Is it time to reorganize?

[DerbyRunner]

I didn't know all that. Gonna have to google it sometime.

Touche!

 

[ptsg]

I'd say go for it Muhammad. It will always be a initial shock for most people, but they'll get over it as time goes by. There is a lot going on behind the scenes that need to be constantly updated. Specially with security stuff.

These new interfaces are actually easier to deal with pictures and such.

Regarding the like button, most naysayers are already afraid of not getting enough likes... :laughing:

On the other forum Diggin it mentioned, the button is there, some people use it, others simply don't... No need to make a big fuss about it.

 

[DerbyRunner]

Yeah the writing is on the wall. We recently switched two of our other sites over, albeit with layouts and features that are not as radically different as some I've seen.

The two deadliest phrases in an organization:

"We've ALWAYS done it that way ....."
"We've NEVER done it that way ....."

And remember. The definition of consensus is: Absence of Leadership!

 

[aczlan]

Yeah the writing is on the wall. We recently switched two of our other sites over, albeit with layouts and features that are not as radically different as some I've seen.

From the outside looking in the conventional thinking is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" but that assumes it ain't broke. Maybe to the users it doesn't seem broke, but trust me, it is. :laughing:

The biggest issue is we are locked into legacy back-end server software by outdated front-end software that is incompatible with the new versions. This means that eventually, one day, the whole site will cease to function when enough things go wrong. Security is always a concern and the lengths we had to go to in order to prevent this old software from getting hacked is much akin to filling your front door in with cement in the face of armageddon. Yeah it works but it's also not fun to have armageddon or have a cement wall instead of a front door.

In my experience with our new platform, I actually prefer it very much to the existing TBN platform. It's faster, cleaner, has far superior methods of keeping track of the threads you've started or participated in, and generally looks about the same as TBN. The usability on desktop vs mobile is generally the same and from our perspective, it's great because we can actually develop new features without breaking the entire site.

You can play around with our new software here: https://www.lawnmowerforum.com/

Looking at it, that looks pretty good for the new layout.
Much better than some forums I have seen (looking at you MTF).
One change I would like to see would be a delineation between the different forums in a list, something like you do in the list of threads:


Also, it's saying that you have the footer widget on, but no footer widgets enabled (from the "Support" page):


Is there a new mobile client for it, does it just use the mobile website or does it use the same Tapatalk built client?

Aaron Z

 

[downsizingnow48]

I joined the lawnmower board just to look around. Seems nice to me. Simple and fast. It has a like button with range of options from thumbs up to sad to angry. So probably need to get used to life after like. I particularly appreciate simple share options including whatsapp that our family uses a lot. Also the internal search function works well.

 

[Muhammad]

Seems ok. So is tbn going to change to that then?

Eventually. We're still tweaking the platform. Prior to changing we are going to make a fully functioning clone of the site for people to log into, test out, and give feedback.

 

[Muhammad]

Looking at it, that looks pretty good for the new layout.
Much better than some forums I have seen (looking at you MTF).
One change I would like to see would be a delineation between the different forums in a list, something like you do in the list of threads:
View attachment 634061

Also, it's saying that you have the footer widget on, but no footer widgets enabled (from the "Support" page):
View attachment 634062

Is there a new mobile client for it, does it just use the mobile website or does it use the same Tapatalk built client?

Aaron Z

Ah yes, a line between forums, got it.

Will use the same TBN app but we're bracing for a couple of weeks of app downtime while that gets rebuilt and re-approved.

 

[Muhammad]

I joined the lawnmower board just to look around. Seems nice to me. Simple and fast. It has a like button with range of options from thumbs up to sad to angry. So probably need to get used to life after like. I particularly appreciate simple share options including whatsapp that our family uses a lot. Also the internal search function works well.

We can disable that if people hate it or don't use it. That's on my list of things to contemplate an eloquent implementation of. I.e. is there a way to make it a useful addition to the forum or will 99% of members ignore it ?

 

[Jstpssng]

Those of us who say that we hate it or ignore it now will probably be the one's who use it most...

Or not. If it becomes a contest to see who get's the most "likes" it will change the nature of the site though.

 

[Muhammad]

Those of us who say that we hate it or ignore it now will probably be the one's who use it most...

Or not. If it becomes a contest to see who get's the most "likes" it will change the nature of the site though.

Yeah that's why I'm considering how to implement it, if at all. We've never had a points system on the site but it may be possible to use the reactions for a good cause.