The Site Upgrade

[George Bulliss]

I know not everyone is going to agree with this, but from my perspective the changeover to the new software is going well. There are a number of improvements, such as the ability to easily (very easily) post photos, increased speed, and, of course, the “like” button.

One improvement that no one has mentioned, though I’m sure I’d hear about it if it went the other way, is the decreased ad presence. Yes, the ads rotate, and some might find that annoying, but there is much less space devoted to them – only one ad in the header as opposed to two and no ads along the side of the pages. This was the most difficult aspect of the change, as I worked hard to keep the bulletin board from becoming cluttered, while still providing value to our advertisers.

What I’m Working On

We have a work order started with Vbulletin to find out how to allow users to select their own styles. For some unknown reason it’s not working. I can change the style globally and was planning to try a style out this weekend, but I’m going to hold off on that for a bit, as it would just be a waste of effort if VB can get the user styles working.

One of our IT guys is looking into getting the users’ location displayed in the avatar section.

What Won’t be Done

Although it would be nice to have some of the old navigation buttons and options back, changing such items is beyond the scope of what we intend to do. Yes, some other sites have customized their buttons, but it’s not an easy task and complicates things when it comes time to upgrade. That was what ended up killing the old site; we had so much customization done that we couldn’t update. This left us in “non-supported” limbo and made us easy targets for hackers and bots.

[George Bulliss]

As some have noticed, I pulled the how-to sticky on posting photos, as it was no longer relevant. I'll be tossing some new instructions on photos and general forum use up there, eventually.

[BCRider]

By now you've come to realize that folks hate changes... So kudos on being patient with us. And once again I'd like to express my thanks for all you do to keep this madhouse running. And to the HSM management that pays for the server to host this site.

I too found my initial working with the new layout to be a bit clumsy. But now it's fine. Already put in an avatar picture and done a couple of other things.

All in all there is one small item I'd like to suggest. I find that the individual posts take up a lot more vertical room in this new format. And on longer threads that there's a lot of scrolling distance to get back to the top to hit the forum title button. Later on once all the rest of the stuff is done and if it isn't a big issue could a "return to NNNN forum" be included at the bottom of the page? A couple of other VB forums I'm on have this same feature at the bottom of the posts and I've found it to be a very nice feature.

I know I could just hit the "back" button. But that returns me to a potentially stale list of thread titles where a "return to the listings" button would actually call up the current titles order... if that makes sense.

[George Bulliss]

A couple of other VB forums I'm on have this same feature at the bottom of the posts and I've found it to be a very nice feature.

Can you post or PM links to those sites so I can take a look?

[MattiJ]

Any changes to widen the formatting?
Old website scaled OK even on large displays, this new one leaves over half of the screen empty on my 2560x1600 display resolution.

[George Bulliss]

Any changes to widen the formatting?
Old website scaled OK even on large displays, this new one leaves over half of the screen empty on my 2560x1600 display resolution.

I've noticed that on my monitor as well. If it's a fix that can be done in the page settings and if it doesn't change things for smaller screens, we may be able to do something, but I'll have to look into it.

[H380]

HTTPS is great upgrade

[JRouche]

As some have noticed, I pulled the how-to sticky on posting photos, as it was no longer relevant. I'll be tossing some new instructions on photos and general forum use up there, eventually.

Darnit I was all set with the old one. Could do it blindfolded

I appreciate all the work you have put into this site. Hats off to you Mr!!! JR

[BCRider]

Any changes to widen the formatting?
Old website scaled OK even on large displays, this new one leaves over half of the screen empty on my 2560x1600 display resolution.

My screen was the same at first. It was easily fixed with Crl-+ to increase the width of the page and size of print. If that doesn't do the job for what you're after then George would need to look into some way for the site to be smart enough to look for the resolution of your screen. This shouldn't be TOO hard since it works for my phone going narrow until I tip the screen to horizontal then it widens up. So the feature is in there already.

[BCRider]

George, I tried to PM you but the system denied it saying your PM box has reached its limit....

As a visitor I'm not sure if you'll see the blue hyperlink text that reads "Return to Sailplane Talk" just after the last posting on the page but give this link a try....

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...2#post43025529

[alanganes]

Thank you George for chiming in here. There are obviously changes, but I've not found any of them so burdensome as to feel the need to raise it as an issue. In the end, we all have this great virtual meeting place that is provided free of charge to us. I've not found the rotating ads the least bit distracting. I'm sure you put a lot of effort into keeping the gang here happy and your efforts show. Thanks for keeping this place up and running, it's a great resource and community.

[Mcgyver]

I know not everyone is going to agree with this,

They always have the option of asking for their money back.

Thanks for all you do for the site.

[toolznthings]

Love the new format !!

[bborr01]

It sure is nice to see in focus photos again instead of the blurred ones from photosuckit.

I may even try posting some pics again.

Brian

[BigMike782]

George you do a great service for us to provide this forum,
thank you for your continued efforts!