This Guideline covers:
 

1. Benefits
2. Costs
3. Technical Options
4. Applications
1. Use of the Internet
2. Publishing the Club Web Site

A. Benefits

1. Stored documents can be used to create new or revised documents, which avoids duplication of effort to re-key those parts of documents which have not altered e.g. make changes to last year’s document to create this year’s.
2. The ease of making changes also encourages higher standards.  The look of a printed document influences the reader’s first impression .  Good presentation will encourage the reader, which may be vital where Magazines are seeking to encourage an active membership, or a Proposal is seeking a commercial sponsor.
3. Documents can be automatically checked for accuracy of spelling, the quality of the grammar and credibility of values in the data, etc.
4. Items can be collated from a variety of sources, or individuals, but edited to have a consistent size or form of presentation. Modern software applications (or programs) will import documents created using other software applications. For example, Microsoft Publisher or Quark Express may be used to create the clubs magazine with documents sourced from many parties produced with a variety of software applications.
5. Electronic mail (e-mail) allows easy contribution of articles at any time without the need for transcription from paper. Even the “snail mail” postal submission of articles on floppy disk is an advantage over traditional paper based methods.
6. Changes can be made to data, and the implications of changes recalculated quickly and reliably.  For example, a spreadsheet can be reused time and time again to perform tedious calculations on different sets of data. Equally, changes to parts of documents can be made and the revised version reproduced quickly without re-inventing the wheel. The generation of time-cards for rallies is an ideal candidate for a spreadsheet applications, especially “summertime” time-cards.
7. Many clubs outsource the printing of their magazine: printers commonly accept the original on floppy disk or even via e-mail which helps to speed-up production and cut costs. The days of poor quality printing using a worn out Gesetner in the garden shed are over!
8. Shared access to information can be made easier by the exchange of disks, e-mail or via the club’s Internet web site.  It is possible to create a section of the club web site which only the committee can access using a password.

B. Costs

   Typical PC systems (especially those bought by mail order) include a colour ink-jet printer, document scanner, telephone modem, colour monitor, a high capacity hard disk drive, CD-ROM drive, joystick, a powerful processor and lots of memory. The prices are constantly decreasing and the abilities of the systems increasing.

   Always buy the highest specification system you can afford as three years is reckoned to be the standard life of any PC system before it needs upgrading: such is the pace of improvement.

   The Purchase price usually includes a one-year warranty for Parts & Labour.  As with all electrical goods, all the maintenance companies will wish to sell you long term maintenance (3 years) paid in advance.  Do you know in advance that they will still be trading for the years that you pay for...

   Important files should be “backed-up” frequently: floppy disks are very cheap and backup copies should be kept apart (i.e. another location) from the PC in case of fire, theft or some other problem which damages the PCs hard disk. The clubs Internet web site provides an additional method for storing important files.

   Printers consume “ink” in some form, usually cartridges or toner packs in the case of high quality laser printers.  The actual cost will increase with the quality of the output required, but consumable costs of  1p - 5p per page of A4 are not untypical. Some clubs will directly print their magazines: a black and white laser printer may prove cost effective compared with going to an external printer.

   Printers also consume paper.  Rejecting drafts to improve quality is best done by pre-viewing the output on the monitor, prior to incurring the cost of consumables.

   The skills required to use a PC system are a balance between buying products which one volunteer can use to good effect with their existing skills, and its ease of use to allow others to gain the skills necessary to use the chosen system.  With voluntary effort involving a range of individuals over time, remember the repeated cost of training new users. Many local evening classes exist and self-help video tapes can provide training.

   Costs of IT products are falling all the time.  It is not necessary to purchase all the elements up-front.  Establish an acquisition plan in phases, allowing the benefits to pay back each phase before further investment or sponsorship. The document scanner is the lowest priority but will enable the addition of photographs and logos to documents and conversion of old documents into a word processable form.

C. Technical Options

   TV monitors are extremely poor quality when compared to those used for PC systems.  Most leading software could not be supported by a TV monitor.  The dominant market standard is currently described as the “SVGA”  Monitor and provides very high quality rendering of any graphics.

   Memory (RAM) size can be increased after purchase, 16Mb for Windows 95 is the lowest recommended limit and 32Mb would be optimum. Additional memory is very cheap indeed and is well worth the expenditure. More memory generally provides more performance benefit compared with a faster CPU.

   Hard disk storage of 2Gb is considered to be a lower limit on PC systems. As with memory, the cost of a very high capacity (>4Gb) hard disk is relatively  cheap and easy to install and will allow the PC to perform more smoothly. Always try to get the largest disk you can afford as modern software always requires more disk space than the previous version!

   The type of Processor or CPU  dictates the speed of performance coupled with adequate RAM. Always get the fastest (measured in MHz) processor available at the time of purchase. The Intel Pentium series of processors offer very fast performance although other manfacturers such as Cyrix produced comparable products.

   Besides exchanging files via floppy disks, new PCs are equipped to be “Internet ready” which means that by plugging the PC into an ordinary telephone line (or even better an "ISDN" line) files may be exchanged with distance being no object and calls costed at the local call charge rate.

   Computers in the same building can use Local Area Networks (LANs), such as “Novell”, “Windows NT”  or “AppleTalk^TM” to gain shared access in an Event HQ, Press office, etc.

   Each Software producer needs to offer more functions than their competitors, hence each is different to use but they will have similar functionality.  Although they have basic ability to exchange files with their competitors’ products, the full benefit of re-using and exchanging files is only available to a group of users of the same application package.  If there is to be co-operation and exchange of information, it would be beneficial to agree to use the same software product such as Microsoft Office.

   Printers enable a hard-copy to be made of the document and, as with all computer hardware the prices are dropping constantly. The choice will usually be for a colour ink-jet printer and/or a black and white laser printer. Colour laser printers are still beyond the reach of most.

D. Applications

   Those software options costing the extra £100 - £300 also offer pre-print viewing of each page through a preview option  or "WYSIWYG" (what you see is what you get).

Spreadsheets allow tables of figures to be automatically calculated, and are the simplest method by which a list of figures can be listed out and compared to others.  Most offer graphs in addition to tables of figures.  Improved management of Clubs can provide early pay-back e.g. Budgets versus Actuals for Event expenditure.

   Integrated application packages  such as Microsoft Office or Lotus Smartsuite offer a word Processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation and other applications built into one application suite which works well together. It is easily possible to “import” documents produced with one type of application into another. Microsoft Works is a cheaper alternative to Office and does most things adequately well.

   Desk Top Publishing (DTP) is the next logical step from word-processing. The role of DTP is to aid the presentation on a page of text, data and images files.  The frequently used commands are therefore associated with cut / paste and photographic  layout, and less with the editing and checking of the accuracy of the actual text / data itself     (the role of Word-Processing and Spreadsheet software).

   Frequent needs for high-impact headings, and the increased use of photographs in documents will mark the need to acquire specialist DTP application software.  At the same time it is likely that a document scanner will be beneficial, operating like a photocopier which produces a file (instead of a hard copy) which can be imported into a DTP application.

   Club Treasurers can benefit from the workload saved by a recognised Accounting package although a modern spreadsheet package will provide all the required functionality. Across a series of Events, each using Spreadsheet data, an Accounts package will provide accurate VAT records, balance a variety of accounts, and provide consolidated financial reports normally landed heavily on the shoulders of the keenest or financially-qualified Committee Member.

   Mailing lists are available as a side-line to most word-processing applications, however there are specialist packages which not only maintain the Name / Address but also the date of the last contact and background notes.  Such contact / prospect packages are invaluable for canvassing membership and commercial sponsorship contacts.

   Every Event requires some form of Results Service, to the Organisers, Competitors, Media and Spectators.  The same PC used for letters, minutes and accounts for most of its life can move to Event HQ to fulfil a different role for a Clerk of the Course. The “laptop” or “notebook” PC is especially convenient for this role.

   Most Events can rely on Spreadsheet-based Results, others on the voluntary effort of their neighbourhood Programmer.  Those who have specialist motor sport Results packages available for sale or rental usually ensure the RACMSA know of their existence.

D.a. Use of the Internet

   Allows the sending of messages (e-mail) to anyone with an e-mail address anytime, anywhere in the world.  As well as sending basic text, it is easy to 'attach' a document produced by a particular application such as a word processing, spreadsheet package or database.  This allows committee members to exchange documents conveniently.

Allows anyone to join 'mailing lists' dedicated to discussing particular topics.  Anyone may post a question to the list, it will be distributed to all those on the list and see it answered by a number of people in a few hours.  Mailing lists use e-mail as the post and delivery mechanism.

   Allows anyone to join 'newsgroups' which allow the following of a 'threaded' discussion on specialist topics and also the contribution to the discussions.  Newsgroups are accessed via a variety of mechanisms but a web browser is the most convenient.

   Encourages submission of magazine articles via email: the psychological barrier of the obligatory envelope and stamp is removed.

   Enables collaborative and concurrent working on major projects.
 

D.b. Publishing a Club Web Site

   Enables existing members to be kept infomed about all aspects of its activities: future event calendars should be maintained so that members do not need to telephone committee members.  Include map references for event locations.

   Allows the club to publicise its events much more widely and cheaply than conventional paper based advertising with no publishing deadlines to comply with.

   Can generate extra income from advertisers and sponsors (compare with standard magazine based copy)

    Enables a central repository for club documentation, standard forms and archive.

    Generates a focal point for the club activities which can be used to advantage with local media and potential sponsors.

    Sets the club apart from competing organisations for potential new members: motor sport has to compete for members along with all the other modern activities on offer.

It is generally agreed that a web site worth having has the following qualities:

    It is easily found: there is no point designing a state-of-the-art site if it can not be found: seek advice on how to get your site 'indexed' and 'linked' to.  The clubs 'webmaster' should develop links from all the relevant local government sites and those listing clubs and societies.  A full directory of UK Motor Clubs may be found on one the leading UK Motor Sport web sites at http://www.ukmotorsport.com/ along with the on-line 'Starting Motor Sport'.

   The site must be kept updated: an out-of-date one is worse than not having one at all.  Once the initial site building has been achieved, allow one hour a week for maintainence and development work.

   Has the full support of the whole committee.  The magazine editor, press officer and public relations officer especially should play a prominent role in contributing to the sites content and development.  A full committee meeting dedicated only to the web site should take place early on in its development.  The'webmaster' may be one of these officers or a stand-alone committee post: maybe a member who has expressed an interest in the lnternet can be encouraged to take on this relatively new role.

    Is complimentary to the clubs magazine rather than being its competitor.

   The site is easily navigable and clearly laid out so that all viewers (especially newcomers) will readily find the information they are after: various methods of providing menus and contents lists exist.

   The content is interesting, relevant and varied: content is much more important than appearance however the site should be tidy and eye-catching to attract the younger audience.

   The site loads quickly: use of graphics and images should be carefully considered as inappropriate use of images substantially increases the time taken for the pages to appear on the screen: the webmaster should seek advice.

    Adds 'value' to the club by allowing anyone to discover the character of the club and remove barriers to membership: an on-line membership form is readily achieved.  Seek advice before accepting credit card details on-line.

    New material is tagged as such and revision dates are given for exising pages.

    Does not make-up for a poor quality motor club but will turn a good club into a better one and aim for better than survival in the new millenium.

    The mechanism of creating the club's web site from scratch is composed of a few basic steps:

    Decide on the contents.  Create separate pages for each indentifiable topic and provide links to all of these from the 'home page' or front door to the site.  Provide a link from each page back to the home page.

    Arrange for an 'Internet Service Provider' (ISP) to 'host' the site.  A small local ISP often provides a better service than one of the large anonymous multi-national lnternet Access Providers: seek advice if possible.

    Upload or publish the site contents to the ISPs web server.  You will be told the URL or web address for your site.  An example would be http://www.hartmotorclub.org.uk/

    Publicise the web site address as widely as possible.  All club paperwork should have it on, all publicity material, press releases, sponsorship packs etc etc.

    Reap the benefits!