IMPORTANT! Survey about forums

[Phil Herring]

We are already in the process of upgrading some of the site features (boat and gear ads so far, document downloads and owner photo albums coming very soon), all of which will lead up to a new forum platform in the Fall.

Upgrading the forum poses some very important questions about how they are organized. Our 18 year-old assumptions about how to do this may not be so valid anymore!

In order to avoid changes you don't like, please take a moment to participate in the survey.

We really use this input to make decisions and we care about what you think!

In particular, please complete the questions about forum organization in the middle of the survey. We want to make sure we get this right.

As always, thanks for your help.

Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DVV33Z9

 

[Phil Herring]

bump.

 

[Stu Jackson]

thmp I did, thanks for asking.

 

[woodster]

bump ya back

 

[Phil Herring]

LOL, I know I've been doing too long because I read of the comments and thought, "I'll bet that's Stu."

 

[Sefuller]

Search issue FYI

Not sure where exactly to post this, but to whom it may concern:
When I navigate to sailboat owners.com, and type a search term in the search box at the top of the page, and select Forums, I get a blank page instead of results. If I go to the forums - for example Ask All Sailors first, then enter my search, it works as expected.

I also tried my search on the Cruising Sailors bulletin board. If I use the search box at the top of the page, I get a "message posted Thanks for Contributing..." response. If I use the search link at the very bottom of the page, it works correctly.

I am using a Macbook Air, and Safari browser.

 

[ifmdalvey]

so Shared forums, Ask all sailors is not considered a forum going by the very first question? to be honest, its the only page/forum i use. There is no forum for Island Packet so i cannot take part in the survey?

 

[Phil Herring]

As an IP owner you would be using Sailboatowners.com, so your answer would be "yes."

That question is probably mangled in the difference between the generic use of "forums" and specific use of the word, as in the Ask All Sailors Forum. Sorry about that.

 

[Phil Herring]

Sefuller: that problem should be resolved now and thanks for letting me know!

I should also add that I'm getting some good bug input in the survey, which is much appreciated!

For anyone keeping score, this site runs on three different platforms: vBulletin for the forums, a content management system for classifieds, photo albums, gear ads, upgrades, etc., and custom software for the store. The headers re-created on each platform to provide continuity. Multiply that by 6 sites and in some cases you have 18 separate places to look for bugs. Which is why this can be so confusing: a bug in the header might exist in the forums but nowhere else... although the headers all look the same.

 

[ggrizzard]

Not sure if this is related:
Opened "Monday Mail". Answered survey question. Was routed to new 'Home Page'?
Survey results not listed!

 

[Phil Herring]

Hi ggrizzard, I believe it's been that way for a long time, but that will change with the code to be installed soon. It will forward you to the results (although those would be pretty meaningless early Monday morning). We're also adding a way to search old polls. We have 358 prior polls, and that's before digging up the data from the old (pre-2008) site.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Big thanks

Phil,

Just a big thank you for making this HUGE effort on your part be so seamless for those of us who hang out here regularly.

I have been "exposed" to other websites that have made much more painful transitions, some of which ended up costing the sites their own very valuable resources, i.e., contributors and readers, by not keeping their users advised, lengthy delays, unreasonable changes, text limits, horrible visuals, etc.

You and yours are a breath of fresh air.

Thanks again,

Stu

 

[Phil Herring]

DON'T JINX IT



We've got a ways to go yet but with everyone's help we'll get it done right and squash all the bugs, too. Thanks Stu!

 

[Phil Herring]

Last chance on this... I'm taking it down over the weekend so please, if you want to have a voice in some very important changes, click the link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DVV33Z9

The whole survey will take about 90 seconds. Thanks!