Demo Site

What's a "demo"?

It' a demonstration, a practical working example to assist in the design of the finished product.  The demo isn't expected to have all the bells and whistles or, more importantly, the content that will be stored in the finished site.  In fact, the site name and URL of the demo probably bear little resemblance to what the finished product will be known as or the address of the "real" site.

The demo is designed to allow people to familiarise themselves with features of the finished product and to provide feedback on their experiences with them.  It's also a means of obtaining ideas about additional features that might be implemented in the new site and, therefore, it's a means of experimenting with new ideas before they're fully developed.

How should I use the demo site?

Use it as if you would use any internet site.  Although it may not contain all the content that one would expect to find in a fully developed operation, it's every bit a real website and all of the features operate exactly as we expect they would when the real site is put into production service.  You can use this site for real forum discussions, too.

What will be transferred from the demo site into the new site?

The main thing that we'll use from here is the knowledge we've gained from the process.  Unless someone particularly wants to keep the content of a message board, say, there won't be anything moved from this site to the new one.  That shouldn't be a deterrent to using this site any differently, though.  Really, it's not all that difficult to copy a series of messages from here and paste them elsewhere.  Anyone can do it!  This task shouldn't be one person's responsibility, either.  When the time comes, if you want to copy something ... then copy it.  Don't wait for someone else to do it for you.

What do the site managers want from the demo?

We want you to be happy.  We want you to be comfortable using the features that we've installed for you.  We want your feedback - your praise and your criticism; both are important.

How do I provide feedback?

We'd prefer you to use the message forum to give your feedback; that way everyone else can see the comments that are made and it gives others the opportunity to discuss them, too.  You can also provide a simple form of feedback - without registering as a member of the site - by using the opinion poll on our home page.  Alternatively, you can use the Contact Us e-mail form; you don't need to be a registered user to use this either.

Who can regisiter to become a member of this site?

Please see the site policy.