Craig
TS Administrator
We had a lot of feedback from our TowersStreet Community Survey, so a huge thanks from myself and the rest of the team for taking the time to complete it.
Off the back of the feedback received we've considered a few tweaks to the community which we'll cover bit by bit in the coming months. The lucky first subject is our official meets.
As a lot of you will know, our official meets are incredibly informal and have lots of opportunity to people to do their own thing - and we want to keep that ethos with whatever changes we make.
However, it's clear from the survey that:
While other sites may plan specific events with agendas of talks, exclusive ride times and behind the scenes tours, TowersStreet's official meets are an extension of our forum community - they allow likeminded people to spend time at the places they love.
Our meets aim to be really informal and give people the flexibility to do their own thing. You could pop along and simply say hi, or spend the whole day with other attendees to do some rides.
Others will maybe just grab a few rides, then socialise and soak up the park's atmosphere.
We've lost that a little after Covid paused our meets, so we're making a couple of changes (and returning an old tradition). So they'll generally now consist of:
For example, at the start of the season, more people will be keen to get on the rides they've not done for months. Toward the back end of the season, more people may be more inclined to socialise than queue for rides, especially with events like Oktoberfest and the entertainment on offer.
The main thing is that everyone has the ability to do what they want, while still being able to stay in touch with others. Which leads us to...
We also know others may want to drop in and out of groups. They may join in with a group doing more rides for a little while, or have a break meeting up with others for a catchup at some point too.
We know that for new members, that's particularly challenging as they don't have contact details for others. They may also feel a little nervous attending a meet for the first time after not being able to chat to others online beforehand.
The main thing is we want to make it easier for those who have the similar ideas of how to spend their day to be able to head off and enjoy themselves.
As a result, we're going to be utilising Discord a lot more, and we'd strongly recommend that other people either attending or thinking about attending meets does the same.
You can use each meet's channel to get to know other attendees, perhaps arrange to share a lift to the park, arrange a group to head off and knock out some rides, or to chill out for an afternoon.
Even as team members, we've all been in the same position as newcomers in the past, and even though we're a friendly bunch we know heading to a meet can be a daunting experience.
Our aim is to make that first meet a little easier by being able to chat in real time to other attendees, it'll make that first meet in real life™ a little more comfortable.
If you're coming along to your first meet, we'd really encourage you to pop up and say hi beforehand! We'll also be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Of course if you're a meet regular, keep an eye out for our newcomers and we'd appreciate it if you could also make them feel welcome.
And finally, don't forget if you're coming to RSVP on the meet topic on the forum
Many people, particularly team members will have notifications turned on for the channel over the course of the meet weekend, so shout up if you're running late, or if you've split off from the group to take a break. Someone will be along to let you know where people are.
We'd also love to see your pictures or videos from throughout the day too, so throw them up in the channel for people to take a look at.
Who knows, maybe we'll even share a few on our socials and website - with your permission of course!
After a little while, we'll lock the channel to new replies, but keep it visible so people can have a central place to look back at the weekend.
If you've enjoyed yourself, jump on over to the channel for the next meet to start the planning for your next one!
As a result, we're looking at a better way of publicising and organising these in the very near future, and it'll be covered in future changes we're looking to make to the forum as a result of the Community Survey.
Off the back of the feedback received we've considered a few tweaks to the community which we'll cover bit by bit in the coming months. The lucky first subject is our official meets.
As a lot of you will know, our official meets are incredibly informal and have lots of opportunity to people to do their own thing - and we want to keep that ethos with whatever changes we make.
However, it's clear from the survey that:
- People want to feel more comfortable in attending meets
- We need to be clearer as to what TowersStreet meets are
- People are also keen to have somewhere where people can get to know each other before a meet
- On the day of the meet, they want to know how to contact the group on the day too.
What are TowersStreet official meets?
The quick answer is that we have pre-arranged dates throughout the season which allows members of the community to catchup in person.While other sites may plan specific events with agendas of talks, exclusive ride times and behind the scenes tours, TowersStreet's official meets are an extension of our forum community - they allow likeminded people to spend time at the places they love.
Our meets aim to be really informal and give people the flexibility to do their own thing. You could pop along and simply say hi, or spend the whole day with other attendees to do some rides.
Others will maybe just grab a few rides, then socialise and soak up the park's atmosphere.
So what do our official meets consist of?
Despite this flexibility in our meets, we still want to have the chance for the group to catchup over the course of the day.We've lost that a little after Covid paused our meets, so we're making a couple of changes (and returning an old tradition). So they'll generally now consist of:
A time window of around half an hour to meet at the start of the day. This is a chance to grab a morning coffee and say hi to other members.
Spending the morning on a few rides around the park.
Everyone can split off for their choice of lunch and spend the afternoon doing their own thing. This can either be on their own, or as part of a larger group.
Meeting back up for a group photo at a set time. This will usually be mid afternoon, but the time will depend on things like ride closing time.- Finishing up the day on a few rides at the end of the day.
For example, at the start of the season, more people will be keen to get on the rides they've not done for months. Toward the back end of the season, more people may be more inclined to socialise than queue for rides, especially with events like Oktoberfest and the entertainment on offer.
The main thing is that everyone has the ability to do what they want, while still being able to stay in touch with others. Which leads us to...
Making it easier before and during meets
We know off the back of the Community Survey that it's perhaps not been as easy to get to know people beforehand, or they may want to get an idea of who wants to do things like more rides before attending.We also know others may want to drop in and out of groups. They may join in with a group doing more rides for a little while, or have a break meeting up with others for a catchup at some point too.
We know that for new members, that's particularly challenging as they don't have contact details for others. They may also feel a little nervous attending a meet for the first time after not being able to chat to others online beforehand.
The main thing is we want to make it easier for those who have the similar ideas of how to spend their day to be able to head off and enjoy themselves.
As a result, we're going to be utilising Discord a lot more, and we'd strongly recommend that other people either attending or thinking about attending meets does the same.
Before a meet
As well as our main Chat channel, we now have a separate TS Meets category. In there you'll start to see an individual channel created for each of our forthcoming official meets.You can use each meet's channel to get to know other attendees, perhaps arrange to share a lift to the park, arrange a group to head off and knock out some rides, or to chill out for an afternoon.
Even as team members, we've all been in the same position as newcomers in the past, and even though we're a friendly bunch we know heading to a meet can be a daunting experience.
Our aim is to make that first meet a little easier by being able to chat in real time to other attendees, it'll make that first meet in real life™ a little more comfortable.
If you're coming along to your first meet, we'd really encourage you to pop up and say hi beforehand! We'll also be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Of course if you're a meet regular, keep an eye out for our newcomers and we'd appreciate it if you could also make them feel welcome.
And finally, don't forget if you're coming to RSVP on the meet topic on the forum
During a meet
After discussion off the back of our survey results we felt it's important to have a single place that attendees can access easily to communicate. So during a meet, you can use that same Discord channel.Many people, particularly team members will have notifications turned on for the channel over the course of the meet weekend, so shout up if you're running late, or if you've split off from the group to take a break. Someone will be along to let you know where people are.
We'd also love to see your pictures or videos from throughout the day too, so throw them up in the channel for people to take a look at.
Who knows, maybe we'll even share a few on our socials and website - with your permission of course!
After a meet
We'll leave the channel open for a little while after the meet to allow people to share their photos and memories from the meet.After a little while, we'll lock the channel to new replies, but keep it visible so people can have a central place to look back at the weekend.
If you've enjoyed yourself, jump on over to the channel for the next meet to start the planning for your next one!
What about Mini Meets?
Mini meets are dates organised by other forum members to visit a particular park. They're another valuable part of the community, especially for those who'd like to come along to a quieter group before attending their first official meet.As a result, we're looking at a better way of publicising and organising these in the very near future, and it'll be covered in future changes we're looking to make to the forum as a result of the Community Survey.