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The all-new Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club forum!

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 1:35 pm
by humbucker
Welcome to the all-new Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club!

You will have received an email within the last week that outlined big changes that we've put in place in an effort to elevate the forum into something more than just a place that Mk3 Cavalier owners nip in and out of whenever their pride and joy is feeling poorly. To that end, we want to transform our community of dedicated Cavalier fans into a 'proper' owners club, with firm representation at car shows (hello to those of you who have asked when we're going to be getting our own club stand at PVS and Billing!) and much more of a focus on providing informed, detailed technical information regarding every incarnation of the Mk3 Cavalier.

Of course, you can't have a successful owners club without a sense of community spirit. With that in mind, we plan to build on the rock solid foundation that we already have by encouraging more social gatherings, club meets and parties. Keep an eye on the Events section for further information (and feel free to let us know if you'd like to arrange a get-together in your own corner of the country!).

To kick things off, we've completely overhauled what was fast becoming a tired forum. As the saying goes, 'out with the old, in with the new', and we've shifted the online home of the Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club to an entirely new domain (http://www.vauxhallcavalier.com) accordingly. We're sure that you'll agree, this new URL is a huge improvement (and easily remembered) when compared to the now-defunct 'cavmk3oc.com'. Don't worry, you can still login to the forum using your existing username and password, but it might be a good idea to update your browser bookmarks if they are pointing to the old domain name. To make life easier for all concerned, a redirection is currently in place from the old to the new, but please treat http://www.vauxhallcavalier.com as the only valid domain name for the Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club.

With a new domain name comes an entirely new forum structure (and plenty of new features!). Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the new layout and user interface, and don't hesitate to contact any of the admin/moderators if you're having difficulty using the updated forum. The support area can be found here: viewforum.php?f=39.

Here's a brief overview of what's changed:

- A new, fully responsive forum design that works across all devices
- A revised user interface that offers quick replies to topics
- Dynamic drop down menus to assist with forum navigation
- A revised user control panel to make it easier for you to edit personal preferences
- Integrated social media 'share' links on every post
- An automatically generated list of 'similar topics' at the foot of every thread
- Advanced search functionality
- Quick links to key areas of the forum
- Statistics that chart the most popular threads, the most active members etc.
- A list of members who have visited the forum during the past 24 hour period

- A revised forum structure, making content easier to find
- Renamed main sections
- Work in Progress and Showroom topics now merged
- An expanded 'Faults and Fixes' section
- A re-organisation of maintenance guides
- An all-new section, 'The Archive'
- The Archive > The Car's the Star: your Mk3 Cavaliers featured in the media
- The Archive > Mk3 Cavalier Promotional Videos: classic TV ads etc.
- The Archive > Model-specific Tech Info: the lowdown on every incarnation of the Mk3 Cavalier
- An expanded 'Lounge' section designed to help users get to know one another
- A section dedicated to detailing discussion. Share your experiences, hints and tips!
- The Suggestion Box: your opportunity to tell us what you'd like to see from the club/forum
- Clear separation of staff announcements, stickies and regular threads

...and much, much more. Our intention is to load the website with exciting new content at least every few days, so keep 'em peeled. Announcements will be made on the forum (in the imaginatively titled 'Announcements' section), and also on our all-new Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/CavalierOwners. Follow us if you're already a keen Tweeter!

I'm bound to have forgotten half of what admins/moderators have been working on during the past few weeks, but please accept our sincere gratitude for your patience while access to the forum has been limited. It was your valuable feedback that has encouraged us to make significant changes to the way the club is represented, the way it operates and our plans moving forward. We aim to make http://www.vauxhallcavalier.com the definitive resource for ALL information relating to the Mk3 Cavalier, and we look forward to working with you in delivering an owners club that we can all be proud of.

Onwards and upwards!

Dan (humbucker)