Hi UTGF members! I'd love some forum feedback from you all!

[roadbiker]

This just in: You should be able to delete a post within a certain period of time.

Jim

[jrporter]

I know that I'll probably regret writing this, but is there any chance we can return to offering suggestions to the Administrator that will make this a better forum as requested???

[roadbiker]

I know that I'll probably regret writing this, but is there any chance we can return to offering suggestions to the Administrator that will make this a better forum as requested???

I agree. If some of the back and forth continues, I suspect that the post will be closed in the spirit of keeping this a fun and optimistic place to share thoughts.

Jim



edited for language

[dcarey]

No complaints from this camper!

[jrporter]

Ok then. It's double-secret probation to any of you Deltas who fail to comply....

[cigarfan]

Ok then. It's double-secret probation to any of you Deltas who fail to comply....

[CodeBlueEMT]

 ...and throw in some more guitar porn while you're at it. 

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

....But remember that a dealer and buyer have competing interests. One wishes to maximise profit, the other wishes to minimise cost.....

Actually their interests should be the same, which is to get the right guitar to the buyer. As a consumer I couldn't imagine enjoying shopping for anything if my main concern was to minimize cost, and I wouldn't survive very long as a dealer if all I cared about was maximizing profit. In fact if I were to make one suggestion to this forum it would be to discourage this us against them mentality some folks seem to have.

[cigarfan]

....But remember that a dealer and buyer have competing interests. One wishes to maximise profit, the other wishes to minimise cost.....

Actually their interests should be the same, which is to get the right guitar to the buyer. As a consumer I couldn't imagine enjoying shopping for anything if my main concern was to minimize cost, and I wouldn't survive very long as a dealer if all I cared about was maximizing profit. In fact if I were to make one suggestion to this forum it would be to discourage this us against them mentality some folks seem to have.

I sure agree with Ted. If you pick your dealer wisely, buying a guitar does not reduce to penny pinching and profit. There are many conscientious dealers out there and Ted is one of them!

[Cindy]

What do all of you think about the sub-forums? There are 6 of them. Do you think there should be more or less sub-forums? If so, what suggestions can you offer? And what about directly linking YouTube videos and/or SoundCloud audio clips so they play right in the threads? Having those might add to the operating costs of the forum, but eventually that might open the door for some paid memberships and/or sponsorships by dealers.

Everyone's opinion is valued, and even if someone doesn't happen to agree with a suggestion, it doesn't mean there has to be rebuttals. When a thread gets monopolized by any one particular person, it sucks the life right out of it...so please keep that in mind and allow everyone to freely express their opinions.

[Herb Hunter]

What do all of you think about the sub-forums? There are 6 of them. Do you think there should be more or less sub-forums? If so, what suggestions can you offer? And what about directly linking YouTube videos and/or SoundCloud audio clips so they play right in the threads?

I prefer a minimum of sub-forums. The more there are, the more time consuming it is to search for threads one finds interesting and the greater the likelihood that a thread might go unnoticed.


I would like to see the sub-forum, Taylor Electric Guitars, changed to, Guitar Amplification, where electric guitars, acoustic guitars with pickups, amplifiers and public address systems and microphones (for amplification purposes) would be discussed.


It doesn't seem clear enough that the sub-fourm, Lessons, Recordings, How To's, Repair, Accessories, is where recording techniques and issues should be discussed.


As I mentioned in my first post to this thread, I'd like the software to provide for the insertion of YouTube videos into posts. If the forum software recognizes the html tag, [youtube] [/youtube], it is probably a matter of switching that feature on and I'd be surprised if doing that would incur a surcharge.

[Cindy]

What do all of you think about the sub-forums? There are 6 of them. Do you think there should be more or less sub-forums? If so, what suggestions can you offer? And what about directly linking YouTube videos and/or SoundCloud audio clips so they play right in the threads?

I prefer a minimum of sub-forums. The more there are, the more time consuming it is to search for threads one finds interesting and the greater the likelihood that a thread might go unnoticed.

I would like to see the sub-forum, Taylor Electric Guitars, changed to, Guitar Amplification, where electric guitars, acoustic guitars with pickups, amplifiers and public address systems and microphones (for amplification purposes) would be discussed.

It doesn't seem clear enough that the sub-fourm, Lessons, Recordings, How To's, Repair, Accessories, is where recording techniques and issues should be discussed.

As I mentioned in my first post to this thread, I'd like the software to provide for the insertion of YouTube videos into posts. If the forum software recognizes the html tag, [youtube] [/youtube], it is probably a matter of switching that feature on and I'd be surprised if doing that would incur a surcharge.[/size]

So what do you think about combining the Taylor Electric Guitar forum with anything that has to do with recording and/or amplification? Then possibily having The Lounge add in 'other guitar topics' such as lessons, repairs, and accessories? Or do you think the Taylor Acoustic forum should include repairs for those guitars as well as accessories for them? Herb? Anyone else?

[Cindy]

As I mentioned in my first post to this thread, I'd like the software to provide for the insertion of YouTube videos into posts. If the forum software recognizes the html tag, [youtube] [/youtube], it is probably a matter of switching that feature on and I'd be surprised if doing that would incur a surcharge.

I forgot to address Herb's YouTube comment. For those who have run their own sites/forums, when YouTube videos and/or SoundCloud Audio files are directly embedded into the forum like Herb describes, does that add a cost when it comes to bandwidth usage?

[DennisG]

In the spirit of allowing everyone to freely express his or her opinion, I thought I'd offer up this:

I have a love/hate relationship with this forum.  I love the fact that it's populated by people who share my interest in Taylor guitars, passionate folks who provide the rest of us with their insight and experience, and even the occasional witty comment.  That aspect of logging on each morning used to fill me with excitement and anticipation.

But I hate that the mods allowed so many of my international friends (who I'd brought over to this site from another forum) to get chased away as a result of abuse by one of this site's members.  That was embarrassing and frustrating to me.  And it was absolutely maddening watching the mods dither and hem and haw regarding what to do about the abuser.  It caused me to not only stop recommending this site, but to quit coming here at all for several months.

There's only one thing to do about a forum member who insults and belittles other forum members.  You warn him on the first offense.  You suspend him on his second violation.  You remove him permanently when you realize that he simply can't control himself.  You don't need vast experience running a site to realize that you don't give him thirty opportunities to drive people away. 

In my mind, the very least a moderator and site administrator should do is to provide a fun and educational environment where people feel safe to express their opinions.  So I (and countless other people) stopped coming to this site when it no longer felt safe to participate.  Only then did the mods take action.  All of which leads me to say, I tend not to support businesses who do the right thing only when a portion of their customers threatens to abandon it.  The right thing is to protect the well-being of your customers.  Period.

Just for the record, I'm not looking for repentance or an apology.  I'd just like to know, before I once again make this site a habit, if it's safe to be here.

You asked.

[cigarfan]

Good to hear from you DennisG! You have been missed.