VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION Forum Questions new format

From the time I came to this forum, I was always under the impression that MANY of the posters were senior type folks.
From what I see, many of us rely on our desktops, instead of mobile units, to communicate with the outside world.
I do not believe we will lose a potential member because we are not catering to mobile devices.
In my time with VCCA, 10,000 members have come and gone away from VCCA for whatever reasons.
When I arrived, we had 8,000 members.
Now, the member I.D. numbers are 10,000 higher than my number ..... and we still have 8,000 members.
Nope, the culprit for 10,000 members coming and going cannot be a "mobile device issue".
If we must accelerate in this VCCA forum and , throw our desktops in the garbage can in order to maintain connections through a mobile device, I will be VCCA number 10,001 who will leave the VCCA building.

Tiny,
Here is where I'm confused.
The forum software is the same as before, just upgraded to support mobile and to add some much needed security features.
The way the forum works on a desktop is essentially exactly the same.
Yes, I made some cosmetic changes, but it didnt change the functionality of the forums at all.
Therefore... I'm confused by "its more difficult to use". Can you tell me how?
Peter

BobG1951chevy,

See my comment to Tiny above. But I wanted to ask you also. When you say "throw our desktops in the garbage", what do you mean? Its essentially the same software as before. Works on desktops as before. Yes, there are some cosmetic changes, but the forums work the same as always. Therefore, I'm confused by your fatalistic comment like the forums don't work on desktops anymore.

Having both a Desktop version AND a Mobile version is not an either/or proposition. The forums now work well for both.

Please - explain your issues with the desktop version of the forum thats worse than the previous version? I'm always open to constructive criticism, but need some guidance as to what is wrong and what you'd like "fixed".

Peter

Dean,
I've changed the header text to be "[b]Vintage Chevrolet Club - Chatter Forums" . Hows that?

The problem with the wide graphic in the header returns to the issue on being mobile friendly. It makes the forum not work well on mobile devices due to the graphic forcing the width of the forum to be wider than most mobile screens.

"Sayings", non-chevy or auto related graphics, and animations can certainly add character, but at a cost of cluttering the page. The focus of the forums are first and foremost to chat about vintage Chevrolets and GMCs. [/b]


This isnt a forum feature but something that was built into the old site. Hoping to revive that feature in the coming months in the main site.

Thanks for the update, Peter.

Yes, the membership database is a main site thingee. I suggest removing the text box for vehicle info until the drop down menus are available again. Allowing people to freely describe their make and model of vehicles will cause the verbiage to be out of whack with the standard descriptions.

Thanks, Dean

Peter,

In my comment, I stated IF we must throw our desktops in the garbage can, in favor of mobile devices, that would not work for me.

The new photo attachment process should save everyone some time and confusion as well as the needless use of a hosting site. It also eliminates the "email pics and I can add them" posts.Just drag and done. Awesome.. I'm sure Ill get used to the other changes but this is by far a great move.

Perhaps "difficult" wasn't the most accurate adjective. It is somewhat more difficult because now because the "GO" button is gone, new threads started are automatically added to your Watch List unless you remember to uncheck the box and the read post/thread flags don't work well after the update (often when returning to Chat I see the unmuted logo which indicates new posts only to find nothing new when I check OR sometime the opposite where the logo is muted showing no new posts only to find there are new posts). Beyond that is the new look. While it doesn't make it more "difficult" it does make it less appealing. Again I can only speak for myself but I LIKE the graphics showing member cars in the header. I LIKE the extra animated gramlins that we used to be able to add to our posts. I LIKE the extra "bling" the site used to have. The site now is frankly clunky and boring, seemingly to please a minority of users.

Hi Peter:

I never received your email. Even checked my spam file and there wasn't an email from you in that location either. Try re-sending the email and I will definitely respond if I receive it....or send me a PM. Even though the PM email notification isn't working I check the PM icon several times a day.

Sending it again. I'll also PM you.

We are certainly NOT throwing out desktops support in the forums. It remains. I've just expanded the forums to work with more than just desktops to open up the forums to more people.

THANKS!

Tiny,

OK... I feel dumb here. But what "Go" button?

Read/Unread Posts: One way to be sure the read/unread tags are working properly is to clear your cookies. From that point forward it should "remember" better.

The new "look". Obviously this is subjective. I simply cleaned up the site to make it less cluttered, faster and easier to navigate. I removed the header image to make the site more accessible to all visitors. The old site was filled with random animations and images (bling) which i felt distracted from the purpose of the forum. In this we obviously have a difference of opinion.

Boring - maybe. Clunky. I think its just the opposite. Keep in mind the functionality of the site has not changed.

Peter: Still did not receive an email from you....just checked. I did receive your PM from a few minutes ago and it is addressed to someone named Wally, which isn't me. Your message also indicated that apparently I have talked to Jim Gebhardt about the forum. I don't even know Jim other than he is the current President of the VCCA and I have never talked to him. You also mentioned in your PM that you called and left a message on my phone. There are no messages on my phone from you so you most likely contacted the wrong person or have mistaken me for another VCCA or forum member.

Tiny mentioned, ",,, new threads started are automatically added to your Watch List unless you remember to uncheck the box".

I agree that this is a nuisance. Please change the default behavior on the 'Add this thread to my Followed Threads' box to be unchecked.

Thanks, Dean

Watch List Instructions:

Goto your name (top right)
Choose "Followed Lists"
Edit your followed lists here.

FYI:
I've opened a ticket with UBBThreads to see if there is a way to default this to "Add this thread to my Followed Threads " to "unchecked".

(there is not "stock" way in the admin system to do it)

Okay, thanks,

Dean

I have not changed any of me settings since the change. I do not have any thing on my watch list. I don't do a lot of things or posts here, but I haven't had any problems other than the PM's.

I would also like to thank Peter for setting up an easy way to post photos. I never posted any under the old system.

OK Peter, sorry it took me so long to respond. One thing I have trouble with is that I used to be able to click on my profile and find my past posts. Sometimes I am not on for awhile and I like to see if anyone has commented on a past post. I have finally figured out that to use an icon I have to use full editor. It is just little things like that.

Click the down arrow next to your handle. At the top of the menu will be your handle and your post count. Click on your post count to go to your past posts. It's the host of little changes like that, that I also don't like.

Thanks Tiny, that worked. I probably would have never figured that out.