Where have you all gone to?

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Tripps
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Where have you all gone to?

Post by Tripps »

As per topic title.
The site is gradually taking its name literally, with the number of posters rapidly diminishing, and often the site becomes a "no post area" after lunchtime. At least that is my impression. Where have you gone? Regular valued contributors have vanished. Have you gone to facebook, or twitter perhaps, or maybe just got bored with the site, and moved on? Has it naturally run its course? Perhaps it's the content? Too much politics, and engineering type topics ? Too many grumpy old men? Some objected strongly to the adverts, but in my opinion they are not too intrusive, and easily avoided at modest cost.
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Bodger
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Bodger »

Tripps, a good example is the "steeple Jacks" forum, hardly any contibutors since the change over, mnd you the posts had decreased on the old site
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Sunray10 »

I'm still here. But I have my own web blog so I am spending a lot of time putting articles on that. I keep coming back to OGFB though. Perhaps something to liven people up would be good, although I'm not sure what. :geek:
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Big Kev »

It'll be change. People don't like change, they get comfortable with what they're used to. The "new" site appears awkward to navigate around until you get used to it.

I'm sure the original OGFB was quiet when it first appeared, it took a few years to build up to the site that everyone was used to.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Gloria »

I'm still here.
I don't look at the forum as much as I used to, I cannot explain why but I don't find it as easy as it was, maybe it is the topics though that don't grab my interest. Saying that it takes people to start topics and there doesn't seem to be as many of those on here now.
I do still come on to amuse myself in the arcade---that makes me sound a saddo :laugh5:
I know things have to move on but I did prefer the old site---familiarity and all that.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Sue »

Actually Gloria I don't find this new version of the site as user friendly as the old one, I don't know why . I have also had a really busy year so farleaving less time than usual for genealogy which is what I used to use the site for such a lot. I have more or less come to the end of any useful/valid research in the Barlick area. I like to keep in touch with my gardening and painting contacts and have the occasional chat with people but a lot of the topics don't interest me . I do always check the site out everyday when I am around a computer
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Marilyn »

To quote the words of a song...
"They paved paradise to put up a parking lot".

( and I felt it best to vote with my feet some months ago. And I do miss you all...every day. You are a great bunch. I just can't handle the way this site is arranged. I would be quite happy to accept this was my own problem, but it seems others have dropped off too, and possibly they have similar reasons. I hope that more come forward with their opinions, though I doubt anything will change....more's the pity.)
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by PanBiker »

Nice to have your comments again Marilyn, the problem with the old site was that the platform that it ran on was obsolete. Doc was planning an upgrade as all things software related develop. When the old site crashed he had no option other than to move to a current platform. I think the whys and wherefores of the decision to move to this particular style of forum has been explained. I think most people will be running different Operating Systems on their machines to what they were using 10 years ago.
Familiarity is a powerful thing, like a pair of old slippers or trainers, the new ones are never just quite right until you have bedded them in, you have to persevere for a while.
As a general comment this is a relatively open board so if the topics don't suit, start some that are more to your liking. Like anything else chucked into the pond they will either sink or swim. The more diversity we get the better. This platform is only 5 months old and is only a bairn, it has to be given time to grow.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Sunray10 »

There are two localised groups on Facebook. One is called Pendle Area, the other is Nelson Lancashire Now And Then. Thousands of local people are now on that one. This could be a problem?
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Marilyn »

Interesting that you draw the comparison of a pair of comfortable slippers, Panny, because I bought a pair of slippers last month ( and I thought they looked a bit funny when I bought them) but it turns out the right one has a twisted sole. I notice I am constantly having to adjust it, and have decided the slipper should fit the foot....not the other way round....so they are going in the bin.

Operating systems aside ( and accepted) there is too much stuff ( advertising, trade directories etc) on here.
It is way too sophisticated for its purpose. I can't see it ever being fully utilised. It puts folk off.( especially international visitors who are not the least bit interested in flashing ads for things they cannot buy, or services they cannot access.)
At five months it is no longer a barn. It is becoming a white elephant.

Obviously there is a problem, or this topic would not be raised. I would say that you ignore it at your peril.

( and around about now you are wishing I would disappear again?)
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Whyperion »

When the Google API Key problem got / gets ( I use a mix of firefox / safari on PC ) a pain the site became unusable. I see there is now a category for advertisers , which I might be interested in being on here , but I dont know where to start , logic dictates look on the portal page, but I cannot see nothing and its only day 2 back here for me. Facebook has half let me in using one of my alter egos , but refuses to send to my email the activition key for facebook - unless my webhost is blocking facebook contact ? I have more been back on a vintage electronics site , since I have a couple of repair projects I am doing for others as well as clearing out the remants of spare parts I will never use. The lack of a calendar and classified ads that the old site had also means I am not using OGFB as I had intended to in 2012. I am also playing a lot more on a vynal record site, which again relates to the disposal of a small part of what I had collected over the years (Scanning and Photographing takes time, plus the MMOC and related sites to try to get some fairly vital parts to get three post war Morris Minors running. I have also got the registration of one of the community groups completed on visitbarnoldswick.co.uk - fairly painless but they did change around the logo I submitted - now mutually amended , but its taken over 14 hrs for the event I submitted not to reach approval stage as yet. Plus moving my son into another flat , helping construct flat pack furniture all takes time, and again shifting stuff on freecycle , only to get more stuff back again !

I should be back up in Barnoldswick at the weekend ( well not really as Skipton on Friday AM ) then over to Keighley for the Weekend Festival ( Model Railway Club open day with my even greater range of aircraft related books on sale - they all seem to be on Russian and German subjects this month for some reason ) , the event is also on Tueday evening too , then I have to go back to travelling around the south of England for a week before catching the megabus ( down to two journeys a day from three the last time I looked ) back up to Colne for another long weekend.

The MMOC has changed to this forum board , but seems to work well for them in its layout, the vintage electronics has the old style board , which they note as now unsupported may have to change at some soon time, but found that some of the problem was the retention of too much old information on the database causing space and retrieval issues. The vynal site is predominantly a database with comments section but with a well designed simple forum section for a number of themed threads.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Stanley »

Funny thing is that I commented yesterday that the site was busier than usual. I think there is a bit of 'rose coloured' spectacles about the views on the original site. People tend to forget how it was staggering and how slow it was getting apart from the fact the platform was enormously expensive as well as being obsolete. Ian is right, Doc was forced into an abrupt change in February and the miracle is that he had it up and running inside a week and it worked. Since then it has steadily gathered momentum and if you look at the page views for each topic you can see this. Kev is right as well, change is disruptive especially when forced as we were. When it started originally it had the advantage that it was totally new and filled a need out there. This time round it was a rescue operation and that makes a huge difference. All these factors have a bearing and all we can do is enjoy what's active and post topics that interest us, remember that the content reflects this, the cure to 'there's too much of ****' is to post what interests you.
As for the site being more difficult, any new system takes some getting used to, I'd hate to go back to the old platform but then I've stuck to it and learned how to use it. As for the Google pop-up, yes it's a glitch and when Doc has got flitting over etc it will be cured. I know you hate me for saying it but I get it once a session and perhaps donating £1 could make all the difference for you.
Steeplejack's Corner is a good example of how a topic can roar on and be enormously popular but eventually people get 'posted out' and drift away. This isn't a problem, it's a sign of success, how many hits do you think it's still getting out there on the archive? Those figures are inaccessible but are happening.
The bottom line is that it is easier and faster to log in and post than on the old site despite complaints. New members are posting and joining in, they will dictate the direction the site goes and I'm afraid I can't agree that we are becoming a white elephant or in danger of extinction but that's only an opinion, time will tell....
PS. There are 15 active topics this morning that have had a post since I was on yesterday morning. That's more than I would have expected on the old platform.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by EileenDavid »

I'm newish but try to put in my two penneth Eileen
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Big Kev »

I, personally, think the biggest difference between the "old" OGFB site and this new one is how posts are displayed on the "front page".
On the "old" site any post commented on would be at the top, of the first page that opened, after putting www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk in the address bar. All very easy.

There are other posts on the site, once you know where they are it's a fairly simple task to find them. As I said earlier, people don't like change. There may be the impression of all the posts being political or mechanical (I seem to remember similar comments on the old site) but, as stated, the statistics show the site is well used and popular.

I'm not sure if any configuration changes would provide a similar "front page" to give a snapshot of all new posts or comments. This may already be available but I just can't see it.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Big Kev »

Big Kev wrote:I, personally, think the biggest difference between the "old" OGFB site and this new one is how posts are displayed on the "front page".
On the "old" site any post commented on would be at the top, of the first page that opened, after putting http://www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk in the address bar. All very easy.

There are other posts on the site, once you know where they are it's a fairly simple task to find them. As I said earlier, people don't like change. There may be the impression of all the posts being political or mechanical (I seem to remember similar comments on the old site) but, as stated, the statistics show the site is well used and popular.

I'm not sure if any configuration changes would provide a similar "front page" to give a snapshot of all new posts or comments. This may already be available but I just can't see it.
Further to the above, I've found it. I scrolled further down the front page and, a few boxes under the wonderful picture of the town square, there it is. A box entitled "Recent Topics". A list of all the topics commented on for the day.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by PanBiker »

I would assume that the number of posts shown in that box could be expanded. On some days 10 is not enough to see the days activity.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Tizer »

Kev is spot on with his comments about the site being awkward to navigate and the inadequate display of new posts on the portal page (the one with the Barlick pic). Like many IT things, the site is too complicated for its function - this comes about because the folk who write the software find it too easy to just throw in everything instead of designing it properly. If they designed cars, the doors would each have three handles and there would be seventeen dials on the dashboard (in fact my present car has too many way of displaying the speed - perhaps the designer came from the IT industry!).

I criticised the portal page in the early days.
i.e. this page: http://www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk/portal.php
The list of recent posts if much too far down the page and needs a lot of scrolling. Non-members would take a look at the page and not see what it is really about. Folk often don't scroll - if they don't see what they want when the page opens, they move on. If you're not logged in then looking at this list on the portal can seem to be either all `Miscellaneous Chat' or `News Hound'. From the portal page you wouldn't think the site was a forum. I find the Forum (index) page useless except when I want to start a new topic:
i.e. this page: http://www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk/index.php
There is far too much on it.

As for the content and subject of topics, it's up to you. Forums are what the members make them. But I think it would be better to make the Active Topics page the main listing and much more obvious:
http://www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk/sear ... ive_topics
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Pluggy »

Personally, I would agree with Sunray who I think hit the nail on the head. The big social networking sites have swallowed much of the traditional forum traffic. Some of my other haunts are in the same boat, its only the 'in your face technical sites' that have kept their traffic, because the out and out geeks that inhabit them have little or no interest in social matters. OGFB is a social site to a large extent and thus it competes with traffic with the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Half a billion people log on to Facebook each day, if a tiny fraction of a percent have an interest in issues pertaining to this area, far exceeds the size of OGFB. Many of the computers I fix are little more than 'Facebook terminals'. Sorry if that isn't what people want to hear.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Stanley »

I've just been called into the headmasters office (Stanley's) to get an update on the site in general, It must be said that I have been somewhat busy over the last few weeks and have been neglecting the site somewhat.

We discussed various things regarding the site and have come to the conclusion that Phase one of the new sites operation is now over and that Phase two can commence.

Basically Phase Two will consist of fine tuning the site to get it back to it's core values which are to encourage debate on all subjects.

There are a few irritating bugs still lurking about which I will address asap, (Google etc) Newshound will disappear, and I will attempt to improve the site's navigation as well as other improvements.

I have freed up a bit of time this week, so hopefully you will all see the improvements by weekend.

I will post more info shortly.

Best regards Doc - Webmaster
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Stanley »

Image

As promised, I duffed him up.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by cloghopper »

Well I've just come back on after a few days away. No particular reason except that I've been busy; with a flash visit to UK for a funeral, lots of gardening to do, lots of odd jobs to do; and just general short of time. I'm not in to Twitterers and facebookers so can't blame them. I purposely do limit my time on the computer, as I think many people are becoming too addicted (including my grandchildren), and it could become more addictive than smoking even.
The critics of the site layout/navigation do have a point. I think maybe the site tries too hard to cater to too many different interests. Look how many sub-forums don't have a single contribution. Maybe a bit of hair cutting and hedge trimming might be a good idea.
cheers,
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Chrissyp »

Is it possible to get the old photos back there was such a great collection on the old site. Sorry if this as been asked before on here somewhere.
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Big Kev »

Chrissyp wrote:Is it possible to get the old photos back there was such a great collection on the old site. Sorry if this as been asked before on here somewhere.
Have a look here http://archive.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk/pic.html
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Chrissyp »

:grin: Thanks
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Re: Where have you all gone to?

Post by Stanley »

Eileen, I forgot that I wanted you to know that as far as I am concerned your views are just as important as anyone else's. The site belongs to all the members and whilst it may be impossible to suit everyone Doc is well aware of the problems. As we all agreed four months ago the best thing to do was allow the site to settle in and then address further changes. This is what he meant by the 'second phase'. Let's not forget what an enormous task the changeover was and be patient if his work on the platform throws up some temporary difficulties like the error message that has plagued me this morning. Complicated stuff and I couldn't do it.....
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