Forums have been reorganized

Of late I have started to do so, but it gives me info on all forums (obviously) including ones I never read, and also more than one "New post" entry per forum e.g. clicking it now I see 4 entries in taxation.....its a good compromise I suppose
 
The key issue here seems to be clicks. Like IVR or IR (intelligent response) systems there's a maximum number before the user tires and looks elsewhere. This is usually accepted as being around two clicks from landing. Have a look at your Analytics data and it should give you some indications about this and the user patterns. Most posts are generated by a cohort of regular posters. I would advise accepting and implementing the feedback from this cohort in particular: I say this as one post in response mentioned new posters as a possible rational for re-organisation. Finally, there is a community-type structure to AAM, albeit the forum "belongs" to someone, in this context I would generally guide to flagging possible change in advance and perhaps seeking collaborative input. I say this respectfully as I appreciate that time is one of the most precious resources and process-heavy change is time expensive. On a personal note, I would prefer to see a more graphical UI as it is very text heavy in the current format. I think this is causing some of the issues. Also, a number of users have suggested that they post frequently to the same forums and it should be possible to include "Bookmark it" clickies. Depending on how far you want the remodelling to go you could enable users to arrange content display according to their own preferences but this would require a major change in the underlying structure to the site.
 
I would advise accepting and implementing the feedback from this cohort in particular:
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While this is an important cohort, the moderatioin overload comes from newish posters posting in the wrong forums.

I am very anti-clicking. I don't see how the new forum increases the clicks. It certainly reduces the scrolls. When you see the first page, you see at a glance, 9 extra forums from what you would otherwise have seen.

You don't see the last post in these forums, but that is not that critical as the site is so busy, almost all forums have new posts every few hours.

I would prefer to see a more graphical UI as it is very text heavy in the current format.
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Askaboutmoney is an information site - not an entertainment site. It is about text, not graphics. What sort of graphics would increase the information value? Have you looked at the archives? They are pure text, and very much more informative.

Depending on how far you want the remodelling to go you could enable users to arrange content display according to their own preferences but this would require a major change in the underlying structure to the site.
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The site is run on a package - vBulletin software. We don't use non-standard hacks as they tend to screw up the upgrades.

You do understand that it is a non-commercial site with limited technical resources?

Brendan
 
Brendan said:
While this is an important cohort, the moderatioin overload comes from newish posters posting in the wrong forums.
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I appreciate that fully but I guess what I was trying to say is that a core group of posters are the main responders and the success of the site has been dependent on the diligence of your goodself and the mods but also on the level and frequency of response that new posters get when they post. The immediacy of feedback/response has been one of the key drivers in my opinion for the success of the site(not to mention the high levels of relevance, perspicacity and expertise evident in the posts). It was in that context that I was referring to the feedback from the frequent posters.

Brendan said:
I am very anti-clicking. I don't see how the new forum increases the clicks. It certainly reduces the scrolls. When you see the first page, you see at a glance, 9 extra forums from what you would otherwise have seen.
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I was attempting to be "informational" while also summarising what I perceived as the main messages from the other posts. My apologies if we ended at cross purposes.





Brendan said:
Askaboutmoney is an information site - not an entertainment site. It is about text, not graphics. What sort of graphics would increase the information value? Have you looked at the archives? They are pure text, and very much more informative.
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I concur wholly and I was in no way suggesting anything other than using graphical symbols as eye-catchers to different forums. I do reckon that one of the challenges for a successful information/content driven site is the volume of information it generates by virtue of its own success. human inertia being what it is I imagine that you find that many new posters post questions that have already been asked rather than search the forums? Interfaces that have a higher graphics content tend to be more successful in directing new users to jump-off points.



Brendan said:
The site is run on a package - vBulletin software. We don't use non-standard hacks as they tend to screw up the upgrades.

You do understand that it is a non-commercial site with limited technical resources?

Brendan
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Completely and if I might ever be of help please let me know.
 
Interfaces that have a higher graphics content tend to be more successful in directing new users to jump-off points.
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Hi Orca

Can you give a few practical examples of where graphics would help on Askaboutmoney? we have a policy of minimum graphics, but where they help we do use them.

Brendan
 
Hi Brendan,

I'd be inclined to use them to highlight posting guidelines for new members and to drive/direct new landing traffic to this area as you've identified modding posting in the wrong forum as majorly time expensive. The graphics themselves are secondary to the stand-out function to drive newbies or existing members. I'd probably change the name to something like New Members or Click Before You Post. You know where you want posters to visit and I'd add a graphic to these so that they are more noticable and more "clickable" as curiousity is a driver for organic browsing. For example, announcements in forums sometimes due to the text colour and the background colour being similar the eye misses such things and the announements should stand out as they are critical to the subsequent posts/posting. I'd be inclined to use a contrasting graphic for an announcement.

The titles to a number of forums lend themselves to use of simple graphics with relative ease but this would be using graphics for the sake of it. I would use the graphics to direct traffic where it most needs to go and this is something that you know best through your data on the site. I hope this makes sense?
 
The only downside I can see to the new layout is that the sub-forums take up a lot of space on the forum page.

This means that if you visit Mortgages for example, you have to scroll down past the three sub-forums.

I have removed the forum descriptions so that they occupy less space, but that does not help much.

Brendan
 
Brendan,

It might work to have 'Welfare and State Benefits' as a main forum, with subforums as follows: 'Unemployement and Jobseeker's Payments' , 'Redundancy issues' adn perhaps 'Rent Supplement/Mortgage Interest payment issues'. These are the forums with most traffic these days and is would be easier to navigate with the proposed sub-forums. People might find answers without having to post. Also, I'm not sure of having 'taxation' as an issue under Redundancy and unemployement banner? More appropriate to the 'Taxation' forum?
 
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