasing the society to exhibitions in Scotland for the last 3 years and having it displayed as part of the NGS in Scotland stand.
I have a supply of Society flyers and display copies of the News and provide built models from my collection to display with it..
I am happy to continue to do this - once the exhibition circuit opens up after Covid of course!
So - best foot forward and advance at whatever pace the rest of the members in Scotland are comfortable with!
Thanks
Phil H
Hello Phil,
Thanks for voicing your support for this new initiative, but also for offering to continue with your efforts to promote the Society in Scotland. If there is something that you need to help you in your efforts please let Bill Luty (publicity@009society.com) or me (chairman@009society.com) know and we will see what is possible.
Regards, Julian
Quote from: Julian Evison on March 21, 2021, 11:47
Hello Phil,
Thanks for voicing your support for this new initiative, but also for offering to continue with your efforts to promote the Society in Scotland. If there is something that you need to help you in your efforts please let Bill Luty (publicity@009society.com) or me (chairman@009society.com) know and we will see what is possible.
Regards, Julian
Hi Julian,
Thanks for the support - much appreciated.
It was with Bill's support that this initiative got going and I've every intention to keep on going.
As a result of doing this several modellers with narrow gauge interests have made themselves known on the stand.
A couple of them brought small 009 layouts to act as display models as well as some kit built stock items.
So - with the COVID Lockdown situation changing we have the first exhibition in Scotland for over a year!
Dundee Exhibition is on!
Whilst this tends to be more a 'Models For All' type exhibition, there will still a lot of good stuff on display.
Thanks
Phil H
Edit - This just reminded me that I need to get some more of the society kits before Dundee!