The yarns in the Red Flag thread got me wondering why clubs/MNZ use what I see as an obsolete method of signing up to events, Billy pointed out that MNZ is working on a new website, here's what I would like to see:
The technological advancements we've seen in our sport over the last 100 years have been huge, but why are we still sending a letter to attend an event? it takes like 3 days for it to get there! and I don't have a cheque book, so if NZ Post steal my letter then I'm out of cash, the online banking process is a sticky plaster, it's rigid and requires too much data entry/human error.
I was invloved with Motosoc (Canterbury University Motorsport Society), I built a website that allows members and non-members to sign up for events, then they stopped running motorcycle events so I left (it's a bit more complex than that, but here is not the place). Anyway you can check the website out at www.motosoc.co.nz it's a bit slow cause the ownership of the website is locked up in red tape so I couldn't convert to a faster host but I'm here to sumarise the features and discuss how I feel it could help MNZ/clubs.
Every single club would be given a page they could customise and run as their own page (this would provide support to smaller clubs), or link to from their exisiting page, every current MNZ license holder would have their existing log in from the MNZ page moved over, the website would allow them to select race numbers, would track their club and MNZ membership, they could renew and upgrade their license and club membership using a debit card/credit card (none of this internet banking bollocks) the process would be automated and would be more or less instant, perhaps a temporary license could be printed out until the hard copy arived in the mail, temporary lincenses could be used for 1 event say.
The website would also hold a digital copy of the license holders log book, the log book would be ammended at each meeting when the organisers scanned the QR code on the license with an android or iphone app.
Clubs and MNZ could post up meetings which could be joined by license holders, day licenses could be generated also.
The meeting could show information, and even deal with indemnity, license holders would not be able to proceed with payment until they had checked a box and scrolled to the bottom of the indenity information.
License holders could stack up events, allowing them to pay for a whole series in 1 go, refunds for not attending could be handled very easily.
License holders could insert all their next of kin, health and safety info, helmet info and their machine information into the website, for each event a QR code could be generated which can be attached to the bike and/or rider that would be specific to the event, an iphone or android app can then scan the barcode and read about the bike and who the registered rider is, view their blood type, next of kin etc in case of the worst.
So you would have 1 QR code for your real license, 1 for a temporary license, which would be flagged as temporary and could only be used once (like a movie or concert ticket) and then you'd have a sticker relevant to the event, perhaps QR code holders could be made so that QR codes could be replaced in a sleeve or something, I dunno, discuss this. (rego/WOF holders?)
notes could be attached to the online profile, invisible to the public for scruitineering, crashes, trouble making etc
It would also tie in with kiwibiker, allowing a sub forum for the racer crowd where the changes in MNZ can be discussed in a proper manner following a stricter than ususal format for discussion, and this sub forum would stay on as a place to smack talk and spread rumors and troll suspension experts into flame wars.....
I'd like to see the club website service offered to clubs for free, providing they don't go too silly with spinning motorcycle gif images, lolcats and midi files playing metallica.
I'm half way through my Computer Engineering degree so know enough to know this is achieveable, but not enough to roll it out.
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