Please consider upgrading to a more modern forum
- Thread starter eBrooker
- Start date
Perfectly happy with it as one of the well managed and useful sites on the internet. And it’s so much better than the FB groups. No change necessary for the simple things we want it for. I think broadly you have your answer embrooker. Looks like 75/25 to date and the people posting are the active ones. You don’t happen to design websites do you?
Crazy Harry
Senior member
Firstly OP its a good call to ask the hard questions - its not the first time this suggestion has crossed our paths and I think it a little unfair that you've scored a hard-ish uncompromising response. I can understand that if you getting to grips with posting on here there are differences with more modern sites.
I thought I'd try and give you a longer answer and explain (as I see it) why the 'prolific' posters are protective of what we've got. I'm guessing that most of the 'prolific' posters are in an age profile mid fifty’s and beyond. They came here to sort a problem with their Zed and stayed - because the information and support is good; and more importantly they enjoy being here. Have a look how many of them no longer have a Zed but they still come back.
I think most are not technophobes. I took out my first mobile phone contract in the early 90's - I wasn't an early adopter but I could see some advantages to having one. In 2011 I was forced to move from my Nokia 3310 to a smart phone to be compatible with systems we had at work - it was not an improvement - I had to look at the phone to dial; which meant I had to have reading glasses and the phone with me. People started to text me and expected me to text back.
You may have noticed that forum members (to the greater extend) write in sentences. I guess most of us are laptop or tablet based not on phones and this has ensured a better level of understand - ability than many sites I've visited. The only 'M8' most of this lot know goes from Glasgow to Edinburgh! You only have to count the number of international members to confirm this accessibility.
There are other options out there for site format - different not better, after all we're all judging this using different criteria. I a member of the Lotus and Caterham Seven club. They changed the forum - I can't even get local area news unless I learn how to follow people. I spent the last ten years of my working life sorting out spats and bullying that orientated on social media and sadly its not a force for good (in my mind) so I ignore it and the Seven club now as well.
.... but don't get disheartened, keep making suggestions - in the main it’s not that we don't know; it’s that we don't want to risk upsetting what we have. I'm minded of the quote about how you can tell a Gentleman. The next post will be a correction to this quote or tell me where it’s from (it’s that kind of forum).
A Gentleman is someone who can play the bagpipes but choses not to.
In the same kind of way we chose what we have here!
I thought I'd try and give you a longer answer and explain (as I see it) why the 'prolific' posters are protective of what we've got. I'm guessing that most of the 'prolific' posters are in an age profile mid fifty’s and beyond. They came here to sort a problem with their Zed and stayed - because the information and support is good; and more importantly they enjoy being here. Have a look how many of them no longer have a Zed but they still come back.
I think most are not technophobes. I took out my first mobile phone contract in the early 90's - I wasn't an early adopter but I could see some advantages to having one. In 2011 I was forced to move from my Nokia 3310 to a smart phone to be compatible with systems we had at work - it was not an improvement - I had to look at the phone to dial; which meant I had to have reading glasses and the phone with me. People started to text me and expected me to text back.
You may have noticed that forum members (to the greater extend) write in sentences. I guess most of us are laptop or tablet based not on phones and this has ensured a better level of understand - ability than many sites I've visited. The only 'M8' most of this lot know goes from Glasgow to Edinburgh! You only have to count the number of international members to confirm this accessibility.
There are other options out there for site format - different not better, after all we're all judging this using different criteria. I a member of the Lotus and Caterham Seven club. They changed the forum - I can't even get local area news unless I learn how to follow people. I spent the last ten years of my working life sorting out spats and bullying that orientated on social media and sadly its not a force for good (in my mind) so I ignore it and the Seven club now as well.
.... but don't get disheartened, keep making suggestions - in the main it’s not that we don't know; it’s that we don't want to risk upsetting what we have. I'm minded of the quote about how you can tell a Gentleman. The next post will be a correction to this quote or tell me where it’s from (it’s that kind of forum).
A Gentleman is someone who can play the bagpipes but choses not to.
In the same kind of way we chose what we have here!
deltasierra
Member
Most of us are hands on car enthusiasts who enjoy driving and fixing cars, we are not social media fanatics whose whole life revolves around minute to minute tweets, we spend weeks and months getting our cars the way we want them. Not sitting in front of a screen playing car games with no consequences.
The forums for the other cars I have are very similar but I have to say the Z4 forum is the most practical and helpful, rather than just moaning about faults.
The forums for the other cars I have are very similar but I have to say the Z4 forum is the most practical and helpful, rather than just moaning about faults.
Crazy Harry
Senior member
Pondrew said:
Gone around 18 months; back a few days ago and it feels like I'm home again already :rofl:
Fred Smith
Active member
IMHO there are broadly speaking two types of forum, the old fashioned ones which might be a bit clunky, but are clear and simple... and the flashier more modern ones which are too clever for their own good.
tomscott
Lifer
There are features that would be nice, like a mobile version that works a bit better.
Simpler ways to place images, links that automatically populate rather than using the code system. Simple ways to update profile pics and sigs without such a tight size restriction, or that would resize automatically without any need on the user. Simple ways to interact with posts to show appreciation or not.
A visual update would be nice.
In terms of the forum, it is excellent but a platform update would be nice.
Certainly, most on here are generation X who are in the camp of if it works dont fix it and are less excited by change. Gen Y are digital natives much more into change as this period of time saw the largest change. Internet age, physical to digital etc and adapt better and less worried about it and prefer change.
If it goes off target audience, the forum will probably see a decline as there aren't loads of new users signing up.
Bottom line its not a forum making money is run by a guy who is passionate about the marque and keeps its going. Ads are super low key and is funded by user donations.
The effort level to move over 15 years of posts etc is probably more work that its worth at this point. Some improvements that dont change the way the forum works but adds new features would be welcome.
Simpler ways to place images, links that automatically populate rather than using the code system. Simple ways to update profile pics and sigs without such a tight size restriction, or that would resize automatically without any need on the user. Simple ways to interact with posts to show appreciation or not.
A visual update would be nice.
In terms of the forum, it is excellent but a platform update would be nice.
Certainly, most on here are generation X who are in the camp of if it works dont fix it and are less excited by change. Gen Y are digital natives much more into change as this period of time saw the largest change. Internet age, physical to digital etc and adapt better and less worried about it and prefer change.
If it goes off target audience, the forum will probably see a decline as there aren't loads of new users signing up.
Bottom line its not a forum making money is run by a guy who is passionate about the marque and keeps its going. Ads are super low key and is funded by user donations.
The effort level to move over 15 years of posts etc is probably more work that its worth at this point. Some improvements that dont change the way the forum works but adds new features would be welcome.
enuff_zed
Lifer
I could never get this to work, so as an example of how we old folks would rather muddle through than change, I open a second tab on my browser, find the thread I want to link to, copy it's address and paste it back into the post I'm making on the other tab. :roll: 8)tomscott said:
