AMC Eagle Den Forum
Information and News => AMC Eagles Den Updates & News => Topic started by: IowaEagle on January 25, 2014, 11:51:38 AM
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Regulars may have noticed that the admins and mods have pretty much used a "hands off approach" since the Den came about. We want to know you feel about this philosophy? So far we have not banned or deleted any member, old or new, nor have we had to ask anyone to tone things down. I had one request at our FB page to remove a member and I shared with the requestor that I wanted to watch that member as I felt it was not necessary to do that. So far that has worked out just fine.
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I appreciate the mods here, and the fact that everyone seems nice. Maybe it's because we are a small group
I know on some boards it's gets pretty viscous at times, it's amazing what people will say from the "safety" of their keyboards. That's why I closed my FB account.
Here it's more about viscous couplers in our tcases........
I also like how everyone is so willing to help one another when we encounter a problem with our cars and are stumped
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Of course we are a nice group. We have amc in common.
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I am liking it the way it is. Time will only tell once our population increases but usually we have always been a very friendly and civilized group.
If I had to pick something... One thing that is irking me some here lately (since now there is more of them), is posts being put in the wrong area's... again not a huge deal just throwing it out there (my 0.02¢).
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I'm happy just the way it is. :eagle:
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Seems to be a lot less drama here, as far as threads in the wrong location, could some new members not have noticed all of the categories
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could some new members not have noticed all of the categories
quite frankly, that's the only thing about this forum I don't like. Too many dang sections. It could use some consolidation.
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Thanks all. I realize we have a lot of sections and some things do end up in places other than they should. So, what are some recommendations? What can be consolidated or eliminated?
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Just my suggesting, but there are a bunch of section that could really just be 1 thread in another section and then there are some sections that could just have their threads moved to another section and then that section removed. There are 31 Forums with less than 10 Topics inside them. If these forums were consolidated and their threads moved elsewhere it would really clean up the front page. And that's just the ones under 10 Topics. There are plenty more with under 20 topics that could also use some rearranging.
This may take awhile so bare with me. I'm going to go through each Section/Forum and break it down to how I'd do it if I was starting from scratch.
Information & News
Seems to me like Visitors & Guests Could be merged into Member Information with a Stickied thread for pertinent info for Visitors. Also there is a stickied thread in Visitors & Guests that mentions how to post pictures. The is another stickied thread about posting pictures in Members Information. Member Information also mentions a member map in the description, but there is nothing about it inside. This description seems better suited to the AMC SOAR Section. Which is one of the few areas that seems ok that it only has a couple topics in it. More traffic to it will incur having it on the main page. It could probably use something in the description about it being a Member Map.
AMC Eagle Archives
Model years is a good section with threads for what was available each year and a couple other good topics on prototypes and a graph of production numbers for each year. It would be nice if the Model Years were stickied in order though. 80-88. Also there is no need to have "Our 1980-1988 AMC Eagle's" at the beginning of each thread. Just 1980 Models, 1981 Models, etc would look cleaner. Besides cleaning that up I think this AMC Eagle Archive section is a pretty good one. Not sure if it needs to be the first topic after Info & News as I don't think it's as active as some of the other forums.
Eagle's Den Family
I know we love to think of ourselves as the family friendly forum, but this section seems unnecessary to me. I'm not saying get rid of the posts, but just about every forum in this section could be one stickied thread in the Off-Topic forum and then that forum could just be moved down to General. Would probably take some work moving all those threads around and putting them into one single thread. The hardest being the Furkids one as it does have several topics in it.
General
AMC Eagles Den Meets. Probably doesn't need all the "Child Boards" 2010, 2009, and 2008 have no posts in them. I don't think we need a child board for each year. We can just move all those threads into the main forum. Eagle of the Month is good. Eagle Sanctuaries is a little out dated. Doesn't seem to need the Child Boards either. In fact I wonder if it even needs it's own forum anymore at all. As far as I know there are only two Eagle Sanctuaries anymore. Capt. in Penn. and El Matador in Calgary, Canada. Both of their threads could be stickied in this forum or elsewhere (not sure what other forum they might be good in.) If you did keep the Sanctuary forum I'd get rid of the child boards and just have everything on the main forum. Pitstop and the Automotive Lobby are both popular boards and don't need anything. Member Specialties has one topic in it with just 4 posts. And inside this forum are 7 child forums. People with specialties seem like they could either post How-To's or in the Member Products forum. Good Vibrations is a cool forum that praises other members. I think that one helps show how we are kind of a family. Events & Clubs is a good idea, but it could easily fall under the AMC Eagle Den Meets. In fact that section could be renamed Meets, Events & Clubs and then the Events & Clubs threads could be moved there. Do we really need a thread for Cone of Confusion? We all get the what is that car thing. It's fun to post about these stories, but this is another forum that could just be a single stickied thread in like the Pitstop forum.
Eagle Gallery
Way too many forums in here. I'd break this one down to look like this:
Your Eagle(s)
Eagle Pictures & Videos (All the other forums could just be a stickied threads in this forum)
AMC Eagles by State/Province/Country
Member Art
The Shop
This section is pretty well put together and has quite a few threads in all the forums. I just have a problem with 3 forums. Restoration/Rehabiltation How To's and Tips...it's a good forum, and definitely one we need, but there is a second How-To forum down in Resources. We need to compile them and decide which forum to leave them in. Along the same line there is a Resource forum found in this section. Wouldn't it be better off in the Resource forum? Lastly the Gremlins forum is confusing since the Gremlin is also an AMC car haha. But seriously. If you have a "gremlin" you should know if in what general part of the car you are having the issue and post your question about it in that topic in The Shop.
The Mighty 258
Don't quote me on it, but I think there isn't anything out of place in this Section :)
The next two board I don't think are going to get much action and they take up a lot of room on the front page. I usually don't like Child Boards, but this seems like the best time to use them and we didn't do it. I think we could consolidate the next two Sections into one and then just have Child Boards for each Forum in those two sections. It would effectively free up 14 forums from the main page. So it would look something like this.
Spirit, Concord, & VAM Forums
1979 - 1983 AMC Spirits and 1978 - 1983 AMC Concords (Inside this forum you would have Child Boards of the current forums in this Section on the main page)
VAM - Vehiculos Automotores Mexicanos (Inside this forum you would have Child Boards of the current forums in this Section on the main page)
Classifieds
For Sale: AMC Eagles (This section should just be Eagles only)
For Sale: AMC Parts (Should be for parts that fit Eagles or a common upgrade)
Wanted: WTB Ads Eagles/Parts
FS/WTB: Other Member Cars/Parts
Ebay/Craigslist and Other Third Party Links
Member Products & Services
Junkyard Discoveries
Bucket Brigade
I think the Member auctions forum can be removed. Rollguy tried using it twice and from what I can tell it didn't work. If you have something for sale on here you are basically selling to the highest bidder anyway since usually everything is OBO. :)
Resource & Interchange Center
Quite frankly I never really make it this far down! :) But like mentioned earlier the two How-To forums need to be consolidated and put in one spot. Also the resources forum might want to be moved down here. Not really sure how you'd like to do that.
Wow...so I just went through this whole forum. I think i have some good suggestions, but that's all they are. I love the way the forum is now and don't really mind the clutter as I usually just click the Show unread posts since last visit button, but for a new member or someone trying to locate a specific topic it might help to consolidate and reorganize. I hope my thoughts can help you guys if you decide to go this route.
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Prafeston, thanks for taking the time and effort to go through the forum and coming up with these suggestions. You're right, there is probably a lot of consolidation and elimination that could go on. I would have no clue how to do it, however, and what the repercussions are from the rearranging. For example, if there is a link to a thread in a particular post, and the thread that is linked gets moved to a different area, is the link now broken, or is it smart enough to follow the link to its new location? Perhaps IowaEagle is savy enough with this software to be able to answer some of these questions.
Thanks again for your input, thumbs up to you!
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Nice job Rafe! You have more patience than I do lol.
I would like to add a tid bit though onto that...
In Classifieds
For Sale: AMC Eagles (This section should just be Eagles only For Sale by members only. *If you don't own it, then it needs to go into Ebay/Craigslist & other 3rd Party links)
For Sale: AMC Parts (Should be for parts that fit Eagles or a common upgrade again For Sale by members only. *If you don't own it, then it needs to go into Ebay/Cragislist & other 3rd Party links)
Wanted: WTB Ads Eagles/Parts
FS/WTB: Other Member Cars/Parts
Ebay/Craigslist and Other Third Party Links
Member Products & Services
Junkyard Discoveries
Bucket Brigade
I would also like to see a continous compiled list of parts needed for things (i.e. replacing front bearings, rebuilding the rearend, etc.) with parts #'s & possibly who has them in stock (esp. the harder to find items).
And a list of parts that are interchangeable.
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I see why you want those additions. I have noticed some people posting in the wrong section down in the classifieds.
Well I hope someone in charge can see to it that a few of these things get done. I hope they can be done without causing too much trouble with links and what not. I do know it will take some time reorganizing and moving threads.
And yeah, I'm not gonna lie. That took a bit of time and a lot of patience to compile! :)
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Thanks for your hard work and keen eye Rafe. Gives a starting point.
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I chalked the low number of threads on some of the boards up to the young age of the forum, but I agree with Rafe that the forum could use some consolidating. Is it a major issue? No. Would it keep me away? No way! Just waiting till my Eagle's back together so I can start my own "Eagle in action" and "show and meet" threads... and post lots more photos. Thanks again for a great forum!
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Regulars may have noticed that the admins and mods have pretty much used a "hands off approach" since the Den came about. We want to know you feel about this philosophy? So far we have not banned or deleted any member, old or new, nor have we had to ask anyone to tone things down. I had one request at our FB page to remove a member and I shared with the requestor that I wanted to watch that member as I felt it was not necessary to do that. So far that has worked out just fine.
Was it me? ;)
I like the way it is. I let people I know from the old board we are here. I still hear from some that they are still trying to log into the old one. Perhaps another email to last known emails for those who aren't here now? I'm feeling like crud right now or I'd lend a hand. Just got my thyroid meds again from Canada and it will take about a week before I feel more like my old self again. I actually went for a walk today with the dog (several hours before the upset stomach and coughing fit which weren't related)
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Yeah, the mass email thing has been mentioned.
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You guys have positively ruined other forums for me. And I'm not even mad. Now that I'm once again spreading my search, there is a few cars that I wanted to look at forums for, because I really believe it's one of the best ways to learn and get a network of helpful friends. I have tried one for Daytonas, and one for Datsuns, and I can't get over how rude people are. It's like they all think only they are right, and can't even imagine they still have something to learn. I'm very reluctant to start a new profile somewhere else, because it's not a good community there, like there is here. I have not once felt attacked or put down by anyone. I guess it's one reason I'm still leaning towards the eagle, is because people are helpful around here, and If I have a question relating to my car, I don't have to ask someone who berates me for my question. I saw a notice on one forum stating that if you have the word "Help" in your title, you will get banned.
So to sum this up, I say keep up the hard work, I don't see any reason to change how things are managed here.
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Thanks for the compliments Kyle. We have a great group of folks here who do treat everyone with respect. I took myself off of a FB group that someone else signed me up for because I dared to mention a full sized AMC as a 70's street machine.
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I am still quite happy with the hands off approach, how about the rest of the admins?
Also, Prafeston mentioned consolidating some of the topics? Any ideas on this? I liked Prafeston’s suggestions.
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I think "hand's-off" is working fine for the web site - at least until some occasional wackos sneak into Eagledom! From what I've seen, the Den seems to be the nicest car-related group in the whole freakin' world - with little-to-no policing needed!
I got suckered into being a moderator for my subdivision's NextDoor feed. Just by reading the posts there, I quickly ID'ed all of the subdivision's nutballs I never knew existed - I never dreamed we'd have so many for a small subdiv (180 lot owners; plus kids and spouses of course). Now I know why I don't do Facebook or other social media crap!
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The hands off approach seems to be working fine, and everyone seems to behave themselves. If it ain't broke, don't fix it lol
Some consolidation may make the site easier to navigate, but for those of us who have been here awhile then we'd have to learn the new layout lol. I re-read the previous posts, and a point I made earlier was that if you move things around, do links in the threads get broken because a thread is moved to a new location, or the main heading is renamed? I also think consolidation would be a monumental task.
One change I think should be made is consolidating the "New Items for Sale" button back into the "Unread Posts" button. I think this was split out when there was a lot of interaction with the Facebook page. Now I think that people don't look at the new For Sale posts, and it would make it easier if they were just part of the main Unread Posts button. Thanks for reading!
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I also think for sale should be in the main forum.
AMC of Houston. you made me read that 2nd paragraph first sentence over. almost thought I was being picked on lol.
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Bwaahahah -- I never pick on Eaglers!!
I forgot to address the For Sale thing. I'd like to have it back on the main feed too - not many go to look at that right now; even when they need parts! I know I don't think of it much; but I do have stuff to sell!
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Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. As for the for sale section, being in “classified” now should it be moved?
Thanks, T
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I don’t think of a topic is moved the link would change, like if someone had posted the link on a different site or a different topic as a reference. I’ll test it.
I also like the if it ain’t broke don’t fix it approach too.
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I don't think that the For Sale should be moved out of classified, its just that any new posts in the the "Classified" section used to show up when you pushed "Show unread posts since last visit." For some reason, I think related to the Facebook page, there was a new button created "SHow new items for sale since last visit." A lot of times people aren't aware or don't take the time to push the new button, and so those posts don't get seen as often as they should. If the "new items for sale" posts showed up in the normal "Show unread posts", we'd be returning to the way it was and it would be more effective. Thanks for considering this!
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What VanGrem said!! That's what I meant in my previous post; but VG said it much more clearly!!
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I know the “show unread posts” button at the bottom of the page works, however at least for me the one my my profile picture doesn’t.
I haven’t noticed classified items not showing when the button is clicked.
Is this what everyone else is seeing or are there differences ?
Thank,
T
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so I think I screenshot the issue on a android. not certain of any other. so above the body of the forum it shows for sale since last visit. than near your profile it does not. it is split up. if we could join those into the same it would be what we want.
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I know the “show unread posts” button at the bottom of the page works, however at least for me the one my my profile picture doesn’t.
I haven’t noticed classified items not showing when the button is clicked.
Is this what everyone else is seeing or are there diffences?
Thank,
T
I usually only access the Den online so I am commenting on what I am seeing.
Online, there is a button for "Show unread posts since last visit" and a button for "Show new items for sale since last visit." What I am requesting is to consolidate that into one button, the way it used to be, so that anything new in the classified section is displayed when you hit "SHow unread posts since last visit." Thanks.
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I’ll see what I can do. Not sure why the classifieds are not showing. Maybe I just missed the recent post for classifieds.
As for the “show unread post since last visit” at the top I think the reason I don’t see anything when I click on it, is most of the time when I check the site I just look to see if it is reloading correctly.
I’ll try and combine it all into one.
Thanks,
T