BMORC web site as PR point

Hi guys, I'm just writing some letters to council and thinking about whether to mention BMORC, and if so, how. Also, having just read that we now have some stickers, I'm wondering what it is that people will do when they get that sticker.
What they're gonna do (I hope), is visit the BMORC web site. And this is also what I'd like my councillor to do when I send him/her a letter.

I think one of the best ways to win support from non-riders is through good PR, and the web site could be the ideal place for this. If we raise a fuss, we could get councillers, NPWS staff, general residents, bushwalkers, etc, looking at the site wondering what the fuss is about.

So, what are the interested parties going to see when they visit the web site? Well they'll certainly see some activity, and the About page is good, but at the moment the site is a little light on static content.

Some ideas that might help our image:

- Can we get some numbers up on the Register Support page? It would be good to show everyone just how many people are interested in this. Maybe even some demographics (e.g. break-down by post code).

- I think we need to provide a little more information about what we mean by "Environmentally Sustainable Recreational Cycling". Let's get something concrete up there, really visible, that explains exactly what that is.

- Have somewhere that lists the issues around off-road riding in the BM (e.g. erosion, habitat disruption, sensitive bushland, increased traffic, rubbish, water catchment, etc). We could go even further here, and even LIST the sensitive environments - maybe even enlist some support from local bushcare groups. This has three benefits:
1. I shows that we've done our research and know what we're talking about
2. It informs local and visiting riders about the specific issues and sensitivities of these areas
3. It shows that we want to educate riders on these issues. That is, we're not just lobbying support to get a trail built, but we CARE about this amazing area we live in.

- Have some information / links that describe the different types of trails, what is a sustainable trail, what are the management issues, etc. We don't have to write all of this, We could start by whacking up a whole bunch of links to IMBA (e.g. http://www.imba.com/resources/bike_management/in...). The important thing is to have something up there - we're handing out BMORC stickers, remember, not IMBA.

- I was trying to promote the Oaks as an example of a success story, and perhaps indicate how popular it is, but couldn't find any numbers. Anyone got any? Maybe we could try to collect some numbers on how popular the local trails are for LOCALS, by having a Ride Log. Basically start with a cut-down trails database (could just be the ride name/code name if we want). Then every time you ride the trail, you click "Log Ride", select your trail, and add any comments if you want. This would capture: who, what and when. Perhaps we could then list the trails by popularity, indicating how many rides between a date range.

Anyway, been thinking about this for a little while and wonder what everyone else thinks: is the web-site-as-PR-point a good idea, or am I a nutter and we should leave it as a forum and support-registration collection-point?

BTW, I'm happy to contribute to any content that goes up, but I'm not an expert on these issues.