The Auswine Forum

Hello all

Where's the usual arguments, banter, comedy and more we're used to?

Hope the new forum doesn't stop the interaction we all enjoyed so much?

No need to be formal.

Sorry Gav, but this thing just 'aint' as user friendly. From home, it's SUPER slow compared to the old forum, and you have to go 'searching' all the time, rather than all posts 'staring' at you as per the old forum. Call me draconian Gav, but I really don't like the new format at all. I liked the single page format .... KISS principle.

Ian

Gavin

What can you do ? - the old one was apparently un-recoverable but the problem hardly needs stating - the old forum was unique in that you could see the comments quickly and easily and it almost encouraged add-on comments.

The new one is by its very nature more formal (eg. needing to sign in every time you want to comment) so it discourages banter and comedy. I don't think it will have the same content as the old one even after a fair period of time - I don't see it on any other board with this format. For example, it would be difficult to see where Edward or his mum could get an effect very readily (some might say this is a good thing, eh Brian !)

I must say the format of both Oz boards does not do it for me either. It certainly seems to encourage the frequent, more serious commentators interestingly though.

As a matter of interest, how does WCWN keep going on the old format ?

regards
Chris

you shouldn't need to sign in all the time - there should be an option to stay signed in all the time somewhere. Perhaps it's just not enabled? Perhaps you don't have cookies enabled?
I've signed in only once on the erobertparker board and it remembers my details.

Gavin, see my suggestion in your post about limiting the forums - I honestly don't think we have the traffic to support multiple fora.

Other than that, I like the software!

I just hope we never have to look at a picture of Edward's mum!

Chris,

When you log in there is a little box next to where you type the pass word that says "Log me on automatically each visit" and if you tick that box then you don't have to go into the log in process every time. Thats assuming your computer is set up to allow you "permission" to do so.

This format is heaps better gavin, the old one sucked! It was good for informal banter and one liner replies but that's about it. It was always a mission trying to follow anything with bits on the same topic all over the place and then having to troll back through the next day to see if anything was added. The most un user friendly BB I had ever seen. I find this one runs just as fast as well, sometimes the old board would take ages to change pages. People will get used to it

...In an ideal world, of course, we'd just be posting notes to a database, and you'd choose the format you wanted to see it in. I suppose that's all to hard for all these software gurus... (spoken as an accountant who's heard all kinds of promises before!).

THere is more functionality here, but I find you do lose the ebb & flow of the replies - the 'indenting' system is very handy for seeing who's replying to whom. Ah well.

Real question is, can we migrate all the archived TNs from the old forum over here?

cheers,
Graeme

Thanks all,

The feedback is very important for me.

The old software had just run its day, we were increasingly losing data, once a whole month, every single morning people were getting error messages, and it was, behind the scenes, costing me money to keep fixing the problems ... un sustainable.

WCWN do it by using a programmer to work on the site. So does Robin Garr. Whether its paid or free I don't know, but those forum's sell extensive advertising and pay for themselves, whereas the only guy paying for mine was, and is, me.

As the old board and this thread shows, you just can't please all the people all the time. Some love this and hate that, some love that and hate this etc.

Each time I polled about changes I got roughly equal mix of I love Robin Garr's, I hate Robin Garr's etc

You can click a button to have yourself automatically logged in as long as you're from the same computer, I certainly do.

Let's all just get used to the new software, it has many advantages, and undoubtedly some disadvantages, but this is a wine community and the key is not the software, but the discussion.

I'd like to encourage you all to post, ask questions, make comments as you may previously have done.

Let's all just post, be active and take it from there?

The number of forums, too many, not enough etc is an on going play around by me.

That said, its your forum too, you let me know about which should stay and which should go?

Most of the new ones have either been requested by board members

OR

are an attempt by me to turn as many lurkers as possible into posters, hence trade and newcomers forums.

Many days I had more lurkers than posters on the old board, trying to turn that around, but I can add and remove forums as needed, so keep the comments and opinions coming!

I like the new format. 'nuff said.
But like someone else said - perhaps too many sub-fora.

Cheers,
Sue

I really like the new Forum, I found the old one too difficult in following current topics & follow ups as you wopueld have to scroll down the whole page or even the next page, whereas here the current topics stay on top.

maybe there is one too many options re forums although its easy to monitor as there is a time & date that shows when last posted.

Great move, thank you gavin, keep up the great work