A suggestion to the forum administator

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

I would like to suggest that you make the start page of the forum a catagory page instead of like it is now with just a start page for all posts. It seems that it would be easier to find and ask for help if we have a start page with certain categories of building. I have a feeling that after this new forum gets going, it is going to take much longer for someone to look up a paticular thread, if nobody has posted to it in a while.
Just a thought.

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

It is set up like the old forum, except you don't see all the posts to a paticular thread. You have to go to another page to look at a paticular thread. With the way this click to go to another page to look at a topic goes, I again say that it would be easier to use if we had the start page as a topics page so you could go to the section that your looking for and when you get to the next page you would see another page that looks like the start page also, but only having thread beginings on that paticular item. For example, let's say you had a question about fiberglassing... You get on the forum and look down the start page that has building topics listed and tadah, there it is FIBERGLASS! You click on that topic, which takes you to another page with threads all pertaing to fiberglass. You look down the list and find what you are looking for or post a new question and start a new thread on fiberglass if you can't find what you are looking for.

I know as this thing grows (if it stays the same) there will be mulltiple pages with any and all subject matters listed, or one super long page. You will then need to do a search, which will take a bit longer.

Speaking of searches, I sure hope that they save the old forum information and put it into an "Old Archive". I know that the information was not lost because when the old forum was broken, you could still do a search and get access to the entire old forum, you just couldn't post any new questions. I used it many times when the old forum was broken to search for answers.

I am very greatful that Joan got this new forum set up. I was having a time with a few things and really missed it when it was broken. I am very glad that Glen was there and answered every one of my questions through his email. I use another forum that is the exact same program as this one, exept it is about art glass and that is how they do it, they have a topics page at the begining and it is quite easy to navigate, but beyond that when you click on a paticular topic, you aren't taken to one answer to your question, but to a book of answers with many different solutions.

I don't want to sound like I'm whinning, but if they make the change now, this forum will build itself into a very well organized, easy to use treasure trove of knowledge available to all at the click of a mouse!

[ChipSandresky]

I like this format... it is a different technology from several other popular (kayak) forums. This one reminds me of the WoodenBoat forum. I can scan this quickly and then get back to my work wihout getting drawn in to every conversation :P

- Chip

[Steve Lansdowne]

The key to making this forum format most useful in the future, if it stays as it is, is to use concise yet descriptive titles for the topics you start. Titles such as "Need HELP" tell nothing about the topic, whereas more desciptive titles make topic searching much more convenient. AND, if someone does at some point organize the various topics into categories, having descriptive titles will make their job all the easier. Another thought is that folks sometimes wander "off topic" in the course of responding. If a tangential remark leads the discussion off on another tack, as it were, it might be better to start a new topic entirely, complete with a descriptive title.

[JimND]

Personally, I would not prefer a bunch of categories. I visit forums like that and I often don't check all the categories just because it is so time consuming to wait for each category to load before I can even view a message.

I agree with the above remarks about using the subject line as it is intended, that is with a good description not just a meaningless title, like Look At This, or Fiberglass, or Expoxy, etc. We can also add our own topic without having a lot of categories. For instance, if I have a question about whether others like WEST System epoxy, I would do a subject something like, "Epoxy - How do you like using WEST expoxy vs. other brands?"

Having said that about categories and subject line use, the only categories I can see that would work are very broad categories, like this Builders Forum and maybe one for Trips. There might be others but I can't think of them at the moment.