Members-only web site

The work preparatory to launching this new membership benefit is complete.  We have upgraded our Web infrastructure, loaded over 100 text searchable digital copies of SMT and other publications, populated the site with current membership lists, added the current Public Liability Insurance Certificate, and tested the site and its functionality as thoroughly as we can.  So it’s time for the rest of the membership to have a go.

Rather than ask members individually to register with the site (and need individually approving, which would introduce delays), we will email current members for whom we have an email address, inviting them to access the site.  All that recipients of the email will need to do is click the link in the message, and set a password.  Then you’ll be good to go.  The one thing we can’t confirm, until large numbers of members are using the site each day, is whether the additional capacity which we’ve bought and implemented is sufficient for the extra traffic.  So we’ll invite members to join several hundred at a time, to make sure that we can stay on top of any early life issues.

We’ll update this Shed Notice to advise the range of members invited, e.g. members with surnames beginning B and C have been invited to join on <date>.  If you haven’t received an email, but the latest Shed Notice suggests you should have, then check your spam folder or consider whether you’ve provided us with your current email address.  If you haven’t, the change needs to be notified to Warners (email to 16mmNGM@warnersgroup.co.uk) before we can do anything.

We think that the site is easy to use, but we’ve set up a dedicated email address to which members can flag up any issues.  This will be advised in the invitation to join.  A number of the Board and Officers will monitor this address, but we’re not a help desk so please don’t expect an immediate response.

This is a major new step for the Association and hundreds of hours have gone into its development.  None of this would be possible without the flair, ingenuity and sheer hard work of our IT Officer Richard Huss.  I think that what he’s created stands favourable comparison with any other volunteer resourced body and probably many commercial organisation.  You’ll be able to make your own judgement soon.

Alan Regan, Chairman & Membership Secretary

Progress update