Captain Colonial Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Hi all This is prior notice to all boardroom users that at some point during Sunday, the layout of the boardroom is going to change slightly - this is to explain to you why and how. A point was raised recently at the Northern Area Organisers meeting, namely: "Boardroom - there was a suggestion that stuff and nonsense be moved to the bottom website" As John Williams helpfully explained in that thread on 11 November: "There was a discussion that the over silly side of the club got more publicity than the more serious elements that we have; we are not saying that the silly side shouldn't exist, far from it. But should it we make it the main headline on the page with being the first forum?" The Committee subsequently gave this point some very serious thought and discussion as a group over several days to understand the concerns and reasons. To do so, it's necessary to step back and look at the boardroom front page with the fresh eyes of a newbie, someone who has never seen the boardroom before, hasn't made a post or even joined as a Trial Member. The first thing they see currently is Stuff & Nonsense. We all know that this area is quite a rich vein of, shall we say, "variety" but for the uninitiated, reading it for the first time and as the first thing can make the club boardroom look a bit less than serious about Westfields, wildly O/T, "clicky", and daunting and distracting to the point where it can deter them from going further. It really is the deep end of the boardroom pool - and sometimes the shallow end of the gene pool (I personally also stand guilty as charged there, m'lord) - nothing wrong with that at all - but at the top? The Moderation Team also often had to move newbie threads out of Stuff & Nonsense and into the more appropriate Newbies or Tech areas, namely because new users weren't sure where to post something and so defaulted to Stuff & Nonsense instead. Finally, and although it's blindingly obvious, we are a dedicated marque sports car club first and gossip area second. Research into the boardrooms of other single marque clubs shows that their equivalent to Stuff & Nonsense is nowhere near the top of the screen. While Stuff & Nonsense is by far the most posted in area, that doesn't necessarily mean it should be at the very top. We want to ensure newbies feel comfortable and at ease the instant they first find us, not intimidated and confused. The Committee decided that the point was a valid one, and that the layout and running order of boardroom areas, no matter how long it had been in its current form, could be improved and more logical. Therefore, the boardroom layout will be changed on Sunday, with the Main Club Area being promoted to the top of the screen; "Newbies" will be on top of that area and renamed to the more appropriate "The Start Line" to encourage newbies to join in; and the Chat & General Information area containing Stuff & Nonsense will be re-positioned at the bottom, below External and Non-Club Adverts. We also wanted to give boardroom users prior notice so they were ready for the change. At some point in the near future, Adrian is going to create an optional "Classic" boardroom skin, so those of you who are seasoned veterans and prefer the current layout to the new "Default" layout will be able to enjoy that, so not to worry - there will be a choice of viewing. This will take some hard extra work which he will get done when he can - please be patient. We realise many do not like change, and we do not make any changes lightly, but we do try to make them for the good of the club as a whole and strike the best balance - we hope you will understand the reasoning behind the change. Thanks to the Northern AOs for this valid point and enlightening us with the feedback they have had from their local members on this issue. On behalf of the Committee, Scott Young 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestyNottm Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 All valid points. As a Newbie to Westfield, and also to forums in general, I have found Stuff & Nonsense a relatively easy place to start engaging with others and I can see why other 'more serious' forums should have a higher listing priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Adrian and Scott, as a user of S&N may I say that I don't think the "classic" screen is required. By the time you've reworked it we'll all have got used to the new layout anyway. May I suggest, and I hope others will agree, that you have enough to do so why not leave it 3 or 4 weeks and then have a poll to see if the "classic" is required. One other point. Can a message be put up the first time someone goes to post in "The Starting Line" to ask that only introductions are posted in "The Starting Line" and techie questions are posted in "Tech Talk". I would like new members to post their name and location, what they do and the spec of their car (assuming they have one yet). It's all very well talking to "Yellow Peril" with no idea if they're in Aberdeen or Truro, no idea of the age group or what skills they have. It's always great for new owners to show us their cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 It's all very well talking to "Yellow Peril" with no idea if they're in Aberdeen or Truro,I can help you out there Norman, he's in Essex Thanks Scott, Adrian et al. Seems like a sensible decision to me as does Norman's suggestion about having a pinned introduction post for newbies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peet Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Most Vw forums seem to have this format. Newbies General chat Tech Classifieds. So you arent that dfferent & as of today I'm a fully paid up member so you haven't scared me off!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Do I have to welcome you again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Most Vw forums seem to have this format. Newbies General chat Tech Classifieds. So you arent that dfferent & as of today I'm a fully paid up member so you haven't scared me off!! yeah the general chat area is usually above the sales and below the specific car sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rory's Dad Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 yeah the general chat area is usually above the sales I guess it's using the newspaper/magazine format of having the ads on the back pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 The Starting Line isn't just intended to be introductions though, although it's certainly the place for them, it's also the place to discuss all the general but non technical aspects of ownership and potential future ownership of Westfields. Whether it's insurance company recommendations, "will I fit questions" or just asking what peoples winter upgrade plans are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Redpath - WSCC Membership Secretary Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Great move by the commitee with this one, think it will be a wise move, and nice to see quite a few of the suggestions thrown into the pot at the AO,s meeting filtering through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 That's part of what the AO meetings are for: so make sure your AO's know your opinions! And then make sure your AO's get together and share them! It really works folks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peet Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Am I still a newbie? Especially now my cars been driven, decisions taken to fix, upgrade and is currently in pieces...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Am I still a newbie? Especially now my cars been driven, decisions taken to fix, upgrade and is currently in pieces...? That's where the confusion came in! You don't have to be a newbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I would like new members to post their... location, and the spec of their car I've just added a pinned message to Tech Talk, here If members wish to volunteer more information, excellent, but it's a fine line between being so intrusive we put people off and having enough background info to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekJ Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I have no opinion on this but the 34k topics in the post is far greater than the 29k in the next most popular (TechTalk). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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