This New Forum Is A Downgrade.

glenmar

So the forum IS slower, traffic wise

Maybe we scared them off with our constant loud barking.

It's majorly slow -- and I hope SOMEONE reports this thread to the powers that be and they decide to listen. 

I spend a fraction of time here that i used to doing LESS and LESS.  Just such a simple thing as getting notifications by email.  It shouldn't be hard -- but they don't want to change anything, probably because they paid for a set up and that's ALL and if they change anything it will likely cost a lot. 

But people have just left because they weren't happy -- that's a shame.  There used to be like a hundred or more new threads a day -- now there are like ... maybe 10.  There used to be JUST in the 3-4 forums I subscribed to -- like 600 or more posts a day.  Now, in the whole forum there are maybe 130 - 160 posts a day.  That's all and a sum total including the forums I don't check.

Reliability is a problem -- I think part of it is I'm not getting even the "first in a thread" email notification -- I find a lot of 'new' theads in the 'posts you have not read' section that I never got. 

Historically on every board I've ever been on, January - February are slow.  Despite the new folks who got computer stuff for Christmas, everyone's just got too much going on.  But the board has been slow like this on a steady decline for weeks. 

It breaks my heart -- and I think it will turn around.  But honestly we can dicker about this all we want to and it won't change.  It is as it is, I think.  But the rotten attitudes have cost the board dearly -- there is very little 'health' stuff right now.  That is often the first place new folks come.  They have a problem and are looking for help.

Yes, it's very slow, and I don't think that was the intent.  I think it just has too many bells and whistles for practicalitie's sake.  I think they "sold" the powers that be on the blog feature and such -- things no one is much interested in. 

I try to be faithful, I try to report spam and inappropriate stuff as soon as possible.  But I honestly wish I was a tad more appreciated ... not for anything I say or do personally, but I just wish we WERE listened to a bit more.  That, particularly, is demoralizing.

This should be the place we all invite ALL our friends and anyone we 'meet' who are dog people.  And recommending the 'store' should be second nature.  It's the purpose of this from the owners' standpoint.

LOL Ron...you could be on to something there...naaah.

IMO there's always been the most 20-30 people contributing about 80% of the threads...old board...old old board...or new board...period. These "hundreds of posts" were all back and forths between the same group of people, same as now...does it really matter if the same old people number 15 or 40? To me..no....

I know a few people that left or whittled down for reasons that had nothing to do with the forum...either they got married...got new jobs....moved...had kids...etc.

I don't mind the forum being intimate and cosy personally...masses of people that don't know each other that well, but "need you to help them" or a few people who know each other well...I guess it's all just what you are most comfortable with.

I liked it when it was more open and diverse. It certainly felt less cliquey and more welcoming. I think it's hard for new people to infiltrate a small group, so they leave and we lose the input they could give us and they lose the knowledge our members could share with them.

I tend not to recommend this board for these reasons and for the fact that with a small group of people and a difficult to navigate board some threads go unanswered, and again, the search function is useless.

I don't recommend forums at all, myself...I'm just here,

Nnnope, I don't recommend them...they are addictive and they suck you in...all of them...stay away! lol...

I have to say the "tags" thing bugs the crap out of me.  I nearly left this place because I got so sick of seeing certain tags pop up in my face in that darned block on the home page.  It's annoying and IMO takes away from the forum.  I, too, have noticed a decline in the number of new members posting, and the number of posts per day.  I don't know if it's because of the new forum, but I no longer have anyone posting threads about how much space I take up, now do I?  (Actually, I was not the top poster at that time either, but I'm way down the list now.) 

sooner

I liked it when it was more open and diverse. It certainly felt less cliquey and more welcoming. I think it's hard for new people to infiltrate a small group, so they leave and we lose the input they could give us and they lose the knowledge our members could share with them.

I tend not to recommend this board for these reasons and for the fact that with a small group of people and a difficult to navigate board some threads go unanswered, and again, the search function is useless.

Can't say I blame you, and to be honest, what happened here was that a small group infiltrated a large group and things have been going downhill ever since.  Now, the welcoming and holistic feel we had seems to have evolved into something else, where people spend a lot of time justifying what they do, versus investigating/questioning what might really be good for the dogs we all love so much.  A great lesson in not getting "stuck".  Evolve!!!!  Learn!!!!  Try new things!!!!

I don't like the tags either.  They could be great, and sometimes are, as a method of finding info given that the search function doesn't do much of anything...but they are also easily abused.  And I don't think that the mods should have to be constantly having to change them.

I'm older and I'm not crazy about change to begin with......but gosh darn, I had JUST gotten good and literate with the LAST forum change.  I'd love to be able to post pictures now and then, but it's too much hassle now.  I'm sure that the younger, or really "into" computer/internet folks, are enjoying all the bells and whistles, but I think many of us would just be happy with a simple format where we can share, find stuff and post pictures now and then.

Not to mention that the first time the forum changed I lost 20 something THOUSAND posts, and this time I lost close to five years.......

Not to mention that the first time the forum changed I lost 20 something THOUSAND posts, and this time I lost close to five years.......

Just how much room do you think any one poster should take up????    Are you sure this wasn't just an effort to cover your trax? (Where's the ROFLMAO emoticon when you need it?)

Eh eh!  Rude and not nice!  LOL!  ROFL!

Actually, as much as I want!  Cuz I'm a big dog with a heck of a LOT of big dogs! And since I often agree with YOU, madame, +R trainer........

Oi, you two, cut it out.  Bad girls.  Or I shall deprive you of truffles and ice cream.

I felt bad for the Powers That Be initially, they'd given us this great place, an improvement on the old one, a few bugs and whatnot, but hey, it will get ironed out in time, wow you can do blogs or upload videos and things.... and I really did feel bad that they'd given us this "great place" and everyone was just turning their nose up at it.  Kind of like when I slave over a hot stove making meals for my boys and they don't particularly like it.  I thought I would get used to the change after a while, but I find that the more time goes by, the more I long for the old forum back....

but Chuuuuffffffeeeeee!  SHE STARTED IT!

And I so know what you mean....it's like my ex buying me every single type of jewelry box EXCEPT what I wanted and then me trying to like the ones I did get........the fact of the matter is, I didn't get exactly what I wanted until I got a new hubby......

I am glad that I'm not the only one who isn't thrilled with the new format though.  Well, except for that Spiritdogs person......LOL!

spiritdogs

I  And, can we add some decent emoticons that these old eyes can see.  Where's the dead horse??????????????????????

 

I second this suggestion!  We had some really great emoticons for awhile.  Isn't there any way to get them back? And yes ... just where is  that dead horse???????

Joyce

glenmar

I am glad that I'm not the only one who isn't thrilled with the new format though

Have i missed something? Has there been another format change that i'm not aware of? This board has been up and running for close to 12mths now,so i dont see it as "new" anymore,or is this still the one you're all talking about?

I long for the original i-dog,when Jim was moderating.5+ years ago and i still remember it clearly,yet i cant for the life of me remember the format of the board before this one,the one directly after the original i-dog!

yeah,,,there WAS something l kind of liked better here than the old forum...but lets see,,,I can't remember what that was!!!