Website Reprieve - Simpler Website Maintained

[Steve Sliwa]

Hi Team:

I found a way to keep the basic features of the website up and alive.  

The support footprint for the website was too big and when the various software tools were updated (mostly motivated by hackers looking for exploits in the core software package) the software would break.  It was a real hassle to fix the problems by configuring Invision Community software or tuning the programming in PHP or javascript.

It seemed to me that the features people most valued were the Forums, Classifieds, File Exchange, and Member Map.  I was able to save the first 3 and removed things like Events, Commerce (membership module, shopping cart, etc.), Newletters/Blogs, Calendar, Help Videos, etc.  We did lose the very tricky membership map tool.

After slimming down the website, I was able to accomplish the upgrade.  So I will keep this up another year to give people more time to move content and continue to interact.  Now the software costs are only a de minimis $150 per 6 months.  

I deleted all adds in the Classifieds for motorgliders older than a year.

Steve.

[Richard Pearl]

Excellent, Steve. Thanks. Hopefully someone out there will step up to continue the work of the original TMG'ers.

Richard

[HiFlite]

Thanks, Steve! I just today got a call from a new Taifun owner and sent him here for information.

[Steve Sliwa]

Well, here's a news update.  I decided I was missing my touring motor glider.  So I just signed the paperwork for a new one to be delivered perhaps the end of the year.  The implication is that now that I am taking the hobby back up, I will keep this website maintained and functioning.

Send suggestions of things you'd like in the website and I will work to get them up over the coming months.