Can we have Old Style Forum back please.!!!. . . . This one sucks.!!

[JAZZCNC]

Correlation doesn't imply causation, e.g decline in activity could just be due to the weather!

Having said that, I do think this layout is less convenient than the old one.

YES NUMBNUTS I've been around long enough to know this and was taken into consideration.!! . I've also been around enough forums to now a good layout that works compared to one that sucks.

Sorry for going on for so long but I couldn’t see any other way of putting out there that would give you an idea, I’m not looking for sympathy I’m not that type of person, it’s also been nice to get it off my chest as well, so if you read all of this, thanks and sorry for the delay in going forward.

Very Sorry to hear this Lee and believe me having gone/going thru 2yrs of hell and heartache I fully understand and thou not seeking you have my deepest sympathy.
Now my dislikes are similar to John's.!! .. What's the point of that silly Bar done the side.? Adds or serves very little to viewing experience and takes 1/4 the screen and most of it is blank.
I don't need or want to see Active threads twice or who's online twice then a great big blank space all the way to bottom of page.
(On personal note some times I wish it didn't show I was Online has it can mean I get PM's/emails or phone calls from folks I've offered help seeing me online when all I've done is nipped on for a quick nosey.!! . . Little thing I know and my choice to offer/give details so not going to complain too much but still would be nice to be invisible at times.!! (Without having to LOG off.!!))

Adverts don't bother me too much and realise rent has to paid but it would be better if they could be located lower down not taking a good portion of the top of page. End of the day the point of these forums is to inform and let others communicate with like mined folks. . . . If we need a shopping channel we all know the place.! If we need to find something we all know the search engine to use.!

Now for me the best layout is the one with a large Recent activity or latest post's across top of first page with nothing but the MYCNC header and all activity for sizeable period of time not just 10 lines.
The silly side bar with active threads would be ok if it started at top of page was slightly wider and showed all active threads for long period, 10 is neither use nor ornament.!!
When I come on the forum I want to see whats happening and go to it quickly.! . . . If I have to go looking chances are I'm not going to bother and find another site that gives me what I want.
If I want a specific bit of information or find something relating to something I'm doing or planning then I'll happily go searching for it or use the relative category in the lower down portions of the forum to find it. . . . But the first contact should show me at glance all that's happened in any thread category, Lathe,mill, router etc for a good amount of time else other wise I'm bored and away to wind-up our American cousins on CNCzone. (Which by the way is far more cocked up than this site but yank bating is good fun when bored. . Lol)

So that's my take I just want to see what's happened or happening and see it quickly not search for it. The adds I can live with if kept sensible (Which compared to the Zone this sites fantastic for ) and from spoiling my first viewing experience IE Lower down.

That's it Rant over, best wishes and hope you get well soon.

[John S]

Ditto with the best regards, sorry that's the best i can do. I don't do PC, H&S or sympathy

In your post you say you are strapped for time to develop the side bar.
So OK no one will think any worse of you to just drop it, it's duplicated after all and give the full screen over to the relevant posts.

Surely that will help short and long term ?

[Web Goblin]

I agree mostly with Jazz and John on the layout and the sidebar, it just seems like a waste of space.
As for the googleads thing it only seems to happen on this site and from different computers, one is a works one and very secure.
Happened on the first page I viewed this morning.

[m.marino]

Lee, have you looked at Bing ads system instead of Google? It is your site and I respect that. When coming on the site I post past the front page with the thread stream and go straight to the forum home page which is basically the old front page plus side bar.

The reason that I suggest Bing Ads over Google is due to a few issues. There is a large group of folks that are leaving google ads due many different issues with not only the ads but also Google's logarithm for site information. No Bing is not perfect and has issues as well just not as bad as Google at present.

The blank side bar which I am looking at as I type this reply is lost space. Either a floating/scrolling ad space to use it better might be worth looking into. Yes I understand that web site design is very time intensive we run a few ourselves and keeping up with the law and information current and accurate is a PITA. My wife and I knew that it was going to be PITA and still swear at it daily when things go wrong. So good luck and I use the forum to help as able and when I need info I will ask. I will say that the older forum set up was easier to get to information and find out what folks where looking for and IF I could be of help.

Michael

[Fivetide]

Lee , really sorry to hear about the illness, I do, do sympathy, as deep down I can empathize with your problem. Plus I think I’m still human. However I have to agree in part to some of the suggestions. I still adhere to the KISS methodology, Keep It Sodding Simple, for Simple Sodding People. There’s an information overload and space wastage, in my opinion people want to land on the forum not some vastly over populated informational sink.

[craigrobbo]

I again would have to agree, I am not super active on here but much much less so now the changes have been implemented.
I will check back periodically to see when/if the original or better more useful forum is in place, but I will continue to have a reduced presence in the current state.

Craig

[HankMcSpank]

In an age where everyone is worn out with folks not listening to them (especially governments who always seem to go against the populist view once voted in!), it'd be a brave forum owner that doesn't listen to his membership!

Now I realise that the ideals of owning & running a forum are not always in synchronicity with the ideals of the membership (few people actually run forums for love, but rather have an end goal - dosh), but without members, there is no forum, with no forum, there is no revenue... so I guess it's always going to be a case of push & see what you can get away with (just like taxes!), but clearly the recent changes are beginning to alienate folks.