FerrariChat.com Survey: How do you like the new software 2 months later? | FerrariChat

FerrariChat.com Survey: How do you like the new software 2 months later?

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by rob lay, Dec 29, 2003.

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How do you like the new software 2 months later?

  1. I like it better or I like where it's headed.

  2. I preferred the old software.

  3. I'm indifferent.

Multiple votes are allowed.
Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    I did a survey 2 weeks after the November 1st implementation and now I want to do a comparison 2 months later.

    Please be honest and I know everyone likes certain things and not others, but give me your overall opinion.

    The major reasons we switched the software in the first place were...

    1) Old software didn't have the capacity for our growth. The new software is 100% database driven and is scalable to 100,000+ users on multiple servers. Old software was busting at the seams with 3,000 users.

    2) Additional functionality. Allows each user to have more control of their own view. Like the date order of posts, the color combos from available templates, which users to ignore or not, which threads to subscribe to, and more indicator graphics to determine what you have read, what you haven't, and what you have posted to or not.

    3) Management of archives. There's not a separate section for archives. Now even old old threads can be brought back to the top just by posting to it and the links of threads will never change unlike the old board.

    4) Long term stability. On two levels... the first is this software is much more stable and has had zero lost data or down time in the first two months. The old board was 99% stable, but that 1% would loose posts and even users now and then. I'm still trying to recover some archives on the old board. The second level is vB is a large profitable company with multiple employees. It's recognized as the industry leader and should be around for a long time. The old software was created by one college kid who now has another full time job. The future was uncertain.

    5) New user familiarity and ease of use. I know all the old timers will disagree, but the fact is the new software is a more similar design to 90% of the message boards out there. For new users most will be familiar with this design vs. learning the design of old.

    I know there's more, but those are the major points from the top of my head.

    Thanks,
    rob
     
  2. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    25,040
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
    Full Name:
    Steve Magnusson
    Overall -- A-OK

    My only very minor complaint is that the marking of messages as read/unread still seems a little bit wacky.
     
  3. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    Yes, this new software is only in Beta right now, so I think you'll see many improvements as they have fix releases. One of the most complex parts of the software and what they're working the hardest on is the id and handling of ip's and cookies. Depending on your personal settings you may or may not experience more or less problems.
     
  4. benedict

    benedict Formula Junior

    Nov 6, 2003
    741
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Ben
    I love the new software. This is a bit off topic but do you keep track of your website traffic compared to other sites? There is some service that does this but I can't remember the name. I would think the traffic here ranks extremely high. In fact it it weren't for porn sites F-Chat would probably be right up at the top! LOL
     
  5. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    Someone posted something a few months back that ranked Ferrari as one of the top 1,000 or 10,000 sites in the world. I can't remember.

    For the hundreds of Ferrari sites, only one or two F1 sites get more traffic. We get more than Ferrari of Italy or FNA even. Compared to other online Ferrari communities there aren't any that get even 5-10% our traffic.
     
  6. Gman

    Gman Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jul 15, 2003
    918
    York, PA
    Rob

    Love the latest software and I find it much easier to follow posts than on your original format.

    On a side note, I am not sure what I would do if I had not found your site but chances are that my productivity at work would be better! I stumbled onto your site about 18 months ago when looking for some information to feed my F car craving. I have to say craving because unfortunately for now I am a member of the "Someday I will have a Ferrari" car club :) The thing that I like about your site is that even though I do not own Ferrari now, the members that do are willing and open to sharing their experiences to the non-owners. Keep up the hard work and hopefully I will see you again at this year's F1 race in Indy.

    John
     
  7. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    :) - Ownership isn't a requirement, enthusiasm is. No correlation between the two.

    Great meeting you at Indy, we'll do it again in June.
     
  8. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Aug 3, 2002
    40,647
    California
    Full Name:
    Carbon McCoy
    i like it better and where it's headed... i still have a ghost private message, but it's not a big deal (hey, YOU asked...!:))

    i like the fact that you can go to the olDESt thread and merely reply to it to bring it back as the newest... The coDES to make stuff bold or italicized or whatever are different but, in some cases, they're easier (in my opinion)... There's no DESchat, but i think i'll survive... If it ever comes back, it should probably be renamed to CarbonChat, but that's a thread for another time... :)

    Overall, i like the new software... i have no reason to use the ignore feature and i can't imagine i ever will... i haven't used the search feature here yet (i'll admit i'm scared), but i'm sure i'll have to break that hymen at some point... All in all, i'm happy with it... i know you were just DYING to see my reply 'cause it's just SO important and SO vital to the board, so here it is... :D (Hey, like i said, YOU asked...!:))
     
  9. funshipone

    funshipone Formula Junior

    Jan 2, 2002
    618
    Harrison Twp. Mi. US
    Full Name:
    John Bicsak
    Very good ease of use and much faster like site.
     
  10. Varenne

    Varenne Formula Junior

    Nov 8, 2003
    555
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Rob,

    I love the new software. Unfortunately (fortunately ???) I never saw the old, so it's probably not fair for me to comment, but I find it simple to use, intuitive, and with an excellent UI.

    I've been around these types of message boards a lot, and this particular company seems to be winning the war as far as message boards and that bodes well for the future.

    Thanks for your efforts, and all best wishes to you and everyone on F-Chat for the new year.

    Mark
     
  11. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Aug 3, 2002
    40,647
    California
    Full Name:
    Carbon McCoy
    Hey, Rob, i know you're not exactly made of money, but how about a free t-shirt for posters who reach 20,000 posts (or even 10,000:))...? Just a thought... :D
     
  12. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    Thank you Mark. You can see the old software and access the over 300,000 messages from the Link towards the bottom of the forum.
     
  13. 348paul

    348paul Formula 3

    Dec 27, 2002
    1,098
    Kent - UK
    Full Name:
    Paul Hill
    #13 348paul, Dec 29, 2003
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  14. matkat

    matkat Formula 3

    Mar 18, 2003
    1,840
    Scotland
    Full Name:
    Dave McGuire
    I like it and the direction,understandably I found it hard to begin with but have gradually "part mastered it" I think the resistance to change attitude comes out but personally I think it"s great.
    Thanks Rob.
    Best regards
    Dave McGuire
     
  15. Ferrari Boy

    Ferrari Boy Formula 3

    Oct 25, 2003
    1,254
    Long Beach CA
    Full Name:
    David Couch
    I really like the new software. I was on the old software for a few months before it switched. The only thing I don't like all that much is that you can only post 1 picture per post. In the old software I liked the fact that you can post them all in one post. It is easier to upload photos thought. Look at the bright side, my post count goes up each time :) The thing I like best is the avatars. I love this new feature, you can even put animated gif's in! (Hint: see my avatar :)) But the new software is wonderful.
    David
     
  16. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    Allowing multiple images is one of the first things I need to fix, but it's also one of the most difficult.

    I guess no one reads my ban on animated gifs. I have no control. :)
     
  17. Cavallini

    Cavallini Formula 3

    Nov 2, 2003
    1,835
    Much better than the old, in every way.

    Bravo.
     
  18. Garretto

    Garretto F1 Rookie

    Sep 3, 2003
    4,922
    Bilbao, Spain
    Full Name:
    Rodolfo Di Pietro
    Great that you're working on it! Also, what about URL image linking from other sites? It would be pretty useful IMO.

    Thumbs up for the new software, it's been no doubt a major improvement.
     
  19. AMA328

    AMA328 F1 Rookie

    Nov 12, 2002
    2,518
    ABQ-67me68-OKC :)
    seems fine to me, and if it's more reliable/easier to maintain/customize, you made the
    right choice.

    Two minor items:

    * would be nice if there was a way to have the page indicators/selectors at the bottom
    of the page larger, so they're easier to hit with the mouse button.

    * update for my enrollment date from old board never got rolled over to my id on this board.


    Other than this itsy bitsy stuff, the new board works fine. Proof is probably in the
    increase in enrollment & posting counts.
     
  20. JOEV

    JOEV F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 6, 2003
    2,825
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Joe
    It's excellent Rob - the added functionality, ease of use and ability to customize both the appearance and the tracking of threads is awesome.

    Simply no comparison to the old one - this was/is the way to go. Thanks.

    Joe
     
  21. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    I don't do this because FerrariChat.com will be around 100's of years :) and we don't know how long the images will be available at those other sites. Many times not even weeks and we don't want those ugly Red X's everywhere. I look at FerrariChat.com as much of a historical archives as an active current community. It costs me more money to have all the pics stored on my server, but I know they'll always be around.

    ---

    About moving the old register date and post count form the old board...

    Did you submit the conversion form? I've done about 800 to date. There are about 10 in my inbox submitted in the last 2-3 weeks that I haven't done yet. If you don't submit the form, I don't do them. Here's the form...

    http://ferrarichat.com/conversion.htm
     
  22. branko

    branko F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Mar 17, 2003
    3,710
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Full Name:
    Branko Medenica
    I also like the new format but I was wondering if we could bring back some color text, as in the old board?
     
  23. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    What kind of color do you want?

    What kind of color do you want?

    What kind of color do you want?

    What kind of color do you want?
     
  24. tuttebenne

    tuttebenne F1 Rookie

    Mar 26, 2003
    3,189
    Bay Shore, NY
    Full Name:
    Andy
    I know I'm in the minority judging from the survey tally, but I don't come to FC for anything more than being able to read and reply to messages regarding my favorite marque. The old software did this much better IMO. I'm sure there are lots of great features of the new software but I don't find the following to be improvements:
    - difficulty/inability posting multiple pictures
    - lost ability to see the name of the person placing the post/reply
    - fewer messages on a page
    - cluttered screen image
    - hot buttons on each post for features I don't use
    - too much space dedicated to the identity of a person placing a post (look at how much lost space there is on the left side of a long post)

    These are just a few areas the old software was great at and all the new features don't offer me any utility. Again, I'm probably in the minority but I wanted to let you know my reasons for supporting the old software.

    Andy
     
  25. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner

    Dec 1, 2000
    59,406
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    You've only posted 30 times on the new software, I think you need to use it a little more to get more comfortable.

    Right after the switch the positive results were about 15% less. Human nature is to resist and fight change. Think how many would ***** if I switched back to the old. :D
     

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