New forum Style

I think we said this somewhere before but for those who missed it...there are many things you won't see. From our side we now have a fully integrated web site with fully integrated subscription system and a fully integrated content management system and a fully integrated gallery system. We can now develop new features with much greater speed and we have a completely own-brand system that my guys totally understand the code inside out.

Yes, I accept this, and of course you have every right to make changes that benefit you rather than us.

We don't pay for membership of the forum, so we have no inalienable right to any particular feature-set.

However, presumably you also benefit, directly and indirectly, from the community here. It will all be a lot friendlier if the community doesn't feel stomped all over.

Totally aware of that too Chris...and even if we are talking a handful of people rather than a "community", we still aim to get it right.

I think that is rather 'below the belt'.

If you really believe that the people that have contributed so vociferously to this thread, are really an unrepresentative vocal minority, and the rest are blissfully contented with everything, then I and others are clearly wasting our time.

You must surely know that not all people are stupid enough to get involved, spend their valuable time beating their heads against the wall, raise their heads above the parapet to get them shot off, and give freely of their time and energy testing and reporting.

However, you'd think that if there were many that disagreed with what us mouthy, luddite complainers are banging on about, at least a few of them would have popped up to say so.

See - the insults and rudeness fly both ways

I give in. Clearly you know what's best for us. I'll go sit in the corner and be spoon-fed like a nice boy.

I am beginning to regret starting this thread.

I will repeat that I was the one who referred to Luddites, not anyone from the management or development team.
As far as the edit function goes, the only reason I might want to edit a post any length of time after posting it is for a dead link. Presumably there is nothing to stop you adding a new post with the new link into your previous post.
Maybe the reason others haven't joined in on this discussion is that they have lost interest in this thread?

I think it is time for the insults to stop flying and for us to just accept what is here. Maybe it is time to put a lock on this thread and you can continue to fight it out behind the scenes via PMs and problem reports.

Sorry but you are spoiling things here for me, and I'm sure for others with the continuation of this discussion in this way.

Just to be clear, when I've referred to Luddites, it's got nothing to do with your original reference.

Those raising issues with the new forum have been accused of doing so mainly because it's not like the old one, for resisting change simply because it is different.

I have attempted to refute this accusation (which I and one or two others have abbreviated as an accusation of being Luddite in attitude), since I feel that it's unfair.

Nothing to do with your original reference.

And please don't see this thread as your responsibility. Someone else would have started it, even if you hadn't.

Happy to report that the team have greatly improved the Search function. It now seems to rank hits on a phrase better, and also allows the "show posts/threads" option that we used to have.

Haven't tested it extensively, but it's definitely a lot better than it was. Thanks guys.

Still cannot edit posts to fix URL's, etc, though.

Carrot as well as stick, I say.

Quite so. And a slightly more emollient approach would, I am sure, pay dividends in persuading the powers-that-be to make the remaining changes that many of us would like to see.

Tempers ran high on the first day, but time moves on, and I don't think that there is any point in going over old ground interminably. This is not Northern Ireland.

G

I was going to start a separate thread but much of what I was going to say is sort of covered here...I'll repeat it though..

Unfortunately the forum now looks more like an advertising site than a photography forum, way too many banners & too much of the viewable thread screen has been lost to advertising.

I appreciate that these things don't pay for themselves & funding is needed but I'm sure that "advert intensive" websites discourage people from using them. Sorry to say it but I find myself using the "other" banner free pentax forum much more now, this one has lost a little of its appeal since the changes.

Come on moderators return the balance back the the forum & away from the advertising

simon

This, sadly, is the least likely request to see a positive response, IMHO.

We don't pay for membership, nor are contributions solicited, unlike the forum you're obliquely referring to.

So I think we're stuck with what, I think, will be seen in time as a late 20th / early 21st century business model, where adverts are foisted on those who don't want them, paid for by companies still under the illusion that they do any good.

What we can do, is block the adverts (AdBlock on Firefox), and I'd urge you to do that - it removes them completely.

Much more important, I still think, are the many features we no longer have.

We still can't edit posts after 20 minutes (which for image links is a real pain in the rear).
We still don't have a choice of font or font colour for posts.
We still can't switch off avatars and signatures if we wish.

I fear we've got to the point now, where the powers that be don't particularly want to make any more significant changes, and have noticed that we no longer have the stomach to continue arguing these points, and will just put up with what we have.

I have noticed that there is a lot less 'banter' going on generally, there is less discussion on competition posts and the site has quietened down considerably.

I think the new competition format is partly to blame for this, we now have to navigate to another part of the site to see the images, make several mouse clicks before the images can be seen properly, then navigate back to the forum section to comment. It seems people are less willing to do this now.

I've been prepared to see how things go but I'm afraid I am less and less happy using this site, it is becoming a chore to use.

I'm not naive enough to think my threatening to go will make things change, I just want the developers to know that I'm thinking of leaving because of the changes.

This is a good point.. I realise that I would go to the current competition thread at least every day to look at what people were posting. Now I realise that I don't. I couldn't even remember what the topic was until I stopped by there just now, prompted by your comment.