Why do you have to mess with what works? What you had worked!

mfsob

Member since
March 2005
From: West Virginia, USA

Why do you have to mess with what works? What you had worked!

Posted by mfsob on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 9:37 PM

Kalmbach is at it again ... sigh, but then, since I no longer subscribe due to economic conditions, I no longer have a right to an opinion, but here is mine anyway on the new "look and feel" for the forums:

Load times - not all of us have warp speed internet, guys. Thumbs down (I see we LOST that emoticon).
Popups - good God in heaven, still more attempts to cram ads into our faces? BIG thumbs down.
Readability - I rather hope you don't get an ADA complaint, the new color scheme is very hard to comprehend. Thumbs down.
Features - Ummmm, if I wanted to talk to someone off line, I could ... this new "conversations" thing kind of creeps me out. Undecided on this one.
Menu and directory - now I have to hunt for it? BIG thumbs down. Very big thumbs down.

I realize Kalmbach offers this as a public service, and doesn't have to care a brass nickle about what I think or have to say ... but what they had worked. Why they feel compelled to keep messing around with things is beyond me, especially when the messing around produces no readibly apparent benefits.

... As an aside it took this plain text message almost two minutes to post - and I have DSL. Kalmbach has bloated this site wayyyyyyyyy beyond what most people would consider reasonable. But it's their site, to do with as they wish. The traffic will tell the tale.

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model maniac 96

Member since
December 2008
From: Las Vegas, Nevada

Posted by model maniac 96 on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 12:29 AM

I agree with everything that you have said, the old site was FAR better.

"Veni, Vidi, Vici" Julius Caesar: I came, I saw, I conquered.

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Reload

Member since
August 2007
From: Shakopee, MN

Posted by Reload on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 1:09 AM

I have to agree, the old way was much more user friendly.

1 VP - PPCLI 89-92 A Coy RED DEVILS

I mean, I had fast motor cars and fast motor bikes, and when I wasn't crashing airplanes, I was crashing motor bikes. It's all part of the game. — Sir Harry Broadhurst, RAF, 12 victories WWII

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zokissima

Member since
July 2003
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Posted by zokissima on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 11:33 AM

I hate it when people use the comment that this is a public service, and as such, we should all just swallow it, no matter what. Others also offer very free online forums, with far better designs, and no elitism towards those that make the subscription.

Nuts to that. This is a horrible design.

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bbrowniii

Member since
April 2003
From: 41 Degrees 52.4 minutes North; 72 Degrees 7.3 minutes West

Posted by bbrowniii on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 12:56 PM

zokissima

Nuts to that. This is a horrible design.

Yeah, but hey, look on the bright side - seven of the eight little boxes under your avatar are filled in green.... I only have three... Crying

'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing' - Edmund Burke (1770 ??)

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B-17 Guy

Member since
March 2008
From: Ohio

Posted by B-17 Guy on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 1:11 PM

Look I really hate the new site but I really dont want to leave because of some of the people here, BUT can we PLEASE have the right side of the screen back??!!!!!!! The damn ads ar bigger than the text in the damn forum!!!! That's retarded and makes no sense!!!!!!! Furthermore, why do you run so slow? I've got highspeed cable internet but yet this stupid new forum runs like dial up!!!! Forum, you and me, bike rack, 3 o'clock!

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zokissima

Member since
July 2003
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Posted by zokissima on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 1:19 PM

bbrowniii

System.Net.WebException: The remote server returned an error: (404) Not Found. at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetResponse() at Kalmbach.CS2008.Common.GetNewImage(String source, Int32 MaxWidth, Boolean ShowDisclaimer) zokissima:

Nuts to that. This is a horrible design.

Yeah, but hey, look on the bright side - seven of the eight little boxes under your avatar are filled in green.... I only have three...

That's just post-whoring. Just go once a day to every single subforum, and reply "looks good" to every thread, and you'll be there in no time Stick out tongue

I've been on the site since before the last refresh. I just thought that they'd move up, not down. It took months from the last refresh (it coincided with some controversy on the forum as well) for traffic to get back up. Now that the site is super-active again, once again we see something that could potentially drive users away.

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sumpter250

Member since
August 2005
From: vernon hills illinois

Posted by sumpter250 on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 1:20 PM

The only place harder to navigate is the far side of the Universe....there's no google maps of the far side. This shining example of "technology first, usefulness last", was obviously not too well thought out! The previous format was much friendlier to a wider spectrum of users.

Yes, the overall feeling here is that you took the "Make more bucks, let the customers suffer" corporately selfish road.

Please give us back what has been working so well. Remember, a dissatisfied customer doesn't complain, they just go away. We're giving you the courtesy of complaining first, and if that doesn't work, there's always the going away option. Better a happy group reading fewer ads, than a site full of advertising viewed by none.