ADMIN - New Forum categories

[admin]

I've been putting this off for too long, but it's finally time to admit that the forums have just become too big to keep everything in just one category. From emails and PM's I've been getting I know several of you agree.

With more than 480 new posts per day the forums have become so active that new questions get bumped off the first page in less than a day. If no one replies in the first 24 hrs your post is probably already on page 3 and the chances of someone seeing it get pretty slim.

With that in mind I'm splitting up the main Bronco Talk forum. This should happen in the next day or two.

• Bronco Tech - This forum will be only for technical posts. Think of it as the Garage forum. If you can bolt it to your truck then it belongs here. Examples include fabrication, customization, parts installation & swaps, trouble shooting, tuning, etc. If there's enough demand I may start an Advanced Tech section for discussions of pure fabrication and customization.

• Bronco Chat - This forum will be Bronco related, but for more general non-technical discussions. Examples include Bronco history, VIN decoding, trail rides, shows and events, Bronco sightings, voting threads, vendor experiences, questions on where to get parts or pricing, color selection, general build-up threads (unless they're very technical in nature), opinions on Bronco values, paint colors, etc.

I've considered making a 3rd forum for Trails and Events, but I'm concerned there won't be enough traffic to justify splitting it up. I'm also working on a better tie-in to the Calendar so that events are easier to find and promote. Once that's done I'll revisit the idea of putting them in their own forum.

I'm also going to change the Mass Buys forum to Vendor & Mass Buys. This will be a forum specifically for vendors to announce new products, sales, etc. I've never really felt that selling products in the main Bronco Talk forum was appropriate, so this will now give vendors a place to advertise their products. There will be a small annual fee for vendors in this forum. Every vendor I've discussed it with has liked the idea, but feel free to PM me if you're a vendor with other thoughts on it. "Vendors" in this case means anyone selling more than 1 identical item, so this will include the small shops as well who may only have 1 or 2 products.

I've been thinking about these changes for quite a while and I really think they'll help. Hopefully you'll agree. There will always be some who don't like change, but with the growth of the forum it's inevitable that things will need to adjust to meet that growth.

Thanks!

 

[77BroncoWag]

GREAT idea

I totally agree!

 

[DebosDave'72]

Sounds like a good way to go. I like the forum now, but I have had problems with questions getting burried before they have a chance to be answered. Hopefully this will make it easier to get help and to find answers! Good work Jon! When can we expect the changes?

Dave

 

[brian72]

Jon - I know you are really busy and I don't know how often you get to visit and read thru these pages....Are you going to enlist the help of some of the guys that spend quite a bit of time on the site to help with sifting through the new posts to make sure they are in the correct forum?

 

[BRONKEN]

Man, we are going to be as big as the pirate board in no time (ha ha)

 

[Steve]

Jon, let me be one of the first to voice a big Thank You for these changes. I think it will be a huge improvement.

 

[thegreatjustino]

Man, we are going to be as big as the pirate board in no time (ha ha)

We'll need a hot sauce enema section if that happens I think splitting Bronco talk into the two categories is a great idea. It will make it easier to find what you're looking for.

 

[iwlbcnu]

Personally I always use the "since last visit" button and see all threads no matter how many pages back.

 

[drscotch]

That is a truly amazing volume of posts. I for one had no idea. Sounds like the upgrades are very well thought out. ;D

What will happen if I go and grab my old build up post and add a few more pictures? Where will it end up?

Thanks

 

[TJK74]

Jon sounds like a great idea!

 

[Skiddy]

I know what you mean about getting posts burried in a hurry, I usally go back to 2-3 pages if I am off for a while. This is a great idea and growth is great

 

[trailpsycho]

Great idea Jon! Keep up the great work. This forum is awesome.

 

[Grunt1058]

Thanks Jon. Makes sense 100%.

 

[SaddleUp]

Jon - I know you are really busy and I don't know how often you get to visit and read thru these pages....Are you going to enlist the help of some of the guys that spend quite a bit of time on the site to help with sifting through the new posts to make sure they are in the correct forum?

I think that would be a good idea. It would help to avoid the inevitable flaming that will happen when someone posts to the wrong one.

 

[airman]

Are you suggesting that Jon enilist moderators?

 

[admin]

Jon - I know you are really busy and I don't know how often you get to visit and read thru these pages....Are you going to enlist the help of some of the guys that spend quite a bit of time on the site to help with sifting through the new posts to make sure they are in the correct forum?

I may have to do that, and I appreciate the offers. I purposely timed it now because I'll be able to really spend time moderating this week. Hopefully after the threads are all moved over people will start to get a feeling for where to post. I'm sure I'll need to move some posts, but I'm guessing that will taper off after the first couple of weeks.

What will happen if I go and grab my old build up post and add a few more pictures? Where will it end up?

I'm going to try to make it as clear as possible where to post things, but there will definitely be some gray areas. Build-up threads are one of them. My feeling is that build-ups generally should go in the Bronco Chat forum. Usually build-up threads are mostly pics and sharing with the group how your progress is going. That's great and they're fun to read, but they don't usually have a lot of tech info. If the build-up thread is good at explaining tech info in the accompaning photos then it would make sense in Bronco Tech.

 

[2badrotties]

Great idea but maybe you can make it even better if it isn't a lot of work for you. How about a Bronco mechanical ( technical ) AND a body / paint forum. Half the questions here are RUST related


Oh and maybe you can make a boobie section in off topic too ;D



Just messin with ya on the last one ;D

 

[admin]

I think that would be a good idea. It would help to avoid the inevitable flaming that will happen when someone posts to the wrong one.

Yes. VERY good point. I haven't decided if I need moderators or not, but either way I'm asking that no one take it upon themselves to police the forums. In fact I'll delete your post if you do. It only gets everyone pissed off and really doesn't help the situation. If you see a post you think is in the wrong spot please use the "report bad post" icon. (looks like this:

) That's the absolute best way to help me find posts that need to move.

And everyone please keep in mind this is a change and will take some time. Some of us have been posting here for 5 years and it's always been only one Bronco Talk forum. So have patience with the veterans and newbies alike.

 

[76Broncofromhell]

Sweet thanks.

 

[SaddleUp]

Are you suggesting that Jon enilist moderators?

Perhaps. I'm not really saying he should or should not but rather that it is something to consider. It may help to avoid conflict as long as those involved were respectful about it. Choosing the wrong people could make it an even greater hassle though so I understand why Jon is leary about doing so. (It's harder to take the responsibilty away than it is to give it)