Should the WMB Arms be merged with the off-topic forum?
Comments
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Ive suggested in one forum, that BR is changed completely, why not have sub forums for all the mags so individualality of the mags can be retained!!
ie front page of BR Forum has
MBUK and then all the other forums relevant to mbuk ie general, sandbox, rides etc
WMTB and then the other forums relevant to wmtb, is arms general and beginners etc
get the picture??? while we have just one log in for all mag forums all housed within BR, gives everyone what they want, while we can leap across mag forums, and still have our own community which we had before.
I know it would mean taking BR off for a few hours or day to set up but surely it cant be that difficult to achieve??!
In thoery that would bring new forum members into the big group and let new members experiement with which parts of the BR forum that appeal to them, and if sure existing forum members would love the chance to get there community back!!0 -
M.Cole wrote:Unless you are going to merge the MBUK Sandbox too.
Yep, i was going to post a similar thread there too...
just to see off any of the remaining original sandboxites(and probably wmbarm-folk)... genious thinking.0 -
First of all Matt - a big up for asking and getting some opinion on this.
Second - the 'Arms' is getting very little traffic compared to what it was on the old forum (only 10 active threads today). Has anyone considered that it may be because this forum is hard to surf quickly and discreetly at work?
Third - I don't really care where the 'Arms' goes but I do care about having a section where a bit of (reasonably grown up
) banter goes on between 'friends'. So as Big Red S has said the sandbox needs to be kept separate.
It needs to change though as the 'Arms' is dying a slow and lingering death.0 -
I'm with lm trek , his idea of mag titles linking to the forums in a similar guise to their previous incarnations would be the best idea , Futures idea to lump everybody all together has obviously been a huge error , the forums are almost standing still and a few seem to be dying a death from which they might never rise.
I know this is still the beta version , but are the core forum contributors (from whichever future forum) ever going to return in great numbers when the main version is up and running (do future even care?).At present I can see that the alienation could even effect magazine sales which is definatly not in futures interest.http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2370/222 ... 9237_b.jpg GT Ruckus I-Drive
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/321 ... fc86_b.jpg Orange P70 -
Over 100 people are joining every day now, somewhat more than the core posters that have apparently left though. Over time the new members, and old, will find a sense of community as the forum condenses slightly and changes (which it will, it is the beta afterall). New members don't really know what went before this set up, and its new members that BR wants and needs.0
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Whilst there are over 100 new members each day there isn't(at present) much evidence that they are contributing to the forums overall.http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2370/222 ... 9237_b.jpg GT Ruckus I-Drive
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/321 ... fc86_b.jpg Orange P70 -
i still say you SELL 3 mags for a reason that same attitude / reasoning should be shared to the forum...0
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What you doing here?! Bugger off back over the fence you trouble maker!
;-)0 -
Hehe keep it apart i say Soon to be updated!!!0
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supersonic wrote:What you doing here?! Bugger off back over the fence you trouble maker!
;-)
yer i'll remember that next time i mod a comment on here with spam, porn, bitching or general rude language!
seesh! i forgot your above all rebuke! :roll:0 -
carlos-g wrote:I'm with lm trek , his idea of mag titles linking to the forums in a similar guise to their previous incarnations would be the best idea , Futures idea to lump everybody all together has obviously been a huge error , the forums are almost standing still and a few seem to be dying a death from which they might never rise.
I know this is still the beta version , but are the core forum contributors (from whichever future forum) ever going to return in great numbers when the main version is up and running (do future even care?).At present I can see that the alienation could even effect magazine sales which is definatly not in futures interest.
I keep saying this - the same thing happened at the MBUK snitz changeover - everyone left and many of the few that came back predicted the obvious and inevitable demise of the MBUK forum.
Clearly, that didn't happen. I'm struggling to see why it's going to happen here. Sure, many of the old members won't come back for one reason or another, but there will be many new people.
I know everyone wants to keep the old communities (they are with their spin off forums) but there's no real reason to lose them just because the forum's changed, and so far as the usual measure of the sucess of a forum goes, a lot of new people is as good as a lot of old people.0 -
I think a lot of you are missing the point, a lot of people aren't bothering with BR because it's quite boring and hard to use, not because they've spat their dummies out0
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It also depends what you want from a forum, they are different things to different people. It seems that the WMB regulars feel they have lost the sense of community they had, and some were afraid of an invasion of 'MBUKers' that would antagonise people and post crap, but it simply hasn't happened. The posts I have seen have been on the whole informative, useful, friendly and already the new members are settling in and getting to know one another.0
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agreed - but it is still very slow and quiet in here - surprising considering the number of users
and the size of the place means it's a bit sterile and doesn't 'feel' like a community...
but if I have a question I'll probably post it here first
if I want to hook up with some locals I'll post on the other place0 -
lm_trek wrote:Ive suggested in one forum, that BR is changed completely, why not have sub forums for all the mags so individualality of the mags can be retained!!
ie front page of BR Forum has
MBUK and then all the other forums relevant to mbuk ie general, sandbox, rides etc
WMTB and then the other forums relevant to wmtb, is arms general and beginners etc
get the picture??? while we have just one log in for all mag forums all housed within BR, gives everyone what they want, while we can leap across mag forums, and still have our own community which we had before.
I know it would mean taking BR off for a few hours or day to set up but surely it cant be that difficult to achieve??!
In thoery that would bring new forum members into the big group and let new members experiement with which parts of the BR forum that appeal to them, and if sure existing forum members would love the chance to get there community back!!
Yes!! 8) :P
"With just a little luck
A little cold blue steel
I'll cut the night like a razor blade
Till I feel the way I wanna feel"
[Cheap Trick]0 -
Going on current figures, the vote is to keep the Arms - but nobody seems to be using it...0
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Scrap them all and just have one 'General' forum.
That'll screw everyone up.0 -
consolidate the lot. merge them all together. Its pretty much what has been done anyway. the fact that Sandbox, wmb arms and soapbox are deserted must tell you something.
These 3 sections, formerly the busiest sections on the 3 websites haven't been deserted for no reason. They've been abandoned for other forums, two of which specifically created as a result of the merger of the four previous forums.
I used to 'lurk' on whatMTB a fair bit, but no point in lurking on empty threads. The folk that used to post here (and sandbox and soapbox) can't be anymore pi$$ed off so merge the lot i say. it may make it a little less echo'y round here0 -
That the people who used to post here didn't have the patience to wait for improvements to the forum?the fact that Sandbox, wmb arms and soapbox are deserted must tell you something.
Exactly the rational for creating one 'off topic' section.I used to 'lurk' on whatMTB a fair bit, but no point in lurking on empty threads.
There's plenty going on in other threads.it may make it a little less echo'y round here.0 -
M.Cole wrote:
That the people who used to post here didn't have the patience to wait for improvements to the forum?the fact that Sandbox, wmb arms and soapbox are deserted must tell you something.
WHAT! i REALLY didn't expect such comments from yourself matt..
what was the RUSH to get this forum up?
Why not test the forum with a select group while still running the old forum?M.Cole wrote:
i agree with merging all the "sandbox, arms and cakestop" in one big off topic section
Exactly the rational for creating one 'off topic' section.I used to 'lurk' on whatMTB a fair bit, but no point in lurking on empty threads.M.Cole wrote:
There's plenty going on in other threads.it may make it a little less echo'y round here.
exactly and when have the ability to be filtered or selected for viewing then that will be easier on the eyes..0 -
As has been stated elsewhere:Why not test the forum with a select group while still running the old forum?
"Sometimes you get to the deadline and you have to go with what you have. In case you haven't gathered, none of us are exactly ecstatic about the situation either, but it's improving and will continue to do so. "0 -
M.Cole wrote:Since most of the Arms' drinkers have left, should we merge the contents of this section in with the off-topic part of the forum?
If you do that, I will RAPE YOU IN THE FACE, IN THE FACE
Seriously though. The Sandbox was a pretty violent place, a place to thrown your toys out of the pram
Maybe merge all the topics, but leave each individual mag's sandbox, arms, etc.
That would make a leaner layout, but still leave the definition and link to the different magazines.
If you merge them all, then it wouldn't really be an MBUK forum and a WMB and a C+ etc forum nymore. Just a faceless FUTURE PUBLISHING forum (which I kinda think is the biggest problem with BR.)
Or what about..
MBUK sandbox
WMB arms
C+ soapbox
Riding (with sub-forums)
road
DH
trials etc
RACING
etc.
if you see what I mean.
For example, I can't see the reason behind having two seperate health/fitness forums. We're all cyclists, so why not have them merged.
Same goes for workshop/tech, Stolen, Classifieds etc.0 -
we plan to allow filtering like the above ^
Putting all the riding bits within one folder will make a big difference in an instant.0 -
i missed that comment in the multitude of sections on here
btw where you going to pull your readership forum comments from that used to get posted in the back for WMTB? With a merger you have no specific section for this article.0 -
Er, how did you hear about this? Can you keep it quiet please?Don't worry, next month they're going to combine all 3 mags into one big one, with 7 times the ads! 0 -
´M.Cole wrote:
Er, how did you hear about this? Can you keep it quiet please?Don't worry, next month they're going to combine all 3 mags into one big one, with 7 times the ads!
and 5 times the drop outs? quite usefull as i read the Mag in the smallest room of the house. :P"Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown0 -
COOL, i hope we get the ladies in lycra thread printed in the mag!!Matt wrote:fozzybear wrote:i still say you SELL 3 mags for a reason that same attitude / reasoning should be shared to the forum...
Don't worry, next month they're going to combine all 3 mags into one big one, with 7 times the ads!
also would love to see the posty struggle with the mag to the door with the ad mail, crappy (TBH) free gifts in MBUK (actually they are still better than MBR's fisher price lock) she scowls at me already and says she hates ebay 0 -
who's 'she' Foz? Right or left hand today? :shock:0
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I'm still waiting for said improvementsM.Cole wrote:
That the people who used to post here didn't have the patience to wait for improvements to the forum?.the fact that Sandbox, wmb arms and soapbox are deserted must tell you something.
Funny how one person, or a small group of people can create a much more user friendly forum that users actually enjoy & prefer, faster than a huge corporation with loads of money & people to throw at a forum can make 'improvements'
Like I said, I'm still waiting, whilst I wait I'll be having fun 'over there'
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