Stuart Firth
I think it is certainly an issue going forward – on RMWeb recently there has been discussion about the trading practices of some of our smaller suppliers, to the effect that people expect to be able to view and purchase anything they want on-line. Now my view is that many of our suppliers are ‘one man band’ enthusiasts who do it for enjoyment not to get rich (!) and they shouldn’t be expected to have to set up a website with on-line purchasing if they, frankly, have better things to do with their lives. I’m perfectly happy to pick up the ‘phone or even send a cheque through the Royal Mail…
Nevertheless there appears to be an increasing number of people who don’t consider such things even as an option, refusing to buy the products because it might involve them having to talk to someone. This illustrates just how vital an on-line presence is for the Society, because, unlike those traders, the EMGS needs to promote interest and attract new modellers all the time.
The slow progress of the Forum on this site has been discussed before, and some of us try to keep it alive, but it can feel like a pretty thankless task sometimes, and it would be good if some of the bigger names in the EMGS were more prominent on the Forum, because I think it would help.