GM forum development - your thoughts please

[Atticus_Finch]

Go to "User Options"
"display preferences"
check mark Sort threads by "last post date".
This ensures that all the most recently replied to posts are at the top of your screen.

 

[MVP]

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.

Hence the need for a non golfing sub forum for those of us who would like a chit chat amongst friends eg a post on mhy i'd love spurs to kick chelsea's @ss in the cup final!

 

[Atticus_Finch]

I think you've missed my point MVP.

 

[Dave3498]

Split it Mike. It's just a matter of deciding on the subjects of each section.

I have recently noticed that it only takes a couple of days for a post to fall off the end of the first page, and I don't think many users bother to go chasing onto page 2, consequently we lose some very good threads.

 

[MVP]

I got the point exactly .

You dont like non golf threads. What ever the weather there will be the odd non golfing topic so it would be best if it was kept out of your way regardless of what forum it is on.

 

[MVP]

Split it Mike. It's just a matter of deciding on the subjects of each section.

I have recently noticed that it only takes a couple of days for a post to fall off the end of the first page, and I don't think many users bother to go chasing onto page 2, consequently we lose some very good threads.

Well said!

 

[golfcitydweller]

i think it`s ok as it is - i`ve only been registered a couple of weeks ..but would go with the majority !!



ps , can anyone tell me how to put up the instant smileys..can`t seem to get them to work .....cheers

 

[brendy]

Keep the golf threads in a golf related subforum, general chit chat in another, that way those that dont want to read about anything other than golf still have their forum as is presently the case, theres nothing stopping poeple being blissfully unaware of seperate subjects, Im not much of a contributer to the custom fitting clubs or competitions held in a different part of the uk, I still read them and am interested in how other people percieve subjects which I dont really have much exposure to otherwise.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If ita ain't broke and all that. I agree that if peole want to buy/sell their should be a separate forum but I like the idea of a topic metamorphing into something different (custom fitting was a good example)

 

[Tommo21]

Go to "User Options"
"display preferences"
check mark Sort threads by "last post date".
This ensures that all the most recently replied to posts are at the top of your screen.

Cheers for that.......sorted.

 

[Gasp]

Sitting on my fence I can see both point of views. I can see the benefits of splitting up the forum into different sections. However there is a charm and almost amateur quality about this forum and I fear the danger of it being somewhat diluted by a more professional format. We're all here together, and I like that.

 

[RGuk]

I am a regular on 3 different forums (but most have been on the back-burner since coming here!). These have "sections" and I like this way of doing it.
On one, the moderators can move posts (off-topic) to the right area, so if someone is on GM and wants to ask a question about something particular (equipment, playing technique, rules) it gets sent to the correct section.

I certainly think there are plenty of us who don't have a universal interest in everything and a multi-area forum seems the logical way to go. I'd be sad to see the free-for-all go, but it's hard to keep up!!

Dave

 

[Leftie]

If ita ain't broke and all that. I agree that if peole want to buy/sell their should be a separate forum but I like the idea of a topic metamorphing into something different (custom fitting was a good example)

Entirely my sentiments. Who knows where a thread will lead.

In a previous posting (Why the GM?) I said that I felt the forum was like a comfy clubhouse after a round. Can you imagine when one of your mates wants to ask advice and another wants to tell you about equipment recently bought whether golf related or not, you have to decide which room you want to go to, then move from room to room to catch up on what's going on. Not an exact analogy I know but I can't see it working as well if split up.

BTW. Has anyone info on whether time of year and weather conditions have any relationship with the number of new forum members and quantity of postings??

 

[julsk10]

I love the forum the way it is, although I have only a few posts I log on four or five times a week just for a read and a laugh. The one thing that I would try to change is to allow all the posts in a popular topic to be displayed on one page. I don't know what others are like but I know I often read the first page of posts but don't read on to the second.
I agree that breaking the forum up might just do exactly that.

 

[brendy]

Keeping golf in the golf section is a given though julsk10, its all the other stuff as I mentioned, some people arnt interested in any other subject away from golf, I really dont understand why though, If im buying anything of value, be it a sofa from DFS or need assistance on my oil burner I will always ask on forums first as theres nothing better than experienced feedback regardless of topic.
Comparing the clubhouse ambience to here is fair enough but then again you dont change your shoes or play snooker in the mens bar do you?

 

[julsk10]

Brendy, what I actually meant was to keep the forum the way it is, but for the popular posts like this one allow all the posts to be on the one page, a bit like a google search, most people only read the first page.
By the way what course are you a member of, I am also from NI, a member of Spa, Ballynahinch.

 

[brendy]

Bangor, played spa last year, B&D qualifying was there if I remember rightly, i was there before the handicap tumbled.
The forum could be configured to show 50 threads per page if needed by the admin, its less as default so the page loads up as quickly as possible.
If the forum had sections then each section would lst the latest posts by date so listing the main golf talk section you would get pretty much all of the newest threads and most recently updated ones too without having to sift through non golf.

 

[Toad]

Did this help you any Mike?

 

[shanker]

The forum is excellent as it is. I had thought that splitting it into sections like EQUIPMENT, RULES, BORING FARTS REMINISCING, RYDER CUP etc. would be a good idea. But maybe not.
BTW Bring your team here. 7,350 yards off the white tees! Longest hole in Spain!

 

[John_Findlay]

With all due respect, Mike, it's a terrible, terrible idea to split up the threads. Sorry to be so committed but someone has to be. I notice many of the older posters are, too.

Have looked at other golf fora out of interest. They all split the threads and and frankly they're boring. Where do you start?

Personally, I think we have some of the funniest, most imaginative and knowledgable posters known to man on here.

The best thing about this forum is that everyone sees everything they want to (....and don't want to, leading to some extremely interesting posts).

Yes, there are times when there are 250 new posts to read but if people can't manage their user settings in such a way that they can't see only the new posts then frankly they're not gonna talk a lot of sense anyway.

People have hugely low attention spans nowadays and frankly can't be bothered looking though 5 different levels of posts. Splitting it up would lead to different clubs within the club.

I personally thought this was a golf forum?

Don't do it, please. You have it just right as it is. It's the reason you have a community, not a bunch of numpties.

If you want to talk about football or cars then post it on the Screwfix.com website. You'll get a lovely feedback.