The Dogmother Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 I would also like to see the Chicken Clinic re-appear in its own right it is/was a fantastic resource, which attracted new members who had googled a problem and then joined the forum. Many other forums are also quieter now, but surely they are looking to draw more folks in I agree with Matt in that the forum needed tidying up, and some sections even needed to be closed down, but I think it has gone a little too far and a step back would be very popular. Let's face it, this isn't the first time they've made major changes and not involved even the mods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators matt_b Posted February 23, 2018 Administrators Share Posted February 23, 2018 Thank you all for your feedback. It's great to see that so many people are still so passionate about this forum. Since I joined Omlet 10 years ago, participation in the forum has dropped by 98%. At it's peak the forum saw over 6,000 posts a week, now we're lucky to crack 100. Over the last year there have been days where we've only seen 3 posts across the whole forum. It's clear that we need make the forum viable by encouraging more participation, so we've decided to invest in some new forum software with better security, easier to read design and a mobile-friendly interface. We’ll also be giving the forum a more prominent place on the website and carrying out marketing to make our newer customers aware of it. As part of the preparation for that we’ve been consolidating some of the older sub-forums and removing the totally unused ones. One of the sub-forums consolidated was the Chicken Clinic, but based on everyone’s comments I think it’s best that it return as a separate sub-forum, in this case as a child forum at the top of ‘Chickens, Eggs and Hatching’ section. All the posts should now be back, but please let me know if any are missing. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Yay, we have our Chicken Clinic back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 Well done Matt,thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Thats great but It has sadly died a death for me I used to go on the crafty forum but I am not scrolling down for ever to look for it so I will sadly not bother now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I am sorry to hear that, but I totally understand your frustration which is close to my own feeling. I am not clear why it is thought we need a separate new section for cats, and another for dogs, but crafts and the self sufficiency bit, both long standing and both with a small but solid core of support, have been junked. Does it save time for Omlet? Money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Personally I support the changes. Lots of us on here “complain” it has been quiet on here. I think it’s smart of Omlet to try and make it more accessible for new people. And giving priority to animal related posts and sections is what I personally think will draw more people in. Like some say: they find it unappealing to have to scroll through long lists of stuff to get to what they need, will be the same for “guests”. They needed to go past all our natter before finding Omlet related stuff. I really think us regulars don’t need any topic sections. If you visit regularly (a few times a week) you will find the “view unread posts” option more than sufficient to find new posts and keep up with topics you are interested in. Like I said, I don’t use the board index. Only to start a new topic. I only ever click on “view unread posts” and even if I didn’t visit for a week, the list there is still more than manageable. You can also click “mark all topics read” once you have read what you want and are not interested in any other topics. It will clear your “view unread posts” list. I would even urge Omlet to go one step further and maybe delete some accounts. The number of “users” on here is staggering! Some will have joined years ago and maybe only posted once or twice. Those accounts could do with a spring cleaning. I’m not suggesting deleting all old accounts as I know some come back even after years. But accounts that have been dorment for a few years and never made it past the 5 initial posts are not likely to return anytime soon. It would give more options for usernames for any new members too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I’m not too bothered about the new layout I’m just glad that it is still seen as an important part of the Omlet family. If it can be revitalized in some way then all well and good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I’m not too bothered about the new layout I’m just glad that it is still seen as an important part of the Omlet family. If it can be revitalized in some way then all well and good Same here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 One of the sub-forums consolidated was the Chicken Clinic, but based on everyone’s comments I think it’s best that it return as a separate sub-forum, in this case as a child forum at the top of ‘Chickens, Eggs and Hatching’ section. All the posts should now be back, but please let me know if any are missing. Matt I would even urge Omlet to go one step further and maybe delete some accounts. The number of “users” on here is staggering! Some will have joined years ago and maybe only posted once or twice. Those accounts could do with a spring cleaning. I’m not suggesting deleting all old accounts as I know some come back even after years. But accounts that have been dorment for a few years and never made it past the 5 initial posts are not likely to return anytime soon. It would give more options for usernames for any new members too. We did do that at one stage - just the ones who had registered but never posted, not sure though if it was carried on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 Thanks for all the help Matt Really glad to see that the Chicken Clinic is back. Lots of forums have died a death over the last few years due to Facebook groups becoming more popular but the one advantage forums have is searching. It's easy to Google a topic and quickly read replies to get an answer; Facebook allows you to search groups but the results are rarely what you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 I don't think they'll remove any users from the list as if I remember correctly the amount of registered users a forum has a baring on how the search engines lists search results plus if a forum goes down the carrying advertising route then the numbers count as it's the possible numbers reached not the actual footfall that plays a key part with possible advert placement. there is also a value in a very large database of contact details if for any reason the bean counters decide to sell a forum that has a very low likelihood through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 How come I am not allowed to view Other Omlet Products when I am logged in ? Is it because there is nothing to view yet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 How come I am not allowed to view Other Omlet Products when I am logged in ?Is it because there is nothing to view yet ? looks like it's just a title at the moment no topics no posts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators matt_b Posted February 27, 2018 Administrators Share Posted February 27, 2018 Hi Everyone, As part 2 of our forum improvements, we're going to be changing the forum software over to something much more up-to-date: Invision Power Board. This will offer a modern, mobile-phone friendly interface, integrated image posting and better spam prevention features, so no activation will be required before new users can post. We are also adding custom, Omlet-specific features, one of which being that you can choose to display which Omlet products you own on your profile! You can view Invision's own example of Power Board here: https://invisioncommunity.com/forums In order to switch to the new software, the forum will be offline on Wednesday and Thursday this week (the 28th and the 1st) so we can convert our 1.1m+ posts over to the new forum. We hope this will be completed on time but it may stretch into Friday depending on how quickly the conversion process runs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Oh hiw exciting! Wait... Two days without Omlet???? How will I procrastinate??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Haha... Work avoidance tool scuppered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrannyTrish Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Hi Everyone, As part 2 of our forum improvements, we're going to be changing the forum software over to something much more up-to-date: Invision Power Board. This will offer a modern, mobile-phone friendly interface, integrated image posting and better spam prevention features, so no activation will be required before new users can post. You can view Invision's own example of Power Board here: https://invisioncommunity.com/forums I used to be a Moderator on a forum that used Invision Power and I think it looks very professional and it's also easy to navigate. Of course, it will be strange if you've never used it before, but you'll soon get used to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Looking forward to the integrated image posting bit But what am I going to do over the next few, snowy days ....... especially if my school is shut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Sounds amazing, the mobile-interface will be really useful (assuming for tablets too). Thanks for letting us know, hope it all goes to plan ...and the Omlet bosses provide you with lots of pizza to help it go smoothly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 That does sound exciting if not a bit scary. What will we do without Omlet for two days. I have only just got back into the forum but I do like having a quick look when I have a few spare moments. Good luck I hope it all goes well. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrannyTrish Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 See you all on the other side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 That was fast! It looks good! Although I have to say it takes me much more scrolling than before. Not a great fan of the Omlet product adverts in between posts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Cat tails said: Not a great fan of the Omlet product adverts in between posts... Nor me, but i guess that's what they want Matt, I am probably being blind, but when I click on the link in the email notification, it doesn't take me to the latest post; I then have to navigate to it, which is sorely trying my patience. Thanks for reinstating my avatar though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Arrrggghhh!!!! I don’t like change! Anyone know if there’s still a way to see unread posts or is it just the list of recent ones? Also REALLY not a fan of the adverts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
