So, if it wasn't broken, why have I changed it?

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10/01/2008 at 11:14

Hello, so, Visordown has changed and you're probably wondering why it's changed. Well, I wanted to introduce the new features that we've got here, the Bike Reviews, Features, road tests and more.

I appreciate that a lot of people just use the forums and won't use anything else and to those users, the changes are probably hard to understand because you think we've gone backwards from the setup we used to have.

Sure, we're missing some functionality that you're used to but we have introduced new things too.

It wasn't possible with the setup that Jimbo and I created, i.e. the old site, to get the Bike Reviews and Features setup, let alone the other new features I want to introduce, like Rideout Planners and more.

Like I said, you might not give a monkeys about having years of TWO features to browse through, or reading and writing reviews on bikes, but these are the main additions to the site and ones that I think work really well and will benefit loads of people, who, like me, just want to read and absorb anything and everything they can about bikes.

We're continuing to work on the changes, errors, tweaks and gripes. The main issue I've seen is the red coloured bars in the forums, so we've jumped onto that to make the forums easier on the eyes and we'll continue to make changes where we can to make the forums as easy to use as possible.

As a final note, I browse the site with sigs turned off and if you want to do this, just click this link and change the Signatures radio-button to off. It makes the forum so much easier to use.

Thanks and I'll continue to try and help where I can.

Ben

10/01/2008 at 11:19
I use VD mainly at work and we have quite a poor connection i think cos of the network. VD is now almost impossible for me to use as it is so slow and jerky cos you've gone all "hi tech" it just slows my PC right down. Not sure i can put up with it.......................... sorry
10/01/2008 at 11:19

Didnt the old format have reviews etc? I think you could have had everything you mentioned whilst retaining the old format.

The biggest issue is not just how poor the new layout is, it is how unintuitive the forum layout is. Visordown was always about the forum first everything else second. I understand the need to integreate the TWO stuff but that could have been done without any changes to teh forum interface.


Edited: 10/01/2008 at 11:21
10/01/2008 at 11:20
Is there any way to have additional forum skins? I'm not entirly sure what forum client you are using but most allow users to select different skins, a skin with smaller fonts and quiet colours would be nice. Just a suggestion.


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10/01/2008 at 11:31
Admin wrote (see)

I appreciate that a lot of people just use the forums and won't use anything else and to those users, the changes are probably hard to understand because you think we've gone backwards from the setup we used to have.

Sure, we're missing some functionality that you're used to but we have introduced new things too.

It wasn't possible with the setup that Jimbo and I created, i.e. the old site, to get the Bike Reviews and Features setup, let alone the other new features I want to introduce, like Rideout Planners and more.



I'm puzzled why you couldn't achieve what you wanted by just launching a new site with all the new features you wanted, but keeping the old vBulletin forum operating just as it was (changing the template a bit to add links to the new areas of the site etc).

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10/01/2008 at 11:35
In fact, no. Reading bike (and other product) reviews is far from my priority.

Where are you? Why are you here? Look at this

Edited: 10/01/2008 at 11:35
10/01/2008 at 11:36
bigpresh wrote (see)
I'm puzzled why you couldn't achieve what you wanted by just launching a new site with all the new features you wanted, but keeping the old vBulletin forum operating just as it was (changing the template a bit to add links to the new areas of the site etc).
Because the other Magicalia sites use the same forum software as visordown now has, and it makes sense (to them) for it to use a common platform?
10/01/2008 at 11:45

it is ASP not PHP, this was coming if you looked at the other magic sites, the new owner is a microsoft fan.... it may also be slow as it probably runs on the same boxes as the other sites....

"It wasn't possible with the setup that Jimbo and I created, i.e. the old site, to get the Bike Reviews and Features setup, let alone the other new features I want to introduce, like Rideout Planners and more."

Meaning : It wasnt possible for you

Edited: 10/01/2008 at 11:47
10/01/2008 at 12:00

Just a note, the features ie: riding technique are all TWO content that we cant access anyway so you can see why people are pissed off they are losing a good sight because of a magazine that bought the site.

10/01/2008 at 12:08

Thanks for reducing the 'red'.  However, I recall some of us mentioning that as a serious issue ages ago with the last 'facelift', so it can't have been a surprise, surely . . .  

How do I switch off the left sidebar (reviews, news, etc)?  It adds nothing to my use of the site, only makes it less worksafe


Training info is (C) Malcolm Palmer. He asserts his right to be identified as author under the Copyright Design Patents Act 1988 & may be quoted only as part of a post in the Visordown bb by another board member. Author should be contacted for written permission before any other use, storage, transmission or recording, by any means.

Read my mutterings:

http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/

10/01/2008 at 12:15

Aaaaah relief!  Thanks for turning off the red bars Ben

Personally I dont give a stuff about bike reviews and the like, but I can see that for some this would be interesting. 

XXPixieXX


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Burwins Motorcycles
10/01/2008 at 12:40

I seem to be missing something

Each post i see still has the red bars ?

10/01/2008 at 12:43

change is change...

in a few days it will seem normal...

I don't think it's particularly bad and I won't be flouncing, but thanks for turning off the red bars...

Cheers

Reggie


Reggie Perrin

10/01/2008 at 12:48
weeksy wrote (see)

I seem to be missing something

Each post i see still has the red bars ?


There's always one, isn't there?

I'd also like the left hand column remove as I do most of my browsing at work.  

10/01/2008 at 12:51
McNab wrote (see)
weeksy wrote (see)

I seem to be missing something

Each post i see still has the red bars ?


There's always one, isn't there?

I'd also like the left hand column remove as I do most of my browsing at work.  


i've even logged out to try that... i still see the red..
10/01/2008 at 12:53
any chance of the preview of hte post feature when you hover over th title, found this most useful when filtering out BS befoer opening post
10/01/2008 at 12:58
It all looks a bit clinical... like somethings been removed.

Posted pictures now appear much smaller... m'be not a great issue, but in my SS thread on Collision avoidance now you can't see anything... even on the single shot photos.

From the 'tours' aspect, this is going to severely restrict viewing.

Why?


And please tell us Abel has been dropped as a mod. He's unfit for the task – everyone agrees on this.
10/01/2008 at 13:03
I like the way you can submit a new message I haven't managed to get much further than that though as having to log out and back in to get to the next thread / forum area


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10/01/2008 at 13:06

"Posted pictures now appear much smaller... m'be not a great issue, but in my SS thread on Collision avoidance now you can't see anything... even on the single shot photos"

thats wierd..I see them perfectly.

edit: how did one "quote" again?



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Edited: 10/01/2008 at 13:10
10/01/2008 at 13:17

Well they've all gone Grey

Top job Admin. Thank you.

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