GM forum development - your thoughts please

MikeH

MikeH

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evening all

I post this sat on the train from Leeds to London after being up at Harrogate Week (the annual greenkeeper's conference) for a couple of days - boy are those fellas a thirsty lot...the last knockings of my January sobriety have gone right out the window!

Anyway just logged on for the first time today to see 25 odd new threads and 512 + posts with masses of great stuff in there.

Think some of you might know already but the GM site is having a major makeover for spring and I wanted to gauge a bit of opinion on whether or not when we upgrade things we should split the forums up - ie a an equipment one, tips one, tour one, courses one etc or do you prefer it all on one forum as at present?

I ask because a lot of great posts are getting moved off the 1st page, and therefore the agenda, because everyone is posting so many responses and we're being joined by new members every day.

Over to you, it is your forum so I really value your thoughts

cheers
 
Hi Mike,

I think splitting the forum is a great idea, several guys have already mentioned it to me.

I would like to see a catergory for For Sale/Swap/Wanted and a non-golf chat section. The other you have mentioned are a gimme to be fair.

Hope you don't have a sore head after falling off the wagon!

Jon
 
I agree on the splitting idea. Also agree that a section for selling or swapping gear would be very useful.
 
split it all up this way you can jump to the specific place.
i would say of the top of my head.

none golfing section
course reviews
equipment
advice
tour events

this sort of thing makes sites much better.
 
Mike, you're a mind reader!!!

I was going to suggest sectioning the forum. Let's face it, the forum is growing like mad. Too much info is lost from the one page we currently have.
I would suggest there are not too many boards as the site may lose it's appeal (maybe too big)

In my opinion I would suggest the sooner the upgrade the better. OK, it's busy at present but I think the way things are going it will be heaving come springtime. Therefore a fresh new look before then will prove beneficial.
Please ensure the forum is easily accessible during upgrade to ensure new and existing members don't get lost.

Great idea Mike, I say go for it! ;)

Wooohooo, my 100th post!!! :)
 
I totally agree Mike some decent posts are getting ignored pretty much because they're not on the first page.
Also because of this a few threads are being duplicated in as well.
i think the forum should be split up but not two many sub threads just a few.

Maybe put an introduce yourself thread for new members!

And perhaps make the profile page a bit more interesting like a bit of a questionnaire. eg put a handicap field, years playing, what club you belong too etc maybe a whats in the bag field too. A bit more golf info for the individual members to read up about each other. This will save people asking all the time and of course if you forget you can refer to it.
If i think of more i let yuo know.
 
Gret idea Mike,
Equipment talk.
Tips & Advice
Mag features & staff blitherings
Course reviews (would be a great idea)
Swap, sell, buy & bee money
Shite you write (everthing non golf related)

Many more and it gets to diluted. From 7 years forum experience Id also suggest a few non staff moderators who can bin,move or censor posts when staff are not about (lets face it, you DO do some work!)
 
Not sure, ok it's very busy at the moment but I remember a few times last year`when the forum was very slow. Everyone's indoors on computers at this time of year but give it a couple of months and people have more to do. The forum will become less busy then. By summer the posting will be way down.

I'd be inclined to wait a couple of months and if traffic is still this heavy then categorise the forum. I prefer it the way it is for now.
 
Not sure, ok it's very busy at the moment but I remember a few times last year`when the forum was very slow. Everyone's indoors on computers at this time of year but give it a couple of months and people have more to do. The forum will become less busy then. By summer the posting will be way down.

I'd be inclined to wait a couple of months and if traffic is still this heavy then categorise the forum. I prefer it the way it is for now.
Click to expand...

There's always one isn't there!

Pulling your leg Birdieman, Mike's asked for opinions and you're giving yours. ;)
 
Boabski, I think a select few sub forums are better who wants to read about my new car alongside green fees etc?
Dont get me wrong, if its done the default way you csan log in and go straight to a subforum or click on todays posts which shows you all of them.
 
Needs to be split and "jazzed" up a bit as well. Bring it bang up to date with a whole new look, split forums with clear posting and whats allowed in each forum.

I would also like to see the popular posts rise to the top that way a post is not lost in the pages.

What about a crazy "BOASTS" section where we can brag away. eg I can post got a hole in one today at the 4th par 3 157 yards, Toad or whoever can come straight back with well I got one on a 201 yard par 3 last week get it up you etc. Just a bit of a giggle.
 
I suggested the other day, when posting a topic that was covered a few weeks ago, when someone replies to a topic, even if it’s well down the board, that topic goes to the top of the message board.

That way, a topic that is really hot with loads of replies, even if it’s a few days old, stays at the top after each reply and does not get lost as new topics push it down the board.

Does that make sense?
 
With all due respect, it's only recently we've started to get non golf related threads(football/cars)and I for one am not interested in them in the slightest. If I wanted to talk about those subjects I would go to the relevant forum for them. To me they just clutter up an excellent GOLF forum.
Perhaps this sounds like me wanting a seperate page for non golfing topics but it's not. It's me wanting non golfing threads non existant on this forum full stop.

I like it how it is.
 
Basher, I posted a thread last summer called 'Has this forum died' - things were really that slow!
The best threads go off on tangents covering all sorts of opinions and stories and are often flippant silly comments/jokes that can't be categorised easily. Be a shame to lose those types of posts. I read the forum to be amused, not bothered with the 'review of x type irons' threads so it's pretty easy to pick your way through the posts currently, there's not that many.
If it ain't broke why fix it!
 
Not sure, ok it's very busy at the moment but I remember a few times last year`when the forum was very slow. Everyone's indoors on computers at this time of year but give it a couple of months and people have more to do. The forum will become less busy then. By summer the posting will be way down.

I'd be inclined to wait a couple of months and if traffic is still this heavy then categorise the forum. I prefer it the way it is for now.
Click to expand...

Seconded. ive seen a few forum fragment and just die. Would you split up a pub up along the lines of people wanting to talk about football in the saloon bar and people wanting to talk about politics in the snug? You risk loosing the 'spirit' of the forum by carving things up IMHO.

How many forums do you see where one sub-catarory has 14 threads in 2 months and the other has a million threads a week etc.?

How about just making the pages longer so threads get a longer run top side? You could always make use of stickies if you think something needs a good airing. There's the thread search engine which works quite well for those wishing to research previous topics.

By all means hive off the buy and sell bit as this seems to be a bone of contention here anyway.

Oh and for goodness sake don't make the mistake of having titled ' OFF topic chit chat' or similar. I mean what then qualifies as 'on topic'.

IMHO if it's not broke don't fix it. Re-asses in 6 months time. Proceed with caution
 
leave it to you old hands, but it was this format that made me join as i like the variety all on one page.
 
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