Forum versus main site

[vasa1]

It looks to me that far more posts are made in the "main site" daily (http://www.techsupportalert.com/) than in the forum (http://www.techsupportalert.com/freeware-forum/). The responses are also more in the main site than in the forum.

Despite the search facility at the main site, finding new posts is not that easy as they can be quite scattered if there are several responses to an article.

As 26Dolphins pointed out, it's not easy to know what an update to an article involves.

I get the impression that posting in the forum is encouraged but, if participation remains far lower there than in the main site, it wouldn't be unexpected if the number of posts in the forum declines even further.

Without having any idea about whether it is possible or not, and without knowing just how time-consuming it will be for the volunteers involved, can there not be some sort of merger of the main site and the forum that retains the best features of both?

[MidnightCowboy]

This isn't as easy as it might seem because we use Drupal for the main site and VB for the Forum.

The main site remains popular because despite recent measures introduced to combat the growing spam menace we still provide a facility to post without full registration. Also, a lot of folks just want to comment on the review content and not join in a discussion about it.

You make some valid points though and I'll make sure these are seen by the planning group

[Anupam]

Reading comments which are new on an article is not much of a problem. Articles which have got new comments can be seen from this link :

http://www.techsupportalert.com/tracker

This link is under the Navigation list which appears on LHS, on the main site, titles as "New Posts". It will show which articles have got new comments, and the comments have "new" written in red against them, and therefore can be located easily... you don't have to search. If like me, you follow the comments regularly, they are not a hassle to read at all.

The activity on the forum has been on the rise. Maybe the amount of comments posted on main site on a per day basis might be more, but forum is quite active too. I am sure that as the popularity of the site has been increasing, the awareness about the forum will keep on increasing too, and activity will continue to rise.

The forum was started just more than a year ago, and considering that its pretty new, and to have such activity in such a short time is commendable.

Comments section on the main site has always been popular, and has been there from the start. Posting comments on the articles is quite easy, as one can post even without registering, or logging in. That's why its more popular too, because some people do not want to go through the hassle of registering and logging.

Main site and forum are based on two different software, and are two different areas, each having its own advantages and disadvantages, but both are required. I don't see any changes happening in this respect in near future.

[MidnightCowboy]

Originally Posted by Anupam

The activity on the forum has been on the rise. Maybe the amount of comments posted on main site on a per day basis might be more, but forum is quite active too.

This is correct. Chris has confirmed that the forum traffic continues to show steady growth.

[vasa1]

Originally Posted by Anupam

... It will show which articles have got new comments, and the comments have "new" written in red against them, and therefore can be located easily... you don't have to search...

Yes, you had described the facility before and I've started using it but I totally didn't get the "red" part because of an vision issue from my side: I've set the font colour to black for everything, everywhere in my browser's custom.css. (Wonder what else I miss out on elsewhere!)

[Anupam]

I saw on forum that you have been playing around with the CSS files. So, maybe that's the reason? Don't know for sure. Try it on a browser with default settings, and then see, if you are able to access that feature.

[vasa1]

Originally Posted by Anupam

I saw on forum that you have been playing around with the CSS files. So, maybe that's the reason? Don't know for sure. Try it on a browser with default settings, and then see, if you are able to access that feature.

No doubting that the feature is there! I see it immediately upon disabling the css. The reason I have altered the css is to have easy viewing (for my eyes). The disadvantage (for me) is that I miss a few features here and there but without my modified css my eyes turn quite red quite soon by looking at a white screen. If I don't set the font colour to black, I miss a lot of text that doesn't contrast well with the grey background (#808080) I'm comfortable with.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by MidnightCowboy

This is correct. Chris has confirmed that the forum traffic continues to show steady growth.

Thanks for this confirmation MC .

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by vasa1

The disadvantage (for me) is that I miss a few features here and there but without my modified css my eyes turn quite red quite soon by looking at a white screen. If I don't set the font colour to black, I miss a lot of text that doesn't contrast well with the grey background (#808080) I'm comfortable with.

Have you got your eyes checked up with the doctor? If not, you should do so. Also, keep the brightness, and contrast on a level such that its soft on your eyes. Remember to blink while on the computer.

I use a software called Desktop Lighter to adjust the brightness of the monitor. It runs on startup, and lowers the brightness, and if I want to change, can be done very easily from the software, with a slider. I have been using it from a long time, and its a must have for me. Its available here :

http://www.dimxsoft.com/dlighter/

[vasa1]

Originally Posted by Anupam

Have you got your eyes checked up with the doctor? If not, you should do so. Also, keep the brightness, and contrast on a level such that its soft on your eyes. Remember to blink while on the computer.

I use a software called Desktop Lighter to adjust the brightness of the monitor. It runs on startup, and lowers the brightness, and if I want to change, can be done very easily from the software, with a slider. I have been using it from a long time, and its a must have for me. Its available here :

http://www.dimxsoft.com/dlighter/

Doc says the eyes are sensitive and so minimise glare!

Your software idea seems a good plus given that ambient light varies! I'll give it a go. Thanks!