_GOTOBOTTOM
Network Talk
For discussions about network-wide site topics, announcments, etc.
New Forum! Network Talk
staff_Jim
Staff MemberPublisher
KITMAKER NETWORK
Visit this Community
New Hampshire, United States
Member Since: December 15, 2001
entire network: 12,571 Posts
KitMaker Network: 4,397 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 12:09 AM UTC
This new forum is for discussions that relate to the entire KitMaker Network. So suggestions for changes to the Reviews page, forums, ranks, etc should go in here so that everyone from all the sites can see and participate in the discussion.

Topics related to any problems you may be having should still go in the user support forum. Or if the topic is specific to Armorama you can still use that site to disucss it.

I will be looking at the situation in future to see if this forum will suffice for "site talk" related topics or we should keep the individual site forums as well.

So... to start off.... What does everyone think of adding the "general modeling" and "off-topic" forums back to the Latest Posts page?

Cheers,
Jim
betheyn
Staff MemberSenior Editor
AEROSCALE
#019
Visit this Community
England - South East, United Kingdom
Member Since: October 14, 2004
entire network: 4,560 Posts
KitMaker Network: 715 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 12:16 AM UTC

Quoted Text



So... to start off.... What does everyone think of adding the "general modeling" and "off-topic" forums back to the Latest Posts page?

Cheers,
Jim


Good idea Jim, as the "general modeling" and "off-topic" forums aren't genre specific. But as i use the "latest network post" option I see them anyway .
Andy
AlanL
Visit this Community
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Member Since: August 12, 2005
entire network: 14,499 Posts
KitMaker Network: 411 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 12:25 AM UTC
Hi Jim,

I'd like to see the General Modelling Forum across all the sections as it contains stuff for everyone. Re 'off topic' I'm not bothered one way or another but it is probably better off where it is.

Re the Network, I'd like to see a Latest Post Tab on the Kitmaker Home Page at the top along with the individual forums.

Edit: just saw all the icons pop up, Junk, drawer, buy. sell and trade rather see them in MG, tools OK, all the others????

The history forum might be good to run across all sites.

Al
95bravo
Visit this Community
Kansas, United States
Member Since: November 18, 2003
entire network: 2,242 Posts
KitMaker Network: 488 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 12:42 AM UTC
I like the idea of a general section that crosses all the other communities as well.

Steve
staff_Jim
Staff MemberPublisher
KITMAKER NETWORK
Visit this Community
New Hampshire, United States
Member Since: December 15, 2001
entire network: 12,571 Posts
KitMaker Network: 4,397 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 12:58 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Jim,

I'd like to see the General Modelling Forum across all the sections as it contains stuff for everyone. Re 'off topic' I'm not bothered one way or another but it is probably better off where it is.


Hi Alan... it is showing up across all sites.

Quoted Text


Re the Network, I'd like to see a Latest Post Tab on the Kitmaker Home Page at the top along with the individual forums.


There is... just click "Forums" tab in navigation bar.

Quoted Text


Edit: just saw all the icons pop up, Junk, drawer, buy. sell and trade rather see them in MG, tools OK, all the others????


That was the point of my asking. I will put you down as a "no" then.

Quoted Text


The history forum might be good to run across all sites.


It is now as well.

Quoted Text


Al

This post was removed.
This post was removed.
staff_Jim
Staff MemberPublisher
KITMAKER NETWORK
Visit this Community
New Hampshire, United States
Member Since: December 15, 2001
entire network: 12,571 Posts
KitMaker Network: 4,397 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 01:27 AM UTC
Also FYI you can still see all the topics specific to one site by viewing the Network Latest Posts page and clicking the Sites sort link (the up and down arrow graphic next to "Sites" column header.

Cheers,
Jim
Removed by original poster on 10/16/06 - 04:12:11 (GMT).
This post was removed.
Lucky13
Visit this Community
Scotland, United Kingdom
Member Since: June 01, 2006
entire network: 1,707 Posts
KitMaker Network: 530 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 03:34 AM UTC
I have nothing to complain about Jim......I think :-) :-) so far so good
I like the style that AEROSCALE have, you are all doing a very
grand job. I know that things can go every now and then.....
Like the ranks.....*wink* *wink*
Merlin
Staff MemberSenior Editor
AEROSCALE
#017
Visit this Community
United Kingdom
Member Since: June 11, 2003
entire network: 17,582 Posts
KitMaker Network: 2,250 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 04:30 AM UTC
Hi Jim

Great to see Network Talk - it should really help pull the family together across the different sites on those issues that effect us all.

All the best

Rowan
Gunny
Visit this Community
Pennsylvania, United States
Member Since: July 13, 2004
entire network: 6,705 Posts
KitMaker Network: 1,084 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 03:34 PM UTC
Good show, Captain!
I too like the idea of a "Network Talk" forum, to help to bridge the gaps between our individual sites. . .kind of like a big "Kitmaker Roundtable", so to speak!
BobCard
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Member Since: August 09, 2006
entire network: 1,008 Posts
KitMaker Network: 115 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 07:13 PM UTC
I like the idea of the "Network Talk". Could get interesting when someone thinks it's for everyone and some don't agree.

Sorry but the "general modeling" and "off-topic" forums make it congested again. I would like to see it off to the right under it's own grouping.

Also it would be nice to sign in one time for all sites so moving between groups would be easier. Might be wishfull thinking on my part.

Other then that like seeing all the work you and staff do for the site, like to think we're always moving forward.

Bob
AlanL
Visit this Community
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Member Since: August 12, 2005
entire network: 14,499 Posts
KitMaker Network: 411 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 07:29 PM UTC
Hi Bob,

If you sign in on Kimaker it covers all sites, at least it works for me.

Hi Jim,

Someone mentioned conjested and I'd kinda agree. Would it be possible to have the forum topic posts at the top and the others below or does that defeat the idea of bring them back?

Just a thought.

Al
alpha_tango
Visit this Community
Germany
Member Since: September 07, 2005
entire network: 5,609 Posts
KitMaker Network: 67 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 09:24 PM UTC

Quoted Text

So... to start off.... What does everyone think of adding the "general modeling" and "off-topic" forums back to the Latest Posts page?

Cheers,
Jim



Hi Jim

I do not like it .... first you divided all the stuff --- which I was not happy about, because I liked the "crossover" style of Armorama ---- and now only the useless rubbish (at least from my point of view) is comming back.

Since the division I am only at Aeroscale which has a pretty slow turnover. The "new" stuff hides many of the interesting a/c themes and floods the latest posts page...

Maybe it is possible to make some kind of subscription system for the different parts of kitmaker net so that an approximation of the old style is reachable?

best wishes

Steffen

jba
Visit this Community
Rhone, France
Member Since: November 04, 2005
entire network: 1,845 Posts
KitMaker Network: 107 Posts
Posted: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 11:56 PM UTC
dear all,
Sorry to go slightly against the general praise that seemed to be going with this "slight" change in the "latest posts" page.
I am mostly checking the MSW and HF websites while keeping an eye for other topic forums thanks to the left section of the "latest posts" i can find in the HF website.

1/ I just see what Steffen put and i absolutely agree with him, look at these following screen captures, in blue are the topics that really belong to the sites i am checking, in yellow is the "rest". the "rest" just eats everything else. You can't find back the interesting topics easely (at least in HF)

So i think that doing a cross section forum like "network talk" would indeed be a good idea, but that maybe should not extend to the junk drawer or stuff like that.

So maybe some of the explanations were lost in translation -i don't always understand well- but then i have got some eyes in good working order and there is one thing i am absolutely sure about...

2/the design of those Modelgeek forum buttons is playschool-ey and kinda agressive, no problem, i don't care. But then if you put those buttons in the middle of the lush and mid-tones HF, you end up destroying completely the design of the page. and this is what is going on right now on HF.

Solution? Javascript my programmer friends! one click and you "get rid of the spam", on another click and the junk drawer appears back again!
bye for now
JB
gbyrnsie
Visit this Community
Canada
Member Since: July 12, 2006
entire network: 770 Posts
KitMaker Network: 8 Posts
Posted: Monday, October 16, 2006 - 12:48 AM UTC
I'm not overly fond of the new arrangement of the Latest Posts page. When I'm on HF I don't really want to see the latests For Sale posts when I'm checking for new figures related posts. Could the General and Off Topics not be side-barred like the other Kit Maker forums?

Also the old HF icons were far superior to the new ones. I'm sorry but I do not like the new ones at all.

GB
staff_Jim
Staff MemberPublisher
KITMAKER NETWORK
Visit this Community
New Hampshire, United States
Member Since: December 15, 2001
entire network: 12,571 Posts
KitMaker Network: 4,397 Posts
Posted: Monday, October 16, 2006 - 09:39 PM UTC
Hmm.... comments noted. I will likely add a "on/off" function for showing the general modeling and off-topic posts in LP. But I think THIS number is highly significant and "the proof is in the pudding" to making this change.

LAST 24 HOURS: 183 ACTIVE TOPICS AND 601 NEW POSTS

We haven't been above 600 posts since last winter and not much above 500 anytime in the last few weeks.

Jim
alpha_tango
Visit this Community
Germany
Member Since: September 07, 2005
entire network: 5,609 Posts
KitMaker Network: 67 Posts
Posted: Monday, October 16, 2006 - 09:58 PM UTC

Quoted Text

LAST 24 HOURS: 183 ACTIVE TOPICS AND 601 NEW POSTS



Hi Jim

Hmm ... i understand your concern ... lastly Kitmaker is a company that lives from payments probably somehow related to those figures

BUT small talk may be fun for a short period in the end it mostly obscures/superposes the content ... if you loose content you'll loose readers

just my 2ct

best wishes

Steffen
staff_Jim
Staff MemberPublisher
KITMAKER NETWORK
Visit this Community
New Hampshire, United States
Member Since: December 15, 2001
entire network: 12,571 Posts
KitMaker Network: 4,397 Posts
Posted: Monday, October 16, 2006 - 10:07 PM UTC
Steffen,
How is this any different than the way the LP page looked 1 year ago when it included all these forums? The site was doing well back then and growing at an even faster pace then it has been since the breakup. Why do people always assume I am doing this becasue of payments or some other such reason. Maybe I just want to meet the needs of a MAJORITY of users. This reminds me a little bit of a news story I just watched about people objecting to WalMart opening up big supercenters. A handful of people objected yet thousands of people shopped at the store once it was open.

Also if you don't want the off-topic forums to show up on the LP page (because you are not interested in them) than simply opt-out of them and they will not appear on your LP page. That simple.

Cheers,
Jim
alpha_tango
Visit this Community
Germany
Member Since: September 07, 2005
entire network: 5,609 Posts
KitMaker Network: 67 Posts
Posted: Monday, October 16, 2006 - 10:54 PM UTC
Dear Mr. Starkweather

It seem I set you up. I am sorry that was not my intention.

I preferred the old style from one year ago with all stuff that now has its own place still in one LP page, because I could easily see what the ship, armour, figure ... modellers had to offer. The stuff that now floods the other sites was a minority against all the other new posts.

Now Aeroscale has maybe 20 new posts a day (I do not know the exact figure, but I guess you do) but the off topic threads have much more, so the Aeroscale LP page has more entries for those and the interesting posts are harder to find.

I thought of payments because you posted statistic figures .. nothing more

If you consider my comment as minor annoyance just kill them and let the others praise your new idea ... there is no need to attack me personally.

sincerely

Steffen Arndt

drabslab
Visit this Community
European Union
Member Since: September 28, 2004
entire network: 2,186 Posts
KitMaker Network: 263 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 - 10:03 PM UTC
Common steffen and Jim,

Don't get on your high horses over this.

It's quite natural for people to think that "payments" in the broadest sense have something to do with the way that the site evolves, after all, its clear to everybody that it is the only way to keep something like kitmaker alive.

On the other hand I don't think that Jim is so shortsighted to ignore that the added value for the user is what will generate the future of the site and not the momentary numbers in posts etc...

However, the way to evolve a site is to study the site statistics and to listen to the comments and wishes of users; The one doesn't exclude or replace the other, its just complementary.

Back to topic, I have actually never studied how the subsites (like aeroscale) fitted within the global kitmaker net. I just browse around and enjoy myself here.

What I would expect is that the Kitmaker homepage becomes:

- the place for everything which is not typical for a any subsite and this including the forums.

- a portal highlighting the new stuff on the subsites;

In reality this might be difficult to achieve, its in most cases not clear cut.

Anyway, the network talk seems a good idea to me. Let's make the best of it






 _GOTOTOP