[Closed] Is the forum dying?

Agreed. The overall lack of usability is killing user engagement. Here's hoping they get things sorted quickly.

It would be interesting to see how it is effecting ad revenue too 🙁

ECHO

This is mainly an issue that affects men.

Mumsnet is going from strength to strength.

I wonder if anyone has heard of "Regression Testing" at STW towers?

It is definitely quieter, well from a user perspective. I posed this question to the mods on another thread.

#SOS

Save our Singletrack

Unless it gets sorted soon I think i'll be visiting a lot less - this 'upgrade' has been a disaster.

you can find threads you posted to by going to the replies created section and then clicking on the # at the bottom.

In some ways this is good as it takes you to the post you made, but it is not obvious (whicch it should be in this GUI world) and it also does not give you a straight listing of the threads you replied to but rather all the text of your reply.

We don't like change.

Agreed it does seem a lot quieter in here.

The STW Facebook page seems quite active though 😀

This is mainly an issue that affects men.

Very good I see what you did there - damn now where are the smiley faces to show that I saw the funny side?

In some ways this is good as it takes you to the post you made

Like Facebook attention whores - people have flounced off, but they'll be back.

<div>TurnerGuy
<div>
<div>Member</div>
</div>
</div>

<div>

you can find threads you posted to by going to the replies created section and then clicking on the # at the bottom.

Yep posted a request for the old one back, it's not being change phobic but a list of posts with no context and no idea if the discussion has carried on isn't that useful - again the last version just worked

</div>

Really odd that they now seem to be pushing the secret Singletrack Facebook Group

Also, the # button to go to thread thing is also crap. The old way you could see if there had been a response since you posted without having to go to the thread itself

As long as there's a new e-bike thread at least once a week, I'll keep coming back.

I predict TimeInc own the site within 6 months

School holidays I think - most are off school with parents

School holidays I think – most are off school with parents

Good point. Most of the forums I frequent are very quiet this week. (Let's see if the quote/paste bug has been fixed - if there's loads of < span> type stuff it hasn't)

Maybe it's the time of year where people are fed up riding through claggy slop and thoughts aren't on riding bikes as much.

Aw hang on, this is STW - since when has riding bikes in the mud been relevant to this place?

Upgrades and teething problems I can handle. But the lack of communication to the users is the biggest issue imho.

1. Keep us upto date on progress of issues

2. Tell us clearly and concisely how to use the new "features"

Do this and the STW massive will be a lot more understanding and patient.

legend

...Also, the # button to go to thread thing is also crap...

It would be great if I could see this famous hash key on my screen. Anyone else have invisible/nonexistent hash problem?

the STW massive

Surely the collective noun should now be The STW Dwindle?

“Anyone else have invisible/nonexistent hash problem?”

My dealer is quite reliable, actually

1. Keep us upto date on progress of issues

2. Tell us clearly and concisely how to use the new “features”

For info Mark's now started posting updates in the "Our Forum" sticky thread.  At least the silence is broken.

At least the silence is broken

As quote is now apparently fixed, does that mean that the massive font size for quoted text is a design decision?

I don't see the # link. What I do have when I go to my profile is a "Forums" link (used to be called "Forum activity"). If I click on this there are three options: "Topics Started", "Replies Created" and "Favourites". The latter is nothing specific to me, it's just the most recently active threads whether I've created them, replied to them or ignored them. The first is obvious and of little interest to anyone but myself. The "Replies created" shows the entire text of each and every post I've made. Hmm.

Edit: My boo-boo, I see it now. The least obvious link there. Bizarrely the more obvious link next to it, usually with text along the lines of "Posted 4 minutes ago" takes you to ...

The same spot!

you can find threads you posted to by going to the replies created section and then clicking on the # at the bottom.

Being able to tap the entire reply would be more intuitive.

The fact that copy and paste is not consistently working is not going either is disappointing.

I imagine (but I don't know) that visitors are hard won and easily lost. So yes, some people visiting less often, and I'm certainly one of them, will return, but a great many won't. I've replaced this place with other forums now. Admittedly that's driven in part by the fact I don't ride much any more, and have less interest in bikes than I once did, but even so, it would be a shame, as it's still got the potential to be the best forum around IMO.

Put it this way, I've gone from being on here for hours a day to occasion visits throughout the week. The recent 'upgrades' have put me right off. Make of that what you will...

I quite like the piece and quiet TBH.

It's sort of having the curtains half closed in the twilight where you're trying to block out the sunset and being blinded by the last few rays of the day.

A sleeping tablet is all you need to top it off.

Night night.

I've nothing to say - this post is just virtual CPR

It's going to work like a cull.

A month from now this place will be full of fresh faced spring chickens asking about tyres,flats V Spds,wheel sizes,fat bikes and much much more.

🙂

At least it means there is less petty squabbling by the usual suspects, harder to see when there is a response to your last drivel retort....

Yes, there are certain threads and posters that would appear to have fallen by the wayside. I suspect those posters (trolls) aren't getting their desire for instant feedback satiated.

For info Mark’s now started posting updates in the “Our Forum” sticky thread. At least the silence is broken.

Yes but who wants to wade through 43 pages to find out whats going on. Lets have a sticky with a regular update from admins/mods (whoever) that no one can post in Keep it concise and relevant.

Using chrome on Android and Windows 7 I have no edit tools.

I'm trying hard not to be sulky about the changes. I've been a subscriber since the magazine started. The last issue was great. But i do feel like I pay for this forum. If you're not logged in then the adverts are tough here. If your paying for something it's hard not to think that it should work

It's an intresting comparison to ukclimbing. I don't visit that often but they were looking at a forum update. They had a test site up for ages. The adverts don't get in the way and it's free. I don't know if the adverts pay for the content or if Rockfax subsidise it as an advert and data collection site for the publishing business.

So why didn't they run the updates on a test site before launching the updates here

It's fine.

I also miss the hover effect on the 'freshness' showing who made the last post - handy on a desktop just to see at a glance if someone else has posted or if your own recent post is the last one still.

"That would never have happened pre the face lift"

Thing is, you can't say that with anything like accuracy, before the changes no-one would've cared, now a small percentage of folk are making noise about it. As far as know this is just an interim stage, so when it's all working well, and everything's nice and shiney, and folk come back (indeed if they've even left) will anyone care?

Yes but who wants to wade through 43 pages to find out whats going on.

The thread is 3 posts long....

Apologies, I was looking at the wrong thread.

@trailwagger - the "Our Forum" thread is locked so that only Mark (I presume) can post to it. It's not the multi-page "Forum Update" thread, there's only three posts in it.

@ampthill - UKClimbing is a bespoke bit of software, I know the guy who wrote it though he no longer works there, there's been a couple of updates over the years. I don't know which way the income/subsidy model works between RockFax and UKC.

Doing a dummy run on a test server especially when it involves an irreversible change is the sensible strategy. It is odd that different users see different problems or even parts of the update - I don't see a means of adding emoticons for instance but others do. Tried several browsers on different OSes.

If the glitches send some of the more immature, argumentative bell-ends off to annoy others, then surely that's a good thing? Maybe folk just need to chill out and wait till the job is finished? If you want some perspective, I'd happily show you around our lab...except you'd struggle to get access as the security door at the front of the building hasn't worked properly since it was installed 14yrs ago. As a security door it's awesome...cause no gets in the building...really annoying though! Still, one day....maybe, just maybe?

Same as rascal and njee20 for me. It's coincided with a busy period at work which hasn't helped, but extra faff, and general reduced traffic has reduced my time on here too.

It's a shame, I'd hate it if it died to death like the bikeradar commuter forum did.

I don't think this has coincided with the upgrade. Threads on the first page well over a few hours old for months now.

Maybe the half term / upgrade has exaggerated things a bit but I don't think it's particularly upgrade specific.

“Oh yes quote appears to be fixed.”

Just testing.

"Daddy, is the forum dying?" <tears forming in eyes>
"Yes son, it's very ill, and soon I'll have to take it out back with the shotgun"
<bursts into tears>
"but... but don't worry son! there'll be other forums, that are young, and full of energy, with 4 legs that actually work, and that don't dribbble incontinently on you!"

"but Daddy, I want [bold]this[/bold] forum! Waaaaaah"

I posted something about shed building yesterday, it got 1 reply...

I posted something about shed building yesterday, it got 1 reply…

This is more serious than I thought, it might be terminal after all.

[edit]

The quote button might be functional now but there's no way you can call it fixed while the font is still massive.

A shed building thread with only 1 reply!!!

[IMG] [/IMG]

To be fair you can post up any old shite about e-bikes and it will run for pages....really really boring pages of the same old toss.

I must admit that I quite enjoy clicking on here at the moment as it gives me a repeated feeling of déjà vu 🤗

Just testing.

No need to shout!

If we all post new threads about the update/lack of threads/problems/subs/etc. then the activity will look a lot better. Be silly to add to the ones that are already there seeing as you can't see if anyone replies.

The quote button might be functional now

What's a 'quote button'?

Manual HTML Tags are where it's at. Apparently.

Hope not... it's quite useful.

But, I do some drift happening :-(..... or that might be those Pat O'Brian books kicking in 🙁

The usuals are still going around in circles on the Brexshit thread.

It is odd that different users see different problems or even parts of the update – I don’t see a means of adding emoticons for instance but others do. Tried several browsers on different OSes.

I have nothing more than what was available about 20 years ago as its basically a bulletin board [ no quote , preview emoticons anything just this box i can type in. Even on the main page threads are not in chronological order

I know nothing of IT but i cannot believe this was the hoped for outcome and whilst it wont kill the place it needs quick resolution

Yep, I’ve just reawakened my BikeMagic ID.  someone on there saw an mtb with road sized wheels.

It's not dead, it's just pining for the fjords.

I'm going to close this as a duplicate, it's the same conversation that's happening in several other threads.

If you need to make bug reports, please use the sticky.