Forum rejig

[AntonyF]

You'll notice that the forums have had a bit of a rejig today. If you have any feedback please post in this thread.

I've tried to make two themed areas for graphics and web, to hopefully create a clear distinction between the two key interest areas.

There was a similar approach before I came back late last year, so you may have a bit of déjà vu.

But I think by bringing in complementary forums such as the galleries - and using the category names to really mark the distinction - I think this way is a bit more prominent.

[handrawn]

OK - you've headed up the Xara drawing forum as 'Graphics chat for Xara products' with 'Graphics Chat' as the designer forum...

but there is a 'Graphics Chat' in the general forum too... is this a good idea - there will be confusion I think if the names remain the same

[StevenWWinters]

Wouldn't "Xara Flash" be more appropriate under "WEB DESIGN chat for Xara products" since Flash is a web technology?

[pauland]

Wouldn't "Xara Flash" be more appropriate under "WEB DESIGN chat for Xara products" since Flash is a web technology?

Yes, but that would be even more misleading, since HTML is a web technology too..

[AntonyF]

Wouldn't "Xara Flash" be more appropriate under "WEB DESIGN chat for Xara products" since Flash is a web technology?

I straddles the fence, admittedly. But the forum split is more about the work in question. The graphics chat about be about designing a graphic for a website, for example. Flash is similar. But the Xara Flash stuff is more about drawing and animation than it is about web technology.

[David O'Neil]

Thank you, Anthony. It has bugged me for some time that the Xtreme graphics gallery could only be accessed from the Xtreme discussion group by going all the way back to the forum root -- this way is much more logical. Perhaps to address the issue of multiple 'Graphics chat' groups, you simply insert the word 'Xara' in front of the Xara Graphics Chat group. (And the general graphics gallery is renamed 'General Graphics Gallery?') Anyway, just an idea, and a thank you for all your work.

David

[Rik]

I think everything looks good.
The Xtreme and Designer bits and pieces like the discussion and the art are in the one place.

However, as many have already noticed, 'Graphics Chat' is in two places.
This is confusing.

Overall, I found it clearer though.

The only thing I find annoying (and has been for some time) is web questions in the Xtreme/Designer forums. Maybe, that's just me!

Who know? The new layout might help with this?!

Overall -

[Soquili]

...Who know? The new layout might help with this?!...

Rik I believe that was the purpose of the rejig.

[AntonyF]

Perhaps to address the issue of multiple 'Graphics chat' groups, you simply insert the word 'Xara' in front of the Xara Graphics Chat group. (And the general graphics gallery is renamed 'General Graphics Gallery?') Anyway, just an idea, and a thank you for all your work.

That's exactly what I'm thinking at the moment. But will spend just another day thinking it over, and to ponder if there's anything else.

The only thing I find annoying (and has been for some time) is web questions in the Xtreme/Designer forums. Maybe, that's just me!

Who know? The new layout might help with this?!

Hopefully! It's a chronic problem that people don't read. The TalkGraphics Questions, Suggestions and Feedback forum is a good lesson in... well... stupidity. It was always being flooded with product questions. And I tried many things to counter it. Moved the forum to the bottom. No help. Removed the word "questions" - surely "suggestions and feedback" doesn't sound like somewhere you'd post a question? But they did. Had the description as "For support and suggestions about the TalkGraphics forums. Not for product support!" Didn't help. Added a sticky topic, didn't help. Put huge, honking 15pt text, red background, saying not to do it -they stopped. Finally. Got a new skin - still that huge message, but now a yellow background, the product questions started coming again (although not quite as bad as before, the colour change started them again!)

It's kinda weird... becuase while I don't expect everyone to get their post in the right forum every time, you can see the lengths I've gone to on what *should* be something easy to understand. So asking people to understand that there are multiple Designer forums, with different subject areas, is an uphill battle.

The messages at the top of the forum confuse people too, they think it's against them personally, or one person thought it was part of the thread. So don't want to saturate the forums with them.

I think the solution to this, which I plan to do next, is honking big signs for the top of some forums. But it'll be more "Welcome, here's what it's for" so people feel less accused. It'll be dismissable. And I'll do it only for new members, so regulars don't get upset.

[handrawn]

That's exactly what I'm thinking at the moment.

yes it's a good suggestion

and the new layout is an improvement, thanks

as to the vagaries of mankind - at least some of us make money out of them [the vagaries that is ]