Forum Program Options

[evan938]

ok. i know im somewhat new here, so im sure most will just disregard this. does this forum layout get on anyone elses nerves? im on about 5 other forums, and all of them are using VBB, and it is so much easier to navigate. i come here and i have to go through like 5 different pages to get to an actual forum section. ive talked to a few other people about it and they all seem to think the same thing

any talks of moving to VBB or any other forum thats a bit easier to navigate?

[Cobra]

I just hit veiw new posts myself.

[CyberGecco]

Same here, I basically camp on the 'veiw new posts' page..

[roydjt]

I think that this is mroe an issue of being used to one forum software and unaccustomed to another. Personally, I never had a hard time navigating the forums, fron day one. In fact, I like the sub-forum setup better, I think it allows for better organization of forums with similar basic themes.

I've heard this complaint on other forums before, and I just don't understand it. This is the first time this concern has been aired here, and I doubt there is much chance of change. If you have any ideas for how things might be better arranged here, suggestions are always welcome.

-Roy

[Devin]

I think you'll find that pretty much everyone just hits the "View New Posts" button unless they're looking for something specific. I know I do - and in fact I wish I could have a direct bookmark to the View New Posts button but it doesn't seem to like that...

[evan938]

i dont think its that im 'unaccustomed' to this type of forum. rdtiburon.com switched over to this and i have disliked it since. i agree that it is very 'organized', but maybe to the point where its too organized.

just thought id throw it out there since it is a comments/suggestions section

[roydjt]

No problem at all. Comments and suggestions are great, and no place is perfect. Like I said above, if you have any ideas to make our home better, just say it and if it's a good enough idea, it'll probably get done.

Forum software isn't cheap, and it's pretty tough to change over while keeping usernames, topics, extra features, etc. Mitch committed to this which is a HUGE improvement over the horrid ezboard software from the old forum (now the Archive). I doubt he'll go through the cost and effort of purchasing and installing a new forum software when this one works just fine.

Personally, I've hung around all kinds of forums all over the place. I find the features and setup of this software to be adequate and then some compared to most that I have used. No matter what, this setup works well enough that the past year has passed with very few issues and it works. That's a lot more than could have ever been said about ezboard.

-Roy

[elantragt]

Evan, I had the opportunity to choose between VBulletin and Invision (when we moved from EZBoard) and I like this better. I've added a ton of features as well, that, IMO, when you become familiar make it more thorough than VB. I have no plans of switching the software at all. Honestly, the only complaints we really hear about the site setup come from those who like VBulletin better. I think it's simply a matter of different strokes for different folks.

I personally like a sense of organization and detail, so this setup reflects me. Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea but if you compare this to EZBoard it's night and day. I still view the club forum by forum (never use view new posts) and have no problems navigating... of course I'm pretty familiar with the place. lol

Every forum/site has their own "flavor". Maybe we're butter pecan, EXD is chocolate and HP is plain vanilla.

[southpawboston]

i think mitch compared all the major forum board software platforms (including VBB)and chose IPB for its combination of features, ease of use, and security. i navigate forums based on IPB and VBB and i dn't really notice much of a difference in terms of ease of use. but this is the comments section, so your comments are of course valid and welcome; mitch is always open to feedback and suggestions for improvement.

[trololololo]

i just hit 'new posts' and everything i missed is right there..

and if i've viewed all that i just look at what everyone else is looking at but clicking 'members' at the bottom of the page.... lloll

i dont think i've searched a forum in like... 6 months.

[elantragt]

I've also spent a ton of time adding little features to make this place better. Some you'd hardly notice like when you get a PM it shows whether the sender is online. Or cool ones like being able to chose and click your favorite emoticons instead of the default ones or the fast edit feature.

And there was a time we had 10+ other forums/subforums. I rearranged things and eliminated some bloat. Sure, I could consolidate further... but... I'm very pleased with the setup and I honestly feel most members like the software.

[Doohickie]

Considering the number of people who use the View New Posts option, Mitch, would it be worth looking into again to see if there is a way to get a rollover preview on that page (like there is when going through the forums in their classifications)?