This forum has never really promoted itself. Set up amongst a group of friends, we've expanded a little and generated a lot more traffic than we would have expected. And what we've got now is a useful resource of expertise and questions and answers that makes us quite a good web site. And in order to see if that's just our view, or one that might be shared, we've entered the Website into the Railfuture user group awards.
The citation:
The Coffee Shop internet forum has been established since 2007 and provides a valuable resource for those seeking information on the railways of the Thames Valley, the West of England and South Wales as well as general topics nationwide. Most of the 170,000 posts are available to guests without the need to register but the 1700 members are drawn from regular travellers, those working in the industry and enthusiasts. Members can post questions, chat about what is going on, get help with travel plans - including advice on the cheapest appropriate fare, and look forward to the future. The forum was recently approached by First Great Western to stage a ^meet the manager^ session which allowed members to pose questions directly to one of the company^s directors.
The forum is free to use and has a bright design with no advertising. It is run by a group of volunteers who oversee the conversations with a light touch when necessary.
Whilst primarily concerned with rail, there are also discussions on other forms of transport, particularly where they integrate with rail. There is even a section on hotels near railway stations based on the experiences of members who have stayed in them.
The backup submission:
http://atrebatia.info/railfuture2015_3.pdfOver the next two months, the panel of judges will be going through all the categories and are likely to be visiting some of our pages ::[wavy-smily]:: ... and come 7th November we'll see that outsiders view. No matter how that turns out, from my view point our members, moderators and admins are a winning team!
