928.org.uk is hosted and run by Multizone Limited
Welcome everyone new and old to 928.org.uk. There are over 500 participants on the 928uk mail list which is astonishing.
I thought I would just say a few words about where the web site and list came from and what it is not....
928uk was set up as a uk mailing list on the Internet in 1998 by 6 UK owners fed up with US specific content on rennlist but jealous of the self help and community that rennlist had. (It would have been more than 6 but 6 turned up for our very first meeting on the first Saturday of December).
Six Porsche 928's at Christmas Common in December 1998
We wanted to get UK owners together and share tips and meet up and swap stories etc. Those original six were variously members of different Porsche clubs, mail lists and a couple strongly objected to the very idea of clubs. Consequently we consciously decided not to be a club. There are two excellent clubs - Porsche Club GB and TIPEC in the UK and we had no wish to compete.
There are also people who don't want to be in a club but who can look at a web site and be an email participant and we didn't want to exclude anyone. That day we set our goal of creating a web site and email list beyond club boundaries for the sharing of tips on ownership and the generation of a community of interest about the hidden gem of Porsche - the V8 928.
We resolved to meet annually with no agenda and no club politics, just to see how the 928 community was doing.
1998-1999 928uk Porsche 928 Gallery
For a long time the list ran slowly on Paul's dial up PC which was permanently connected to the net. We didn't have a web site. Then Andy took over and I registered the domain name and Andy created the web site and had the email list hosted by a mate of his so the email could be from
We originally had no rules at all on the mail list but modified this over time to try to keep big attachments off the list, to stick to the topic of the 928 in the UK and not to allow systematic commercial, abusive or junk email. In Life of Brian style this caused other 928 groups to set up.
An example of the fun of a 928uk meet was at AFN chiswick one Saturday where they were doing a free clinic day in their workshop (basically a free 87 point check and a coffee), We jammed them with almost a 100% turnout of 928uk participants from start at 9am to finish at 12:30. It was great fun to see all their ramps with 928's on them and more queuing especially as the chiswick service manager seemed to have a sense of humour failure that all these V8's should show up together and not go away after because we were chatting and drinking coffee!
This year we have had many meetings formal and informal, sometimes at other club meetings and sometimes our own and sometimes at peoples houses or more properly garage. The more meetings we have the better I would say. Feel empowered to organise a meeting locally by suggesting a venue and a date and keeping a track on who is coming. Use the list to publicise it. Ask me to put it on the home page.
Four of the original six have moved on from 928's. I took over running the list and the web site when Andy sold his 928, and it is run on a professionally managed specialised web server with industrial strength mail list management software and plenty of bandwidth. Even though I've sold my 928 now it is a pleasure to be part of this community and I try hard to keep the web site and list up and running. I have very occasionally deleted people from the list if I have felt it necessary. It has happened only a handful of times and usually its a spammer or other obvious trick. I actually actively stay out of arguments on the list because it usually causes a sea of email.
Personal referrals to 928 specialists in the UK are more than welcome but must be independent and unbiased and based on the personal experience of a 928 owner. I have a few but not nearly enough. Look at 928.org.uk and again please email me directly if you have one to add. No traders - referrals must be from 928 owners who have actually used a service!
I am always looking for help with the site. Anyone who wants to write, or help with part of the site is more than welcome. Email me off list if you have something to contribute. Plain text is all I need. You don't have to be a techie.
I personally think the list is strong. People often ask for a forum. It is an ongoing debate but there already are forums for the 928 so I have no plan to change it from being an email based mailing list. It certainly adds to every participants knowledge and enjoyment of the cars. Thats what its all about. Thanks for participating. See you at the annual meeting... If we got a 100% turnout at a 928uk meet it would be some meeting!
Angus
928uk listmaster and 928.org.uk webmaster
PS Some of this history has been compacted to make it readable for new participants and may have lost total chronological accuracy.. please don't flame me if Ive forgotten something....
