Forum Updates and App (Tapatalk)

[lilgodwin]

1. Has anyone (Admins) thought about organizing the forum into sections? I've ran a few forums years ago, and I suppose it depends on the platform, but it was very simple to add sections and subsections.

Something like this for example:

1. ShopSmith Models
   • Mark V
   • Mark VII
   • Mark 7
   • ER 10
2. Marketplace
   • NorthEast
   • SouthEast
   • MidWest
   • SouthWest
   • NorthWest
3. HowTo/Tutorials
4. Community
5. ShopSmith Tool Talk
   • Lathe
   • Drill Press
   • Routing/Shaping
   • Table Saw
   • Jointer
   • Scroll Saw
   • Band Saw
   • Belt Sander

Obviously each (sub)section would include a description to help guide users to the right location.

2. I've recently been using the Tapatalk app (Android version, though I'm sure Apple has it too). After doing a little research it seems really easy to implement it for any given forum. It takes a few minutes to install the plugin. It allows anyone to use the app, login/stay logged in, view, post, reply, and even remain notified about new postings, etc. It's new to me, but a great tool for anyone with a smartphone and an avid forum user.

In no way is this post meant to offend the admin or users of this forum. After all, I've only been a member for a few days. I've been doing a lot of reading an it's already proven to be a great forum with excellent advice and users.

I've seen that there's a "Forum Sections - suggestion" sticky thread, and I've scanned a few of the posts and it didn't seem to touch on what I'm thinking about. So if I missed it, and that's not the case, I apologize.

If either/both of these ideas gets shot down, I'm not offended (that's really hard to do, haha). I just wanted to offer what I think are helpful ideas. I already really enjoy this forum and intend to be around for a very long time.

[dusty]

My vote doesn't count but if it did, I would say "leave well enough alone". It is working now and I want it to continue to do so. There are some changes that I would love to see but those have all been discussed here on the forum and the forum is still as it was. Besides, I no longer "live on the forum" like I used to so maybe I don't even get a full vote.

[admin]

With the limited number of posts per day, I'd be concerned with adding too many sections and subsections. With too much dilution it would look inactive to new users. Once history was built up though, it would make it easier to find old posts (some topics can be hard to come up with a good term for the search function that will find topics without overloading me with a large number of results).

I remember looking at tapatalk. Looked like a nice program, but there was something in the terms and conditions that stopped us (can't recall what it was now, though).

[lilgodwin]

Good enough for me.

[JPG]

Another thing to consider is there be a bunch of old fogeys that are reluctant to change(myself included) lingering here.

A while back the forum software was changed due to $ considerations.

That adjustment was not easy for some. Most of us understand the need for the change.

IMHO the current 'forum sections' is acceptable and FWIW is a carryover from the previous forum setup which was in place for quite a while.

[ReWilson]

This forum is ok as is.
I run 2 Facebook groups that more than make up for the problems with this forum just search for Shopsmith on Facebook and you will find them.

[robinson46176]

While we could always "wish" for more I do find this forum format to be generally satisfactory.
I'm on a lot of forums and on waaay too many Facebook groups but this is the first place I check on when I get on-line. I kind of come and go on the Lumber Jocks site. It's a good site but is also an example of one with maybe too much in the way of sections and sub-sections. Maybe it's just because I'm getting old but I tend to often find it to just be "a bit too much". I don't mean to put it down at all, it is very well done, it's just huge... I do like the sub-section "Focus on the workspace". It kind of splits off shop from project a little but that is just me.

I'm on a Facebook group called Class C RVing which is big and busy that could stand some sectioning to divide the dog people from the cat people and the WalMart parking lot campers from the $130 a night showy campgrounds folks and the 30 year old 22' MH people from the 2018 half mile long MH folks. The main problem with all of Facebook and especially big busy groups is that stuff piles up quickly and you can seldom go back and find something you saw the day before. Facebook likes to decide on their own what they want to show you up front and what they want to hide behind a small link that says "See more comments"...

The one thing (and not a big one) I would wish for here that most others have is the ability to feed it any size picture instead of me having to resize them manually. I currently get around most of the bother by posting pictures to Facebook from my phone and then saving the resized picture to my PC to use here.

Oh, one more wish... I wish more folks would join in. I like this group but sometimes it seems like only a few dozen are keeping any conversations going. Jump in. Tell us what you are doing.


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[JPG]

It was spam Farmer.

[robinson46176]

It was spam Farmer.

Maybe what I should wish for is dates of each post in great big red letters... I saw that the last post was pretty shaky but didn't notice that the rest of the thread was that old.

I still agree with everything I said.


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