Suggested changes to Forum Index

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Raze
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 11:09 pm

Suggested changes to Forum Index

#1 Post by Raze »

Dear Admins of Ulthuan.net

The following message is one which I have been meaning to relay to you for some time now, but time demands.
First of all, I am not an ulthuan regular (anymore) and have not visited the site in some time. I do have some past background, however, having been member of ulthuan.com and other gaming communites, mostly underground.

As far as I see, you have two types of visitors to the site. There are those who come solely for wargaming and background information on High Elves (which is provided largely by the Library of Hoeth, as I understand). Then there those who come to interact socially with other hobby enthusiasts.

What follows is basically my suggestion for improving the site for the latter group of visitors (whom I am assuming – correct me if I’m mistaken- are the largest group and make up the majority of visitors to the site)

The Forums Index link on the main page of ulthuan.net is a “hot link” to this second group, in so far as this is the button they will click on straight away once they enter the main site (or else have a favourite’s link on their browser to go directly to the forums index page).

So, once entering the forums index what strikes me is the sheer quantity of forums. Which is the point of my post. The new comers (and returning old timers alike!) are simply overwhelmed by the quantity of sub-forums (what I call them due to their low post counts). This, in my opinion, has somewhat "diluted" the community spirit of the site.

My admittedly radical recommendation is a merger of some of the less visited sub-forums with the larger ones.

Allow me to expand – by simply looking at the Topics and Post counts for all the forums this how I think the forum index should look like and why:

>>Announcements - necessary site update news and notifications for forum users.

Merge the following:
>>Warhammer fantasy – the backbone of the forum seeing, of course, how this is a Warhammer fantasy website
>Battle reports/ Rules questions/ Ideas – as the majority of the threads on these sub-forums are fantasy orientated as could be represented by sticky threads
>> 8th edition – could also be merged with fantasy forum as a sticky thread. If not, then at least merge tactics and army lists sub-forums for the time being.

Merge the following:
>>Off topic – One of the big, if not the biggest hitter on the forums. Merging off-topic with the following sub-forums will seriously boost the flow of discussion threads.
>Other GW games
>Age of reckoning

Lastly, merge the following:
>Story telling
>Roleplaying
The story telling forum is a relic from ancient times (remember the guest book?). Deserves to be fused with role-playing due to the sheer lack of responses to most threads on this forum.

>> High Elf Culture
>> Painting and modelling tips.

The last two are obviously necessary, although fairly ambiguous in their nature, IMO.

You know the lesson of putting a frog in hot water? If you put it straight in it will just jump out. But if you put the frog in and slowly heat the water then the frog will boil to death. What i’m trying to say is that when you are a site regular you don’t notice how the site slowly changes, for good or for bad. It's only when you come in from the outside that you notice these things.

Anyway, rant over. Only my best intentions, though feel free to shoot me down or whatever. Over and out.

~ Raze
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Prince of Spires
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Posts: 8249
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:07 pm
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Re: Suggested changes to Forum Index

#2 Post by Prince of Spires »

From my experience most of the sub forums have a distinct identity. Merging them will clutter a lot in my mind.

I think the following need to remain as they are:
- Warhammer Fantasy
- Tactics Forum
- Army Lists
- Battle Reports
- Rules Questions
- Painting and modeling
- High elf culture
- Ideas

There is a big amount of army lists posted in the army list forum. Adding that to another forum will simply swamp all other posts in that forum with questions about lists.

The battle reports section is actually relatively busy, although a lot of people are simply linking to their army blogs. Perhaps this can be changed to a Battle report / army blog subforum, moving all the blogs from army lists to this sub forum.

The Rules questions keeps the other subforums clear of the same question being asked over and over. I like having it. It also makes it easier to check if something has been asked already.

High elf culture, painting and modeling and the ideas subforum are very different forums. Merging them will mean putting a lot of very different topics together and will mean that finding what belongs where becomes more difficult.

What perhaps could be merged are
Role Playing and Storytelling: both aren't the busiest and kind of belong together.

Warhammer: Age of Reckoning and Other GW-Games: both are other GW games and both are not very busy.

Rod
For Nagarythe: Come to the dark side.
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Check out my plog
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Allerion
Librarian
Posts: 544
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:14 pm

Re: Suggested changes to Forum Index

#3 Post by Allerion »

I dont want GW in my OT.
Excited for TOW
Facade19
Posts: 402
Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2004 11:57 pm
Location: In the city of pigs

Re: Suggested changes to Forum Index

#4 Post by Facade19 »

I agree with Allerion!
Andrew_uk
Posts: 1077
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Suggested changes to Forum Index

#5 Post by Andrew_uk »

Facade19 wrote:I agree with Allerion!
And I agree with Rod! Who Allerion was more or less agreeing with when he put his one liner. OT is a great place to drop into once in a while precisely because you can discuss current affairs/anything else with a real cross section of people from around the world, and OT has it's own mini community all of its own.

I doubt I'm alone in always just coming in and clicking view active topics at the top and not really caring whats in what forum. I'll open up any title that catches my eye. Certain forums interest me more than others; painting/modelling, army lists, tactics, bat reps, warhammer fantasy... but all serve quite different purposes. I tend to pass over anything related to HE culture, role playing, storytelling, other GW games and most of the things that appear in the ideas forum though I know others love those areas, to each his own.

What I do slightly wish is that there were subforums created within painting and modelling and army lists for painting logs and army logs. It works as it is, I just think a sub forum could clear it up a bit.
Bring me my bow of burning gold, bring me my arrows of desire, bring me my spear O' Clouds unfold, bring me my chariot of FIRE!

Check out my rather slow caledor themed painting log and my dragon project... also my faster moving nurgle themed Warriors of Chaos themed painting log
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