Why is it so quiet here?

[Ian P]

On Ian P Said:

I’m sure Jason, Dave, Bill and others WERE giving very relevant input, but my impression is that by the time they were involved the developers had dug too far down the hole and became overwhelmed.

Ian P

 

@ianp For me your past tense is correct; I’ve given up trying to log and document possible faults etc, largely due to zero feedback from anyone official, and members aggravation about too many screenshot illustrations, or that I and others, are sometime perceived as complaining too much. (I’m not including mods here as they are unpaid and sometimes undervalued).
The developers seem to be well overworked through no fault of their own, as explained by Colin, from Model Boats, in a different post.

There is actually a set of Help pages available from the green bar, but unless I’m missing something, nowhere does it explain how to create a new post.

As you correctly surmise, all of the “Forum” buttons do take you to the same place; I’ve found 6 different ones so far, all on the same page. 🙂
They all take you to the Forums list; note the plural in the URL /forums/
I can’t show the whole URL as it will be converted to a hyperlink. Grrrr.

The Blue button “Latest Replies” Isn’t the name of that page, but it is just a direct shortcut to the Latest Replies current list which is displayed, lower down the same page, below the actual Forums list, and in a less bold typeface; it’s also narrower.

Across the top of the Forums list are four headings
Forum   ~  Topics  ~  Posts  ~  Last updated

They are largely self explanatory, but note that Forum is in the singular at the top of the column showing that below is the list of the various forums.

Pick any of the forum names, according to where you wish to create a new posting.

Lets Say General Questions.
Note that you are then in a URL ending  /forums/forum/general-questions/
i.e. an individual forum (singular) called General Questions, under the Forums (plural) section. of the overall ME website

Either read one or more of the titles, or create your own with the smaller Blue Button “Create New Topic”

Enter your new “Topic title”, and text, photos etc, press the “Submit” blue button, and go and make a brew whilst it uploads. 🙂

N.B. If your proposed is long, with lots of work spent typing, such as this one, it might be worth copying all the content into Notepad, or some other basic text editor before submitting.
This will save losing all your work when the submitted post times out and you get the Cloudflare error page.

Note also that the URL of the Latest Replies Blue Button varies according to which page you’re on, but always seems to just point further down the page to the list that’s already been compile.

e.g. I’m posting on this page now
/forums/topic/why-is-it-so-quiet-here/page/2/#post-691467

URL for Latest Replies Blue Button points here.
/forums/topic/why-is-it-so-quiet-here/page/2/#latest

That Latest replies list is still displayed immediately below this reply pane, and hasn’t updated since I started typing this reply.

Edit, I was still on Page 2 when I initially composed the above reply, but it’s popped up at the start of Page 3
Hence, the Latest Replies button URL has updated to
/forums/topic/why-is-it-so-quiet-here/page/3/#latest
And the current Latest Replies list is now shown at the foot of this page.

Maybe we should run a competition to see if anyone can find a “Forums” button I’ve missed. Tee Hee. 🙂
There is another “Forums” shortcut, but that one take you somewhere else, and has a different use; I’ll not let the cat out of the bag yet.

Bill

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Bill’s very thorough notes

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/topic/why-is-it-so-quiet-here/page/3/#post-691475

touch on one thing which I think merits more attention [and perhaps an explanation from whoever decided to gratuitously change the database structure]:

On the old site we had a forum [singular] which contained many topics [a prescribed list] within which a new thread could be started.

On the new site, the forum is no more .. because topics have been re-named forums, and threads have been re-named topics

Is it any wonder that members [or whatever we are now called] find it difficult to navigate when familiar words have been given new meanings ?

MichaelG.

[peak4]

On peak4 Said:

…

Maybe we should run a competition to see if anyone can find a “Forums” button I’ve missed. Tee Hee. 🙂

There is another “Forums” shortcut, but that one take you somewhere else, and has a different use; I’ll not let the cat out of the bag yet.

Bill

.

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I think Bill has adequately explaind how to go about starting a new topic.

As For Michaels point I just went to MEM which has recently been suggested as Better than this.

As it is only a forum that comes up first so no need to click “forums” (Though the same can be done here if you bookmark the right url). Which displays a list of Headings, same as here.

You Then click the one you feel best suits what you want, same as you do here.

You then click “new topic” and start typing , same as you do here.

As I have said things are basically the same as the old forum and I do feel a lot of what is being said is as much not having found your way around the new site as actual bugs though there are indeed plenty of those too. The old forum, MEM and HMEM do/did not have a “how to post a new topic/reply” but you all seemed to work it out so why the need now.

So ties in with what other Fourms use.

As for how I follow what is going on I make use of “latest Replies” just a sI did on the old forum using “latest Posts” Form feedbak this is also how Colin who is the only Moderator on Model Boats also works.

So I click forums, the one on the green bar is my usual one though they all go to the same place. I then either click the blue box “Latest replies” or just scroll down to there.

I’m able to remember when I last looked at the list so scroll down to that time and then simply work my way up. I will look at topics I’m interested in, glance at new ones and keep an eye on any that are likely to be contentious (usually Tea Room).

I do get an alert for 1st posts by new members which I may answer if I can so that does mean I see the topic before anyone else.

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

In response to the original question “why is it so quiet here?” I’ve only just found out (17th Nov) that the forums are back up and running!

I don’t know if it has already been mentioned but there seems to be an issue with saved pages/favorites.

I had a model-engineer.co.uk page permanently saved and opened in a tab on my phone. I have been refreshing that page almost every day since the changeover and every day I was being shown a “we will be back soon message” no links to the forum!

It’s only because I clicked on the warco ad and then pressed back a few times that the page then showed the proper homepage!

 

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, well I can only find five forum buttons that take you to the same page when you are not logged in, three at the top, and two at the very bottom. The sixth one I only see when I do log in, and that is the one that says access the forum here, which is no longer in view when you click on anything.

Regards Nick.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

There are infact 6 ways to get to “Forums” whether logged in or out depending on what screen you are on. However I would not class one of those as a button. Plus the one Nick mentions when you log in.

No prize for the first person to point out where the 6th one is and I’m not including the back button in that.

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

There are infact 6 ways to get to “Forums” whether logged in or out …

… which, I would suggest, is symptomatic of the whole mess

Surely it would be possible to display one little “button” at the same location on every screen, for the convenience of users.

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Indeed as I have asked for things like this including a consistent button shape/colour originally some were just the blue underlined type link that were even harder to spot.

Actually one at the top and one at the bottom of the last reply in a topic would be better than having to scroll back up to the top of a long thread

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi JasonB, when opening this website and without opening anything within, I can only find the five forum buttons that I’ve mentioned, if you then open any of the forum headings or the topics within them or open any of the replies, you will find a forum button at the top of every page.

Regards Nick.

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

There are in fact 6 ways to get to “Forums” whether logged in or out depending on what screen you are on. However I would not class one of those as a button. Plus the one Nick mentions when you log in.

No prize for the first person to point out where the 6th one is and I’m not including the back button in that.

You’re quite right, I was being a bit lazy with my terminology. One is the hyperlink displayed just after you have logged on, and is a means to get to /forums/ list. Counting that one, there’s six shortcuts visible on that screen.
I hadn’t really looked for another method when logged off.

The one I mentioned last, is labelled “Forums”, but isn’t really a button either; more of a tab, and it doesn’t take you to the whole forums list.
I was hoping someone reading might look for it and find more about the forum’s facilities in the process.

Bill

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

Indeed as I have asked for things like this including a consistent button shape/colour originally some were just the blue underlined type link that were even harder to spot.

Actually one at the top and one at the bottom of the last reply in a topic would be better than having to scroll back up to the top of a long thread

I think the above give us a clue to why this forum by which I mean the whole website (of which the forum is one part of) is so bad.

If Jason has been asking for changes (which I know for sure he has) and his words have gone largely unheeded  then its purely down to the Morton management. As I see now they must be wondering whether to even host the forum, it cannot be generating income now that the advertiser seem to be leaving in (small) droves.

Ian P

 

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I am convinced more than ever, that it a waste of all our** time replying, suggesting, commenting and requesting changes!

If the most basic items like the multiplicity of ‘buttons’ (my crude description) have remained from before the new site was launched than there is no hope of this site ever operating to the usual website norms and practice.

** by ‘our’ I am referring to all the moderators and participants.

 

Ian P

[Ian P]

On Ian P Said:hread

As I see now they must be wondering whether to even host the forum, it cannot be generating income now that the advertiser seem to be leaving in (small) droves.

Ian P

 

Funny enough over the last couple of days we have seen the addition of the Amadeal and Derweatts Ads. Lets keep our fingers crossed they generate a bit more income that will pay for someone to sort the site out. I did not bother to look at the Amadeal one but a look through the Derweatts auction catalog passed the time while waiting for this site to catch up.

[Graham MeekParticipant @grahammeek88282]

I saw the Locomotive, but the name alongside did not register. Thanks for pointing out that it was an Ad Jason. Just goes to show the Ad did not have it’s desired effect.

Regards

Gray,

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Yes but we appear to have a new logo WHY?

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

On Ian P Said:hread

As I see now they must be wondering whether to even host the forum, it cannot be generating income now that the advertiser seem to be leaving in (small) droves.

Ian P

 

Funny enough over the last couple of days we have seen the addition of the Amadeal and Derweatts Ads.

 

Lets keep our fingers crossed they generate a bit more income that will pay for someone to sort the site out.

 

I did not bother to look at the Amadeal one but a look through the Derweatts auction catalog passed the time while waiting for this site to catch up.

I could interpret that sentence as, ‘the site will have to wait until Morton’s get some money in’ (and then they have to find the right someone)

Ian P

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

One way to maybe focus Morton’s would be not to renew subscriptions etc

H

[bernard towers]

On bernard towers Said:

Yes but we appear to have a new logo WHY?

Perhaps the publishing company that owns this has a graphic designer with a few minutes spare?

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Is work still being done on improving this website and forum?

I have not noticed anything positive in the last few days.

 

Ian P

 

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Joke for the day:

I just clicked on ‘THE MODELLING HUB’ in the mid-blue bar near the top of the page: https://www.themodellinghub.co.uk/

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

As for Artistry Michael, there are different types or Artist!

Yes project is over time and over budget so as I have said previously don’t expect much more than the speed to be getting worked on in the immediate future (Yes it is being worked on now Ian)

With only something like 10% of users being subscribers I doubt not renewing your subs will have much effect, most are here using the site for free. More likely to see the mag fold.

[Ches Green UKParticipant @chesgreenuk]

The Model Flying forum’s Latest Posts has a rather interesting look to it …. https://forums.modelflying.co.uk/index.php?/discover/unread/

It even has a Condensed or Expanded option for viewing the Posts.

Ches

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

As for Artistry Michael, there are different types or Artist!

…

You’ve lost me there, Jason

MichaelG.

.

Edit: __ what amused me was the closing line

”While you wait for us to be ready, take a look at one of our excellent magazine’s websites…”

I have no problem with artistry in any field of endeavour !!

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

P**s Artistry

[Author]

Posts