New information search.

rcrvrp · Post by **rcrvrp** » Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:35 pm

There seems to be very little use of the new message board. Why is that?

jerryatduluth · Post by **jerryatduluth** » Sat Jun 26, 2021 7:00 pm

The proglem with the message board is simple. It is desighed by computer tech people who do not think like normal people. One third of the page is a advertising strip for Wordpress and the boatnerd logo . This added to the menu strip and other computer information at the top of the page leaves less than half of the page for viewing. It is difficult to read a long post because thee reader is constantly paging up or down and if you have not read every word on the screen, it will page down too far and you have to page up to read the last line and then page down again. Basically, it sucks. I dont need to sw the boatnerd logo because I already know that it is where I am and I sure dont need to see the Wordpress logo because they are the ones that srewed it up to begin with. Removing these two items would make the page a lot more user friendly and may help more readers to use it.

Wolfesown47th · Post by **Wolfesown47th** » Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:32 pm

On the old board you were not required to make an ID to post. Now that you have to have an ID to post you will have folks who don't bother with the hassle to ask a question and just move on. You will also have people in the industry who follow the site and would on occasion answer a question, those people are likely out for the most part as well. The ability to post as 'guest' should return IMHO.

rcrvrp · Post by **rcrvrp** » Sun Jun 27, 2021 7:46 am

If indeed the new format is keeping people away one would think the obvious thing to do would be to change is back or tweek it somehow.

It would be too bad to have it flounder in the name of "improvement".

Maineboatnerd · Post by **Maineboatnerd** » Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:08 am

Agree that the new format is an ongoing process. Would hope that those frustrated would hang in there and keep reading and trying the site out. It has already improved markedly since opening up. It also helps to clear your browser history.

A suggestion: recommend putting the most recent post on a topic at the top of a thread and not at the bottom.

JEM · Post by **JEM** » Mon Jun 28, 2021 2:07 pm

In general, users just need to be a little patient as the new site is refined and also make the effort to get used to it.

We were all used to the old format, but it was extremely outdated and undoubtedly time-consuming for the BoatNerd crew to try and manage.

@JerryAtDuluth: bitterness aside, it sounds like your issue might be your computer hardware, browser or your settings. The new forum displays fine for me with plenty of viewing space and none of the issues you noted.

@wolfesown47th: a login requirement to post in a forum is normal. It's good for accountability and security, makes following the conversation easier, etc. The practice also helps reduce problems with spam and trolls (think about the garbage posted as "anonymous" on news websites).

@Maineboatnerd: putting the most recent post in a topic at the top or bottom is a preference thing. Others have already endorsed this new way, which is in line with most forums. IMO, newest post at the top is convenient unless your catching up, scrolling down to the last thing read and then reading upward from there.

Brian Bernard · Post by **Brian Bernard** » Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:19 pm

Well, being a person who is a systems administrator I didn't know my thinking wasn't like a "normal person"! ;-)

Anyway,I understand that people don't like the new way of logging into the forums, but believe me when I tell you that this is for an important reason, and that is for ease of maintenance and security. The old site didn't comply with HTML 5.0 standards, so it was hard to make it work consistently on new web-browsers and on mobile devices.

Having my own website, I know that Wordpress is provided as part of a website package provided by web hosting companies. It's up to the website owner to decide if they want to use Workpress or not. So, Wordpress didn't "screw up" anything, it's about the staff at Boatnerd getting used to a new way of putting together and maintaining a website - and when a website like Boatnerd is 25-years-old, then there is a tremendous amount of work in transferring pages to the new format. That's why the old Forums site is still available.

Please be patient and remember everyone working on this website are volunteers and they too are getting used to the new format. Transitions can be difficult in technology, and I've been a part of some that didn't quite go to plan in my career in IT. So I have a tremendous sympathy for Roger and everyone else involved.

Odysseus · Post by **Odysseus** » Mon Jun 28, 2021 10:55 pm

The "new forum" works the same as most other forums do on message boards. Personally, I like it a lot better and it's the reason I've returned to posting here. For me, it follows the format that all other message boards I follow and post on. It's the modern and commonly ascribed use of an internet message board in my personal opinion.

Shipwatcher1 · Post by **Shipwatcher1** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:15 pm

Maybe many of the old posters have not registered yet? Remember too that the last time the information search page was updated years ago the posts dropped off then too.

DieseL234 · Post by **DieseL234** » Thu Jul 01, 2021 3:32 pm

I'm gettin' the hang of it now