CVR4 Make over

[Ryan]

I've been a member of this forum for the past 2, nearly 3 years. Over that period of time the basic structure of the website has not changed at all.

I am posting this because I think that based on some recent events and the influx of new members that we have, that some aspects of the site could perhaps do with a change.

The layout of the forum is in a red, white and blue format which is fine but I think that important areas as the SEARCH field are not displayed prominently enough and as such does not effectively draw people towards using it.

I would also suggest creating an equally visible area for Newbies that contains a list of common questions / answers. I'm fairly certain that such a thing does exist but it's difficult to find in amongst the standard red, white and blue colour scheme.

The features such as the video repository have never quite worked properly. There are a ton of broken links... perhaps if this isn't ever going to work that maybe we could create a CVR4 channel on YouTube and have links to those videos that members have uploaded?

Now I'm not suggesting this to "rock the boat" - I'm merely suggesting ways that could perhaps improve the overall "look and feel" of the site and improve it's functionality for the members.

Obviously major changes to the site are not easy and I understand that the changes are complex and would require a lot of time from someone who is able to make these changes but ... well.. I'm just putting it out there

Thoughts?

[White Lightning]

We will be upgrading to the latest version of the forum software in the near future. We may well be forced to change the look and feel at that point anyway.

[John TheAntique]

It seems a strange time to take a poll of this nature as there have been several references to upgrades andf subsequent changes over the last six months, why not wait until suggestions are called for as I'm sure they will. The question is of the " have you stopped beating your wife" type, not very constructive in my view.
As a relative newbie myself and a general computer incompetent I can't say I found any promlems with the search feature when I joined.

[ANTHONY]

yep i agree i think it needs an up date in certain parts....................search could be renamed DEAR JOHN............

[Ryan]

It seems a strange time to take a poll of this nature as there have been several references to upgrades andf subsequent changes over the last six months, why not wait until suggestions are called for as I'm sure they will.

John, this is an open forum and as such members are entitled to voice their opinions, just as you've done.

The question is of the " have you stopped beating your wife" type, not very constructive in my view.

I really have no idea what that's supposed to be mean...

As a relative newbie myself and a general computer incompetent I can't say I found any promlems with the search feature when I joined.

That's great but it's not the functionality that I was discussing. If you read my thread properly you'll see that I have suggested making it easier to find.

[The Vee]

As Wayne says, there will inevitably be some changes with upgrades etc. But one of the things I've always liked about this site is the custom look over a lot of others, and to a complete computer thickie like myself I find navigation pretty easy.

[Nutter_John]

yep i agree i think it needs an up date in certain parts....................search could be renamed DEAR JOHN............

he he nice one Tony

[OnBoost!]

I personally like the site,and to me it looks a lot better than some others out there....

[sanct]

We will be upgrading to the latest version of the forum software in the near future. We may well be forced to change the look and feel at that point anyway.

The site looks good imo
If you do decide to rework anything regarding graphics/buttons/imgs give me a shout it's what I do and would be more than happy to help.

Having said that keep up the good work.

[miller]

The question is of the " have you stopped beating your wife" type, not very constructive in my view.

I think i know what John means. (i think insert the word 'thread' after 'type)

and i agree with this as im certain a few of you know already.



Mike

[Turbo_Steve]

If I am brutally honest, I think things have been justifiably a bit static of late, but this is for some important reasons: we've had provider problems. We've had changes of both technical and management staff. We're small, which makes us agile, but very risk suceptible.

As such I think a period of stability was a good thing. And now it's time things started to move along again gradually, and I KNOW that the comittee agree with this as they're already doing work on things.

I like Ryans suggestions (emphasising the search function a little more, and for gods sake replacing it with one that works a little better! Technology has moved on several generations!) and whilst there are some privacy issues around a youtube channel, I agree that both the video and photo hosting is difficult to navigate: I simply don't bother.

Why not move Ryans suggestions to a "suggestions box" thread, and delete the rest of this one, as it somehow seems to have become a contentious subject, which is ridiculous.

I don't see any point in changing the "design ethos" of the site, however. The logo, colour scheme and overall layout are smart and readable. By the same token, the top of the pages ARE cluttered, especially as a member.

[White Lightning]

As such I think a period of stability was a good thing.

Absolutely.

I actually got a little grumpy when I read this thread last night. As has been said, we only have a small committee and people need to appreciate that we all work full time, and have families, so finding time to do this stuff is difficult at the best of times. Some people perhaps don't appreciate how much sustaining activity goes on behind the scene to keep the club ticking over, let alone undertaking this BIG project.

On a personal note, I currently have a wife that is laid up for at least 3 months due to a recent operation and that means I am currently running around like a headless chicken doing allsorts. This means I am actually quite drained at the moment and probably explains my somewhat negative response above. I will apologise for that now.

Anyway, as I said above, the vBulletin (forum software) upgrade is long overdue. And for those that don't know it IS a massive amount of work. The migration over to the new hosts earlier in the year was a large amount of work but the upgrade (due to the highly customised setup on this site and complete lack of documentation about how it is setup) means that the upgrade will be A LOT more painful than the migration was.

I am hoping that we can start work on the update towards the end of the year (possibly working on it during Xmas holiday) and as I said, as a result of the update we may lose some of the current look and have a chance to freshen things up a bit.

One final note, the question in the poll does not make sense to me. The update of the forum software and a possible change to the look of the site are two completely different topics in my mind. Yes, absolutely 100%, the forum software requires an update but I am not convinced we want to change the look and feel of the site too much based on some of the comments made in this thread already.

[White Lightning]

The site looks good imo
If you do decide to rework anything regarding graphics/buttons/imgs give me a shout it's what I do and would be more than happy to help.

Having said that keep up the good work.

Thanks dude

[WildCards]

It it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I agree that a few bits and bobs could do with working better or dropping completely, but I like the design of the site and really can't see the point in wasting time trying to improve upon something which doesn't need it.

[Turbo_Steve]

Thank you for the response, Wayne: definitely not meant in any way to be a criticism: We are where we are in no small part to your efforts, and where we are is just fine!

And please please don't struggle on by yourself: there seem to be innumerable techies on CVR4 who could help out where needed?

[psbarham]

It it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I agree that a few bits and bobs could do with working better or dropping completely, but I like the design of the site and really can't see the point in wasting time trying to improve upon something which doesn't need it.

as above really

[chris g]

I must admit that when I have cut and paste some useful details from the site to a word file of my own, the white type on blue does not transfer so well...

Apart from that I am happy with the site and presentation...

And as a non-techie ( incompetent) other than simplest stuff, I cannot say enough how much I appreciate the efforts of Wayne and others to keep CVR4 as a presence out there in cyberspace...

[miller]

i like it just the way it is!!

[Spirit]

I must admit that when I have cut and paste some useful details from the site to a word file of my own, the white type on blue does not transfer so well...

Chris, what you could do is click on "Thread Tools" and then "Show Printable Version" and copy and paste from that version ?

[ANTHONY]

words by Billy Joel...

Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore
I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are