Okay ignoring all the new design changes and no last buttons and big pictures etc (which we can get used to and can be tweaked over time) I believe the new subtopics have to go.
1. We Anandtecher's come here because it is different. The look is professional. There aren't (well used to be) a billion subtopics covering everything related to tech or not. It is the same reason why people like the limited number of avatars and not being able to post pictures or have excessively long signatures. Now Anandtech looks a lot like the other forums, and for me there is no reason why it needed to change for the following reasons.
2. Don't fix what is not broken. Yes we've all heard it, and while sometimes it is not true, in this case it applies. Yes the software needs to be upgraded, we can understand the new changes every few years. But, all that really needed to be done was a search revamp and a software forum.
3. There really are just too many sub-topics. Seriously...forum issues gets little traffic as it is (not to mention it "Isn't actively monitored.") Why do we need a separate Suggestion Box and Forum Issues form? And since when has technical support had to do with technical support of the forums? No offense but if Derek Wilson was responsible for the new categories, well it seems as if he is not all that active here (so how would he know exactly what we need). It seems as if whoever made the change got a little too enthusiastic. Especially now when forum feed-back is the most important, and now it is divided and makes things harder for the admins to know what needs to be changed.
4. Automotive: Seriously folks, everyone knows I am a gearhead (just look at my name) but even I do not like the automotive section. For one this is a computer site, not an automotive one, and Off Topic was just fine for non technical car discussions (technical ones are usually brought to a manufacturer specific forum anyway). Not to mention it has its own sub forums. How much traffic (even with 200k + members) do you thing the wiring section is going to get. If it really needs to be subdivided just have one general automotive section under the "Social" section.
5. Now there is a need to visit about 5 forums to read and participate in threads one wants to, when it used to be covered in one section. All that really needed before was a quick forum summary change (like operating systems still saying Windows ME, and P&N needs to have religion added).
6. ***No offense to the Moderators at all, but us regulars know how many moderators there are, and they have a hard time as it is to keep all the forums regulatory and under control. Unless you are planning to add about 30 more moderators (if you are sign me up
) the quality of the forums is going to seriously deteriorate. Video is hard to police as it is, now the Mods have to police about 20 more forums and that just adds time. And, it is a catch 22. If you add more mods, then it decreases the quality of the Moderating team and once again the quality of the forums is going to deteriorate. Anyone who has been on a large subtopic forum knows what happens.***
7. While I kind of like the Relationship forum (and the babe thread), many out there like to read the occasional YAGT but otherwise are never going to visit the forum. It also is going to be a hotbed for shenanigans. Just visit other relationship forums.
8. The subforums separate the community even more. There is already a huge divide between the types of posters in GH, OT, and P&N, do we really need more.
9. I am not saying all things needs to go, the topic categories are fine for software and Hardware, but some need to be combined. The sound forum and camera one is great. While I am in the minority I like having the separate free stuff forum.
10. Wrong forum posts. There are already enough problems with this as it was. Now that problem is multiplied. It means more work for the mods, more newbie whining posts in forums issues, and also will frustrate members who disagree with where their thread should go. For example, I got in an automotive accident this weekend and I have pics I want to post and discuss, but while it should now be posted in automotive, I would rather post it in off topic where it will reach a larger more general audience.
I understand this is a private forum and I can like it or leave, but we are the members that click the ads and bring traffic to the site. I just hope that somehow this can be resolved. Also there needs to be an official "Things you would like to be changed in the new design" thread so the admins can sort through it without going through the crap.
Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate all the hard work that went into this upgrade Derek and Jason and I love that once indexed the search will work well again and the new look will eventually become familiar. I just hope you continue to work with the members to make this a better place. It's already at the top of tech forums, but the improvement level is the sky. I hope I have helped voice what it seems many forum members are thinking, and if anyone wants to add anything please do in a constructive manner. I just want change to happen before we get stuck in a rut again.
Thanks for reading,
Scott
1. We Anandtecher's come here because it is different. The look is professional. There aren't (well used to be) a billion subtopics covering everything related to tech or not. It is the same reason why people like the limited number of avatars and not being able to post pictures or have excessively long signatures. Now Anandtech looks a lot like the other forums, and for me there is no reason why it needed to change for the following reasons.
2. Don't fix what is not broken. Yes we've all heard it, and while sometimes it is not true, in this case it applies. Yes the software needs to be upgraded, we can understand the new changes every few years. But, all that really needed to be done was a search revamp and a software forum.
3. There really are just too many sub-topics. Seriously...forum issues gets little traffic as it is (not to mention it "Isn't actively monitored.") Why do we need a separate Suggestion Box and Forum Issues form? And since when has technical support had to do with technical support of the forums? No offense but if Derek Wilson was responsible for the new categories, well it seems as if he is not all that active here (so how would he know exactly what we need). It seems as if whoever made the change got a little too enthusiastic. Especially now when forum feed-back is the most important, and now it is divided and makes things harder for the admins to know what needs to be changed.
4. Automotive: Seriously folks, everyone knows I am a gearhead (just look at my name) but even I do not like the automotive section. For one this is a computer site, not an automotive one, and Off Topic was just fine for non technical car discussions (technical ones are usually brought to a manufacturer specific forum anyway). Not to mention it has its own sub forums. How much traffic (even with 200k + members) do you thing the wiring section is going to get. If it really needs to be subdivided just have one general automotive section under the "Social" section.
5. Now there is a need to visit about 5 forums to read and participate in threads one wants to, when it used to be covered in one section. All that really needed before was a quick forum summary change (like operating systems still saying Windows ME, and P&N needs to have religion added).
6. ***No offense to the Moderators at all, but us regulars know how many moderators there are, and they have a hard time as it is to keep all the forums regulatory and under control. Unless you are planning to add about 30 more moderators (if you are sign me up
) the quality of the forums is going to seriously deteriorate. Video is hard to police as it is, now the Mods have to police about 20 more forums and that just adds time. And, it is a catch 22. If you add more mods, then it decreases the quality of the Moderating team and once again the quality of the forums is going to deteriorate. Anyone who has been on a large subtopic forum knows what happens.***7. While I kind of like the Relationship forum (and the babe thread
), many out there like to read the occasional YAGT but otherwise are never going to visit the forum. It also is going to be a hotbed for shenanigans. Just visit other relationship forums.8. The subforums separate the community even more. There is already a huge divide between the types of posters in GH, OT, and P&N, do we really need more.
9. I am not saying all things needs to go, the topic categories are fine for software and Hardware, but some need to be combined. The sound forum and camera one is great. While I am in the minority I like having the separate free stuff forum.
10. Wrong forum posts. There are already enough problems with this as it was. Now that problem is multiplied. It means more work for the mods, more newbie whining posts in forums issues, and also will frustrate members who disagree with where their thread should go. For example, I got in an automotive accident this weekend and I have pics I want to post and discuss, but while it should now be posted in automotive, I would rather post it in off topic where it will reach a larger more general audience.
I understand this is a private forum and I can like it or leave, but we are the members that click the ads and bring traffic to the site. I just hope that somehow this can be resolved. Also there needs to be an official "Things you would like to be changed in the new design" thread so the admins can sort through it without going through the crap.
Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate all the hard work that went into this upgrade Derek and Jason and I love that once indexed the search will work well again and the new look will eventually become familiar. I just hope you continue to work with the members to make this a better place. It's already at the top of tech forums, but the improvement level is the sky. I hope I have helped voice what it seems many forum members are thinking, and if anyone wants to add anything please do in a constructive manner. I just want change to happen before we get stuck in a rut again.
Thanks for reading,
Scott
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