New Area (1 Viewer)

[Parker Clack]

At the request of several members we have decided to break up the Hardware Area of the forum into different parts to make it easier to navigate through posts concerning your particular hardware interests.

Parker

 

[John Cain]

Cool.. Thx..

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

It sucks.

I could scroll all these topics on one Forum before. Now I have to wade through six. It's just extra work.

And what about topics that don't easily fall into one of these?

Unhappily,

Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Parker Clack]

Wayne:

I think we should give this a try for awhile and see how it works out. Posts were getting buried within a few hours of being posted. This will give these posts a better chance of being seen.

Posts that do not fall into these areas can continue to be posted in the general Hardware area as before. Again this will make give these posts a better chance of being seen instead of buried.

Parker

 

[KeithH]

For the record, I already expressed on the Forum Feedback board that I don't like this new format either. You know what they say about things that ain't broke...

 

[RobP]

I agree Parker I think this will work out better. It was getting pretty bad there the last few posts I started were completely gone in about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.

Rob

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

While I agree that going through one forum is easier, I also agree that stuff gets lost far too quickly. Let's see how this works out.

 

[Jason Wolters]

I could scroll all these topics on one Forum before. Now I have to wade through six. It's just extra work.

Work?
I wouldn't exactly call that work. It looks to me like some here saw a problem, and decided to try and fix it. That is what one normally does. I commend those that made the effort. This forum is great. I think the membership fees are very reasonable and the advice is very good.
Has anyone ever heard the expression, "don't look a gift horse in the mouth?" I think there are a few on here that are getting ready to haul her to the dentist.

 

[PaulKH]

Keith and others who vote nay - for those who don't have time to be on here every day, and those who aren't interested in every thread, the main hardware forum had really become a joke. Hundreds if not thousands of new messages in a day added. For me, having to skip the endless Outlaw and SVS threads and questions about Bose for example, made finding things I was interested in a real chore.

However, unfortunately I expect many to ignore the sub-forums and just post in the main one anyway. Hopefully moderators can move those threads where they belong as time permits? That would be great.

 

[MannyE]

I personally have no idea why anyone would object to this logical way of separating very popular topics (like DVD players) from a general hardware forum where a thread has the life of a mosquito.

How many RP-91 or S-7700 (or whatever) threads are there thanks to the topic not being discussed long enough for lots of people to view them? This is a great way to make threads live longer and have more complete discussions about each topic. This does not mean topics will stop being repeated, but searching will be a heck of a lot easier if there are 20 instead of 60 to sift through.

I vote yes to the new layout

 

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

The main problem with the new layout is that it reduces serendipty. After doing this stuff for a few years I already know all the basics and a fair amount of the advanced stuff. What I read the forums for is to find the obscure or less common stuff. Being able to see all the messages in one forum let me scroll through hundreds of messages looking for that one with the interesting subject line- talking about something I'd never heard of before. I probably don't read more than 30 threads a week but that is not because of a lack of time, rather the old layout made it real simple to zoom through a few days worth of posts and pick out the most interesting ones with a minimum of effort.

IMNHO the ideal solution would be two "views" of the same messages, for those who like things nicely categorized, look at them through the view of the various sub-categories. For the "power user" who liks to skim hundreds of subject lines with a minimum of fuss just glob them all together. Of course when you post a new thread you would have to pick what sub-category it belongs in, even if you don't normally view the messages with sub-categories. Other than that one little hiccup, a dual or multi view approach could be very successful - if the software even supports something like that.

 

[John Morris]

At first glance, I don't like the new setup either but I am willing to give it a try. Here is my concern with the new setup.

One of the things that is best about HTF is the sheer mass of knowledge and participation by members. You could post a question on a topic, any topic, and get answers within minutes. Even though I am by no means an expert on anything, I do have years of hands on experience with a wide range of components and situations. Sometimes, I found that I could help a member with their questions, even though I have no interest in that specific area. Now, it is unlikely that I'll bother to look in the interconnect, receiver, DVD recorders and tweaks more than once a day, if at all. Also, this layout tends to attract those who are either proponents (with a vested interest)or trolls (debunkers and non-believer troublemakers)within a certain category. For example, if I sell those $200 gold coated brass tippytoe cones, I am gonna live in the "Tweaks" forum. Conversely, if I believe that boutique cables are a waste of money, I am gonna live in the "Interconnect" forum. Finally, if I have an urgent HT problem, I'd end up posting it in both the General Harware AND the Specific Forum for the quickest and best answers.

I guess time will tell if the new setup works better than the old...

 

[Luke_Y]

Jah-Wren Ryel, an excelent idea.