Home   |   Forum   |   FAQ   |   Search   |   GRR   |   Profiles   |   Admin  

Ninja 250 Riders club interactive Map: Help


Table of Contents

 1.0 Introduction
2.0 The Basics (Tools)
2.1 Quick Views
2.2 Navigation Tools
2.3 The Map
3.0 How do I get on the map
4.0 The map doesn't work for me!
5.0 Just show me the map!

Introduction

A while ago, probably sometime in 2002, we (at the time Wes, MIK, Jeb and I (woot)) noticed how many profiled riders we had. Some were in Canada, some in the UK, and the majority of profiled riders were in the USA. But no one knew where anyone else lived. After about 10 separate polling threads that were - "Hi - I live in X - Where do you live?" we decided to do something about it. In fact several things came out of it. First, profiles had location added to it, polls were created, and more recently a map. Not just any map, but a dynamic map that would show where our current profiled members lived.

The idea being that if you knew where people were you would be better able to advertise group rides, meet new friends, ask for help, etc. If you are interested in meeting members of the board, consider getting involved in the 'Golden Rule Rally'. This all goes to building the online community outside of the ether, and into real life. We're all real people; we just sometimes forget that on the Internet. This puts a place and a face to that cryptic username you see everyday.

If you have a profile then you can (if you want) show up on the map. All you have to do is supply some information about where you live. We'll get to that in a minute.

Please keep in mind that while it is nice to setup a group ride, not everyone rides the same way and you should remember that before you set out to blast down some twisties together. There are some general rules for group rides that have been (and will be again) discussed in the forum. If you've never been in a group ride before, or find that no one wants to ride with you again, it is time to read the 'Rules'

<-- Back to table of contents

The Basics (Tools)

Quick Views

The map has a few easy to use tools. On the left there are a series of 'quick views'. If you want to quickly jump to a spot in the world, click the corresponding link. Our visitors from the UK would click 'Western Europe'. Our visitors from Australia and New Zealand would click 'Oceania'. Anyone wanting to get a quick over view of the whole world would click 'World'.

<-- Back to table of contents

Navigation Tools

On the right are the map navigation tools. They are:

Each option changes the behavior of the mouse when you click on the map.
If you choose 'Zoom In' clicking on the map will zoom into the place that was clicked. If you were to click on Florida with zoom in, the map would zoom into Florida so you could better see who lived there.
If you choose 'Zoom Out' clicking on the map will zoom out of the place you clicked. If you were to click on New York, you would be able to see most of New England and the Great Lakes.
If you choose 'Pan' clicking on the map will center on the mouse click. For instance, if you can see a rider's point near the top left corner of the map and click near the rider, you will center the map near the rider's home. This might help you find other members that might be interested in joining you on a group ride.
If you choose 'Select' clicking on the map will find all profiled riders near where you clicked. The closer you zoom, the smaller the area it looks in. If you zoom out to look at the whole world and click northeast USA you'll find a large group of people. If you zoom into Northern California and click on a single point you'll probably only find a handful of people. Move around until you've found a dot near where you, and select them. You'll find (hopefully) a group of people near you with the same motorcycle as you that likely would be interested in joining you for a group ride. If not for a ride, perhaps share a beverage and stories.
If you choose 'WhereIsThis' clicking on the map will popup a message telling you the latitude and longitude of the point you clicked. This tool is for the riders not in USA. You can use this to fill in the Lat/Long fields of your profile, since you don't have a ZIP code. If you have a ZIP code please please don't enter your latitude and longitude. (If we find you doing this we'll have to put a pancake on your head.)

<-- Back to table of contents

The Map

In the center is the actual map itself. Country borders are drawn in a thick brown line, State and Province boundaries are drawn in a thinner brown line. Major rivers are drawn as thick dark blue lines, and lakes are drawn in the same light blue the oceans are.

<-- Back to table of contents

How do I get on the map?

First thing's first. If you don't have a profile, create one at http://www.ninja250.org/profiles/createProfile.php. A profile is what you need to reserve your username. This means you can login and post your message, edit old messages (if you made a typo), see who's online, etc. That's the first stage. You can do all of that without having your profile approved. EXTRA features such as a profile viewable to the public, being able to store pictures of you and your bike, being eligible for the POTD (Picture of the day) and showing up on the map ALL require you to have your profile approved. The moderators approve profiles. This is a manual review process. We're looking for people who have been active for some time (ie you didn't just show up). This shows us that you're serious about becoming part of the community, and will likely stay around for a while. This is a free service and profiles take up space. Profiles and the use of this board is free (but you are more than welcome to donate to the costs of running this board). You don't often get something for nothing, and in this case you pay by being part of the community. We also look for people who have contributed. This means that you've posted quite a few posts that have been on topic and constructive. Not to hard eh?

Once you have a profile approved, go back to it and enter in your info. Stuff like a picture of you and your bike, your location (i.e. - New York City, NY). To be on the map you will need to provide your ZIP code. If you don't have a ZIP code, then you'll need to provide your latitude and longitude. You can get your latitude and longitude by using the 'WhereIsThis' tool. This is probably the easiest way to do it. Simply click the map where you live with the 'WhereIsThis'. Write the numbers down on a piece of paper - and remember that the sign of the number matters. Type the numbers into their corresponding fields in your profile. Hit 'Submit' and that's it, you're on the map. Go and have a look at the map http://www.ninja250.org/map and make sure that it's in the right spot by selecting yourself.

<-- Back to table of contents

The map doesn't work for me!

Web apps are tricky things. It's hard to know how each browser will behave, as each interprets the standards in a non-standard way. I've tested this map tool with:

If it doesn't work for you, please post a message in the 'Ninja250 RC Forums Feedback' forum at http://forums.ninja250.org. If you have a problem it is likely that someone else out there has the same problem and hasn't asked yet.

<-- Back to table of contents

Old Profiles   Deals Gap   New York   Talimena   Sikeston   Misc Rallies