Someone been playing again?

[mightymouse_69]

The only advantage I have found in the past day or 2 is that normally when I have been at work all day, I have a mountain of threads to read to catch up with the forums. Now hardly anyone is posting so it takes no time at all to read through the outstanding posts.

 

Haha, how considerate of Admin!

 

Who is admin anyway? Is there a big boss person here? Maybe we could PM this mystical person a link to this thread... see what they have to say?

[crem]

Who is admin anyway? Is there a big boss person here? Maybe we could PM this mystical person a link to this thread... see what they have to say?

 

I think BankFodder is the big cheese.

[mightymouse_69]

Thanks crem!

[wheelergeezer]

So. Admin. I have now flagged this thread to be looked at BECAUSE you need to respond in some way at least.

 

What is the chances of the whole thread disapperaing by tomorrow? If it does, so do I!

[HSBCrusher]

 

What is the chances of the whole thread disapperaing by tomorrow?

 

none whatsoever.

 

it was important to update the software, and there has been issues with the server, so causing the offline time.

there have been quite a few issues, and I have encountered a few of them myself.

 

I will pass this lot on upstairs.. pleas be patient, webby is working on it (webby is a top bloke by the way, so be assured everyone is doing the best they can)

[callumsgran]

[Feebee_71]

Well done speedfreek! I had no idea about how to stop it being in a narrow box down the middle of my screen. Fixed now, but still think the changes are cr%p.

 

Have tried using the bit on the right to make it go away but made no difference.

 

Any other suggestions on other ways to get rid of that box on the right and improve the layout of the page?

 

Feebee_71

[wheelergeezer]

none whatsoever.

 

it was important to update the software, and there has been issues with the server, so causing the offline time.

there have been quite a few issues, and I have encountered a few of them myself.

 

I will pass this lot on upstairs.. pleas be patient, webby is working on it (webby is a top bloke by the way, so be assured everyone is doing the best they can)

 

Thank you for responding.

 

I am sorry, but there was no need to update the software as far as I am concerned. I run two forums myself and have been using the same, unchanged software for 4 years. Won't be making any changes to layout or software either.

 

The people who contribute here in the main don't want to come here tomorrow and see yet another colour scheme, or that motoring has been moved to a sub-category of cheese & biscuit issues etc.

 

The drop in the number of posts this week I suggest is directly linked to the faffing about over the new brilliantly bad layouts and down time. I only come here to help and if that means an extra battle each day to figure out what boy wonder has deceded in a nightmare, then it is not for me anymore.

 

With the greatest of respect, please fix it and leave it the hell alone.

Edited September 3, 2010 by wheelergeezer

[citizenB]

I had this until I noticed on the right of the thread near the top there's a box Consumer Forums Menu

 

if you use them it goes away

 

I found it as I assumed it was something to do with advertising (I use the zoom page in opera a lot) which usually causes this. Seams a bit pointless unless I can edit the links in there for fast switching. Can I? Who knows and more importantly who cares?

 

Well done speedfreek! I had no idea about how to stop it being in a narrow box down the middle of my screen. Fixed now, but still think the changes are cr%p.

 

 

Yes, thank you speedfreek:first:

[BankFodder]

Yes, there has been a lot of upheaval - for us as well as you.

 

There has been downtime which has been much longer than it should have been and at times of the day which are generally peak hours for visitors. The timing has been out of our hands and the fact that the software upgrade and the server upgrade took much longer than expected was also out of our hands.

 

I don't foresee that we are planning anything else which will need down-time. All the major work has been done.

 

However there is more to do.

 

The site has become very large. Too large and new users have found it very difficult to find their way around. There is too much scrolling needed and it is difficult for people to get an overview of the range of topics we cover.

 

All the old Caggers - which means you lot, are used to the structure. You know where to go and if you need something you don't waste time. You straight to the correct place.

 

However, I would venture to say that maybe some of you found it rather bewildering when you first came to the site and it may have taken you some time to understand the layout. Think back for a moment and try to remember if that was true.

And you people are probably comfortable with the technology. AND two or three years ago we were very much smaller and more navigable than we are now.

You people have grown with us and you probably haven't noticed the growth and the changes.

 

However we have lots of people who come here for the first time who have great difficulty finding their way. We get a lot of messages simply asking for directions to get around the forum. There must be many more people who don't ask. They just go through the pain - or else they go away.

There are a very large number of people who are not computer savvy. Maybe they are old or disabled or they just don't visit forums - and certainly not forums which are as big and as complicated as the CAG.

 

So that is what this is all about.

 

There is more restructuring to be done so the changes are not over yet but they won't be as traumatic.

 

All of the forums will be collapsed so that the entire site will be visible in 2 or 3 page-fulls. Don't forget that there are still a huge number of people who are using very poor resolution screens.

 

I use a high res 1920x1200 screen. Scrolling through the entire forum still takes a lot of time. Imagine that you are using a 1024x768 - or even 800x600! - and lots of people are. Imagine the difficulty trying to get the hang of the forum. It is a nightmare. And the kind of people who have this kind of outdated equipment are exactly the people who may have difficulty understanding the technology anyway.

 

Anyway, the forums will be collapsed to allow an easier overview. the forums will be colour-coded and the sidebar menu on the right will be present in all forums to allow people to jump around and to remain aware of the existence of the rest of the site.

 

Soon, I hope that the sidebar menu will remain "tethered" to the side of the screen so that it will not travel out of sight when scrolling. The arrows tab will be there to expand or collapse the menu so you can put it out of sight if when you want.

Eventually the sidebar will change the menu list to match the forum that it appears in and also I hope that the sidebar will have be colour-coded which will change to match the forum that it is asscociated with at any particular time.

 

I'm sorry that the changes are upsetting the Old Lags but I suppose that is to be expected. I'm just the same. I get used to a way of doing things and change upsets me. However I expect that you will get used to it. I always do, eventually. But please understand why this is being done and for who it is being done.

 

If in a few weeks, once you have adapted to the change, you still think that it was a wrong move, then clearly we have an issue to discuss.

 

I would welcome constructive suggestions but please do understand that the objective is to grow the site and to make it accessible for the lowest and slowest of the community.

The rest of you will have to look to yourselves, a bit, I'm afraid.

 

At least do you like the new icons?

[maroondevo52]

Good stuff, and so say's 'the big cheese'

[callumsgran]

Since you're asking for constructive criticism, can i just say i really dislike that your adverts for your booklets at the top of the page comes so far down my screen that i have to scroll down just to see what i have been looking for!

Do we really have to have them on the top as well as at the sides?

Given a choice i would prefer that they were just down the sides

[BankFodder]

Since you're asking for constructive criticism, can i just say i really dislike that your adverts for your booklets at the top of the page comes so far down my screen that i have to scroll down just to see what i have been looking for!

Do we really have to have them on the top as well as at the sides?

Given a choice i would prefer that they were just down the sides

 

Yes, I think that you are right. They have been there a long time too. Before our Google ads we had to push the books very hard because they made the difference between life and death for us.

 

We sold a fair few over the years and they are extremely useful for people but I think that what we will do is put them in the notification area at the top and make them disappear for people with, say, 100 posts or more.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try and make it happen in the next few days.

[honeybee13]

Just to add my own thoughts to what ppostggj said. Would it be an idea to ask the users of the site what they would prefer? If the site upsets so many current and possible caggers, then changing it is going to be counterproductive and could even kill off CAG completely in a worst case scenario.

 

My best, HB

[BankFodder]

Well firstly, we have found that it is impossible to please everyone. Whatever we do, we end up annoying someone or other. Only a very few seasoned Caggers tend to contribute to threads which as for suggestions about the site.

 

The people who are normally resistent to change are the people who have been here for some time. Of course, newcomers have no issue with change because they have not seen what it was like previously.

 

Potential Caggers don't get upset. Of the 60,000 and more unique registeed Caggers who visit us each month we only get a dozen or so complaints about changes to the forum.

Of the more than 600,000 unregistered unique visitors who visit us each month, we get no complaints about changes and maybe 50 or so complaints that they don't understand the site layout or messages asking for directions.

 

This makes us feel that we aren't doing too badly - but we are aware that the people who do have difficulty with the site tend to be the kind of people who I have identified in my post above.

 

We are expecting a large increase in the number of Caggers and also unregistered visitors in the next few months and so we are trying to make the site even more accessible in the way that I have described.

 

We won't please everyone but eventually the people who aren't pleased will probably get used to it. I expect that most people will be pleased or else won't be worried about it.

 

I expect that newcomers will find it easier to get round the site and will soon understand the site and its culture.

[BankFodder]

Yes, I think that you are right. They have been there a long time too. Before our Google ads we had to push the books very hard because they made the difference between life and death for us.

 

We sold a fair few over the years and they are extremely useful for people but I think that what we will do is put them in the notification area at the top and make them disappear for people with, say, 100 posts or more.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try and make it happen in the next few days.

 

In fact it was much easier than I thought and it is sorted now.

 

The site is not displaying entirely correctly for unregistered users - so I have made a mistake in my coding (it's not what I do!!). I have flagged it to the WebMaster who will soon get it right, I am sure.

[Conniff]

Nice to see your contribution BF. It is all coming together now and I can see the sense in the layout.

 

Your right about us 'silly old sods' and if this was how it was first made live and the upgrade was to what we had before, we would probably

be moaning about that in the same way.

 

It will, no doubt, all come right in the end and in a few months time we will all have to think of something else to drip about.

[BankFodder]

In fact it was much easier than I thought and it is sorted now.

 

The site is not displaying entirely correctly for unregistered users - so I have made a mistake in my coding (it's not what I do!!). I have flagged it to the WebMaster who will soon get it right, I am sure.

 

In fact I manage to find that error too - all on my own!!!

[Wilma Shoozfit]

Can I point out a couple of niggles?

 

"New posts" screen - On my screen (Fire Fox) I see lots of posts that have had replies but are showing no views - can't say I've noticed it anywhere else.

 

Also do you know that little arrowy bit that used to be at the side of the last posters name -and you clicked and it took you to that post? Well it's gone!

 

There may be a valid reason for these, if there is just ignore me - I'll go away. (smiley but embarrassed face) (I see these have dissappeared from quick reply as well)

 

 

 

Cheers Wils

[BankFodder]

Nice to see your contribution BF. It is all coming together now and I can see the sense in the layout.

 

Your right about us 'silly old sods' and if this was how it was first made live and the upgrade was to what we had before, we would probably

be moaning about that in the same way.

 

It will, no doubt, all come right in the end and in a few months time we will all have to think of something else to drip about.

 

Thanks for this encouragement. It is very much needed.

 

I must say that when I saw what the new forum software, my heart sank. I especially hated the colours - and still do - but we'll get round to fixing those too.

 

Of course, once we settle on a more interesting colour scheme, there will be another bout of complaints from another group of people who will threaten to leave us or to stop posting etc or will ask why they weren't consulted.

Of course if they are consulted, and their colour preferences are chosen then there will be yet another group who rise up in arms ....

 

Doesn't anybody get it?

[Michael Browne]

Couple of glitches:

 

New Posts;

The page count only shows 5 pages, whereas there are (the the moment) 40 pages in total. Also there is no Last Page button

 

 

Mark All Forums Read:

Doesn't work, returns following error message

 

[BankFodder]

Ta. Flagged to the webmaster

[BankFodder]

Can I point out a couple of niggles?

 

"New posts" screen - On my screen (Fire Fox) I see lots of posts that have had replies but are showing no views - can't say I've noticed it anywhere else.

 

Also do you know that little arrowy bit that used to be at the side of the last posters name -and you clicked and it took you to that post? Well it's gone!

 

There may be a valid reason for these, if there is just ignore me - I'll go away. (smiley but embarrassed face) (I see these have dissappeared from quick reply as well)

 

 

 

Cheers Wils

Yes, I thought that the views weren't incrementing properly either.

It's on the to-do list now. And the little symbol

 

Ta

[letsdothis]

Yes, I thought that the views weren't incrementing properly either.

It's on the to-do list now. And the little symbol

 

Ta

You may have views to be updated once per hour BF - Saves server load. It's in the control panel of vBulletin, to have them update instantly is a huge server resource.

[crem]

I expect that newcomers will find it easier to get round the site and will soon understand the site and its culture.

 

Far from finding it easier to get around the site, I am finding it nigh on impossible to find some of the subjects I usually take an interest in and post in. I have had to resort to clicking on my own profile and selecting "find all posts by crem" to select forums from within there! This is a rediculous way to have to navigate a site.

 

For instance, I am finding it impossible to locate "Vehicle-retailers-and-manufacturers" using the menu structure. Where the hell is it? If I can't even find a subject I am interested in when I know it exists, what chance have newbies got of browsing through topics and finding something that they may be able to offer some valuable help in?

Edited September 4, 2010 by crem