Reduction of forum sections

[patracy]

I want to toss this out for discussion by not only the staff, but also our users. We've simply got way too many forum sections on the board. I'd like to collapse a few things. I'm not looking for discussion/debate on opening MORE forums or moving certain discussions out of forums. Just wanting to solicit feedback if my thoughts of collapsing a few things would be acceptable to the masses and leadership.

[h=2]Technical Manuals[/h]I'm wanting to leave this section alone and up top. It's really the most useful tool for the forum.


[h=2]Command Post[/h]I'd like to combine these forums together:

Forum News and
SS Main Site Improvements, Updates, Suggestions...


These two forums seem a little redundant since they address the same lines of discussion.



[h=2]General[/h]Could we possibly consider grouping these two together?
Steel Soldiers Rally and Upcoming Events



[h=2]Armored Vehicles[/h]Can we simply just lump them all into a single master category?




[h=2]Non-US Military Vehicles[/h]The IFA section has already been rolled into one, once google updates, I'll be removing the forum listing and redirects. Could the same be done with the Tatra into the Russian vehicles?

[h=2]The POLL Place[/h]Perhaps move the poll place under the general header to reduce the outlay a little?


[h=2]Government Liquidation/DRMO/GSA[/h]Perhaps move the transportation request forum from the general into the same section as
Need item inspection or loadout?!


They kind of interrelate with each other. IMO.

Also could these two be combined?
Inspection/Preview Questions and Pickup Questions

I know these aren't the same, but do we really need two forums for it?
EUC Help and SF-97 Help







[h=2]Mechanical Upgrades[/h]I'd like to move this section up under the restoration section or maybe?



That would allow us to remove 8 forum listings and move a few things around to make the main page a little less "busy".

 

[emmado22]

I would keep the SS Rally and upcoming events seperate. They are 2 seperate things. I agree with the other suggestions.

 

[Robo McDuff]

Testing forums and website help together also?

Mechanical upgrades can go up. To be honest, I really had to look for it where it was, hangs a bit lonely completely at the end.

Next possibilities
Tatra under Russian-east-bloc
Volvo under other non-US
Unimog under German

OK with the rest of the suggestions

 

[dependable]

I always thought the MB & GPW could be with M38 and M38a1s. They are pretty similar and all were in use together in 1950s and may be even into the 60s.

 

[vtdeucedriver]

This would make sense as anyone that owns a MB or GPW will be a member of the G503. I have a couple M-37's and I rarely go in the M-37 section here as there is alot more activity over on the G741. Who knows, maybe soon there will be a G744 site

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Looks like a good strategy to me.

Thanks for all the hard work that goes into this site.

 

[3dAngus]

ALL look good to me.

Thanks for all you do.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I just did this with some other sites, spring cleaning time!

 

[kawkev]

You know any improvements are going to meet with some resistance to change. I think that as long as the info is still available, and someone knows where to find it, we can eventually get used to the change. As long as we don't have to ask Doghead where something is. Just kiddin. No, not really!!


If you try to please everyone,,,,,,,, Someone is not going to like it!!

 

[o1951]

Give it a try - if 1 or 2 don't work out, hopefully can restore format for them.
Doghead?

 

[usmcgunner]

Not sure what type of BB software you're using, I've been out of the IT game for a while, but what about additional subsections within each category? I was actually just searching this section before posting my suggestion, but it seems this is a good place to ask. Specifically I was thinking about the CUCV Mod section. I think it would be very helpful to the users, and the MOD'ers too, if this section was broken down into subs. For instance, Lifting, Drivetrain, Trans, Engine, Tires so on and so forth. Right now, even as new as the section is, it is difficult to search and after some more age on it, users (and particularly new users) would be more apt to post a new thread with a question that has been addressed several times already. This could potentially cut down on the MOD'ers workload. And this doesn't just apply to the CUCV Mod section. If this is possible, I'll throw my name in to help with moving current thread into the proper categories.

 

[patracy]

Subsections are just another forum to the software. We'll likely move forward with what I've proposed.

 

[patracy]

Now that I've got vBulletin upgraded, I'm starting the process of combining a few things. The closed sections will remain up with the redirects for a couple of weeks.

Forum News and
SS Main Site Improvements, Updates, Suggestions... are now one.

As well as
EUC Help and SF-97 Help

More to follow this week.

 

[stampy]

Sounds good

 

[swbradley1]

That works for me Drew.

 

[AN/ARC186]

I'd go with everything you said with one exception. Eliminate "Mechanical Upgrades", it can be included in other forums without the need for its own.

 

[Flyingvan911]

Please don't take away the railroad forum.

 

[patracy]

That's up to Ferro....