Where am I going wrong with this site?

[KathyLove]

"Well, actually from any page on this site, all anyone really needs to do is to click on the link at the top of the page that says Forum Map..."

Yes, of course that is true. And I eventually figured that out. But when the site was first redesigned, and I saw so many choices under the business section, I just thought that was all of it, because I was just taking a quick look and didn't check everything else out. If somebody really wants to discover everything, it is not too difficult. But people are always in a hurry. And if they click onto the BOI and look at everything under the business section, they may think they have seen it all and there is nothing else to look at. A lot of people might not spend the time to look further. There is just SO much to look at these days online!

Maybe some sort of short, bold, clickable, notes placed in strategic spots around the classifieds, BOI, or other high traffic areas saying something like "MUCH MORE TO SEE - CHECK OUT THE SITE MAP!" (I am sure you could think of something even better) will make quick visitors realize they are still missing lots of good stuff!

 

[crazydart]

Personally, I really can't understand why you would have trouble finding the ball python discussion forum. Perhaps I am just more used to this structure then you are, but it just takes a quick scan down the forum listing and then one click and I am there.

I do think after running the site for a long time you know where everything is and how to get to it... infact you wrote the code. I know where everything on my sites is, and what the links mean, and if they pull from a database or not.

As for the comment about the way threads percolate to the top when a reply is made, I believe overwhelmingly I heard that most people preferred that method. Personally, I used to use the static threaded method of message board programs for years, and quite frankly, I don't like it.

Ok, I guess thinking about the goods and bads of each way, having the auto bump on reply is a good thing.

BTW, that being said, did you know that you can set this forum up to be viewed in that threaded/sub-threaded style layout? It's an option within your User CP Options.

I didnt know that, I will try that. Thats my number one wish... boy now its a good christmas! I just like that style... maybe its because I think more like a programmer... or maybe I am more like a programmer with brain damage... who knows.

As for search engine (Google) results from advertising, I've been there and done that. I was paying a LOT of money for sponsored links through google and Overture (now Yahoo).

Well, it was just an idea. Sounds like it will not work out. Besides the pay per click, you might look into getting your pages found a little better by the spiders. I have no ideas as to how to get that to happen... they have a mind of their own, but it looks like they get your sitre often, just if they could do a better job of hitting the key phrases.

Sorry, but this site is broader in scope then just Ball Pythons, and I have no reason nor intention to focus on them.

I understand. But I am not saying make the whole site ball pythons, just the ball python areas... so on for the other areas. I know its extra bandwidth, but a picture of a cool corn in the corn forum, and a cool ball in the ball forum would be neat! Maybe it will spark some interest and make people read more.

And no, I don't just delete posts

Thats good... I dont like it when the admins seem like they are trying to hide things... even if they are not.

I think a good chunk of the possible ideas have floated through my brain at one time or another. I really would appreciate people giving me ideas I haven't thought of before, and certainly they have to be out there somewhere.

Yah, I hear yah. Sometimes no matter what you do, it seems like things just dont take off. I think so far you have done a good job. It may just not be your time.

But honestly, I have gotten my toes fried more then once when people took my NOT following their advice as a snubbing and not just my deciding that their advice was not in the best interests of this site

Well, I think what I was giving was more like feedback... in my perfict world, it would be how I just said... but them I might be the only one there. If you didnt get anything out of what I said, it wont matter to me. I just thought I would interject some thoughts. I know how it is to ask for advice and get some half brewed out answers.

Ben

 

[crazydart]

Admittedly, I don't spend much time here compared to cornsnakes.com. So I will probably never get totally familiar with the whole site (it is huge!). But if the BOI is still the main draw, perhaps it would be helpful to somehow design access to other important features / forums, so that they are easy to find from the BOI.

Maybe the site is just too dang big. You put 10 lbs of crap in a 5 lbs bag. Maybe it would be a good time to branch some of the stuff to a new site. Start a cornsnake site, and a ball site. When someone clicks to go to that forum, it just redirects them, shows a cool banner and also gives them the forums they seek. K.I.S.S.

Ben

 

[Dennis Hultman]

Maybe the site is just too dang big. You put 10 lbs of crap in a 5 lbs bag. Maybe it would be a good time to branch some of the stuff to a new site. Start a cornsnake site, and a ball site. When someone clicks to go to that forum, it just redirects them, shows a cool banner and also gives them the forums they seek. K.I.S.S.
Ben

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/index.php?

http://www.boardofinquiry.com/forums/

 

[Dennis Hultman]

I would also like to add my personal opinion on the layout.

I never use the site map page and did not even go to that page until after several months of being on Fauna.

I use this page and considered it the home page even though it is not.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/index.php?


Now, I usually only enter straight to my User C.P. or the Board of Inquiry.
But most of the time it is an email from a thread that I am subscribed to and someone has replied to it, so I click on the link back to fauna in the email.

As far as the thread layout, I guess it maybe just what the individual is use to. I personal find it very hard to follow a thread on KS with that particular layout. I find it extremely easy with the current layout here on Fauna.

 

[FamilyZoo]

I am one of those that have been registered awhile, visit a few times a week and posts seldom.

I read the sub-forums that interest me, review BOI and call it a day. I don’t keep up with the site trolls and normally as soon as I read a troll post I close that thread and move on. I have no interest in that level of maturity.

Having said the above, I did get negative Karma one time, from some guy that I don’t even know for some reason that probably falls in like with a site troll. Stupid stuff like that turns me off to the entire site.

I think it’s a comfort level that keeps me from posting more here.

Example……….. I have the hardest time finding the wanted section, I am able to come across it about once a month by accident, and then I am unable to find it again for weeks.

There are sub forums XXXXX – For Sale/ Wanteds But its not linked to the wanted section. It is my perception that I would not be allowed to ask how to get there with out getting blasted by someone for asking a stupid question or asking it in the wrong place.

I read some great feedback in this thread in the beginning and I also read garbage that didn’t pertain. Why keep the garbage? People like me normally stop reading as soon as we come across the garbage. As of right now there is 33 pages to this thread and in my opinion, crap started before page 10. So being me, there is much of this thread that I skipped over.

Why don’t you send out a survey as you did with “State of the Union message from FaunaClassifieds.com (12/22/05)” You will probably get some good advise and insight.

 

[Dennis Hultman]

If you look at the top of this page you will see the Classifieds link in Yellow Bold. When you click on it scroll down to the Bottom of the page you will see the Wanted section. It is now divided into 14 sections. Here is a direct link to the different sections.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/pp_classifieds/index.php?cat=41

You can bookmark it into your favorites.

 

[WebSlave]

Before at a glance I could see who was last to post within a section without having to click on the section...I visit this site at least ten times a day lol looking for a deal and I just miss the old way...I also dis-like not being able to respond to classified ads listed for the public to see, I do see how that was a problem but it kept sellers honest, at least about what they were selling.

Kevin DeBusk

Although it was done without any fanfare, I have re-enabled comments to the classifieds. There are pros and cons to both sides of that argument, and I guess that when the cons again weigh more heavily, I will probably have to disable it for a while. Often taking something away temporarily will rid it of the problems, at least for a while. I tend to use this sort of technique frequently here.

 

[PaulSage]

I agree with anyone who thinks it's difficult to find certain forums/threads sometimes, but I don't think it's because of a poor layout. There's a TON of information and resources here and consequently there's a lot to try to organize. My only suggestion would be perhaps adding a row of links below this bar:

that had a row of the most commonly visited forums since that bar seems to show up on just about every page (doesn't it?). Maybe putting links to the BOI, Reptile Forums, Classifieds, Photo Gallery, Welcome Club, etc. in a bar up there would make navigation to the popular areas a little easier. I don't know how difficult doing that would be though (if even possible).

If you look at the top of this page you will see the Classifieds link in Yellow Bold. When you click on it scroll down to the Bottom of the page you will see the Wanted section. It is now divided into 14 sections. Here is a direct link to the different sections

You know what? I didn't even notice that until now despite how long I've been here. I guess I just see the the box I posted a picture of and go from there. Maybe that bar Dennis mentioned could be moved...? Then again, my mind doesn't work the same way everyone else's does, and what works for one person doesn't work for everyone. So, I guess that's just my feedback on the current issue, for what it's worth.

 

[WebSlave]

I agree with anyone who thinks it's difficult to find certain forums/threads sometimes, but I don't think it's because of a poor layout. There's a TON of information and resources here and consequently there's a lot to try to organize. My only suggestion would be perhaps adding a row of links below this bar:

that had a row of the most commonly visited forums since that bar seems to show up on just about every page (doesn't it?). Maybe putting links to the BOI, Reptile Forums, Classifieds, Photo Gallery, Welcome Club, etc. in a bar up there would make navigation to the popular areas a little easier. I don't know how difficult doing that would be though (if even possible).

The problem with this line of thought is "Commonly visited by who?" Not everyone is going to agree with everyone else on which forums are the most popular for them, so such an arrangement would ALWAYS only be of value to a subset of all the people who visit here. And as indicated below, what sort of guarantee exists that it will even be noticed by most of the people here anyway? There are all kinds of bells and whistles on this site, some found on the menu bars and others in drop down menus here and there. It just is not possible to put everything everyone is going to find must interesting to them immediately visible on every page. The results would likely be hideous, complicated, overwhelming, and downright mind bending. Especially for someone newly coming to this site. It's bad enough as it is, so I think adding ever more menu lines, linked lists, or anything else that would quite simply just be redundant anyway, is just a real bad idea, in my opinion.

You know what? I didn't even notice that until now despite how long I've been here. I guess I just see the the box I posted a picture of and go from there. Maybe that bar Dennis mentioned could be moved...? Then again, my mind doesn't work the same way everyone else's does, and what works for one person doesn't work for everyone. So, I guess that's just my feedback on the current issue, for what it's worth.

Excellent point. Everyone's mind works differently. Most people have some sort of tunnel vision at work that tends to focus their attention on what appears to be most of interest to them. Trying to harness that focus would only work for that particular person, and many others would simply get even more confused as the focus seemed to work less for them then it did before.

As Paul has mentioned, there are a lot of forums here. Every time I have changed something in the structure, added forums, deleted forums, or made any changes at all, it has NEVER been 100 percent applauded. As a general rule over the years, it has been my experience that anything I do here will have the following results:

• 10 percent will approve of it
• 10 percent will hate it
• 40 percent will not care either way
• 40 percent will not even notice it

Along these same lines, it is just about impossible to simplify something inherently complex to where everyone can grasp what is being presented. You would likely be astonished at some of the emails I get asking questions about how to do things that are so basic that I have to wonder how that person even got to the point of being able to figure out how to email me. To be honest, I just never have been one to try to target anything I do to the least common denominator. Yes, it may reach a broader audience, but those people at the upper end of the scale will invariable find that approach demeaning, condescending, and boring to the extreme. So if I have to make a choice about which partial spectrum to target my efforts towards to try to reach, I will nearly invariably shoot high and just hope the rest can eventually make the leap to grab hold and join in. Yes, it may be an effort for some of them, and some just may not be able to make the grade and fall to the wayside, but I think (hope!) the final results will be worth it to them as well as the rest of us.

So is that my real problem? Am I just shooting TOO high? Am I expecting too much? If so, is it then just an insurmountable problem for me if I am just not willing to set the sights lower?

 

[thesnakeman]

Webslave,

First let me say, keep up the good work! I like it just fine right here. But I think the problem with the numbers is www.kingsnake.com Most folks have found that they can get what they are looking for over there, and most folks spend most of their time there. To them, this place is a second choice. Although I'm not sure why. Personally, I think kingsnake.com sux! But for whatever reason, that place pulls people away from here. About all I can say is, I hope you keep this place as different from that place as possible! Good luck, and keep it going!
T.