I like the new organisation, seems to make sense and keep things better contained.

Not a fan of the colour scheme - as is often the case with new designs, it's overdone and the colour choices are a little unrestrained.

I'd prefer to see the blue toned down a little - it's the content that's important, not the colour scheme - by all means use colours to highlight things, but too much, and it stops being a highlight to certain content, and draws to much attention to itself, obscuring the content.

I agree... the colour isn't good. give us the old colour scheme!!!

Quote desmond:

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I'd prefer to see the blue toned down a little - it's the content that's important, not the colour scheme

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I don't mind the blue, but in the index pages, would be nice if the blue highlighting threads with NEW posts was more different from the blue used for alternating lines.

As things stand, it's now quite hard to spot the threads with new posts

I miss the Microphone section...! This was the most interesting forum here and the only one I used. I would've thought microphones & techniques easily warrants a forum of its own...

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Excess makes the heart grow fonder

Quote siderealxxx:

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I miss the Microphone section...! This was the most interesting forum here and the only one I used. I would've thought microphones & techniques easily warrants a forum of its own...

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+1

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Strictly an amateur with some nice toys,

Quote desmond:

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I like the new organisation, seems to make sense and keep things better contained.

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i think over time it'll just make things less focused and there will be fewer sub-communities within the main SOS community - diversification gooood, homogenisation baaaad

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Original artwork and unique devices inspired by vintage technology http://www.thisisobsolete.com

Edited by jellyjim (16/07/11 05:08 PM)

Ok, so I've been mulling over the forums and I think:

Really don't like the new colours. Every time I visit now it's a jarring experience. Also I don't understand the colour scheme as SoS corporate colours are white on red, so I would expect the colour of the forums to be red/white/black. I read the "site change feedback" post and that reminded me of the old colour scheme. In my opinion the old colours were far superior.

I like the reduction of the forums to an extent. There were loads of forums that I didn't visit, and also the post count didn't move very fast. However I would agree with the sentiments that we could do with bringing back the "mic/mic technique" forum, and I think the "readers sound files" one, perhaps merged with Mike's "mixing" forum.

Just my opinions

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www.exaviormusic.com
www.manninmusic.com Music Teacher, Isle of Man

Some of the forums were pretty slow going, given the impression there wasn't much life in there.

For example, I quite liked the vintage forum, but it realistically had, what, a handful of new threads a week? So people popping in are seeing what isn't a very high traffic forum, leading to looking like there was a lack of interest.

Therefore merging these forums seems fairly sensible.

I have a feeling some forums, like perhaps the Mic forums, might well come back as the SOS peoples get a feeling for the level of support for those sub-communities.

I'd personally like the Offtopic forum to *not* be included in the recent active threads list - I'm not sure if this is possible with the forum software, but personally, if I'm scanning for recent threads of interest, particularly ones I'm already engaged in, I don't really wish to wade through seventeen entries on Pippa's behind - this cheapens the SOS forums for me.

If I wish to engage in some forum irreverence I'll wander into the lounge myself, but otherwise I'd prefer to not have to wade through that stuff as a regular part of my forum "workflow"...

But I can't help feeling that some people have taken this forum reorganisation to heart as a much bigger thing than it really is, imo... Ultimately, it's the people that make this forum a great resource, and while a small handful seem offended enough to want to stamp their feet and storm out in a grand dramatic gesture, I don't really think it bothers that many people.

There have been like, what, 30 or so people expressing great dissatisfaction, with probably quite a few more annoyed but not posting about it. The rest seem to have my attitude, whereby some things are different and maybe we might have made some slightly different decisions, but it's SOS's forum and realistically they can do what they want, when they want, and for the reasons that they feel serve the community best.

They won't necessary get everything right immediately, but I genuinely believe they are trying to do the best thing for this (valuable) community.

Let's give them time, give them constructive feedback, and see how it shapes up - it might just end up being even better...

When viewing 'todays active topics' it listed the last poster in the thread as well as original poster.

It was really handy to see who had posted last, why has this changed?

In fact its even more broken - Just posted and looked at 'Today's Active Topics' and the post isn't even at the top of the list.

Yes, apologies.

We were trying to make some tweaks to the way the active topics worked. One member recommended just showing the latest post in a thread instead of all the latest posts, and we've been experimenting with the constraints of the forums as to what we can do.

Please bear with us as this is a time of change, and we are doing what we can to improve upon the changes, and listen and act upon the feedback we're being given.

Thanks.

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SOS Web Editor, Support & Social Media
Friend SOS on Facebook | Follow SOS on Twitter

Quote Jumpeyspyder:

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When viewing 'todays active topics' it listed the last poster in the thread as well as original poster.

It was really handy to see who had posted last, why has this changed?

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This might have been partly my suggestion!
I mentioned elsewhere that when you clicked on "Todays active topics" it listed each topic everytime it was added to.
EG if 14 people replied to a topic "Mic A is crap", it appears 14 times in the "Todays active topics".
I think if it just showed it once it would mean that people who aren't interested in Mac A's quality only scroll past it once, and those who are interested in that topic will probably want to see all 14 posts anyway!

Also, with the Musician's Lounge forum, it might be possible that the 200 slots available when you press "Today's Active Topics" might get very full quickly.

Other forums I use have a "new posts" button which does this sort of thing.
Just an idea- if it works grand, if it doesn't no big deal.

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Cubase, guitars.

The Today's Active topics thing again- thanks to Jennifer (or whoever is tweaking) for trying this out. Only thing I'd suggest is it shows the time of the last post made in a topic, at the moment it's showing the time of first post. Ta.

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Cubase, guitars.

Please, please put things back as they were for 'Today's Active Topics' - or at least give me an option to get it back as it was?

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An Eagle for an Emperor, A Kestrel for a Knave.

Hi Jennifer

Thanks for the reply

I can understand that for some users a viewing 14 titles about the Mic A thread might involve an extra bit of scrolling.
For myself, I might not be interested in Mic A either, but if I notice some repeated posting on a subject and especially if one of the posters is someone I respect, I'll often take a look and see whats going on - often thats when I really learn something interesting.

The only way you can tell if a subject is being debated and by whom is by seeing all the posts in active posts (clues in the name)

The only change I would recommend for 'active posts' is the suggestion from ryan mead about a toggle switch to add / remove the Musicians' Lounge posts.

I notice that changes have also affected if you list all posts by a user, when you clicked on a post subject it would take you straight to their comment in the thread - it doesn't anymore
Please put active posts back as it should be

thanks Jumpeyspyder /Eddie

By the way if you're reading this Kwackman as an ex owner of a GPZ550 unitrack you're one on my respected list

Quote Jumpeyspyder:

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if I notice some repeated posting on a subject and especially if one of the posters is someone I respect, I'll often take a look and see whats going on - often thats when I really learn something interesting.

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I agree. It's as much the poster as it is the title of the post that I use to decide whether something's worth reading, and I use the Today's Active Topics page to see that (if there's a lengthy exchange between Dan and Hugh, for example, you can be pretty certain it's worth reading!).

However, I know Jen's been extremely busy with this, and she's still working very hard on tweaking things and implementing suggestions, so I'll be patient as there's clearly a lot to do.

FWIW, I agree with reducing the number of sub-forums. No-one uses microphones without using preamps, and likely also recorders, software, and bits of outboard, so why not keep mic discussions in Recording & Production, where these peripherals will also be discussed?

Previously, for example, a question about using in-line pads for a drum kit on stage could've gone in Live Sound, Mics & Miking, or MRT, and it would've been equally valid in any of those... Which I reckon is a bit daft. No?

Cheers!

Chris

Quote Jumpeyspyder:

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When viewing 'todays active topics' it listed the last poster in the thread as well as original poster.

It was really handy to see who had posted last, why has this changed?

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+1 for all the reasons given.

I notice this is how it is in the forum index but time is money.

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Ohm's Law states, "Your PA isn't as powerful as you think it is".

Quote chris...:

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I don't mind the blue, but in the index pages, would be nice if the blue highlighting threads with NEW posts was more different from the blue used for alternating lines.

As things stand, it's now quite hard to spot the threads with new posts

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Hi - this is much better now.

Sorry if I missed a post elsewhere, but it looks like the alternating line blue has been toned down, with the new thread blue standing out much better.

IE 7 doesn't agree with the forums now. New posts aren't highlighted, threads are all one block, with no seperation. It is a very white affair!

I suspect that I'm one of very few using such an old browser, but is only on my work PC.

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http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

Quote siderealxxx:

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I miss the Microphone section...! This was the most interesting forum here and the only one I used. I would've thought microphones & techniques easily warrants a forum of its own...

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Yes - I am now getting PMs (as I post so much in the mic. section) asking for recommendations of what other forums are good for mic. questions now that SOS has, in effect, removed the mic. section.

Please - the Mic. section really should be first on the list for reinstatement or people will move away to other forums.

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John - Sound-Link ProAudio
President - Federation Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons