So, what's the one thing you'd change?

[ev2bfree]

Hypothetical question. You were given the reigns of the site and were allowed to make a change. What would your change be? Why would you make the change? How would the change be an improvement?

I'd just like to hear some feedback from everyone. First, this isn't a personal rant thread. So this isn't the place for it. Next, it's gotta be in accordance with the site rules. Lastly, it's got to be in the realm of possibility. (Sorry, there's simply no way I can make a magic button you can press to handle anything and everything.)

So, have at it folks!

If it was up to me... I would create a HEMTT/PLS/OSHKOSH 8X8, 10X10 specific thread/forum/area. Yes I know it would be a lot of work to move things around, but I would open up the ability to START threads in that specific area, then let the natural evolution of existing threads be moved upon request.

 

[DDoyle]

I would require people to post using their real, given name, as appearing on their birth certificate/marriage license or work ID - and I'd be willing to bet that no one's mother named them "three-speed transfer case."

The reasons - people can forget civility when they think that they are masked by the anonymity provided by the internet and a screen name. Further, I - and I doubt that I am alone - have enough trouble remembering names - much less trying to remember two names (their real name - and their forum name) for everyone.

Finally, what legitimate reason could their be for hiding behind an alias?

My .02,
David Doyle

 

[mobileauto2000]

I would require people to post using their real, given name, as appearing on their birth certificate/marriage license or work ID - and I'd be willing to bet that no one's mother named them "three-speed transfer case."

The reasons - people can forget civility when they think that they are masked by the anonymity provided by the internet and a screen name. Further, I - and I doubt that I am alone - have enough trouble remembering names - much less trying to remember two names (their real name - and their forum name) for everyone.

Finally, what legitimate reason could their be for hiding behind an alias?

My .02,
David Doyle

Having someone troll the site, see the state and city required, research the name and find the home of the person, then steal their stuff comes to mind.

 

[Valence]

I would change that when you do a search, the default search (via the top right corner of every page) would NOT search member's signatures. In the Advanced search there would be a selection "Also search signatures" that would default to NOT selected, but obviously this would give the user the ability to also search member's signatures, if they so desired. This would help a user find actual, useful posts, instead of just returning hundreds of results of completely unrelated posts just because the search term was found in an individual's Signature.

Currently, a search for "M66 gun ring" will return all of my posts as a finding...

 

[gottaluvit]

And a seperate search for classifieds.

 

[porkysplace]

And a seperate search for classifieds.

On all forums on this site you can search that forum by itself , in the upper right corner below the main search is a
"search this forum" option . This is right next to the "forum tools " link.

 

[gottaluvit]

On all forums on this site you can search that forum by itself , in the upper right corner below the main search is a
"search this forum" option . This is right next to the "forum tools " link.

I see the "search thread" but not search forum. Am I missing something?

Edit: nevermind, I see it when not hsving a thread opened. Thank you very much. That will make looking for goodies a lot easier!

 

[Valence]

I would also change the following:

Allow members with an active paid membership, or members with a certain number of posts, to edit their posts. NO restriction on forums (such as TM Upload, Conversations, etc!) or post age (no 3-month age edit limit). This would benefit all members who sell in the classifieds (since that requires a paid membership) as they wouldn't need to recreate their add if it ages past 3 months.

On some of my more popular threads, I would love to go back and create an "Index" of sort on the first post so new folks who show up can quickly jump past my learning and discovery (that may be years old when they arrive) and go right to pertinent topics such as parts list or supplier info. I could even add a "Finished" picture to the beginning so one doesn't feel like an archeologist digging through the past. I would even more-so like to correct my mis-information and posts that I now have learned were incorrect. Even just for correcting typos. This would provide another way for non-administrators to help clean up the site, even if they're only cleaning up after themselves.

 

[patracy]

I would also change the following:

Allow members with an active paid membership, or members with a certain number of posts, to edit their posts. NO restriction on forums (such as TM Upload, Conversations, etc!) or post age (no 3-month age edit limit). This would benefit all members who sell in the classifieds (since that requires a paid membership) as they wouldn't need to recreate their add if it ages past 3 months.

On some of my more popular threads, I would love to go back and create an "Index" of sort on the first post so new folks who show up can quickly jump past my learning and discovery (that may be years old when they arrive) and go right to pertinent topics such as parts list or supplier info. I could even add a "Finished" picture to the beginning so one doesn't feel like an archeologist digging through the past. I would even more-so like to correct my mis-information and posts that I now have learned were incorrect. Even just for correcting typos. This would provide another way for non-administrators to help clean up the site, even if they're only cleaning up after themselves.

I wish I could fill you in on the reason for that change. But postcount certainly had no bearing on the people that caused the change to happen (They had high post counts). I'm not sure I understand the TM upload comment though. The TM sections are locked down completely since they're a "filing warehouse". If discussion were allowed in there, it'd serve no purpose and become "cluttered" just like the rest of the forums.

You are encouraged and welcomed to report your post if you're unable to edit it. Just make the corrections in your reply and the staff will correct it.

 

[patracy]

I would change that when you do a search, the default search (via the top right corner of every page) would NOT search member's signatures. In the Advanced search there would be a selection "Also search signatures" that would default to NOT selected, but obviously this would give the user the ability to also search member's signatures, if they so desired. This would help a user find actual, useful posts, instead of just returning hundreds of results of completely unrelated posts just because the search term was found in an individual's Signature.

Currently, a search for "M66 gun ring" will return all of my posts as a finding...

You'd need to do a advanced search with vBulletin's search. (Which honestly isn't that great) The search window up top of any page is a google search. Google parses all elements including sigs. Just no way around that.

 

[Valence]

I'm not sure I understand the TM upload comment though. The TM sections are locked down completely since they're a "filing warehouse". If discussion were allowed in there, it'd serve no purpose and become "cluttered" just like the rest of the forums.

Oh no, sorry. I certainly didn't mean for the TM or TM upload section to be discussion forums. But once I click "Submit" to a TM upload I can *only* report it to make changes to it, through the time and bother of someone else. It's the OCD in me that I don't mind spending my time for something like, adding a proper comma, but I'm not going to take the staff's time for it.

 

[Valence]

You'd need to do a advanced search with vBulletin's search. (Which honestly isn't that great) The search window up top of any page is a google search. Google parses all elements including sigs. Just no way around that.

That's a shame that both options are lack luster in their flexibility or results.

 

[patracy]

Oh no, sorry. I certainly didn't mean for the TM or TM upload section to be discussion forums. But once I click "Submit" to a TM upload I can *only* report it to make changes to it, through the time and bother of someone else. It's the OCD in me that I don't mind spending my time for something like, adding a proper comma, but I'm not going to take the staff's time for it.

Kind of a limitation to prevent the "chatter". As for the staff addressing post issues, well, that's our job.

 

[patracy]

That's a shame that both options are lack luster in their flexibility or results.

I've had some discussion with staff about "issues" like this as well. The problem is the old adage "garbage in, garbage out". The search can only do as well as it can based on actual words. An example might be that I create a great thread on how to change the oil in a Deuce. But I misspell it as "duece". If you're searching on the right way of spelling it, it'll never hit my great thread, simply because the search looks at exact 1:1 match. The other google based search is more of a issue between how the forum works and how google works. The forum search is smart enough to know that the information is only in the posts you're searching for. Google doesn't know that there's separate elements on the forums. It just simply catalogs every word it can and issues results based on that. I can't really tell google how to recode their search engine.

I moved the site to the google search, mainly because of the first issue that I pointed out about the vB based search being not that great. Google is a little more robust in the fact that if it doesn't find the exact 1:1 match, it will search on criteria that is close.

 

[Valence]

With the addition to the "Thanks" and "Thanked" counter to the member profile on left column, it has garbled up the Feedback score.

Here's a screenshot of my profile to the left. Notice it says "Thanked 1,220 Times in 571 Posts30". I'm pretty sure that the "30" should be on the next line after "Feedback Score:".

So it should properly read:

Thanked 1,220 Times in 571 Posts
Feedback Score: 30 (100%)​

For the record, this display occurs in both the following:
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, SP1
Internet Explorer v11.0.9600.18617

Windows 10 Professional 64-bit, v1607
Firefox 64-bit v52.0.2

 

[Valence]

When adding a picture I've previously upload to the site to a new post I wish I could jump to a different or specific page or date. I currently have 25 pages of attachments (I actually really DO like how I can see all my previous attachments) but I and can only go through them one page of 100 at a time or jump all the way to beginning/end. If I want to get to page 12, I have to click "Next Page", wait for the 100 thumbnail previews to load, then click "Next Page", over and over. That unnecessarily wastes site bandwidth too.

 

[patracy]

With the addition to the "Thanks" and "Thanked" counter to the member profile on left column, it has garbled up the Feedback score.

Here's a screenshot of my profile to the left. Notice it says "Thanked 1,220 Times in 571 Posts30". I'm pretty sure that the "30" should be on the next line after "Feedback Score:".

So it should properly read:

Thanked 1,220 Times in 571 Posts
Feedback Score: 30 (100%)​

View attachment 674991

For the record, this display occurs in both the following:
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, SP1
Internet Explorer v11.0.9600.18617

Windows 10 Professional 64-bit, v1607
Firefox 64-bit v52.0.2

I will see if I can move that around.

 

[patracy]

When adding a picture I've previously upload to the site to a new post I wish I could jump to a different or specific page or date. I currently have 25 pages of attachments (I actually really DO like how I can see all my previous attachments) but I and can only go through them one page of 100 at a time or jump all the way to beginning/end. If I want to get to page 12, I have to click "Next Page", wait for the 100 thumbnail previews to load, then click "Next Page", over and over. That unnecessarily wastes site bandwidth too.

Limitation of the software.

 

[simp5782]

Maybe add another section on the classifieds for "wheels and tires" since there seems to be a good many of those ads. and maybe an FMTV section since none of their stuff fits any of the other trucks. I mean even doing an FMTV/HEMTT/HET section combined since their stuff being pretty scarce someone doesn't have to search thru all the normal classifieds to find them.

 

[gottaluvit]

Would be nice to have sections specific to the vehicle under parts. Maybe even a way to put "closest to me" for large items.