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MG MG Y Type - Which Club / Which News?

I was looking through the various media related to the MG Y Type and reflected on how technology and social media has taken over from the early forms of communication, and I cant help wonder if the tried and tested were not the best formats.
In the digital age, the first site was the International MG Y Register website as it is today at http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/index.shtml

The MG Enthusiasts bulletin BBS http://www2.mg-cars.org.uk/cgi-bin/or17?runprog=mgbbs&access=&&mode=tlist&subject=13
Was the place for all discussions on technical queries related to the Y Type.

Carsten Deuster started the Facebook MG Y Type Group about 7 years ago and can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/114930561925728/

MG Car Club created a similar duplicate Facebook group in July 2014 found at https://www.facebook.com/mgoneandaquarterlitre/

The MG Octagon Car Club have a closed Facebook group found too at https://www.facebook.com/groups/247032335694366/about/ which also has lots to do with Y Types.
Finally, there is the MG Car Club Y Type Register found at http://www.mgccyregister.co.uk/

Aside from the club publications namely the Bulletin from the Octagon Car Club by far the publication with the most Y Type information specialising in pre-1956, you then have the Safety Fast magazine that has the twice-yearly newsletter and the monthly register updates which in truth are often duplicated on the MGCC Car Club Y Register website or their Facebook page.
Finally, you have the Enjoy MG magazine as produced by the MG Owners Club that does too feature MG Y Types from time to time, and has had more coverage in recent years.
There is also a good deal many articles in the MG Enthusiasts magazine too, published by Kelsey.

You may ask why tell use what we already know, perhaps some were not actually aware of all the different sites on the world wide web for Ys but one thing that frustrates me is remembering where to go back if needing technical advice, and this is where the Facebook sites are less easy to navigate, such as compared to the traditional BBS where you can search on the title field of the archive and quite easily find the answer to most of the things one would want to find. Certainly, the Facebook site brings instant update to the Y Community that the traditional magazine cant achieve and has kind of had the same effect as the email had to the letter, not totally quite replaced the letter, but undermined it and made it less important. This is the same for club publications when articles are found on the electronic newsletters a case in point, when I saw the drum brake article first in ttypes.org newsletter, then repeated in the Enjoy MG in August, and again the same article in the MG Octagon Car Club Bulletin, and yet to receive my full second-hand copy of the Safety Fast magazine but see it advertises the Humble Brake Drum.
I wonder how many owners subscribe to all the three clubs only to find similar that the same writers provide the material for all three, and therefore one has decision to make which club to join and which one to ditch, for what its worth my money is firmly in the Octagon Car club camp with their offering of parts and support for the Y Owner, is my own personal view.
Richard



R E Knight

Richard

Interesting post pulling all the resources front pages into one place and thank you for that.

Additional places to look for help on the International MG Y Type Register website under our extensive TECHNICAL SECTION are:
1) Hints and Tips - http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/hints&tips.shtml and you can always submit more suggestions too!
2) Technical Advice - http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/technical.shtml
3) Technical Data on the MG Series Y - http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/techdata.shtml
4) Technical videos that will help with many basic common problems - http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/umlvideos.shtml
to name but 4 aspects of our Technical Support for MG Y owners - all free to access as is everything on the International MG Y Type Register. Indeed on the IMGYTR site all 3.5GB of information is available free of charge and we welcome additional comments, ideas and help suggestions too. Just email me :)!

Paul
Paul Barrow

Interesting post Richard. You are correct that the article on drum brakes was replicated in the issues you mentioned. You will also have seen the articles on fuel and the research undertaken by Paul Ireland. This was part funded by the Octagon. Owners Club and MGCC. I know that the Y Register provided about £200. Whether each of the other Registers also contributed I am unsure though I would imagine that many did. I am also unsure whether the main club also topped up or provided separate funding.

I am sure that Paul Ireland would have contacted each of the Clubs to gauge interest and because of the benefits that would arise then they would have been published

When I write something of interest to Y owners then I will send it to the Bulletin and the Y Register for publication on the website and facebook accounts. I have also written for Enjoying MG on other MG related matters. The items in the monthly SF Register Columns just stay there. Whilst the twice annual newsletters in SF may be included within the website.

I dont think that the duplication of articles is widespread and the examples you have mentioned are the exception. As a long term member of the Octagon, Owmers Club and Car Club I do read them regularly and have a good rapport with the Owners Club - whom i meet regularly at Shows where the Octagon of which I am a Committee Member have a presence.

I think Paul B's site provides some very useful information and whilst I accept that FB pages are less easy to access for previous posts their immediacy, potential for adding many pics and details are far superior to many websites.
moreover responses are often prompt. Of all the FBs sites that I have used I find the Octagon one of the best. The MGCC Y FB is perhaps slightly awkward to access. Howver Neil Cairns technical input is excellent (he is also the Y Type adviser for the Octagon).

I suggest that Paul's site could be updated to enable a larger number of photos to be uploaded and that when the ownership of a car changes hand (and where this is known) that the name of the former owner is removed. It is though a useful site which adds much to the knowledge of Ys!

Cheers
Jerry




JERRY BIRKBECK

Fair Comment Richard. As Jerry has stated, some times a duplicate article is appropriate.
This bulletin board is excellent for the wealth of technical information available as well as news.

For my part, and being very selfish I suppose, I find the Octagon Bulletin far superior to Safety Fast, I am unable to comment on the other offerings.

When we bought our Y in 1972, I was told in no uncertain terms by a MGCC official, "It's a saloon, we're not interested in them" so I didn't join and avoided them, joining the Octagon instead, taking part in many MGOCC events as well as finding the spares service invaluable. In recent times I have joined the MGCC as the Y type fraternity there is very strong and I enjoy being a part of it.

Again, being a very recent and naive Facebook user, I enjoy viewing other peoples experiences and contributing to, on both the MGCC Y register group as well as the MGOCC group.

I find the Octagon Bulletin a fine mixture of Technical, practical and social contributions, whereas although Jerry does a sterling job of squeezing in a few paragraphs of Y type news as well as the half yearly reports, the rest of the magazine holds very little interest for me.

The regular MGCC Y register newsletter from Peter V. Is very informative.

I am also a member of a couple of MGOC chapters where the predominance is more modern MG although we have a MGTF and a MG3 so they both fit in well with the majority, with Y being rather a curiosity.

Besides this bulletin board, there are quit a few others which contain much valuable information, freely available to all who need it.

So, in conclusion, no single club, organisation, publication or bulletin board can cater for the needs of all, but each has something to offer, it's just a matter of looking and finding which suits the individuals needs at any given time or any specific situation.
Thank goodness they are all there and long may they continue to support the fraternity in all its forms.

Regards
Dave
D P Jones

The point that it is not so easy to access previous posts is alleviated on the MGCC Y Reg website where we record all the questions and answers from our FB page and as they are nearly all answered by Neil, this also covers questions from the Octagon Bulletin. It is quite easy to research specific topics in “Technical Questions and Answers.”
Peter Vielvoye

Jerry / Dave,

Good fair points you raise. I agree that Facebook is best for photos, almost replacing the out and about pages that various club sites have had in the past, I think the likes of the International Y Type Register are unlikely to increase the size limit for photo's based on additional cost of hosting, plus my guess is how many photos would a site need of the same car, there could be a tendancy to post every time I took a car out, sometimes there is element of less is more, however being enthusiasts it's fair to say most never tire of seeing the cars is my own view.
I agree with your view Jerry that the Octagon facebook page is probably the better as it contains more users, therefore more different posts and mixed blend, it is also easier to post than by comparison to the MGCC Y Register Facebook page that either does not allow for posts or if guest user get's the post on the right side under posts which do not display on iPad O/S therefore you do not see post unless it's on traditional desktop/laptop O/S.

Regards

Richard
R E Knight

This thread was discussed between 19/08/2018 and 21/08/2018

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