30 replies to this topic

[Ruckus]

OK i think there is a bit of miss-understanding this would not be just a thread, it would be a Sub forum, Like the 'ICE build project area'.
Users will start a new Thread with all there pics and details then people can be free to ask question in that thread. I don't think this would be clogged up as such.

I guess you will get a lot of questions just after the thread is posted and then interest would wane and you would only get the occasional question.

But the important bit is the first post of first few posts would be the users Gallery and details of the install.

[Ethel]

How would you want to use it?

You could have a pinned topic, which you could also use as an index to your projects if you included a link.

A new section wouldn't be as quick to browse, but it would make it easier for feedback & questions.




You can try out the first option with this topic if you want

[Ruckus]

I personally like the sub forum with individual posts by each user as their 'Gallery'. I have sen this layout on other sites and it works well IMO.
Thant way as said it allows users to ask question of the thread starter/owner about the install.

If you just use a pinned thread you have to constantly remove peoples posts asking or talking about each install, if you don't it just ends up a mess with questions about one system looking like a reply to another install etc..
Plus its nice for users to be able to send an link to the thread and say this is my mini/install, not a shared thread...

My two pence worth.

[Ethel]

But a pinned topic would let you quickly browse all the installs, if the owner was up for answering questions they could also have their own project topic & link to it. You don't have to make a full build report to open a project topic & I can't see that it'd matter to the reader, or see any benefit in having two sections on essentially the same subject.

[Ruckus]

OK,

IMO the project section is for work in progress installs and the Gallery would be just that a place to show your finished install and answer questions.
I think two different sections for different things but the same sub forum format. Many user have an install but have never even thought about taking install pictures

For a start I would like to show this forum the install in my wife's mini, it was done 6 years ago and my old mini 30 install which was started 20 years ago!

I do see it fundamental diffrent but hay no worries its not my forum



[edit]
Maybe the project sub forum could become the Gallery and Project section, users would then just have to start thier thread with "Project" or "My Install" ??

Edited by Ruckus, 22 October 2011 - 02:43 PM.

[Dangerously-low Danny]

OK i think there is a bit of miss-understanding this would not be just a thread, it would be a Sub forum, Like the 'ICE build project area'.
Users will start a new Thread with all there pics and details then people can be free to ask question in that thread. I don't think this would be clogged up as such.

I guess you will get a lot of questions just after the thread is posted and then interest would wane and you would only get the occasional question.

But the important bit is the first post of first few posts would be the users Gallery and details of the install.

Oh, I thought you meant a singe thread too.

I'm still pretty new here, so this may already exist and I've just missed it, but how about an entire gallery section? Your proposed sub section could go in that rather than in the Ice section. Then you can have overall and engine bay sub sections too. I've seen this done on other forums, although the mods there just ended up pinning their own threads all the time.

Edited by Dangerously-low Danny, 22 October 2011 - 04:29 PM.

[Ethel]

We do have several topics along those lines, but it does sound like a good idea to make them more accessible so people know they exist. Maybe it's something we could do from the front website.


Ruckus, it's as much your forum as anyone else's

We just try to keep the forum structure as uncomplicated as we can to help people find what they're looking for. I'd worry that a topic section without regular updates would fall off the radar and go unread. Eventually (hopefully), all projects will be finished ones, so in the long term the distinction would be blurred anyway.

[A362 TTU]

Heres my 2p.

change the

ICE build project area
to
ICE build area


Then have this:

Pinned thread at the top called completed installs or something.

First post in the thread is rules,
1. post per project etc.
2. no build pics - finished only.
3. no chat, PM if you have a question
4. Link to build thread in the post if there is one

Then if you could just make someone mod for the section - It would be easily maintained

[Ruckus]

I still think one post per user/mini, that way questions can be asked and everyone can see the answers, save answering the same questions over and over.

[Ethel]

You'd have that, just a click away, if there was a link to a separate project topic. With the advantage of being able to see several installs on the same page of the pinned topic. The installer could also update his "index" post to answer any common questions.

[A362 TTU]

Both ways of going about it (1 thread per user, 1 thread for all) have their merits.

Which ever way we go about it i think it should be done. .

Just one point in favour of 1 Thread per user (the more i think the better this way seems), 99% will have broadband - It takes 2 seconds to leave a thread, and click on the next one. And this would enable questions to be asked below the 1st post of each thread. It would take less moderation that way too! (no deleting incorrect posts if the thread was complete builds only.

[Ruckus]

You'd have that, just a click away, if there was a link to a separate project topic. With the advantage of being able to see several installs on the same page of the pinned topic. The installer could also update his "index" post to answer any common questions.

I see this as messy, I'm just going to take the initiative and post the first completed install thread in the project section and title it accordingly.
If the admin team rename the sub forum that would be great, if not never mind...
I'm not going to keep asking.

IMO the section should be named simply:
'ICE install section' subtitled 'A section for your ICE projects and finished installs'.

[DanNomNom]

I don't see why you can't have both. Just start up a thread that people can post their finished project in, like the dashboard directory and then maybe do this:

change the

ICE build project area
to
ICE build area

I don't see why finished installs can't be in the project section, as they were a project at some point.

[daveholman]

Whilst bored at work today with not a lot to do (shhhhhh, don't tell my boss), I've been having a look over the ICE forums on here. In my opinion, the easiest way would be to seperate the current project thread into three sub-forums;

1) A project thread for full on builds, i.e. when people are doing full installs which will have loads of pictures and mountains of information.

2) A project thread for smaller projects, i.e. things like fitting speakers, new head units, etc. This would not only document peoples work but would also provide information for people looking to do smaller improvements in the future.

3) A 'garage', much like the garage on the front site (which I don't seem to be able to access now!!!), this would be purely a series of pictures and maybe a short spec list for each install. This would not include any questions but would enable people to show their builds. In the ideal world, people would complete their project, detailing all their work in one of the project sections, before finally posting pictures of the finished product in here.

Hopefully, this would mean that the new comers would have questions answered within the minor build threads and could get ideas from the full project threads without trawling through pages and pages of build information before they found pictures of the final product but would also allow them to look through build threads to get the exact specs on each part of the build.

I appreciate that this wouldn't work for everyone because some people won't have documented previous builds, etc but these people could add a bit of information into their final build thread which would detail techniques used so that people could then look them up on other threads.

Adding a simple link to the end of the final build thread which linked back to the project thread would be good as well.

Edited by daveholman, 24 October 2011 - 02:40 PM.

[hen.hughes1]

I think Ruckus' idea is the best way and easiest, as going through a thread with loads of pages and lots of conversations going on can be messy and confusing, it would be alot easier to have one thread per mini that has been completed, then people can discuss how they did what and why and all that within the post, without distracting attention from other peoples hard work. Also, if you just wanted to look for ideas for your build you can just go into each thread and see the pics straight away instead of rooting through lots of pages to find them.

My 2p