I miss the old Z Central Station!

Hope and Change! Hope and Change! Hope and Change!

I have been HOPING for the longest time (many, many months) that the Fire and Adrenaline, that first gripped this forum in its beginning, would make a CHANGE and come back to once again fill it with Life!

For those who have been a steady member from day one, How Do You Feel?

Hobo Tim

Tim asked.......For those who have been a steady member from day one, How Do You Feel?

Tim,
I have a cold, my nose is stopped up and my head feels achy, so I feel terrible.

Ok, I'll be sorta good.

I've been involved with Z for 5 years now and though I can not exactly put my finger on it, there is a difference. First off, there is a whole slew of cottage manufacturers now along with MTL and AZL really pumping out new product and I think the flow will only grow.

Then there is the missing old members and many new members. I miss some of the first ones I met. Some have gotten too old to model in Z, some have gotten too busy, some have just lost interest, some have had bad financial fortune, while some have just settled down to lurking and doing their own thing without commenting or asking questions.

There is a subtle mood and attitude change I feel, maybe good, maybe not?
All things change, even forums, so I'm not surprised this has morphed into something totally different than in the beginning. Not different in terms of scale, but the general overall attitude and mood.

One big difference of the past couple of years I've noticed is the Z club participation. Some clubs are firing on all cylinders, while others are idling slowly.

Perhaps the change is a mystery that won't be solved. We who continue to model in Z must only be true to one entity......ourselves, no matter which direction it takes us.


I think the one main thing we owe to each other is the determination to be a positive influence on the Z community. If we can't add new products, at least add support and sage advice, sprinkling it with a dose of light hearted humor and tongue in cheek quips.

Arguments and disagreements will come and go, but we must never forget that we are the explorers in the final frontier and we must boldly go where no man has gone before.....back to the drawing board to prove the nay sayers wrong.

My nickel's worth.....or is it a dime now due to inflation?

Loren

I used to have lots of photos, and lots of posts here, but the new point system kind of kicked me to the bottom, and all my photos went somewhere, so I just kinda lost that early drive I had. Especially in the first few weeks when some peoples points shot up to 1000 in no time at all, yet I could only find a few posts and pictures from them.

That, plus being busy putting out lots of kits every year has kept me too busy to cross post the forums.

I still enjoy looking at the pictures and the Sunday chat regularly though, so that has not changed.

People come and go as interests and family situations change. Over the past 10 years on Trainboard I have seen a 14 year old kid grow from goofy kid making resin detail parts to major manufacturer, BLMA. I have seen people change scales N to Z to On3 to N again. I have seen manufacturers start, grow old, sell off their business and retire. I have seen hundreds of announced products never show. Several key posters grow old, sick, and pass away. Young enthusiastic modelers find girls, get married, and start families to leave the forums. And some just get burnt out for their efforts.

Point is the only thing that stays the same is constant change.

-Robert

Loren,as usual, has some sage observations.
Robert-- you still have hundreds of wonderful pictures in the archives! They are from the "old" ZCS. I must admit it is not the easiest area to navigate.
As far as POINTS--- people not posting and having high points-- many gain points by contributing money to ZCS. Some got points from entering contests, and answering mystery questions.
I do miss the "OLDIES" and the back and forth banter that was fun on ZCS.
Fred

Sorry, but I think all of this attention paid to "Z Points" really misses the point. Since points are not a true reflection of one's participation and contribution, I tend to regard the point system as irrelevant, even a distraction--in short, a gimmick. Financial support is not equivalent to lending assistance to other modelers or posting useful content, and post counts do not take into account the idle banter that can often take place.

IMO, Z Central itself has suffered technically for changes in the software chosen to support it. As a software developer and webmaster, I understand the need for these changes on occasion, particularly when a group outgrows the capabilities of an application. Cost constraints obviously limit the options available; better software might improve participation, but often you really don't know what you're in for until you commit and throw the switch. Personally I think there are far better low/no-cost options available, but another change in software platform might cause more problems than it solves.

As for the people that make up Z Central, Robert already said it best: the group will always be in a state of change, since individuals are prone to change.

I came to Z in 2002 via David George and the first Z-scale convention in Columbus, but I have been familiar with Z for a lot longer due to modelling in Nn3 since the late 70's.

For me the group seems to be splintered a bit now with 3 major places to go and keep up to date with and it takes time for that and I guess as a retiree that is easier to come by for me than some others. Then there are other groups or club groups that are part of the scene also so more time. I am surprised at the number of folks on all three. Points system does not mean anything to me other than at some point my switchman designation may change.

I agree another platform change is not going to be beneficial to the scale or the members. I also think it is clear to those joining that there is a Sunday chat session. I had forgotten about them myself and I am not sure I have ever participated in them.

cheerz Garth

First off I miss the old site as well. Like some have mentioned this site takes a bit more getting used to. That said this is essentially the same site in different clothing. Photos and Forums are the same. Photos in the Gallery once they leave the Home Page are difficult to work with unless you have a good memory for names. Somehow the old site was easier to do album searches. That said the Z points were put in by Rob as an incentive to contribute monetarily to the site, and for those who like to see high point totals for whatever reason this would make them happy. We already had the posting totals from the old site and were carried over. (Robert with all you said you are still No. 2 poster here) You may not have read about Z points after the change over and were confused. Interestingly from my point of view the site and members have gone through a change. While Robert only shows up occasionally these days we miss his contributions as well as Kim's and Torsja'. I know you guys look in once in a while, but the later two have not posted in some time. This is ok. No one is pressured to be here. Heck, I'm a member of Trainboard and ZYahooGroup as well. All these sites have something for everybody. While I feel ZCS has the most to offer, photos, Forums like all the other groups, Chat, and for those into ZCS chit/chat. On the old site is was kinda neat to see conversations sneaked in to the photos comments section. Still happens today, plus we have the Shout Out box. ZYahooGroup seems to be questions and answers with little or no visuals to easily work with. But some people are not visual folks and talking is good enough for them. Trainboard Z Group is a couple of dozen modelers who seem to like that format. Posting photos in post elevates TB above ZYG for me. I like Trainboard because I enjoy participating in all the scales not just Z. I'm asked all the time by others for scenery and layout advice by other scalers. I even did a scenery clinic for NMRA as a result of my participation on TB. Primarly though, I'm there to promote Z Scale thus the photo contest participation. There are over 10000 members on TB and Bill Mock's and my participation in photo contests are good adverts for Z Scale. All this boils down to there is a site for all types of modelers. It is fun to see the newer members come in and participate here. We have an active core group of newer participants that have never heard Torsja or Kim's names. They are finding their own way via this site in Z scale and have formed a new vibrant nucleus of talent and participation. This site is still alive and well. It has been fun to watch grow and evolve. Cheers, Jim CCRR:)

Define irony,

I found myself prusing the archive photos yesterday, thank you Mr. Ray for the photos from the convention last year. Granted, I may not have a high posting total but, I consider this site the best resource for Zed heads to review and refer to when in need of answers. New or old it is still the best site for us in the 220.

David K. Smith wrote:

Financial support is not equivalent to lending assistance to other modelers or posting useful content, and post counts do not take into account the idle banter that can often take place.

True... to a point. ZCS doesn't have advertising as Trainboard.com does. From my understanding from Mr. O'Connell... this site requires money to run every month. While I have no skills to contribute to the Z world ... I do my best to help by contributing with $.

TechRep wrote:

Alex wrote..... "While I have no skills to contribute to the Z world ... I do my best to help by contributing with $. [/quote]

I will vouch for Alex contributing to Z by sending me some of his money......but alas, I normally just send it on to some other Z scaler, who most likely sends it on to yet another Z scaler......and so it goes until Alex's money contribution probably in some cases gets passed all around the world.

So, maybe that makes Alex a Z world ambassador?

Loren

TechRep wrote:

David K. Smith wrote:

Financial support is not equivalent to lending assistance to other modelers or posting useful content, and post counts do not take into account the idle banter that can often take place.

True... to a point. ZCS doesn't have advertising as Trainboard.com does. From my understanding from Mr. O'Connell... this site requires money to run every month. While I have no skills to contribute to the Z world ... I do my best to help by contributing with $.

My intention was not to put down one form of "contribution" versus another; they are both valuable, and I also know about the costs of web hosting (I pay for almost a dozen sites to be hosted myself). My point was that it's misleading to roll them all into a single "point system"--it's apples and oranges. If financial contributors like to see their name in lights, then a simple list of the names ought to serve the same end.

Back to the original topic: I'm not a man from the 1. hour, but I guess peoples priority changes, look at youself Tim, when I started in US-Z you were always present and always some great new stuff from you. So Job and feeding the family goes first, or? The other thing is there are so many options in these days to get informed about Z, Yahoo, trainboard, zcentral and how many other forums and news groups? Can't dance on all weddings...

I haven't been long enough on the old site to be able to feel the difference.

But I think that linking a change in "atmosphere" to a change in software/layout is a bit harsh. It isn't the software that is going to decide if you have a vibrant group or not. That's the group that makes that. For myself I like the site but at the same time I only use the forum and hardly ever come to the other parts. Like the gallery: I much prefer to have a few threads in the forum with photo's that describe a layout telling the history of building, some comments and discussion around it etc.

Those that are on other forums will probably recognise this. They all have up and downs and if it is a small community like here then it goes harder and is more recognisable. Don't think this is something to worry about.

Like most here I fail to see the use of the "points". I prefer to have a kind of post counter as this says a bit more about the poster. Not much I admit but still often a good indicator. The thing I like less is the sometimes very commercial posts. I wish we could limit those to an "advert" section.

I don't like having to log in constantly
Otherwise all's well..

I don't like having to log in constantly

Have you tried just to reload the page? I go directly from a bookmark to the forum page and I always get "welcome guest". Reload the page and I'm logged in.

I'll check into this issue. I used to have to check in about every third time. Somehow this issue got fixed for me. I've only had to login once since before Christmas. Of course, I never logout. This loging out is the start of many problems at ZCS. Cheers, Jim CCRR:unsure:

Havoc wrote:

The thing I like less is the sometimes very commercial posts. I wish we could limit those to an "advert" section.

Actually, these don't bother me at all; in fact, I'd like to see more. I want to learn about all of the new stuff coming out. Z scale represents such a tiny market that it would be a long time before we'd be inundated with excessive advertising for new products, IMO.

I guess I am a relative new comer here to ZCS. I dont remember the date that i Joined but my guess is about a year and a half to two years ago. I have noticed few major changes in the actual web site but i have seen major changes in some of the people here.
I am happy to say they are changes for the better and not the worse. Some people that in the begineing seemed so arrogant and acted as if they were high and mighty, have changed and are now people that will help others in any way possible.
I have made good friends with some of the people here and with their help ,i have grown in knowledge and love for Z scale modeling and railroading.
The only thing i dont really like is the new chat room. One of the things I liked about the old chat was that you could read back to see what others had talked about and in this way you are able to keep up with whats happening in the group. The new room only goes back 25 posts and that has already made a big difference in the number of people coming to chat.
Could someone look into changing chat for the better
Thanks
Steve aka "Slugger"

stonysmith wrote:

Havoc wrote:

The thing I like less is the sometimes very commercial posts. I wish we could limit those to an "advert" section.

If I could suggest one change to this site, (for the good of the scale) it would be to have an area for people to post links to various sales outlets. No, I am not looking for a full-blown set of distractions like the dancing hamsters selling insurance, but as a relative newcomer, I don't know where to look to buy various Z items/services.

Searching the forum posts for a specific item or service is difficult (although informative), but I'd like to see a single place (separate from the forums) where sales links could be collected.

Note: I mean no offense to the list at Ztrack but I would like to see something a touch more dynamic.

There's this: americanzscale.org/

It's a resource that I built and maintain for my own use, but I make it public for others to use.