New Platform - What do you think?

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What do you think about the new platform?

  • It's ok

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I love it

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I don't like it at all

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I'm not sure yet.. I'll let you know later

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
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I voted I don't like it at all. Funny how, the "I love it" color bar is the only one that's colorized. All the rest are greyed out...Hmmm...
Well...............................

That's because the one with the majority of the votes gets the colored one
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I voted I don't like it at all. Funny how, the "I love it" color bar is the only one that's colorized. All the rest are greyed out...Hmmm...
When you say " I don't like it at all", can you expand on that statement. It's hard to know exactly what it is that you don't like. Maybe we could clarify some things that could make you feel more comfortable with the new platform.
 
 
I'm in the wait and see crowd.  Getting a handle on the new formats.  Like anything new, there is a learning curve. 

I would suggest that everyone go check their personal profile, both sections.  I found several discrepancies  such as birthday info was swapped, day changed to month and month changed to day, several other mandatory (asterick, red) items lacking data. 

I am sorry to see that some of our members seem to think that just because they can get this and many other sites for free, that the site can be run..... for free.  Not in this lifetime.  Oh, you can still view this site without being a premier member, but....you'll have to put up with the ads, that are actually very necessary to keep this site active on the internet.  Now, if you've got a better way of doing it, I'm sure Jeff would gladly entertain the suggestion.

Until then, bring on the Q.  I'm getting ready to hit the road with my smoker (on the back of my Travel Trailer) for the summer season and I need some great suggestions and the recipes of course.
 
I wish the folks who don't like the site would open new threads with what they don't like.  Maybe the mods can clarify like richoso1 said above and maybe we'll get some great features added or back.

The smileys are still here, I never got the points system fully and I certainly don't miss the custom signatures that expanded my browser window by thousands of pixels making the posts hard to read.

You know what though, if a majority of people wanted all that back and it was possible on this new format, I'd be open to it.

I hope that folks keep an open mind.

"Fanboy" signing off
 
NWDAVE, you've got the right attutude. Enjoy your travels my friend.
 
When I searched for a message board for SMOKING, I made my only criteria was that it be vBulletin.

I like their format and I have been very pleased with this site. I am not here daily, or even weekly for that matter, but ever since my first visit I have liked this place. Now tonight I decided to devote some time on here and I was shocked (disappointed) with the new format.

I guess that this does not mean I will not be back, it means that I am going to either have to adjust or vacate. Either way, one vote does not carry that much weight.

I have signed up for many different message boards in the past, and my personal favorite is (as stated before) vBuletin.

I will try to familiarize myself with this format tonight, and maybe another night or 2, but, right out of the gate - not happy......SORRY.
 
Something that is more annoying to me than it probably should be is the "all new posts" and "mark forums read".... I liked the way it was on the old site where if I mark all forums read then click all new posts... it said "there are no new posts"... whereas on the new platform it shows page after page of read posts.  Again, it's just something I'll most likely just have to get used to.
I find that annoying as well.  Whenever I log off, I click Mark Forums Read but when I log in the next time and click New Posts, it shows pages and pages of posts I've already seen.
 

Navigating from spot to spot seems slower.  I'm a member of a couple other smoking sites that use vBulletin as well as one extremely large IT support site that uses vBulletin and, I must say, I do like the vBulletin sites better.  I don't like the "in your face" "Hey glad to see ya.  Are your friends here?" Facebooky type stuff.   And twice now I've clicked on white space and my browser jumped to another site -- once it was online poker and the other time it was online solitaire.  And the emphasis REALLY seems to be on money.  Buy a premeir membership just to change a custom title??  ALL members used to be able to do that.

I know we are not switching back so I'll either have to get used to it or move on.  I'll give it some more time but I fear that in the future I'll be visiting less and less often.  Which is a bummer because I've learned a lot here and "met" a lot of great people.

Dave
 
I voted previously that I like the new format. That's still the case. As one member posted, (paraphrasing) it's the members that makes this site so great. Very true. I visit others, but always come back "home".
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Now, I know I'll take a hit or few, but will speak my mind here. Just remember, I'm really good at getting back up.
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On another forum (not smoking related) they have sections similar to here. One section is restricted to recipes. Only recipes. No discussion. If someone has questions, they would need to copy the recipe to the appropriate discussion area and ask questions there. We have a recipe only section, but it's got a lot of discussion and not so much recipes. I've violated the "recipe only" thing here since there is no "discussion area" for breads. I thought about General Discussion, but that seemed inappropriate. Also, we have discussion areas for lots of stuff, but no "recipe only" area for those things (beef, pork, etc.). Searching for a specific type of recipe is hit and miss at best. The Wiki area is a great, absolutely great, addition. It could almost be used for recipes like I am thinking. However, alphabetically listed is not necessarily the best option. Tags would be perfect, if people remember to use them.

For example, tomorrow I will be starting on my Mom's recipes with the ham hock and bean soup. This could easily fit into several categories....  Pork (ham hocks), Vegetables (beans that will be smoked along with the ham hocks) and Soups. As an after thought, if people wanted to create a series of recipes (My Mom's Depression Era Recipes), that could easily fit into the Wiki, but once in, you would need to search that article for what may or may not be in it. I would really like to put the recipe in a place reserved for recipes, but have a discussion about the recipe elsewhere. An after, after thought... Can a Wiki article be locked? Just curious.

All things said, this format is, in my opinion, vastly superior to what we had. I think what I am trying (successfully?) to get across could be done, perhaps with a better index for Wikis or an indexed Wiki article by itself.

And the last thing to hit me on...
icon_mrgreen.gif
On the previous format, some sigs were grotesquely out of line in size. I like the way it is now, although I have turned them off. It's so much easier to read when you don't have to scroll through dozens of pictures repeated dozens of times in a single thread.

Well, as in another forum I visit, my flame suit is on (appropriate for this site?), hit me if ya can.....
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Oh, and thanx Jeff, admins and mods and testers. Y'all did good!
 
This will definately take some getting use to.  Too bad there isn't any skins or themes.  A classic theme or skin would be kinda nice. lol
 
It's awful.... and it deserves far worse language than that to describe just how awful it is. Confusing layout, popups for videogames....  WTF is this crap?

Sorry but it SUCKS.
 
I suggested using the top of the page as a skin, with the wood look. What do you think?
 
Whenever I log off, I click Mark Forums Read but when I log in the next time and click New Posts, it shows pages and pages of posts I've already seen.
 
I've noticed that when I click Mark Forums Read, although it lights up and the pointer turns into the hand signifying a hyperlink, when I click, it doesn't actually do anything.  When I click on New Posts, I see activity on the Web browser status bar but when I click on Mark Forums Read, it does nothing.

Dave
 
 
I'm kinda confused... Easy to do to me...
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The layout seems pretty straightforward to me. At the top, links to all the main areas, although I will give ya that "Forum" should be "Forums" and Help or Support should be on that bar, as well. I'd be willing to give ya, too, the popup ad thing. I have ads turned off, so I don't have that problem. Getting around is easy enough. One of the first things I found was all the great Wikis on how to do things, such as navigate the new site.

I hope that people will give this more time. It's new, we're new to it. Take some time and just browse around. It will get easier with time and as it appears, changes are being made when problems come up and those problems are specifically stated.
 
I'm gonna have to say that its not all bad. There is a couple things I have seen, same as others.

1 The background color.

         I know the color thing has been pointed out and I am not trying to run it in the ground, just putting my 2 cents out there.

2  Twice now I have clicked my link to open the home page and wa-laa I was redirected after seeing the home page for about 2 or 3 seconds.

         I will screen shot it next time it happens and pass it along.

3  I have to agree with the others about the New Post or All Post issue.

         It is not that big of deal and there is an icon that shows new or not.

         Also after I am here a while the post will show a blueish color if there is a new post after I read it. (I don't use the mark read button) and the color still changes after a new post shows up.
 
Tom the blue background means its a thread you have posted in kind of a neat way to remind ya
 
I love this flow of feedback and ideas..  especially the constructive stuff
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Who cares about skins and themes? It's all about the content and being able to read it.

All of this new fangeled look pretty crap is like Reality TV, not worth watching and the only good thing about it is only for the producer and that is, it's cheap.
 
Well my thought was that it would give an option to change the forum to look like it did before in a classic view, to make it easier to read for those use to the old forum, and/or not aas comfortable with the change.

 
Who cares about skins and themes? It's all about the content and being able to read it.

All of this new fangeled look pretty crap is like Reality TV, not worth watching and the only good thing about it is only for the producer and that is, it's cheap.
 
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