S.A.C Martin Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Well, its been a few days. And I've loved it so much that I've lost track of time literally every day so far - "I'll give it ten more minutes..." I've been thoroughly enjoying going through each and every blog so far. I haven't voted anything less than 5* for anything (but thats mainly because I consider that everything compared to my own work is better and therefore worth the 5*), and the plethora of information in each blog has to be seen to be believed in some respects. The images come up clearer and sharper, the text is easy to use, I've been lost in the gallerys section twice looking at photographs I probably wouldn't have looked at on the old RMweb... The whole site is perfect for me - but I've been blogging/posting my thoughts on Copley Hill for over a year, and thats probably helped me acclimitize to the new board layout faster than others. It works well - and I enjoy it. What more is there to say? One thing - someone pointed out that this is a free forum. That's true - I know of a few forums where you do have to pay and they are nowhere near as well thought out, looked after or well designed as this one is. So when my next student loan comes in, there'll be a brown envelope on its way to RMweb. Nice one Andy. That's my final "first reactions" - the rest is settling in :icon_thumbsup2: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted October 12, 2009 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 12, 2009 Well I think I am getting the hang of it so far! Managed to finally sort out the avatar/image* thingy (Thought they were one and the same, wound up with two different 377's at one point!) in between the server going kaphooey now and then. It is a bit of a culture shock over the old one but I think I will get used to it in time. Good thing I am not doing any modelling at the moment (imminent house move) so when the Hayling Island esque shunting plank I have in mind gets started (at the moment consisting of a pile of Replica Mk 1 Surburbans, some Hornby Terriers and three quids worth of MDF offcuts I bought in Homebase when I was supposed to be buying bookcases!) I may start a blog as well. So far so good... By the way, what is this warm status box thing? * 8x377 Formation at Barnham at about four fifteen on a Saturday morning prior to forming the 04:48 all stops to Brighton via Littlehampton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLD Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 My first impression on seeing the new site demonstrated at Manchester was 'wow!' but over time as I've dug further into it i've grown to dislike it... I have been playing for over a week now so I am not jumping to snap decisons based on first impressions as I suspect some (on both sides of the divide) are... You buy a new car: You start off in the showroom, everything looks shiny new and atractive... there's all these extras you don't have on your old car (and the salesman was very nice and helpful!) You get in and drive away. Hmm you think this feels different but I'm sure I'll get used to it in time... so you drive onwards, you play with the controls and try to get used to it. But as you drive the car more, you find you don't have as good a view as you did from the old one: there's a horrid blind spot and you can't see the whole of the road at once (Blogs not appearing in the same 'new/active content lists' as Forums). Some of the controls are fiddly to use or less conveniently placed... and then you find you have to have three different radios: one recieves your favourite 'phone in' program giving you the oportunity to participate fully, the second only recieves news stations - you can comment to yourself on the stories but those comments aren't heard by most other listeners - while the third only recieves music stations, mostly with no comentary/introduction to each track (forum/blog/gallery split)... Then worst of all you notice someone stuck one of those bl***y stickers on the back bumper asking "How's my Driving"!! Eventually, you find yourself hankering for that old banger you traded in.... It may have needed the occasional beating with a monkey wrench, but you knew how it worked and most of the time it did what you wanted of it simply and effectively without complicated extras you realise are just for show and you don't realy need... Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 By the way, what is this warm status box thing? http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/312-answers-to-the-most-commonly-asked-questions/page__hl__warn%20status__fromsearch__1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcastle_central Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Clearly, I'm still finding my feet and it looks a bit confusing but ultimately I'm sure it'll be like any new technology. I'll be baffled for a little bit then I'll get my son to explain it and then I'll never know how I managed without it. I think we need to get over the negativity. Andy is doing his best to make things better for everyone and doesn't seem to always get the requisite credit recently. There's a tendency to look for the minor faults in our fraternity while ignoring the major steps forward. There are other forums around but I know which one I like and now I can tell everyone how baffled I am via my status! Keep up the good work Andy Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecreekrr Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I'm happy to see that so many are enjoying the new site and its' flexibility. On my end, the new site gums up my DSL powered Apple and every move is slowed beyond belief including showing some of what I'm typing right here; it does not all show up in real time. I felt right at home on the old forum, but if the roadblocks to smooth real-time use don't abate, I'll sadly be leaving one of the most interesting and educational groups I've encountered on the web. Are there PC versus Apple use issues ? If so that's a great tragedy. Just for reference, in the last sentence I typed, when I misspelled and corrected a word, there was a 5 second delay before the typed correction showed up .... what gives ? Best of luck to you all, Bruce Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iL Dottore Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 (dons sackcloth and ashes).... Now that I have had an opportunity to play with the forum (and haven't broken it..... yet), I find in many ways it is very much superior to the old forum (not least in speed), although I do have my reservations about some of the formatting of the forum's layout (and echo many of the comments made above). One thing that continues to puzzle me (despite reading instructions - repeatedly) is how to set up my profile and preferences. I have - I think - succeeded, but with much trial and error. Perhaps I am being obtuse and to a normal member the instructions are very clear, but sometimes I find the instructions a bit too concise for an old thicko like meself. Does anyone else have the same "challenge"* F * modern business-speak - there are no problems, only "challenges" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenman Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Are there PC versus Apple use issues ? If so that's a great tragedy. I am also an Apple user, and I have not encountered any problems such as you've described. The performance of the forum is the same on both my home (Mac) and work (PC) set-ups, and both work well in real time. Other than the Driver errors which are, of couse, nothing to do with me. I hope. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted October 13, 2009 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 13, 2009 I'm happy to see that so many are enjoying the new site and its' flexibility. On my end, the new site gums up my DSL powered Apple and every move is slowed beyond belief including showing some of what I'm typing right here; it does not all show up in real time. I felt right at home on the old forum, but if the roadblocks to smooth real-time use don't abate, I'll sadly be leaving one of the most interesting and educational groups I've encountered on the web. Are there PC versus Apple use issues ? If so that's a great tragedy. Just for reference, in the last sentence I typed, when I misspelled and corrected a word, there was a 5 second delay before the typed correction showed up .... what gives ? Best of luck to you all, Bruce Like I said to someone else 1 page back, try viewing using ' RMweb for mobile devices' rather than the default ' RMweb Blue' and see what happens. OK you get a clutter free page of text that looks like Usenet, which is not to everyone's taste, but it should load a whole lot faster. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Good Morning, I have just returned from an excellent holiday in Norfolk - I'm not boasting when I say that, and found that the "new website" was up and running. The site is tremendous! A big thank you to all involved for the changes. Regards Grumpy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Sorry, but I am out of my depth. To be fair, I struggled with the old format, but I could get it to do some of the things I wanted it to do. I can't find this "my panel" thing, and I agree with Coach about the "view your posts" thing being useful and I can't find it. Am I alone in thinking that there is a "them and us" attitude developing with this new "blogs" thing? I also have not liked the tone of some of the staff's replies to this thread. If you ask for somene's opinion then please respect that opinion and don't slag them off or imply that they are stupid (although in my case I probably am!).I shall carrying struggling because I really value the help, advice, camaraderie and humour on this forum. Regards, Ed (not waving but drowning) PS sorry about using the word "thing" too many times, but I don't know what else to use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 it's still a pain babysitting a box sat in the Docklands from 150 miles away. I was trying to access it from Docklands and it didn't work much better from there either. Tell me where it is and I'll go and kick it for you. Just one further point on the layout - the banner at the top seems rather large so you have to scroll down before you can see very much actual content. I might try the mobiles version next time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted October 13, 2009 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hello folks, When I first logged on to the new site last week I liked the slightly cleaner "look", and voted that I liked it. Since then, and without rushing to judgement, I have found that I am having difficulty getting as much out of the site as I used to. I feel a little bit daunted; it seems to me overcomplicated - almost as if there is too much content. Having said that, of course I'll keep trying and I'd just like to record my thanks to Andy et al for at least trying to improve things. I have amended my vote to "not sure, but I think it'll grow on me" and I'm fervently hoping it does. cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Depot Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I am slowly finding this site to be quite good , its dead easy to upload photo's and being able to rate a thread and give thanks easy are winners. However there are two downside, first the lack of easy viewing/searching of ''view my points'' I used this a lot on the old forum to keep uptodate on threads I had replied to. Now the only way I have found so far to find them is going to the top right and clicking on my posts and then checking a thread to see if anything has been added since. Secondly the layout blogs are just not for me. They just do not read like the other threads and don't even come up on the Active content list. Having tried to restart my layout thread as a blog and ended up with two blogs when adding to the first one, I would prefer to list my layout thread in the showcase section of the forum or not at all... These a side I am sure the new RMweb will settle down and be just as good if not better as the old one in time..... thanks for all the hard work Andy and unknowns.... Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock & Rail Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hmmmm, first impressions.... Love the new look/layout, more detailed user profiles is nice, and I like the idea of the gallery. Many thanks to all those involved for what is clearly a lot of hard work. However... I absolutely hate the blogs, with the associated split of content/difficulty in finding useful information. It overcomplicates things IMHO. Another forum I post on trialled a similar feature a while back, it was quickly dropped due to this issue. Just my 2 cents... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted October 13, 2009 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 13, 2009 first the lack of easy viewing/searching of ''view my posts'' I used this a lot on the old forum to keep uptodate on threads I had replied to. Hi Keith, "View My Posts" is now called "Watched Content" and it lives in a panel way down at the bottom right of the screen. Make sure you haven't switched off the side column and then scroll all the way down below the Calendar block. Click the Topics tab to see links to any new posts in the topics you are "watching". There is an option in My Settings to automatically "watch" any topics you post to, and you can add other topics by clicking the "Watch this topic" button on the relevant topic page: The Topics tab will then expand to show the links to your watched topics: If you click the "Show topics with no new" button, it will drop down further and show all your watched topics, irrespective of whether they have new (unread) posts. Before your posted-to topics will appear there, you need to make this setting in My Settings: To get to that page, click this: http://www.rmweb.co....ercp&tab=forums regards, Martin. p.s. Andy -- I think this is now the 4th time I have posted these screenshots in response to the very same question "Where is View My Posts?". Where should we be posting stuff like this so that there's a reasonable chance that everyone will see it? They won't see it here -- this is the 13th page of this topic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterbournecm Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hello there, love the new forum. Updating a familiar web site is like decorating a room at home. Bit strange to begin with then you love it! I'm sure people will grow to accept and even like it before too long... Cant wait to upload a gallery soon. Best wishes CM Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock & Rail Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Is there a way of moving the "watched content" tab to the top of the right hand column? It would be far easier to use there, rather than having to scroll down to the bottom of the page every time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hello everyone! I'm afraid I don't like it. It's overwhelming. There's so much stuff with so many posts on how to use the forum that I can't take it in. It's so different from the old forum and every other forum that I've ever used. From what I've seen so far, there's lots of things about it that I don't like but there's no point in listing and moaning about them. It's here now and I'm sure the majority will like it and use it and nothing can be changed for the sake of one person. I may still look in but I don't think I'll be contributing much. Cheers, Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmg Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I posted my initial reactions yesterday. I said that I liked the clean appearance, the speed and the new higher resolution available in the galleries. I also predicted that my opinion would change. It has. My dislikes have grown. I find myself intensely disliking the blogs. I will give an example. One of the threads I frequently watched on the old forum was the Hugh Flynn/Shortliner inspired layout planning thread. Is the ???one man and his blog??? better than traditional forum threads for interchanging ideas, plans, comments and suggestions? If not, why change? Fortunately some posters have started to put workbench threads in the forum. The Captain Cuttle and Rob Pulman threads are good examples. I much prefer this type of entry. Will more authors follow this trend? I hope so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mod6 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Is there a way of moving the "watched content" tab to the top of the right hand column? It would be far easier to use there, rather than having to scroll down to the bottom of the page every time... This has now been done Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted October 13, 2009 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 13, 2009 My dislikes have grown. I find myself intensely disliking the blogs. I will give an example. One of the threads I frequently watched on the old forum was the Hugh Flynn/Shortliner inspired layout planning thread. Is the ???one man and his blog??? better than traditional forum threads for interchanging ideas, plans, comments and suggestions? If not, why change? Fortunately some posters have started to put workbench threads in the forum. The Captain Cuttle and Rob Pulman threads are good examples. I much prefer this type of entry. Will more authors follow this trend? I hope so. I think it's early days for all of us. I think the blog thing appeals to those of us confident we have a story to tell, and for whom the input of others beyond the welcome thumbs-ups is limited. Threads in the main section can and do still have the capacity to replicate the old forum format, I believe, with constructive criticism and discussion in the public view. Galleries are there for those with collections to publish - often for the general good. Complicated? Yes, perhaps, but versatile would be a better description. I find I can still look at all the latest postings, cherry-picking subjects that sound interesting, just as I used to do. Blogs need a bit more looking into, but their authors have decided to take that route, rather than just starting another thread. Give it all time to settle - everyone else is learning, just as we are. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted October 13, 2009 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 13, 2009 One thing I have found is that the navigation is a lot easier than on the old site it being much quicker to get back to various areas - mind you I'm still trying to work out what some of those things that I'm getting back to are It definitely gets better with use I think but it does feel rather overwhelming on first acquaintance so I can understand why some folk don't yet feel comfy with it. But what happened the first time you sat at a 'puter keyboard and bashed the 'Enter' key? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian J. Posted October 13, 2009 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 13, 2009 However there are two downside, first the lack of easy viewing/searching of ''view my points'' I used this a lot on the old forum to keep uptodate on threads I had replied to. Now the only way I have found so far to find them is going to the top right and clicking on my posts and then checking a thread to see if anything has been added since. See Martin's Reply Secondly the layout blogs are just not for me. They just do not read like the other threads and don't even come up on the Active content list. They do, but there are two tabs in the Active Content list, one for forum and one for Layouts/Blogs. As an open comment, I think many users are struggling with the layout of the 'View New Content' and 'Active Content pages' and not realising that there are separate tabs for the Forum and Blog sections. These give you the latest updates independent of one another. Once users get used to this I think they will prefer it, but they're struggling at the moment to figure it out. Is there a way to do global announcements to users on this forum software, or introductory PMs for those registering a-new? It might help to clear up some things before users get disheartened. I will say this. As far as I can tell all the functionality of the old forum is here - it's just arranged a little differently. So please, all users having problems please persevere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted October 13, 2009 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 13, 2009 Is there a way to do global announcements to users on this forum software, or introductory PMs for those registering a-new? It might help to clear up some things before users get disheartened. I will say this. As far as I can tell all the functionality of the old forum is here - it's just arranged a little differently. So please, all users having problems please persevere. Most of us are male. Reading the instructions or asking the way are NOT what we are famous for! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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