Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 13, 2025 ...

Member helpers?

October 18, 2012, 01:12:30 pm

Maybe this has been posted before or already exists and I can't find it.

How about a section on the forum that lists members and their contact info (phone) who will volunteer to help other members when they have a problem or need info.  Like the "Standby Sams" list.  Would need to be protected from spammers and be printable for use when out of internet contact.  Could be helpful when in a strange place to have instant contact with local help.  I will be a founding member for my area.


Keith

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Re: Member helpers?

Reply #1 – October 18, 2012, 10:04:41 pm

Keith, this feature is already more or less present. Click on MEMBER MAP above, then zoom in on SW Missouri. Hover your mouse over the pins until you find me. Click on my pin and you will get buttons to email or PM me. I haven't tried it, but I would think that one could print out the membership directory if one were so inclined. Another thing one could do would be to look ahead at the next travel segment and note members along the way. I plan to do that when we're on the road. As soon as we know what direction we'll be heading next and about when we will be traveling, I'll check the member's map to see if any members are along the way. If so, I'll warn them that we're going to be passing through their area.

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Re: Member helpers?

Reply #2 – October 18, 2012, 10:36:45 pm

Keith, I started a thread on this about a year ago I guess after I had an experience with a member who had a heart attack in the town where we live.  THen we had a member sick here in the town, as the first traveling through here for motorhome service.

So I started a thread to see if there is/was a way to do what you suggested.  I came upon the Good Sams site as an option.  Many members discussed how or why this could not be easily done via the FT forum and other members thought that we could find a way.

I had thought, probably too elementary, that we could has a site on the Forum where people posted the need for help.  This would only relate to medical, person comfort, not emergency of course, and not technical motorcoach needs.  Some liked the idea, some thought that many times the person suffering would be the one technically capable of posting and thus could not get a message or post out.  We explored FMCA too.

As the universe of Forum members is so large, as are the number of people and areas of the country covered, as well as the very many RV parks, maybe I was thinking too small to limit it to the ForeForum and that the Good Sams organization is best.  I wish I knew how to recover that discussion for you to read and perhaps it would help you think about this.  I am still interested but I came to think by concern and desire to assist had not found a good mechanism via the Forum. 

I have tried to let folks know though that if we are here at home in Nac., and you have a problem, call upon us if you are in distress.  As for being in an RV park, I see people helping each other time and time again just by hearing that a fellow camper has a health issue.  Bless you for thinking on this topic, Mike

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Re: Member helpers?

Reply #3 – October 18, 2012, 10:45:12 pm

On a trip where we had some problems, soon after I posted messages on this forum I received some offers, suggestions, and contact information for help. Some messages were on the forum and some were private messages.

I have made private contacts with some forum participants offering assistance after a public plea for help was posted. Others have done the same for me.

I expect anything more formal might be beyond the scope of this forum.

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Re: Member helpers?

Reply #4 – October 19, 2012, 12:29:55 am

Yes J.D., that is what I recall, just not a formal way on the Forum so I went with Good Sam.  Still, on the Forum, if I teach Jackie how to enter a post on the Forum, I would get help.  Just need to get her online.

But let me say that in an RV park this past summer, four people from our small park ended up with hospital stays of one to three days and another person with an illness of unknown cause went to doctor.  Medical was about 40 miles away.  In all cases there were more people wanting to help than they could use!  We all more or less know each other, but one RV where the owners were not regulars had problems and folks pitched in with food, etc. for them too.  I think RVers are just simply kind people, will help if they just know you are hurting.  Mike

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