Forum Format Proposal
Submitted: Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 08:04
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GoneTroppo Member (FNQ)
Like most people I have occasion to visit other forums at times.
EO is one of the best in terms of variety of opinions, volume of responses and the sheer detailed technical stuff (here endeth the ad :-))
One thing that bugs me though, is that because there is just one list or category or what ever you want to call it, post that don't get a reply that day, disappear into the back pages awfully quickly and therefore get missed.
Many times I've come across a post late in the piece where I think, gee I wish I'd seen that earlier.
On the other hand some forums have so many categories that are so specialised you have trouble deciding where to put your post.
I'd like to get you feed back, for and against, the suggestion that David & co look into dividing the
forum into say no more than half a dozen or so categories.
I'd suggest these
Vehicles
Camping
Towing
Trips and tracks
Other
Now I realise that there may be issues that I have not even thought of, hence I'm asking.
What does everyone think, is it worth looking into, or indeed has this come up before?
Reply By: Saharaman (aka Geepeem) - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 08:30
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 08:30
Hi Gonetroppo,
I think this has been discussed before.
The problem with categories is that some aspects under discusssion can cover more than one category eg tyres could relate to vehicles or towing or even the best type of tyres for a particular trip.
Heres how I deal with the
Forum.
Each day (24 hrs) there are approximately 1 page (or screen) of new posts - about 23 or so.
I log on at least once every 24 hrs and just scan the post headings on the first page. Seldom do I look at pages 2 or 3 as these would have already been scanned the previous days.
To fragment the posts into different categories would I believe make matters worse as you would then have to click onto different categories to enjoy you read the post headings in all categories every day. Now its simply one page of headings to scan every 24 hrs.
Just my view but I like it the way it is...
Cheers
GPM
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Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Sydney. - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 15:12
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 15:12
Gonetroppo,
I feel the same as GPM.
Cheers,
Willie.
FollowupID:
628812
Reply By: Maîneÿ . . . (WA) - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 08:46
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 08:46
yes,
I believe "ExplorOz" is all about 'travelling' & 'exploring' Aussie, both on and off-road, and passing on information to their 'members' and visitors alike in a
forum situation.
I think to put all this information into too many different "categories" would possibly cause information fragmentation, due to the different categories, as when the
forum is read now so many threads contain information on different subjects, not just the subject the thread instigator had hoped for.
I believe something like a dedicated FISHING or BOATING area would be good, but then I'm not sure it's possible to change the '
forum set-up' or appearance to include additional smaller 'forums' with-in the (terrific) original.
As some would say, 'if it ain't broke don't try an fix it' but then that gives rise to your question anyway, not trying to fix it but simply modify the original :-))
Mainey . . .
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Follow Up By: Member -Signman - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 12:22
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 12:22
Or-as one of ' ham-fisted' neighbours would say:
" If it ain't broke- then fix it till it is broke !!"
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Reply By: wild dog - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 09:07
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 09:07
Here's my 2 cents worth ( maybe only worth one cent).
The other
forum I visit mainly is Nitro Express .com , a shooting hunting, firearm site. If I am understanding Gone Troppo correctly I think thats what he is talking about.
It seems to work very
well and is easy to negotiate around, having said that I really like to click on the ExploreOz page every morning just to see all the different little subjects people come up with in their travels.
Certainly this appears to be one of the most active forums that I've visited and everybody seems to be very helpful. I like it the way it is but will still be just as keen if it's changed because of the type of people visiting the
forum.
Thanks to those making the
forum possible.
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Reply By: Brett H - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 14:29
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 14:29
I visit quite a few other forums and find the different categories a much easier way to find things if I want to read about a particular subject.
If I want to view them the way this
forum shows posts then I hit a button thats usually called "view new posts' and it will show all new and responded to posts from all categories in one list as it is here.
That gives the best of both worlds.
As for the search function here, surely a feature can be put in where you can enter a search word and you can choose for it to only searches in the thread title, not the entire post. Every other
forum has this search function.
Brett
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Mike DID - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 15:22
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 15:22
There is a third option - give everyone the choice of whether they want to see separate categories or not.
When a new thread is started it has to tagged as being for one or more categories - Cars, Accessories, Destinations.
To view messages, you then select which messages you want to see - e.g. All, Cars and Accessories etc AND you select how to see them -
e.g.
- All mixed together (what we have now)
- Cars and Accesories mixed - Destinations separate
- Cars - Accessories - Destinations separate
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Friday, Apr 24, 2009 at 01:14
Friday, Apr 24, 2009 at 01:14
Not a bad idea Mike.
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Reply By: jdwynn (Adelaide) - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 17:48
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 17:48
GT, I agree with you about threads disappearing too quick. You just can't get answers at times. Real problem.
Trouble is I agree with a lot others are saying too.
But, I CAN'T SEE THE PROBLEM IN RESOLVING THIS. We're in the computer age.
Seems to me that when creating a thread we could be requested to categorise it (same as when selling on ebay). Then we could nominate the 'view' we wish to see i.e. as per existing set up (say the 'classical' view), or in 'categories'. Where's the rocket science in that?
C'mon D&M, let's make the best 4wd / Oz website better!
Cheers
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Follow Up By: jdwynn (Adelaide) - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 17:53
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 17:53
I nominate Gone Troppo with the job of categorising the previous 68000 threads!! LOL
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Follow Up By: GoneTroppo Member (FNQ) - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 19:15
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 19:15
I don't recall volunteering!!!
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Reply By: Member - Steve O (NSW) - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 21:38
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 21:38
Here’s my two penneth (sorry cents, old habits die hard).
The real appeal of EO to me, and I am not a touchy touchy, feely feely guy, is that when each time I log on I feel that I am re-joining a community that I am part of.
This community, albeit a cyber-community, discusses a range of topics that relate to our common interest and we give and take out of it what we want.
Now, as with any community discussion, there are topics that interest you and some that don’t, but by listening to all matters you maintain a feel for what is going on yet still remain part of the community.
By this I mean, you see the subject title; you see who has posted it and you make a decision as to whether you open it. Irrespective of your decision you still remain part of the community.
However, if you categorise the
Forum you restrict the flow of general conversation and limit the flow of information thus creating a clinical operating environment with the result that the community will eventually die.
Also it should be remembered that, as a consequence of our generalised common interest, the EO community spirit does spill over into real life.
For example, I visited the
Sydney Camping Show today and bumped into Richard K” (EO Member with a sun visor sticker) who I met on the GRR last year. Whilst talking, he mentioned that he is doing a SA trip this year and is going to pop in and see Willem in
Peterborough thus turning a cyber friendship into a real one. This example as you know is not unique.
We are all part of the EO family so let’s not diminish our mutual gain (cyber or real) by diminishing, the benefit, that we all receive from the
Forum, if it was to be categorised.
My two cents – I got it right this time.
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