JP1 Remotes

The Robman · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 10:30 am Post subject: New Forums or Yahoo Forums?

Now that you've had a chance to try out the new web based forums, do you prefer them over the Yahoo forums?
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Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

dmets · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 14 Location: Columbus, OH

One issue I can see is the "lost intelligence" of not having the old Yahoo! posts. Is is possible to migrate those old posts to the new forums? Even if the forum is a "locked" (no new posts) then there would be no need for the Yahoo! forums - Lock new posts over at Yahoo.... Then people would have to use the new forums....
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Dustin
RS 15-2116

mr_d_p_gumby · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 12:49 pm Post subject:

Unless we can maintain access for users to all the old Yahoo messages, we are going to have trouble telling them to "search the archives". Will Yahoo deactivate the group if no one is using it? And, file access is still awkward. Otherwise, I love this new forum Very Happy

The Robman · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 12:51 pm Post subject:

If we do move here, the old Yahoo group will stay around as (a) a file section and (b) a message archive.

mpauker · Expert Joined: 03 Aug 2003 Posts: 40

Is there any chance of getting email notifications (not just for replies to our posts)? If not then my vote is to go back to Yahoo.

dmets · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 14 Location: Columbus, OH

Not to sound odd - but why would you want such e-mail intrusions? If these new forums operate like other phpBB or UBB forums - then you will be informed of all new posts since your last visit - so when you go to check the forums - you can with a glance know what is new since your last visit. No need for an e-mail.

Plus the treading ability - man it makes all the difference - Yahoo is good for topics with periodic posts but it is clear that JP1 has outgrown the Yahoo! Groups topic discussion abilities.
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Dustin
RS 15-2116

dmets · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 14 Location: Columbus, OH

Just checked - sure enough - the new forums are set up to inform you of new posts - Posts without a fill are not new. Posts with the orange (on my system) fill are new since your last visit.
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Dustin
RS 15-2116

jamesgammel · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 1:02 pm Post subject:

Actually there's two perhaps even more issues. The First, is this forum doesn't allow for "email only" use of the site. I personally like and use site visitation to read posts, However, I am aware that at least some don't, and prefer email exchanges. Since yahoo is an either or, In good conscience and to repsect those other views, I was almost forced into voting for yahoo. The second is this site has no provisions for a files area. That leaves two options, the first being storing files somewhere else, ie donated web space. the second is to keep using the yahoo forum even if just for file storage. That would neccessitate keeping the JP-1 yahoo site anyway, and for site visitors, a requirement to actually keep both sites active on our bookmarks. Getting files requires that even those strictly email message users visit the site anyway to get upgrades, files, etc, or even to browse files.
Even though Rob has spent a lot of time, and did a marvelous job of setting up this site, I think even he sees problems keeping both active. I think in the balance of things, it appears to me that just keeping the yahoo site may be better for all involved, unless someone can find a way to alleviate these other issues.
Personally, I don't have a problem visiting occassionally all three sites (here, JP-1 and JP1-KM), however the duplicity issue may cause problems in the future. To be totally adequate, somehow we'd need a site with almost 100Meg of space to keep everything dealing with JP-1 in one place.
Jim

Mark Pierson · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 2:45 pm Post subject:

My $.02...

If we cannot get an integrated Files system here, stay at Yahoo. There's no need to try and maintain 2 sites.

I need to ask, though... what prompted the sudden angst against Yahoo (besides the fact that it's Yahoo)? While not the best system in the world, the Yahoo Groups structure has served us well for almost 2 years now (it was originally on E-Groups if I'm not mistaken).

Since I personally prefer the email option, I like Yahoo and have set up my inbox to filter things properly. Don't get me wrong, this style forum is great, too, and I belong to a few others like it. But for me, the bottom line is that email option.
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Mark

jcbarlow · Joined: 05 Aug 2003 Posts: 1

It says I can't vote! Huh?

mpauker · Expert Joined: 03 Aug 2003 Posts: 40

timdoyen · Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 2

I agree with the posters that like the threading capabilities etc. of this new forum. However, it is highly unlikely that a significant portion of the membership would migrate to this site, simply because it requires proactive effort to check the messages.

Let's face it: There are 12K or more members of the JP1 group at Yahoo. I have been a lurker (mostly, maybe 6 posts in ~2 years), and judging by the number of posters, it would appear that >95% of the membership are as well. The email option is the key, at least for me. I can get the digests sent to me on a regular basis, filter them to a folder automatically, and I can keep in contact with the developments etc. on a passive basis.

However, I can argue the other side of this as well: A forum that requires more effort to get information may tend to weed out some of the more, shall we say, uninformed postings. Selective pruning of the tree may be of tremendous benefit for the main pillars of the group. However, I see that both Marks have already stated a preference for Yahoo, which is significant to me.

If there were a way to add the email option to this forum, it would get my enthusiastic endorsement. Absent that, I must grudgingly vote for Yahoo.

Tim

The Robman · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 5:15 pm Post subject:

I personally like the fact that the messages come to me in email form also, but it's the non-threaded aspect that I don't like. When i look at my JP1 email box it usually contains about 50 or 60 unread messages since the last time I looked and they are not grouped together in any way.

When I go to Remote Central, on the other hand, the messages are all grouped together in "threads", so i can pick and chose which threads I want to read based on the Subject line. Something like "Need Codes for my Denon Receiver" tells me that I don't need to read it, whereas something like "Problems programming a 15-2116" will get my attention.

As for the file section, it's not a question of available space, I have plenty of available space on my new server, it's a question of finding software that will let users upload and download files, and only let's then update files that they themselves created.

New software, compatible with this forum, is currently being developed that would allow for such a file section (see this thread for more info: http://www.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=56035 )

aberguerand · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 5:48 pm Post subject:

Personally, I would prefer a Usenet newsgroup, archived by Google Groups. I am mixed regarding the Yahoo vs hifi-remote forums issue.

I do not use the Yahoo email option, so this topic is not relevant for me. What I like with the Yahoo groups is to have all the messages listed chronologically on the same page, regardless of thread. I can quickly browse through the subjects of new messages since the last one I read (marked in a different colour, as it is an already used link).
What I like in the hifi-remote forums is the organisation by topics and the threading.

Where I am mixed is that the lack of threading in Yahoo exposes me to discussions that would probably not have interested me due to the topic line, but that I nevertheless consult when I notice there is long discussion, involving people I know have interesting things to write. In a threaded forum, I would probably completely ignore such threads, sometimes missing interesting information.

In favour of Yahoo, I am used to it, there is a lot of members that would need to switch, there are a lot of external links refering to the Yahoo groups, and with tools like Proxomitron, the obtrusive ads can be removed.

The only thing I am sure of is that both forums can not exist together. We already have alternative discussions running on remotecentral, if we would now have 3 different forums dedicated to JP1 remotes, there would be a lot of information duplicated or missed.

A decision must be taken, and quickly.

Alain

plyons10 · Joined: 20 Sep 2003 Posts: 28

I agree a decision must be taken, and we should remain here.

There is no way to compare the virbancy of the discussions that take place in thread-superior forums like this one vs. the groups I am involved with at Yahoo.
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Peter