32 replies to this topic

[Johnny D]

I think the horse is already out of the barn and we shouldn't go back, but with that said, a blast from the past.

IMO, Part of your success of the old site was the way it was laid out, the picture like an album,(who we are and what we do or did), the colors (not grey), the new content(easy to access), and I think you should build on that success not just change to this, you may not get the same results. This is important to your sponsors, users and new comers of/to the site. Reading some of the comments from the old site calling it "my old friend".

If you made this site look and feel like the old site and kept all the new bells and whistles, you'd have the best of both worlds.
I.E. 69 Camaro with all new engine, trans and suspension.
J~

[Todd Green]

Please don't go back to the old site's forum software. IPB is so much better. It is also highly customizable; the size of posts, pics, storage space etc. can all be changed. It wouldn't be hard to build an active/recent post list etc. like the other site had. I do agree that it would have been nice to have imported the databases from the old forum to here, but as it has been said, that horse has already left the barn. I don't see how you possibly are going to be able to go back now that you have two user databases with conflicting usernames etc. Unless you were talking about running IPB on specmiata.com which doesn't seem worth the effort to me. I can still come here and get help and offer help. The domain name doesn't really matter or if I'm in a subsection of a forum.

[john mueller]

PLEASE DON'T GO BACK !!! This site is so much better.

[Qik Nip]

Honestly, I don't visit this site as often as I did SM.com. Maybe just the off-season effect....

You may not be alone. I sense that traffic is down, but I have no data to validate that opinion. Perhaps Jim can shed some light on the number of posts in the SM section first quarter 2011 versus 2010.
Rick

[Lance Snyder]

Is it not possible to merge the two forums? No way to "upgrade" the software on SM.com while retaining all the old members and topics?

Sean,

No.. the old software was SO old you would have to upgrade to do another upgrade at a minimum, the chance of data loss, confusion and other unforeseen issues was significant.

[Caveman-kwebb99]

I voted that it should come back myself, not that I don't like this site because it is great once you get to kow how to use it. Let's face it change is hard sometimes. I think if you took this pole 2 months ago it would be overwelming to bring the old site back. Wait another two months from now and it will be an overwelming NO to bringing it back. The old site felt comfortable, maybe it is just as simple as making the look more familiar. But I still think in another two months most of us will vote NO. Thats my two cents (I know it's worth nothing) especially in this economy!

[Tom Hampton]

Perfect. The results are exactly 50/50 (31 votes for each side). Close the poll...

[Lance Snyder]

Also guys I have a consolidation plan but the database is acting up for whatever reason... it's about 1/2 way done so don't be surprised when things move/disappear.

[Brandon]

Being something of an IT geek I know there are many ways to make "SM.com" == "mazdaracers.com" so whether you use the new name or the old, it (the name) can return.

However, as others have noted, the underlying software/platform this site runs on it entirely different and will, in no easy way, support a reversion to the old site's format/layout.

One thing I could recommend would be to shift the default color scheme from the "Mazda Racers" to the "IP.Board" one as that does wonders for readability.
Or lighten up the colors of the MR scheme.

I'm thankful for Jim and the time he puts into the website & services it offers and perhaps the transition could have been handled during a "higher traffic" time of the season but somehow I think he may have had some races to run and cars to prep during that time.

Two thumbs up Jim!

Thanks,
Brandon

[Gatoratty]

Spoke with at least 10 SM drivers and a couple of stewards today at Daytona who said they don't go on this site any more and miss the old site due to layout and the ability to instantly see all of the new posts on one page. The fact that a poll only gets 70 votes should indicate a real lack of interest from the old users.

[Tom Hampton]

Did you point the to the 'view new content ' button? The fact is that the new version is way more effective than the old. It just isn't the default on the front page anymore.

Don't get me wrong. This Site needs a better face/front page / whatever you want to call it. I just think that everyone should focus on improving THIS site rather than trying to revert to the old.

[FastM3]

I just noted the poll. Almost missed it because I dont come here often any more and I am trained to ignore anything that says SpecMiata.com. I used to visit the old site maybe 10 times a day, this site maybe once every couple of days.

I voted yes. Only because the old site was comfortable. You geeks know what works technically. What do I know about that. This site feels cold and sterile compared to the other. Not sure why.

We knew the other site was for Spec Miata people and that we would find stuff that was always going to be relevant.

[Kudo]

Sorry to bump this up, I know the more experienced forum people hate that.

I'm just curious though, why don't you just make this have a larger link on the forum page (eg move this up to the paddock). I mean yes, technically the site is organized correctly, but people are lazy, and some people may be turned off by the current nested menu system. Miata users were pretty active on the old boards, and traffic here is much slower than it was on specmiata.com . Regardless of decision, something should be done.

In terms of design, I like the new layout. My only complaint thus far is with the classified system because it does not have a location sort (or even a location tab for that matter).