Hi Viking,

I agree with you.  I've slacked off this forum since it's changed.  I thought it was more user friendly before.  I guess I just need to get used to the new format.

Marty

I'm lurking most days that I'm working - though I've been out lately due to some nasty bug that's been going around our office here. You're right about new topics, very sparse, and typically answered before I notice them - and the conversations don't perpetuate or spark new ideas as much as they did at the old place.

I do wonder if our old resident lurker (MdnghtPgmr) is still out there lurking though?

Funny, I was thinking the same thing only a few days ago. Same feeling that a number of folks and with them many questions seem to have diminished, as have the funny observations. Maybe partly due to the paying thing that was introduced with the new forum?

'In the old days' (am I getting old here?), folks would look in, see if there was some news and if not leave a salutation for the rest of us to remind us of their existence. Things like 'Have you seen this site?', 'Happy Hanukkah', 'Have a nice weekend' etc. Not that the forum was there to facilitate this 'outrageous' behavior but it sure make the place come to life.

The new functionality is ok I guess, though I do miss the old list of threads that gave a better overview including the last change date that the old place offered. Also, on the old forum you would be able to select a specific topic to browse for, CL, RPG, etc. I find myself google stuff before looking here. Sorry to hammer it in: new isn't always better...

Regards,

Paulster

Yea I find it kind of non-user friendly, I have not been on it as much as the old forum.  I do miss seeing who is on.

John D

I agree that the new format makes the forum clunky to use.  I think that a few small changes could make a lot of difference for the good.  For starters, the width should be increased for the list of forum topics.  On my monitor, that list is only about 3 inches wide.  Without drilling down into each individual topic, I cannot see: (1) when it was posted, (2) who posted it, (3) when it was last updated, etc.  Why not use the available screen real-estate like the old forum did?

I've made several of the requested changes to the Forum List on the home page.

Eventually I plan on adding a page just for Discussions that would be "full size" rather than a window/list on the home page, and then leaving the homepage list for just "commented today" items. But for now, let me know if the changes I have already made, help.

Oh, and you don't have to be a paid member to Read or Post in the Forum, however, you do have to be a member (free or paid) and signed in to post.

Thanks for the feedback!

Okay, I've added the "Who's here" box to the home page.

Let me know if you think it sucks or should be included elsewhere on the site.

Bob - yes, I think these recent changes help a lot.  Thanks!

Yup, better already - thanks.

Another suggestion: You should have the option to sort articles by date of last comment. (Isn't that how the old forum worked?) That way, we can see what the active threads are.

Yea I also like the changes, I realy like the "who's here Box"  thanks !

Hans, I didn't understand what you were asking for until I just now went back and scrolled through the Discussion Thread box. Currently its sorted by most recently created date, and the comments since last visit are in red. What you're asking for is to sort that box by most recent comments.  The only problem with that, is it pushes the new Discussion Threads that do NOT have any comments, responses yet, to the bottom. But let me look at it.

Thank you.