Sounds like a nice and friendly way to help guide new members down the path of enlightenment, if it can be done...
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Sounds like a nice and friendly way to help guide new members down the path of enlightenment, if it can be done...
See me? I'm full o' good ideas..................well that's what I think they said!!
By the way, I think the Entrance Hall is a great name for that part of the forum.
well its a few weeks since I joined and I am not finding it much easier to be honest - pleased to see Marco that you are asking for views - perhaps we can discuss when I come to you
think hard about the number of rooms - I know you dont want to change it at the mo but its a big issue - some of them could be joined with no loss
will have a think as I surf but the big point here seems to be guys are willing to work through it cos everyone is friendly and supportive - as it gets bigger it will be hard to spread the love so my guess is you will lose members who surf in, lurk and bugger off cos its too hard work
PS that banner is a PITA when surfing on my phone!
rgds
darren
No worries, Darren. I think we'll need to because I just don't get what the 'difficulty' is :confused:Quote:
well its a few weeks since I joined and I am not finding it much easier to be honest - pleased to see Marco that you are asking for views - perhaps we can discuss when I come to you
:)
The banner stays as it is, though.
Marco.
Hi DarrenW
I must be honest in that I just don't get what the difficulty is either. Trust me there are places that are awkward to navigate around but IMHO AOS is not one of them and as to the number of rooms look at AudioKarma (sorry to go back to them all the time...great forum, but MASSIVE.) It does not seem to cause them any issues...massive active membership too.
Maybe you could tell us/describe how, in a step by step way, as to how you find AOS awkward to use...this might help us understand where you are coming from.
Regards D S D L
I should add that one of the most important reasons why there is a good (and we think relevant) selection of rooms is that in some ways AOS acts as a 'forum within forums'.
For example, someone who is only interested in computer audio and has no interest whatsoever in anything analogue, can simply 'live' in the 'Digital Impression' without having 'alien' discussions getting in the way of what interests them, and vice versa for someone only into T/Ts, etc. It's the same for people who are mainly into D.I.Y - they have a section all of their own to 'play in'.
In effect, one can simply ignore the areas of non-interest on AOS (or conversely find areas of interest) quickly and easily. This is quite difficult to do, IME, on other forums which simply have an 'audio' section, as one often has to sift through pages of stuff of no interest to find something worth reading...
It also keeps infamous and often controversial stand and cable discussions at 'arms length' in its own separate section without 'infecting' the main part of the forum ;)
Lumping rooms together would be counterproductive to achieving the above, hence why we're reluctant to do it :)
Marco.
earlier in the thread you asked if I could put things a bit clearer and I think I now can - AOS feels like a pub in oulton I went into when I was young - not quite the village of the dammed but a definite sense that the regulars crowded round the dartboard had a say in most things and didnt encourage others to contribute (not by direct action but more by accident due to complexity of structure, rigidness of mindset and an overall feeling of dictatorship) nothing wrong with this but it does end up with me visiting here less often and going back to other fora
if you are serious about making this place a bigger force on the hifi scene then you do perhaps need to engage in some honest appraisal of how it all works and how to get new members to start posting - think deep south inbreeding - you may end up with crooked green teeth!
take a look at any thread on here and you will see the management team take up a goodly percentage of the posts and usually end up directing the direction of the thread in some way
not looking to criticis but as you asked I thought it only fair to respond - having been here a month or so now I am sure its got too many rooms and the titles are difficult - what are the social clubs about for instance - why have em if they are not working?
just seen a note from someone about having more rooms than members and other new members have commented about complexity, one asking of there was a classifieds section and suggesting it as a good idea
I think I have been here long enough now to know this post will be rationalised away as the others seem to have but I chuck it in as a last ditch effort to get you guys to relook at the AOS and think about a change or at least tweak of direction.
rgds
darren
Hi Darren,
How's it going? I hope all is well :)
I honestly don't have a clue what you mean, mate, and why you feel like this... It really is a massive mystery to me :confused:Quote:
earlier in the thread you asked if I could put things a bit clearer and I think I now can - AOS feels like a pub in oulton I went into when I was young - not quite the village of the dammed but a definite sense that the regulars crowded round the dartboard had a say in most things and didnt encourage others to contribute (not by direct action but more by accident due to complexity of structure, rigidness of mindset and an overall feeling of dictatorship) nothing wrong with this but it does end up with me visiting here less often and going back to other fora
Perhaps you could explain what you mean by "rigidness of mindset and an overall feeling of dictatorship". This is especially perplexing! :scratch:
Darren, we'd like to do what we can to help but when you appear to be on a completely different page from the rest of us it is very difficult.
Can you be more specific please and less cryptic? What do you mean by "honest appraisal of how it all works and how to get new members to start posting"?Quote:
if you are serious about making this place a bigger force on the hifi scene then you do perhaps need to engage in some honest appraisal of how it all works and how to get new members to start posting - think deep south inbreeding - you may end up with crooked green teeth!
New members are posting - and regularly. Do you want some examples? :)
Not everyone will always post often. The forum is constantly evolving. Some people pop in and out, some stay longer, some are here everyday, and some drift away - that's life. I don't think it's something you can accurately analyse.
I take your point, but why is that necessarily a bad thing? The thing is, "the management team" have lots of combined experience to share, hopefully to help people with less experience get more from their systems and music and/or assist with any enquires. In fact, this is indeed the case.Quote:
take a look at any thread on here and you will see the management team take up a goodly percentage of the posts and usually end up directing the direction of the thread in some way
As you know, I’ve been more than helpful with your cartridge conundrums, as have others. What should we do, sit back and ignore people? I have to deal with numerous queries everyday both from people asking me for advice on the forum and by PM. I can't help knowing stuff, Darren.
You suggest to me what I should do (and others in the management team) and we'll listen :cool:
The social clubs were a mistake and not my idea. It was a new facility offered by the lastest VBulletin software upgrades, which didn't work out. Beechy will answer this one for you. I think they should go.Quote:
not looking to criticis but as you asked I thought it only fair to respond - having been here a month or so now I am sure its got too many rooms and the titles are difficult - what are the social clubs about for instance - why have em if they are not working?
As for "too many rooms/titles are difficult", we've already been there, mate.
Well, that's obviously nonsense. We have 1229 members... I don't see 1229 rooms! ;)Quote:
just seen a note from someone about having more rooms than members...
Are these old posts you're referring to? We've got a classifieds section, and very busy it is, too - it's called 'Private Exhibitions'...Quote:
and other new members have commented about complexity, one asking of there was a classifieds section and suggesting it as a good idea
Nothing is ever "rationalised away", I can assure you. The trouble we have is understanding exactly what the problems you've got are, simply because we just don't 'get' them. It's almost as if you're watching a different 'programme' from the rest of us.Quote:
I think I have been here long enough now to know this post will be rationalised away as the others seem to have but I chuck it in as a last ditch effort to get you guys to relook at the AOS and think about a change or at least tweak of direction.
I'm sympathetic, Darren, and want to help, but I'm honestly at a loss a) to understand much of what your issues are, and b) what exactly you'd like us to do about it :confused:
Marco.